LARGE DEMONSTRATIONS IN ATHENS AGAINST NAMING GREECE'S NEIGHBOURING STATE MACEDONIA

Large Demonstrations at Syntagma Square, in  Athens

Two weeks after the demonstration in Thessaloniki, large crowds gathered in the centre of Athens to rally over the name issue between Athens and Skopje.

A Map Depicting  Alexander's  Conquests in  Egypt and Asia 

A few words about Macedonia, the ancient kingdom of Archaic and Classical Greece.   It flourished, especially, during the rule of Alexander the Great, who conquered the territory from Greece, Memphis in Egypt to the Indus river.   Macedonia was then. the most powerful empire in the world.

 “The definitive Hellenistic state inaugurating the transition to a new period of Ancient Greek Civilisation.  Greek art and literature thrived in the conquered lands and philosophy, engineering and science spread through much of the ancient world.”  The contributions of Aristotle, Alexander’s tutor, were enormous as his writings became the foundation of  Western philosophy. 

Today, Macedonia is one of the administrative regions of Greece and its capital is Thessaloniki.

The roots of the name dispute go back to 1944, when Commander in Chief, Josip Broz Tito named the part of Serbia known then as VARDAR BANOVINA “Macedonia”.  Simultaneously, he started to motivate the idea of a separate state of Macedonia with Thessaloniki as its capital, which infuriated  Greece and its allies.

When Yugoslavia split from the communist Eastern Bloc, in 1948, Tito became the “enfant gate” of the Western world and, to our great disappointment and resentment, our allies started calling Skopje “Macedonia”. 

Skopje is populated mainly by Slavs who arrived in the region around the 12^th – 13^th centuries AD, therefore, they have no reason or right to call themselves Macedonians.  We hope that this dispute will be shortly resolved and that Skopje will soon become a member of NATO and the European Union.  We wish them all the very best.

(The information for this post was acquired from newspapers such as the Estia, Kathimerini, The Guardian, Sunday Times, and sites like WIKIPEDIA, History.com, Britannica.com and BBC History, all of which I sincerely thank.)



Here are a few recipes from the cuisine of northern Greece.

                         FISH AND PRAWN SOUP FROM NORTHERN GREECE

                                        

Fish and Prawn Soup

Saffron filaments are the dried stigmas of the saffron flower CROCUS SATIVUS LINNAEUS, the most expensive spice in the world.  It has a distinctive aroma and taste and is much appreciated by culinary experts, and by most of us.   It is also a medicinal herb, helpful for relieving tension and stomach ailments.

The Saffron Gatherer

Archaeological excavations, in Crete and Santorini, brought frescoes to the light, depicting saffron flowers.   One fresco, in particular, the famous “Saffron Gatherer”, depicts a monkey walking amongst the lilies!   Kozani, in northern Greece, produces one of the highest quality saffron in the world, so do use it, whenever possible.

1½ kg (3 lb) fish (bass, cod, hake, snapper), cleaned and filleted

500 g (1 lb) medium sized prawns, peeled and deveined and thoroughly washed

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tbsp lemon juice or more if preferred

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled chopped

2 leeks, trimmed and sliced (white parts only)

2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 stalks celery, trimmed and sliced
2 tomatoes,  peeled and seeded

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into chunks

5-7 saffron threads soaked in ¼ cup water

1¼  litres (5 cups) unsalted fish stock made out of the heads and bones of the fish and the heads and shells of the prawns

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

2 tbsp ouzo or ½ cup dry white wine

Slightly salt the fish and toss the prawns with a little lemon juice and marinate for about 15-30 minutes.

Meanwhile sauté the vegetables in the olive oil, in a large saucepan, pour in the fish stock and cook until tender.  Place the vegetables and stock into a deep bowl, and blend the vegetables and stock with a hand blender and sieve them back into the saucepan.  Add the saffron and ouzo or wine and bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes more, until the alcohol evaporates.

 Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, place it in the fish-vegetable stock and cook very gently for 10 minutes.    Then add the prawns and simmer 4-5 minutes more, until the fish and prawns are just cooked.   Taste and add salt, if necessary, pepper and Cayenne pepper, if using.  You might have to add a little hot water if the soup is too thick.  

Ladle the soup, into large bowls, sprinkled with garlicky croutons or parsley.

                                         

                                       

                            LAMB, ONION AND CHESTNUT CASSEROLE

                        

Lamb and Chestnut  Casserole

 This is an interesting and tasty dish.

