A Conversation with Patricia Moore-Pastides
November 15, 2013
November 15, 2013
Patricia Moore-Pastides is the First Lady of the University of South Carolina and an accomplished cook, writer, and public health professional. The author of Greek Revival: Cooking for Life (USC Press 2010, currently in its 5th printing) and Greek Revival from the Garden: Growing and Cooking for Life (USC Press 2013) received her Masters in Public Health from Yale University School of Medicine.
Patricia teaches adult and children’s Mediterranean cooking classes at Columbia’s Cooking!, an interactive community cooking program offered by the University’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program and teaches Healthy Mediterranean Cooking at USC in the department of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management. Classes are offered throughout the year.
She cultivates an organic vegetable garden to provide food for university events and the Healthy Carolina Farmers’ Market and serves on the Campus Wellness Committee. She also advocates for reducing landfill waste by increasing the use of biodegradables and recycling. And she has initiated composting and rainwater collection at the President’s House.
She hopes to encourage vegetable gardening, home cooking, and increased enjoyment of plant based dining through Greek Revival from the Garden: Growing and Cooking for Life.
Video Number 1 – Patricia talks about the origins of her two books
Video Number 2 – Patricia shows how she makes her delicious hummus as well as pita chips.
The recipe for Pita Chips
4 whole-wheat pita breads
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees on the convection setting. Cut the pitas in half and then cut each half into 3–4 wedges. Brush the wedges on both sides with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange them in a single layer on baking sheets with sides, leaving space between the wedges. Sprinkle them with salt and dust them with finely chopped rosemary.
Bake the pita wedges in the middle of the oven for about 7 minutes. If you are using a conventional (rather than convection) oven setting, turn the wedges over once about halfway through the cooking time.When the pita chips are crisp and brown, remove them from the oven.Serves 6
Process all the ingredients until they are well blended. Transfer the Roasted Red-Pepper Hummus to a serving bowl. Cover it and chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so the flavors will blend.
Serve with Homemade Pita Chips. Makes about 2 cups, serving 8–10.
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