1953 Part IV - Cephalonia

 THE 1953 EARTHQUAKES

The last week of July, we boarded the Greek passenger ship, “Agamemnon”  at Venice, and sailed southwards towards my beautiful island, Cephalonia.  The sea was calm, sparkling during the day and “wine dark” at dusk.   The Captain, officers and the staff  of the ship were very good professionals, and the food and service were exceptional.   We met some interesting people on board, including Dr.Gerolimatos and his family, who a few years later would become my children’s paediatrician.

We stopped at Corfu, where a few passengers disembarked, and sailed on for Cephalonia.   We arrived at Sami late in the evening and as we were approaching the island, a fragrance of fresh herbs filled the air.   My Mother said it was a combination of thyme and marjoram, a marjoram, indigenous to Cephalonia, called “sapsiho”.   

My aunt, uncles and cousins were all there to welcome us, as we hadn’t seen each other for eight years, since the end of World War II and the German occupation.   We drove to our house in Argostoli, dined on the terrace, overlooking the garden, and talked and chatted endlessly, while sipping Robola.  Then, my cousins and I stayed way into the early morning hours, reminiscing about our childhood and exchanging news about friends and events.

During the following days, I rediscovered Argostoli.  Built amphitheatrically on a hill side, which slopes down to the sea, it is a significant port.   In late July, 1953 it had several imposing public buildings, constructed during the Venetian and British periods .   Most of the houses were built in Neo-classic style, painted in pastel blues, yellows, ochres and pinks, the gardens blooming with bougainvilleas  and jasmine.   There were several old and newer churches, with their typical Ionian-styled belfries.   The main streets were broad and tree-lined, while picturesque, cobble-stoned alleys led to the upper town.  Argostoli was a jewel of a town, edged with unspoilt, sandy beaches, like Platis Yialos, Makris Yialos, Fanari and Lassi.

We went on excursions, with friends, to Lixuri, Assos, Fiscardo, Livathos, Lourdas, Scala and Poros.   We admired the beauty and diversity of the landscape, like  Mount Aenos, which is the second highest mountain on a Greek island, with the famous Cephalonian fir tree forest, interesting hamlets perched on hillsides, small fishing villages and lovely gardens everywhere. 

We swam in the cool waters of the Ionian Sea and sailed around the South and East coasts of the island, discovering small coves and pebbled inlets, which no roads led to.   I met with old friends, who either lived in Argostoli or came over for their summer holidays, and we remembered our childhood with nostalgia, despite the hard years of the Italian and the German occupation. I suddenly realized how wonderful it would be to live, permanently, on this idyllic island among good friends and loved ones.  It was a very happy period, indeed.

Suddenly, early one dawn, we were awakened by a very strong earthquake.  I quickly ran upstairs to my parents’ room.  My mother was already in her dressing-gown but my father insisted that he needed a couple of hours more sleep. So we left him and went downstairs to make a cup of coffee, where we met my cousin. Aliki.   I learned, then, that Cephalonia lies next to a major tectonic fault, where the European and the Aegean plates meet and is, therefore, prone to an earthquake, once, every second or third year.  Feeling utterly reassured, we continued with our daily schedules.

On that same day my cousin Ioanna arrived from Athens with her two beautiful, teen-aged daughters.  It was lovely seeing them again and we started organizing picnics and excursions around the island.  One in particular, would be a full-day picnic on Mount Aenos, like the ones organized, during the pre-war years. The whole family and friends would go there in style, with tables, chairs and chaises-longues, blankets and tablecloths. We would go in 5-6 cars, with baskets of food and drink, medical kits and a portable gramophone for music. The whole mountain would be ours!

Next morning, as we were preparing to go for a swim at Platis Yialos, a much stronger earthquake shook the island.   Again we mustered up our courage and erased all unpleasant thoughts. We went swimming and diving, with friends, and relaxed on the beach to tan, as fashion demanded.

Information started coming in, from various sources, about several deaths and injuries, caused by the last earthquake. We had no idea that Zante and Ithaka were also affected and that houses collapsed, killing and injuring people   It was simply awful.  We felt numb and confused and very concerned.   We slept out in the garden, that night.  Information trickled in from the villages that peculiar signs and indications were being witnessed, such as, wells, that were full to the brim with water, had suddenly emptied, and that flocks of birds  were gathering in flights, preparing to migrate.

