"Take pleasure in drizzling an extra splash of olive oil over your pasta or drinking a glass of red wine with friends."
Food cultivates a bond with others so she urges people cook for friends and loved ones as "your palate and soul will be so much richer".
While Mediterranean diets are primarily gluten-free as they are based on whole, unprocessed foods, the challenge comes when eating bakery items and the sneaky breadcrumbs often found in meatballs.
However, she says all it takes is some simple swaps and "your focaccia will be bouncy again".
Tzouganatos, who was raised in Sydney’s multicultural inner west, grew up surrounded by migrant neighbours from various countries spanning the Mediterranean. They introduced her to their favourite dishes.
"They all shared a few common threads: olive oil, plant rich, nutrient dense and prepared from scratch with lots of love."
Her family’s pantry was always stocked with quality extra-virgin olive oil, tomatoes, kalamata olives, artisan cheese, fresh herbs and an abundance of fresh spices.
"With these staples my mother could whip up myriad recipes, from express mid-week pastas to slow-cooked hearty stews."
"As a child I was responsible for generously drizzling olive oil over our rustic Greek salad at the dinner table. I would also slather my hands with liquid gold to roll biscuit dough with my mum, the oil helping to prevent the dough sticking to our hands."
Butter was used sparingly, reserved for desserts and pastries although there was often an olive oil version of their favourite biscuit, cake or pastry.
To transition to a Mediterranean diet, well-known for its long-life giving health benefits, she suggests swapping butter for olive oil, eating more plants, replacing bulgur wheat and couscous with quinoa, a nutrient dense replacement, learning to cook with polenta, eating less meat and more seafood, enjoying cheeses and yoghurt in moderation, indulging in an occasional sweet treat with friends, snacking on nuts and olives and sipping a little wine with a meal.
"A glass of red wine is there to be savoured and to enhance the flavour of the food, quite often as a communal shared experience with family and friends."
In her book Gluten-Free Mediterranean she also gives a handy pantry guide to the gluten-free ingredients she uses as well as her favourite Mediterranean ingredients and the spices synonymous with Greek baking.
Alongside chapters on breads and pies and sweets, cakes and biscuits, are sections on legumes and vegetables, rice and potatoes, pasta, seafood and meat.
The book
Gluten-Free Mediterranean by Helen Tzouganatos, Macmillan, RRP $49.99
Focaccia
Forget kneading and overcomplicated steps, this gluten-free version of the iconic Italian bread comes together in a flash — and the results are incredible: a perfectly crisp golden top, crunchy olive oil base and light and fluffy centre. The most challenging part is waiting an hour for the dough to pull up, that’s as difficult as it gets. It is critical to use an Italian gluten-free bread flour for this recipe to achieve the correct results. The added starches in the gluten-free bread flour provide the extra stretch that enables the dough to rise.
DF, GF, VG
Serves 12
Ingredients
500g Italian gluten-free bread flour (available online at European delis and gourmet grocers)
7g sachet dried yeast
3 tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra for sprinkling
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing and drizzling
Method
Brush a baking tray (roughly 30cm × 23cm) generously with olive oil.
Place the flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed to combine. Add 450ml of warm water and the olive oil and mix to form a wet batter.
Spoon the batter on to the prepared tray and spread out with the back of an oiled spoon to completely cover the base. Drizzle some extra oil over the batter, use your fingers to create dimples over the top, then cover with plastic wrap and rest in a warm spot for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 220degC (fan-forced).
Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle some extra salt over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden. So the crust remains crispy, immediately transfer the focaccia to a wire rack to cool.
VARIATIONS
Olive & Rosemary: Prior to resting the dough, press 155g (1 cup) pitted kalamata olives into the dough and sprinkle on 1 Tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary leaves. Drizzle some extra oil over the dough, then cover in plastic wrap.
Pugliese: Prior to resting the dough, press 150g halved cherry tomatoes into the dough and sprinkle with 1tsp dried oregano.
Drizzle some extra oil over the dough, then cover in plastic wrap. Just before baking, sprinkle on some extra salt.
Gluten-free Dinner Rolls: Spoon the batter into a greased 12-hole large muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap, rest for 1 hour, then bake for 20–25 minutes or until the rolls are golden.
NOTE
You can find Italian gluten-free bread flour at European delis and gourmet grocers.