1 ½ kg (3 lb) leg of lamb, boned and trimmed of excess fat, cut into serving pieces

2 carrots

1 onion, peeled

1 celery stalk with the leaves

1 bay leaf

Salt and a few peppercorns

Enough water to cover the meat halfway

2 small rosemary sprigs

2-3 tbsp honey, mixed with

2 tbsp lemon juice

24 small onions, parboiled, peeled and lightly sauteed in olive oil and butter, optional

24 chestnuts, parboiled and peeled

2 tbsp butter, cubed

Place the lamb in a large, heavy casserole, with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, very little salt and the peppercorns.   Add the water, bring to the boil and skim.   Then cover the pan and simmer for 30-35 minutes.

Remove the meat and set aside, discarding the bay leaf.    Sieve the cooking liquid into a small saucepan, pressing the vegetables with the back of a spoon to extract as much of their juices as possible.  Boil briskly until the liquid has reduced to two cups, stir in the honey and lemon mixture and set aside. 

Arrange the meat, onions if using, and chestnuts in the casserole, season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Drizzle the lamb and vegetables with the reserved honey and lemon mixture, place the rosemary sprigs over and dot with butter.  Cover the casserole and bring to the boil.    Then, place the covered casserole in the middle of a medium-hot oven, preheated to 190 C (375 F), for about 30 - 45 minutes or until the lamb, chestnuts and onions are brown and tender and the liquid has almost evaporated.  

Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and salt, if necessary.   Serve with mashed potatoes and a colourful salad.

                                                   CHEESE TERRINE

Cheese Terrine Garnished with Basil

This a lovely and tasty terrine, that can be offered instead of cheese, or as a main dish for a light lunch. I  have given you this recipe before but I'm posting it once more as Florina is a town of  Macedonia which is famous for its sweet red peppers.

8 large red Florina peppers, roasted, skinned and de-seeded, then sprinkled with vinegar and salt, for 10 minutes, dried and each cut into three slices, lengthwise

500 g (1 lb) Feta cheese, blended

500 g (1 lb) anthotyro or any other bland white cheese, blended

1 onion, grated and sautéed in

½ tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp water, until soft and dry

1 cup chopped parsley

1 cup chopped, homemade, sundried tomatoes (optional)

2 heaped tbsp chopped chives

3-4 tbsp thick yogurt

Freshly ground black pepper

A little salt, if necessary

7 sheets (15 g / ½ oz) gelatin, soaked in iced water, squeezed and dissolved in

125 ml (½ cup) hot water

Line a loaf tin with cling film, then cover with the Florina pepper slices leaving some hanging over the sides of the tin.

 Combine the two blended kinds of cheese with the other ingredients, and mix thoroughly, together.   Taste and add freshly ground pepper and a little salt, if necessary.    

Place the cheese mixture evenly, over the peppers and cover with the overhanging red Florina pepper slices and cling film.  Chill for 7 hours.  

When ready to serve, uncover the cling film and reverse the cheese terrine on a dish and garnish with basil or parsley and chives.

                                                   

                                             CUSTARD CREAM PIE

                                                   

A Delightful Dessert 

A golden and creamy perfection!  The custard can be, alternatively, flavoured with either orange or tangerine peel or a vanilla pod.    I don't use syrup over the cream pie, I just dust it with icing sugar and ground cinnamon, like bouyatsa, the Macedonian speciality.

10 sheets phyllo pastry

250 ml (1 cup) hot, melted butter

Syrup:

600 g (3 cups) sugar

500 ml (2 cups) water

Custard:

1 litre (4 cups) milk

A piece of lemon peel

5 eggs

200 g (1 cup) sugar
A good pinch of salt

100 g (2/3 cup) finely ground semolina

2 tbsp of butter

First, prepare the syrup, if using.  Boil the sugar and water together for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

In a large saucepan, heat the milk with the lemon peel, and keep warm.  Beat the eggs, sugar and salt in a mixer, until almost doubled in bulk.  Lower the speed, add the semolina and 2 ladlefuls of warm milk, and beat for 2 minutes more.  Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the warm milk and simmer gently, until the custard thickens, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  Remove the custard from the heat, discard the lemon peel, stir in 2 tbsp butter, and set aside to cool completely.

Butter a 32 cm x 20 cm (12 in. x 8 in.) baking tin and line it with 5 sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet liberally with melted butter.  Pour the cool custard over, trim the overhanging pastry and fold it over the filling. Cover with the remaining phyllo sheets, again brushing each sheet generously with hot butter, and tuck them neatly into the sides of the baking tin.

 

With a sharp knife make parallel slits on top of the pastry, to allow the pie to breathe. Heat the remaining butter to the sizzling point, pour evenly over the pie, and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F), for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.  

Remove from the oven and pour the cool syrup evenly over, if using, or just dust with icing sugar and ground cinnamon.  Cut into portions, while still warm, and serve immediately.