FLAVORS OF GREECE

Flavors abound in these unimposing but often festive recipes from the culture that, if Barron's sources are correct, taught the Italians and French their culinary ABC's. (Macaroni? There is archaeological evidence that the Greeks have made it ``since antiquity.'') Tart, sweet, fragrant, and savory seasonings mix synergistically in various ways to set off an alluring repertoire of appetizers, grilled or spit-roasted fish and meat, fresh vegetables and festive breads, and salads of assertive greens. Then there are those delectable syrupy, fruit-and-nut-filled sweets. Barron, founder of the Kandra Kitchen school of Greek cooking, succeeds in preserving the dishes' distinctive integrity while accommodating her American audience. Her book should make real Greek cooking better known here and enthusiastically embraced by a culture already mad for rustic Italian fare. (Fifty illustrations.)