By Joe Yonan Editor, Food and Travel November 3 at 7:00 AM

Aglaia Kremezis favorite word, said with a punch of an accent on the second syllable, is Exactly! At least it was last week when we spent a few hours cooking, talking and ogling photos of Greece and Greek food together. Kremezi, 67, is a bubbly whirlwind of positive energy, as refreshing as the breeze that (Ive heard, anyway) blows off the bay at her home in Kea, an island in the Cyclades.

She was in town promoting her new cookbook, Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), and when I had the chance to connect with her, I figured wed cook the dish I had already tested from the book, a stunner involving quince, farro, and almonds and dill by the fistful. But you made that yesterday! she said, as soon as we skipped past the formalities, opened a bottle of wine and started making a dinner plan. It would be no fun to make it again. Lets see what else you have.

Thankfully, I had been to the farmers market earlier in the day, so spinach, broccolini and green beans were in the house, there was leftover cooked farro, and a few herbs were still going strong in my front-yard garden. Oh, and quince, fuzzy, green and turning yellow, their intoxicating fragrance perfuming my entire townhouse.

And then there were the pantry, refrigerator and freezer, all so overflowing they were difficult to close. Kremezi and I apparently are kindred spirits in that respect, among others. Your pantry is just like mine! she exclaimed at one point, as she struggled to find a place to return a bottle of honey. So much, so much and dont you love it?

I do.

Without much delay, we were chopping and cleaning the spinach, and she cooked it down with chopped broccolini, a healthy dose of Aleppo pepper, a cup or two of white wine, and water. Everything got super tender, and then she threw in some of the cold farro, warming it through, then scooped out all but the liquid from the pan. She whisked together two eggs and the juice of two lemons, and then I slowly poured in the greens cooking liquid as she continued whisking, making the classic avgolemono sauce that shows up in so many Mediterranean cuisines under other names. It went back in the pan, along with the greens and grains, and soon enough the whole thing was thickened beautifully.

This is the type of dish she makes at home, off the cuff, pretty frequently. While her new book is vegetarian, shes not, although the frequency of meat consumption in her household is down to a couple times a month, tops. For special occasions, she says. Then she paused as we scooped the dish onto plates. It might be too sour for you, she said with a smile.

I love sour food, I replied. My favorite fruits are citrus. She smiled wider. The resulting dish, in fact, was a marvel of balanced flavors, much like the stuffed quince had been the day before, and while Kremezi slowly enjoyed her portion, I wolfed down two and went back for a third. I made a mental note to start replacing bechamel with avgolemono in future recipes as often as possible. I thought of all the fabulous gratins and soups and pasta sauces to come.

She treated the green beans more simply, sauteing them briefly with sliced garlic, then glazing them with balsamic vinegar. These are so perfect, so sweet, she said, I dont want to do very much to them.

Link:
Weeknight Vegetarian: Aglaia Kremezi has a way with Mediterranean vegetables