Mediterranean Cuisine at the CIA

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries

suppliers who had come to learn about the cuisine of this diverse region from the experts.

The CIA’s sprawling complex is known simply as “Greystone,” and was once the Christian
Brothers winery. Now, it’s a maze of production kitchens, demonstration theatres and
culinary exhibitions. For this conference, 50 guest chefs from throughout the
Mediterranean basin worked against the curriculum clock, attempting to share every
nuance of their country’s cuisine in an hour or less. Some chefs now work in the U.S. and
others traveled from their native lands to share their knowledge.

In the tasting kitchen the size of a city block, the CIA staff maneuvered around hordes of
curious culinarians, stacks of tasting plates and cooking equipment teetering on
countertops. Most visitors knew how to get out of the way when they heard “hot behind
you,” and kept a healthy distance between large sauté pans filled with bubbling olive oil.
The CIA staff, students and volunteers from restaurants and the nearby Napa Valley
Cooking School assisted the chefs and worked on banquet preparations. Guest chefs
commandeered available stations and attendees gathered around to soak up every
culinary technique and exotic spice combination on offer.

At one station, Najmieh Batmanglij, Persian-American cookbook author, demonstrated
Pomegranate Khoresh with perfectly seared duck, accompanied by Sweet Rice with
Orange Peel, baked in a lavash shell. The sauce was a combination of sautéed onions,
butternut squash, pomegranate seeds and juice, rich pomegranate molasses, and saffron
steeped in a little water. “Never put saffron threads directly into a dish, they should
always be steeped first,” Ms. Batmanglij advised. Chefs from the Persian delegation, Faz
Poursohi (Faz Restaurants, San Francisco), Mehrdad Dabir (Metropolitan Club, San
Francisco) and Michael Mir (Bah Bah, Naples, Florida) multiplied or “scaled-up” Ms.
Batmanglij’s recipe to serve hundreds of people at the luncheon feast.

Chef Michael Mir was also preparing “Aash,” a regional Persian soup of mung beans,
lentils and reconstituted “tarkhineh,” which is a cracked wheat block that looks like a
roughly shaped cracker. For anyone familiar with traditional Mediterranean cuisine, this
“cracker” appears in many shapes and sizes in every region. It’s lightweight and has a
long shelf life, which was perfect for people traveling along the ancient Silk Road, among
others with different intentions during that era. “For this event, I was led in the direction of
extreme classic and unexploited food items,” Chef Mir said. So he avoided grape leaves
and Baklava.

On the countertop, there was a piece of paper with a handwritten message in Farsi,
already spattered with nearby production ingredients. “This is my mother’s recipe,” Mir
said. “She faxed it to me from her home in Tehran. My staff said, ‘Wait a minute, aren’t
you going to translate this?’” Tarkhineh is a Kurdish word meaning “bitter fermented.”
Sour dough and sour yogurt are mixed with slightly cooked cracked wheat and
seasonings. Then it’s fermented for two days, hand formed and dried -- first on straw
racks in the home, then it’s transported to the rooftops where children stand watch to
shoo the birds away. “It’s a good bonding experience for the family,” chef Mir said. “I tried
to make the recipe in Florida but it was too humid. My nieces made a batch and my
mother sent seven pounds to me for this conference.”

Regardless of where the guest chefs are working today, they rallied together for this
conference and even contacted their families to clarify recipes, in order to present the
most fascinating culinary treasures of their homeland. Some presentations were very
traditional, while others were avant-garde interpretations. Either way, the guest chefs’
techniques and flavor combinations inspired participants.

At another station, Paul Bartolotta (Bartolotta Restaurant Group, Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
and Odette Fada (San Domenico NY) whipped through a series of vegetable
preparations, from a simple broccoli and pasta dish to pureed chickpeas with sautéed
langoustines to hearty soups. Chefs Bartolotta and Fada were racing to prepare the
dishes and share invaluable information. The task of shelling and deveining a
langoustine was made simple by the flick of the wrist.