Kolokithopita — Pumpkin Pie with Walnut & Honey
Of all the coiled pastry recipes my mother has taught me, this is probably my favourite. There are many different versions of Greek pumpkin pie (‘kolokithi’ meaning pumpkin and ‘pita’ meaning pie), some sweet, some savoury. I’m obsessed with the sweet version because it tastes just like baklava with the added bonus of soft cinnamon-spiked pumpkin in the filling. The contrasting textures and flavours are just spectacular. My olive oil pastry works perfectly here as a gluten-free and dairy-free alternative to traditional filo.
DF, GF, V
Makes16 individual pies or 1 large 30cm pie
1 × quantity Olive Oil Pastry
Ingredients
260g (2 cups) gluten-free plain flour
½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
Pinch of sea salt flakes
2 large eggs (see note)
125ml (½ cup) light olive oil
Method
Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
Whisk the eggs and olive oil together in another bowl.
Add the egg mixture and tablespoons of warm water to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Use your hands to knead the dough for a minute to form a smooth ball. Cover the bowl and rest the dough in the fridge for hour before using.
Pie
Light olive oil, for brushing
½ tsp caster sugar mixed with ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
115g (⅓ cup) honey
Pumpkin filling
300g butternut pumpkin, finely grated, excess moisture squeezed out
100g (1 cup) walnuts, coarsely crushed, plus extra for sprinkling
80g (⅓ cup) caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
¼ tsp ground cloves
Method
Preheat the oven to 200degC (fan-forced) and grease a 24cm round cake tin with olive oil.
Combine the pumpkin filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Divide the cold pastry into four portions. Working with one portion at a time, place the pastry between two large sheets of baking paper.
Roll out the pastry to the shape of a paper-thin rectangle roughly 50cm × 10cm.
Remove the top layer of baking paper and place one quarter of the pumpkin filling in a log shape along the long edge of the pastry closest to you.
Using the bottom sheet of baking paper to help, lift the dough and roll it over the filling to enclose and seal (only allow a 2cm pastry overlap at the seam to keep the pastry fairly thin).
Sit the log along the outer edge of the tin to create the outer coil. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling to create an inward spiral.
Brush the top of the coil with olive oil and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle the honey over the top. Sprinkle on the extra walnuts and add a dusting of cinnamon.
Set aside for 30 minutes so the pastry can soak up the syrup, then slice and serve.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
VARIATION
You might like to add raisins or currants to your filling.
NOTE
Using eggs of a different size may result in a dough that is too wet or too dry (add more flour or water respectively).
Look for 600g egg cartons labelled "large" with an average egg weight of 55g.
Lamb and spinach gozleme
Crispy, golden gluten-free Turkish gozleme can be easily whipped up in under 20 minutes, so it’s the perfect after-school snack. The dough comes together very quickly and while it’s resting, you can quickly make your filling of choice. I love a spiced lamb mince filling when I feel like a break from spinach and feta, but you can get as creative as you like. Don’t overfill the gozleme — the flatter the parcel the crispier it will get when it hits the hot frying pan.
DFO, GF
Serves 6
Dough
260g (2 cups) gluten-free self-raising flour
90g (⅓ cup) Greek yoghurt (or coconut yoghurt for dairy free)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp sea salt flakes
Lamb and spinach filling
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped pinch of sea salt flakes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
250g lamb mince
Large handful of baby spinach leaves
Olive oil, for pan-frying
Lemon wedges, to serve
Combine all the dough ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add 125ml (½ cup) of warm water and mix on medium speed for 1 minute to form a smooth dough.
If the mixture is too dry, add a little more water and mix again. Set the dough aside to rest, uncovered, while you make the filling.
To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and salt and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin and black pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the lamb and cook, breaking up any chunks with a wooden spoon, for 3 minutes or until browned. Add the spinach, stir and cook for 1 minute to wilt.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Divide the dough into six balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper to form a paper-thin rectangle about 20cm x 30cm in size.
Scatter 3 Tbsp of the lamb and spinach filling in the centre, leaving a clear border of roughly 8cm around the edges.
Fold the dough over the filling to enclose. Cover with baking paper and very gently roll out again to flatten and thin out the gozleme. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Place a heavy-based frying pan over high heat and allow it to heat up.
Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil into the very hot pan and cook the gozleme, one at a time, adding more oil as needed, for 2-3minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Serve with lemon wedges.
FILLING VARIATIONS
Spinach and feta: combine 135g (3 cups) baby spinach, 3 sliced spring onions and 200g crumbled feta.
Potato and cheese: combine 460g (2 cups) mashed potato, 150g grated mozzarella, a handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, ½ tsp paprika and salt and pepper.