Next day an earthquake rocked the island to such an extent, that hospital patients, institution invalids and  prison inmates were promptly evacuated to makeshift, outdoor facilities.

We decided that we should spend the night in a small park, next to the house.  We each took a folding chair, a small blanket and some water with us, and installed ourselves under a walnut tree.  Most of our neighbours were, also, there.  Further down, a group were softly singing “Cantathes”,  popular songs of the Ionian Islands. The nostalgic verses of the sailor :
“..n’avlepa tin Kefalonia ke to oreo Zante..” (..if I could only see Cephalonia and beautiful Zante..)
were extremely  touching due to the circumstances, but also so soothing  and appealing that I was soon lulled into a deep sleep, in spite of my very uncomfortable folding chair.

The next morning we all rushed to the house to have a quick shower and pack a few clothes.   My mother and my two cousins shooed us all away, including the maid, and prepared an enormous breakfast, that we thoroughly enjoyed “under the shade of the old walnut tree”. We tried to find out more about the earthquake victims, but we could get no information. We didn’t know what to expect, how to react, how to help.    We heard touching accounts about the sick and old;  being so feeble and fragile, it seemed unfair that they should have to go through all this inconvenience and anxiety.   On the other hand, fortunately, young children considered it an exciting novelty and adventure, a twenty-four hour picnic in the park

What happened next is beyond description. At first, we felt a hollow rumbling under our feet that crescendoed into a roar. The earth shook and thudded and rolled violently.  We could not stand upright, as we were jolted and pushed and thrown backwards, forwards, sideways and down, with spite and fury.   I had flashing, incongruous thoughts: “Was this doomsday?” and “I feel like and ice cube in a shaker”.  I crawled, with great difficulty, next to my parents. "Was this going to last forever?"  Then, there were consecutive, thundering sounds of houses collapsing, all over.  And the dust!   Clouds of dust in the beginning, that thickened into a fog, a chocking, yellow fog that smelled of sulphur and stung our eyes to tears. We could hardly see a metre ahead.   The “London smog in 1952 must have been like this”   Finally the earth stopped trembling and there was utter silence for about five minutes.  We felt numb, hurt and exhausted.  Then, we started calling out to each other, frantically.  Fortunately the whole family, our friends and neighbours were all safe and sound.   This happened at about 11.20 am, on the 12^th August, 1953.

Later we went to see our house which, like all others, was reduced to rubble, except for the southern wall and the basement.  We were not allowed to enter before 48 hours elapsed because of the aftershocks, so we went to a square by the seaside called Metelas.  On the way, we saw the extent of the destruction, the whole town was flattened to ruins. We had to climb over heaps of rubble and debris, and there were deep cracks and crevices running all the way down to the sea, that we had to avoid.  Also the trunks of many trees were split in two.   

We managed to carry our suitcases and only three folding chairs with us.  When we arrived at Metelas we spread a blanket under a tree and the older members of the family sat on the chairs.  Our main concern was water, as the supply had been completely destroyed by the earthquake.  So my father, my cousin Aliki and I went searching for water.  We walked towards a small taverna, called “Kyani Akti” (Blue Coast), which was spared, because it was a wooden construction built on stilts, in the sea.  My father knew the owner and he kindly provided us with two bottles of water.    Then we went to see my father’s elder sister who lived near by.  We found her in good health, sitting by her ruined house, with her son and his family.   She was anxious but courageous, like most Cephalonians.  She was a wonderful old lady, full of humour and spunk, and I wished I would resemble her one day.

We slept uneasily under the pine trees on Metelas square, that night, because the earth was heaving and groaning  with the aftershocks.  Next day we were informed that the earthquake measured 7.2 degrees of the Richter Scale, lasted 50 seconds and left Cephalonia and Zante  leveled to the ground and Ithaka and Lefkada partly damaged.  The tragedy was, that there were 600 killed and 1.200 injured.

The first who arrived in our aid  were four Israeli war ships and the Royal Navy H.M.S. Daring, who offered us medical help, water and food.  Then many other war ships arrived, and we wish to thank them all, sincerely, because without their aid and succour, many more would have perished.