Nearby, Christoforos Peskias of Athens, Greece, shared modern approaches to Greek
standards with his Shrimp and Traxana (bulgur steeped in sour milk then dried), that he
concocted using the same method as risotto, accompanied by a lemon, lime and pink
grapefruit sauce. His method of sautéing the shrimp was to use a low fire and cook it
slowly to retain the flavor. Then, he added something that looked like tumeric, but it was
dried, ground lemon rind. He also made Cod with Brandade and Almond Foam. He used
fresh cod and covered it with sea salt for an hour, which resulted in a moist and flavorful
fillet. The brandade was an intricate medley of potatoes, cod, parsley oil, star anise and
pimiente, a ground red pepper from the Basque country. Chef Peskias confessed that
the almond foam was “for theatrical effect” but it really worked with the other flavors.

Although most chefs looked exhausted after the harried demonstrations with cameramen
hovering, microphones slipping from their chefs’ coats, and a barrage of questions from
participants, they could have talked until dawn about food, whether it be the difference
between manufactured smoked ricotta and locally made ricotta or Iranian saffron versus
Spanish saffron.

Meanwhile, concurrent lectures and demonstrations presented by prominent chefs and
writers were being held in every available corner of the campus. Participants hurried from
one forum to the next, knowing the choice would be difficult. Should it be The Art of
Tunisian Tagine, Flavors of Friuli-Venezia Guilia, Lebanese Flavors for American
Kitchens or Tastes of Modern Greek Cooking? But then there’s Ancient Persia and the
Silk Road, Tradition and Revolution in the Spanish Kitchen, Turkish Grilling or Moroccan
Flavors…we can’t miss those either! The list went on and on.

Some participants chose the sessions based on their familiarity with guest chefs like Paul
Bertolli (Oliveto, Oakland, California) or Lidia Bastianich (Felidia and Becco, New York
and Lidia’s in Kansas City, among others), but all visiting chefs were superb in their own
right. Oftentimes, the least known chefs shared the most intriguing techniques and
recipes.

Moroccan chef, Rafih Benjelloun (The Imperial Fez, Atlanta, Georgia), hosted a hilarious
yet informative slide presentation on couscous. The message was clear: Never boil
couscous; it must be steamed. Chef Benjelloun also acted as French to English translator
in another lively demonstration by chef Abderrazak Haouari (from the isle of Djerba,
Tunisia). This was one of several live kitchen demonstrations that was relayed back to
the conference room and hosted by food writer, Paula Wolfert.

In one amphitheatre, cookbook author, Nikoleta Foskolou of Tinos, Greece, demonstrated
a simple yet intensely flavorful spread of sun-dried capers, fresh capers, onion, parsley,
olive oil (naturally) and vinegar. Most students had never tasted or dreamed of such a
dish, but many would forevermore. In another forum, Ana Sortun (Oleana, Cambridge,
Massachusetts) demonstrated potato, green olive and caper brik with sweet sour greens.
Brik, phyllo dough and variations thereof were used extensively throughout the
conference. Since the cultivation and processing of wheat began, these thin doughs
have been versatile culinary vessels throughout the Mediterranean region. They produce
a crunchy yet light texture and today’s chefs have embraced this medium as a means of
depicting traditional flavors in unique ways.

Participants were beginning to see the culinary similarities in the region, and understand
the differences, due to a wide range of geographical, religious, political and economic
influences.

“Walk-around” tastings were offered in the Barrel Room for lunch and dinner. No one
could have been physically hungry, but they were clearly mentally hungry to discover the
flavors of unknown lands, and speak to chefs, winemakers and producers. At one table,
Spanish chef Jose Ramon Andres (Jaleo and Zaytinya, Washington, DC) created
whimsical samples of “Meat and Potatoes,” a potato puree scooped onto a tasting spoon
and topped with ultra-thin filet mignon. The following night, he served “Foie Gras Cotton
Candy,” a lollypop concept, with a chunk of foie gras on a toothpick covered with a wisp of
spun sugar.

