Let the games begin: Feast like an Olympic champion, for good taste and good health

NEW YORK — Jim Botsacos is ahead of the game, with his eye on the finishing line. As a chef, that is. He's been in culinary training for the 2004 Olympics for some time, figuring out how to keep everyone fittingly well-fed.

He offered tasty proof of his efforts at a special luncheon at Molyvos, the Greek restaurant in Manhattan where he is executive chef. For the occasion, he produced a nutritious menu made up of his original recipes, focusing on what he considers healthful, energy-producing indigenous Greek ingredients. Botsacos, who is of Greek-Italian descent, is an acclaimed exponent of Greek cuisine, both traditional and updated.

"We had a lot of fun planning the menu," he said, recalling research he and his chef colleagues did to figure out food fit for athletes. "We bounced around a lot of ideas, ending up with some derived from ancient traditions, and some from contemporary styles of cooking."

Guidelines included the use of lean protein, plenty of legumes, and olive oil rather than butter.

The tasting occasion was co-sponsored by the Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens, to reflect meals both the hotel and Molyvos plan to serve guests during the August Olympics. Botsacos is scheduled to make a guest-chef visit to the hotel around the time of the Games' opening.

The menu Botsacos developed for the lunch included a chickpea and olive-oil soup with crispy flatbread, and a tuna appetizer with an herb salad, cucumbers and thyme-honey vinaigrette.

The main course was lamb souvlaki (skewers of marinated lamb) with stuffed zucchini and a bulgur-wheat and lentil pilaf (recipes follow). For dessert, Botsacos served spiced poached pear with ravani (semolina cake), Greek yogurt and a date and almond spoon sweet.

---

LAMB SOUVLAKI

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano

1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

8 skewers (you can use metal, bamboo or a rosemary branch)

2 yellow bell peppers, core removed and cut into 1-inch-wide strips

1 red onion, peeled and cut into eighths (once cut, separate the layers of the onion so you have at least 24 pieces)

1 1/2 pounds lamb, cut from the leg into 24 equal cubes