Thanks to the help of our Government and that of the International Community but, mainly, due to the resilience and diligence of my compatriots, the island totally recovered, in a period of ten years.   Cephalonia is beautiful, interesting and inviting, so do visit whenever you can.




I'm giving you below, a few recipes from Cephalonia.

AUBERGINES STUFFED WITH CHEESE

This dish is traditionally prepared with Cephalonian kefalotyri, but you can use any hard cheese you prefer, even feta.

8 long aubergines of equal length, stems removed

4 tbsp olive oil

250 m (1 cup) water or more

Very little salt

300 g (10 oz) kefalotyri or pecorino or a mature cheddar or hard feta, cut in 8 equal sticks                                               

Sauce:

125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine

4 large tomatoes, halved, seeded, grated, skins discarded

250 ml (1 cup) tomato juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tsp sugar or more if preferred
2 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Make three incisions, lengthwise, in each aubergine. Sprinkle sparingly with salt and cook, very gently in olive oil and water, until soft, turning them over, occasionally.   Remove the aubergines with a slotted spoon, and allow them to cool. Then insert one cheese stick into each aubergine.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce.  Place all the ingredients, in a large, flat saucepan and simmer gently until it thickens.  Transfer the cheese-stuffed aubergines, side by side in the tomato sauce and sprinkle with basil.   Cover the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes more.   Taste and add more salt, pepper and sugar, if necessary.  Serve with chips and a green salad.

CEPHALONIAN  AUBERGINE  PIE

I have already given you recipes for "Cephalonian Meat Pie" and "Artichoke Pie" in an older post.  Try preparing this pie, because it's tasty, comforting and large enough to feed 6-8 hungry people.

500 g (1 lb) minced veal and pork in equal quantities or just use veal

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, grated

3 spring onions, finely chopped

1 kg (2 lbs) aubergines, peeled and cut into small cubes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 small cinnamon stick

½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

1 tomato, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
Some sugar, if necessary

3 tbsp long-grain rice

½ cup chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped sapsiho (Cephalonian marjoram) or marjoram

125 ml ( 1/2  cup) - 250 ml (1 cup) hot water

2 eggs, yolks beaten, whites whipped with a pinch of salt to the soft peak stage

250 g (8 oz) mild kasseri or Cheddar, cubed

10 sheets phyllo pastry

180 g (6 oz) (5/8 cup) hot, melted butter

2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs for baking

 Saute the onions and spring onions in the olive oil, until soft.  Stir in the minced meat and cook for about 10 minutes, until it changes colour.  Add the aubergine cubes, salt and spices, mix well together and cook for 10 minutes more.  Pour in the wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes, uncovered.   Then add the tomato, herbs, rice and a little hot water.   Cover the saucepan and simmer until the rice softens slightly.  Taste and add more salt, pepper and nutmeg if necessary. This ought to be a rather dry mixture that keeps its shape in a spoon.  Set aside to cool and discard the cinnamon stick.  Then stir in the beaten yolks and softly fold in the whipped egg whites.

Line a 30 cm (12 inches) round, buttered baking dish with 5 phyllo pastry sheets, each brushed with melted butter.   Sprinkle with dried breadcrumb, spoon in the filling and level the surface with a spatula.  Tuck the cheese cubes at equal intervals into the filling, fold the pastry over and lay 5 more buttered sheets on top.*    Trim the pastry and tuck it neatly into the side of the dish. Score the top layers of the pastry into portions.   Brush the pie once more with hot butter, sprinkle slightly with water and bake in a moderate oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 40-45 minutes.   Serve with a green salad.    

* Or pleat 5 sheets of pastry separately, arrange them attractively over the pie and brush with hot butter.  Bake the pie in a moderate oven,  preheated to 180C (350F) for 40-45 minutes. 

CHICKEN SOUP WITH POACHED EGGS

This soup is very popular with children.  It can also be prepared with meat stock.