Sponsors joined the party with samples and guest chef demonstrations. At the Krinos
Foods station, chunks of silky Manouri and Graviera cheeses, along with black and green
olives from various regions were paired with a Greek wine selection at the adjoining
Nestor Imports. At Durkee/Tone Brothers a spice/herb/extract company, Moroccan chef
Mourad Lahlou (Aziza, San Francisco) served Prawn Tagine and Almond Triangles with
Rosewater. Chef Heidi Krahling (Insalata’s, San Anselmo, California) offered various
Middle Eastern spreads at the National Peanut Board and Peanut Institute’s station.
Aside from the Rioja flowing at the Wines of Spain table, chef Enrique Dacosta Vadillo (El
Poblet, Denia, Spain) offered Foie Gras with Lemon Ice and Wild Arugula. The
imaginative flavor combinations and presentations of the chefs were infinite.

Allied Domecq poured California and Mediterranean wines as well as porto and sherry.
Darioush Wines, a newcomer on the California wine scene, served Cabernet Sauvignon
and Shiraz. Chef Herbert Keller (Fleur de Lys, San Francisco) served up a rich garlic
soup, and word caught on that it was in perfect contrast with a crisp, Sauvignon Blanc,
while others insisted that a light sherry was the ultimate palate experience.

In the back of the Barrel Room, an inviting Persian tent was set up with traditional seating
and rugs. One table held spice displays from Sadaf Foods of ground angelica, sumac,
saffron and rose petals. Next door, Chef Mehrdad Dabir set up a bar with glass urns filled
with Arak, a potent clear spirit, chilled in giant ice molds. The Arak is his mother’s recipe
using distilled raisins. It was is poured on ice and sprinkled with the angelica and fresh
pomegranate seeds.

Variations of this type of firewater are made in homes all over the Mediterranean basin. It’
s typically made of distilled grape must in Italy (grappa), Greece (raki, tsipouro or
tsikoudia) and Turkey (raki). In some regions, house made Arak became prevalent during
the time of religious restrictions on consuming alcoholic beverages. In other regions, it is
still a rural winemaker’s tradition to utilize every drop from the grape and benefit from the
results, especially during the winter season. Typically, men indulge in the spirit, while
women see it as special occasion beverage or use it for medicinal purposes.

One delegate from Lebanon said that since Persia is landlocked, it’s not technically part
of this “Mediterranean” theme. On the other side of the coin, one could argue that the
strongest roots of Mediterranean cuisine can be traced back to Persia. A few countries
along the Mediterranean basin were not represented at this conference at all. Organizing
massive events such as the Worlds of Flavor is a tricky business and not everyone will be
completely pleased.

For three days, chefs raced to produce fine cuisine and participants stood while eating
and drinking, which slices against the grain of the traditional Mediterranean style of
dining. We could analyze the whole event for eons. But, to have the opportunity to meet
with exceptionally dedicated and innovative chefs from all over this region outweighs
individual viewpoints. The conference culminated into a limitless exchange of ideas, with
so many people from different fields who were passionate about their role in this culinary
world and anxious to share their stories and skills with others.

In between the lectures and feasts, musicians and dance companies representing
different nations entertained guests. Forums on the future of cuisine and menu
interpretations of this region were informative and sometimes heated and subjective.
Chefs in fine dining establishments struggle with being true to their heritage and
individuality, finding authentic ingredients and presenting their interpretations to
discerning customers. The scale can really swing, since customer satisfaction is the key
to success in this very risky restaurant business. Prominent food writers advised
participants to get out and see the world as they have. Chefs who rarely have a chance
to get out of their kitchens were happy to be here for three days -- to exchange ideas with
colleagues and share their passion for cooking. Focused participants could not have left
without a wealth of new ideas, a dozen new friends, and visions of wandering through the
little villages of the Mediterranean region one day.