World Dishes
MADE LOCALLY WITH LOVE.
Greg Vouros, friend and long-time Portalis customer, travels the world with his partner, Don, then returns to Seattle and has a lot of fun researching recipes, hunting down authentic ingredients around the Seattle metro area, and then using his amazing cooking skills to recreate these meals. Here’s a tribute to world cooking at home in Seattle… and some fun wines to pair with these dishes.
GREEK CUISINE
Greg grew up in a Greek-American home in central Connecticut eating “LOTS of Greek food!” Add in his travels to Greece, and he plates some delicious fare from that part of the world. Below are some of his dishes:
SPANOKOPITA
= puff pastry filled with spinach & feta. This rich appetizer needs some acid to bring it in balance. Enjoy with:
Panagopoulos 2024 Antinoe Moschofilero • Peloponnese, Greece • Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39 • 100% Moschofilero from PDO Mantinia. Floral on the nose. Jasmine, green apples. Similar to Viognier, but lighter, not as luscious, but with good weight, complexity, acidity. Flavors have apples, pears, yellow plums. Finish is fresh & dry with citrus and a note of white pepper. Finish is long. In Greece, they'd enjoy Moschofilero with a tzatziki mezze platter, spanakopita, fried calamari with a squeeze of lemon, souvlaki (herbed chicken skewers), a fresh Greek salad and more!
LAMB KEBABS & LAMB KEFTEDES
Lamb Kebabs, you know. Lamb Keftedes are the crispy lamb meatballs served above with roasted root vegetables, rice and sautéed sea beans. Lamb is the star of the show in both dishes, and lamb — rich & flavorful — requires a red wine with body & tannins to balance the intensity of the meat. As in Greece, lamb is the traditional red meat in Spain, and both of these Spanish wines would pair wonderfully:
Tomàs Cusiné 2022 Llebre • Costers del Segre, Spain • Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99• 100% Ull de Llebre = Tempranillo in Catalan. Literally translated, it means 'a hare´s eye' since the grape is small and dark. Thus, the label! Tart red plums, red berries, blackberries, cherries, faint saddle leather. Medium-bodied. Soft tannins on the finish.
Gordo 2021 Monastrell • Yecla, Spain • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39 • 100% Monastrell = Mourvèdre. (Spain is the original home of this grape, btw.) Herbal, earthy, dark fruit on the nose. Palate = blackberries, black plums, blueberries, herbal, black tea. Dry finish with a little, vibrant, orange rind acidity on the tail end. Perfect at your next grill party!
GREEN PEPPERS STUFFED WITH RICE & LAMB
In this dinner, the lamb adds flavor, but it’s not the star of the show. A lighter-bodied Greek red would hold the meal in balance:
Klados 2024 The Hunter Kotsifali • Crete, Greece • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59 •
100% Kotsifali. Light, ruby red in color. Fruity aromas of cherry, strawberry, sour cherry and dried flowers. Taste: Round and fruity mouth with a perfect balance of alcohol, acidity and tannins. Serve slightly chilled in summer. Winery’s vineyards pictured.
GREEK PAPOUTSAKIA & WHITE BURGUNDY
In this traditional, Greek comfort food, Greg fills the eggplant skins with a sautéed mixture of eggplant, onions, tomatoes, feta, herbs and eggs, then tops that with an egg-flour-water mixture (similar to pancake batter) that bakes into a delicious kind of mini-Moussaka. The richness of this dish calls for balance with the wine. A luscious white Burgundy with a little oak would be perfect:
Glantenet 2022 Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc • Burgundy, France • Reg $35.99 | Mixed Case $28.79 • 100% Chardonnay. Golden color. Really exciting aromas of Bosc pear, apples, limestone. Palate is elegant, complex, adding stone fruit, limestone minerality, and citrus on the finish. Wonderful wine.
BARLEY TUSK SALAD
The barley tusks are slathered in olive oil then topped with tomatoes, caper, and kalamata olives. This dish has lots of intense Mediterranean flavors. It’s pretty acidic, but not heavy. Enjoy with a crisp white like the Moschofilero (above), a lovely Sancerre, or your pick of Italian white grapes: minerally Pinot Grigio (from the Italian Alps), Cortese (Gavi), Arneis (Piedmont), Garganega (Soave) or a little bit richer Vermentino (Sardinia). Pictured:
Hubert Brochard 2023 Sancerre • Loire Valley, France • Reg $35.99 | Mixed Case $28.79 • 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre. Chalky, minerally, seashells on the nose. Palate is super well-balanced. Orchard fruit with citrus, grapefruit. Fine acidity going through the finish. Fun, delicious wine.
Stay tuned for more of Greg’s dinners and wines to pair with them! In the meantime, enjoy his flower garden above.
Cheers to terrific home cooking!
Julie, co-owner
Portalis Wine Shop