1½ litre (6 cups) tasty chicken stock

6 extra fresh eggs
A little salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bowl grated cheese of your choice

Heat the chicken stock and place 375 ml (1½ cup) into a large frying pan.   Break an egg into a saucer and bring it as close as possible to the simmering stock in the frying pan, and slip it in.  Carefully, lift the white over the yolk.   Follow the same procedure for the remaining eggs, keeping the stock at a gentle simmer.  Try to keep the eggs separated and poach them for 3-5 minutes, depending on how firm the yolk is preferred.

Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into warm soup plates.  Ladle the hot chicken stock over and serve with grated cheese, freshly ground black pepper and buttered toast.

TRADITIONAL CHICKEN PIE

Chicken pie is baked all over Greece, but the best I ever tasted was in Argostoli.  Here’s the recipe.

Pastry:

500 g (4 cups) self raising flour

250 ml (1 cup) olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

200 g (1 tub) yogurt or less

1-3 tsp beer, if necessary

4 tbsp dried bread crumbs

1 egg white, slightly beaten, for brushing over pastry

Filling

1 large chicken, skin removed

2 stalks celery, trimmed

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

A 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece if ginger root, peeled and sliced

Salt and peppercorns

1 slice of lemon

1 bay leaf

1 kg (2 lbs) onions, peeled and thinly sliced

125 ml (½ cup) cream or whole milk

1-2 heaped tbsp cornflour
60 g (2 oz) kephalotyri or Parmesan, grated

90 g (3 oz)) kasseri or bland Cheddar, thickly grated

4 eggs separated, yolks beaten slightly, whites whipped to the soft peak stage with a pinch of salt

Nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

1 beaten egg white for brushing the pastry

First make the pastry.   Mix flour with salt, olive oil, egg, yogurt, and knead until a soft dough is obtained. Add a little beer, only if the dough crumbles. Cover and set aside for at least 1 hour.

Partly cover the chicken with water add a little salt, bring to the boil and skim. Add the celery, carrots, ginger, peppercorns, 1 slice lemon and 1 bay leaf and simmer for about 40-45 minutes, or 17 minutes in a pressure-cooker.   When tender, remove the chicken from the saucepan and set aside to cool.

Discard the lemon slice and the bay leaf and strain the stock, pressing on the vegetables to extract their juice, and pour it back into a clean saucepan. There should be 500 ml (2 cups) stock, if not, add a little hot water.  Add the onions and simmer until soft.

Meanwhile, bone and dice the chicken, stir it into the onions and bring to the boil.  Mix the cornflour with the cream or milk, pour it  into the chicken mixture and simmer for 5 -7 minutes more, stirring, constantly, until the mixture thickens  Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the cheese and set aside to cool.  Then stir in the yolks, the grated nutmeg, and freshly ground black pepper.  Taste and add a little salt if necessary. Finally, fold in the whipped egg whites.

  .

 Roll out the dough into two round sheets, one slightly larger than the other. Drape the large sheet over a 30 cm (12 inch) buttered baking dish, and sprinkle half of the dried breadcrumbs over. Spoon in the filling, level it with a spatula and sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs evenly on top.   Trim the overhanging pastry and fold it over the filling.  Place the second pastry sheet over the pie and tuck it loosely, into the sides of the dish.  Score a slit on the pie, and brush with beaten egg white.  Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350F) for about 1 hour.

BACLAVAS  KEPHALLINIAS

This phyllo roll can be made with more or fewer pastry sheets. I usually make them with three sheets of pastry.

5 sheets of phyllo pastry

120 g (4 oz) hot butter

250 g (½ lb) unpeeled almonds, roasted

2 tbsp icing sugar

Light Syrup

250 ml (1 cup water)

300 g (1 cup sugar)

Boil for 5 minutes

Grind the almonds and mix well with the icing sugar.

Brush a sheet of phyllo pastry lightly with hot butter and sprinkle, sparingly, with the almond/icing sugar mixture.  Place another sheet exactly on top of the first and repeat the same procedure, until all the pastry sheets have been used.

Roll the pastry like a Swiss roll, and place into a buttered baking dish.  Cut in thick slices with a sharp knife and brush lavishly with sizzling butter.  Bake in an oven preheated to180C (350F) until crisp and golden.  Remove from oven, cool a little, then pour the hot syrup over.  Serve cold.