GREECE (Continued)

Kifissia

Strolling in Kifissia 

The Old House at Kefalari, Kifissia

A Next Door Neighbour During Previous Heydays 

On my post GREECE  dated the 4th August 2018, I had written:

“My parents were in Pakistan, where my father worked, and as they would not be returning to Greece until June 1960, we decided to christen our youngest son Yiannis, in May 1959.   It was a lovely service at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, at Kefalari, Kifissia and our dear friend Eftihia Mela was the godmother.   To celebrate the happy occasion, we held a small party for our family and friends.” 

Our life continued in the same pattern as described in a previous post.   Parents with young families are usually blissfully happy, although burdened with anxieties and a deep but pleasant fatigue.

Our boys grew in leaps and bounds and it was delightful to watch them develop day by day.  Spiro spoke articulately and loved playing with his cousins, while Yiannis took his first staggering steps, trying to follow the crowd, and jabbered in a language that only we could understand.

Financially, we were broke and we both worked very hard, trying to make ends meet.  Aleco made great efforts to sell more goods for the companies he represented, and I economised as much as possible, endeavouring not to make it too obvious.

When officials of the companies visited Greece, Aleco took them to clients, all over the country, to discuss, solve problems and sell more goods or machinery.  We often entertained both the company officials and our best clients, at home.   I can admit, now, without arrogance, that my culinary efforts were improving and that our small dinner parties were, usually, quite successful.

We loved spending time with old friends from Pakistan, like Susanne and Milto Zouros, Aspa and George Magnis, and other couples we met, like Eva and Walter Buckes, Eileen and Nikos Melissaropoulos and Eddie and Tassos Kotsis and their family.  Later, we became very friendly with Mary and George Xenakis, when they returned home from Egypt with their daughter and son.   I  remember Spiro telling me then, in a very serious manner, that he was very happy, as he had made a new friend, called Aris Xenakis.   We were deeply touched by our two-year-old son's sincerity.


During winter, when it snowed,  I dressed my boys in thick coats, mufflers, caps and boots and we went walking in the snow.  Usually, my sister-in-law Dolly and her adorable children came with us.  We had a wonderful time making snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other, always returning home for a cup of steaming cocoa.


My father retired from Ralli Bros, in June 1960, as was planned.   To my delight, my parents returned to Greece and stayed with us until they bought a spacious apartment in Palaio Phaliron, a beautiful  Athenian suburb by the sea.   On Sundays, they usually invited us over for lunch and as we drove down Syngrou Avenue, at the first glimpse of the sea,  the boys would start  chanting:  "Na i thalassa mas, na i thalassa mas!" (There's our sea!)


I must mention an incident that happened when Yiannis was about two years old.   It was late November, and he woke us up about six in the morning, lisping, excitedly, "honi-honi" instead of hioni which is Greek for snow, and which he hadn't seen since he was one and a half.  Like all proud, doting parents, we considered that, rather brilliant!





Here are a few recipes for hors-d'oeuvres, first and main dishes and desserts.

                       WATER BISCUITS WITH CREME FRAICHE AND CAVIAR

Blini with Creme Fraiche and Caviar

It is very easy to prepare this elegant hors-d’oeuvre.   One could use mini tartlets, blini or biscuits as a base.

12 mini water biscuits

6 tbsp crème fraiche

2 tbsp Beluga caviar

2 tbsp thinly snipped chives or
Snipped dill

Arrange the biscuits on a pretty dish.  Pipe ½ tbsp crème fresh on the middle of each biscuit.   Spoon ½ tsp caviar on top, garnish with chives or dill and serve immediately.

                             FIGS WITH BACON AND RED PEPPER FLAKES

Caramelised Figs with Cream Cheese and Bacon

One could also add cream cheese to this fabulous appetiser

8 ripe figs, halved lengthwise

150 g (5oz) lean bacon, thickly sliced and cut into pieces

3 tbsp Greek honey

2 tbsp tarragon vinegar

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Cook the bacon, over medium heat, stirring often, until brown and crisp, and transfer to a small dish with a slotted spoon.

Pour all but 1 tbsp of fat from the frying pan, add the honey, swirl to mingle and simmer for one minute, over medium heat.   Then, place the figs, cut side down, and cook swirling the pan occasionally, until the figs are slightly soft and caramelised.  Stir the vinegar into the cooking juices and barely simmer until they reduce and become syrupy. 

Arrange the figs, cut side up, on a serving dish.   Place pieces of bacon on each fig, drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with a few red pepper flakes.

                            FILLETS OF SOLE AND SHRIMPS AU GRATIN

A delicious first dish.

1 ¼ kg (2 ½ oz) sole fillets, boned, washed, patted dry and sprinkled with a little salt

250 g (½ lb) shrimps, deveined and thoroughly washed

250 g (½ lb) mushrooms, trimmed, sliced and sautéed in a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt

8-10 slices Gruyere or any other mild-tasting yellow cheese
Bechamel sauce, please see the recipe below:

Béchamel Sauce:

2 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp plain flour

250 ml (1 cup) hot milk and the cooking liquid from the sole and the shrimps

125 ml (½ cup) cream

4 eggs, separated, whites whipped to soft peaks with a tiny pinch of salt

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Boil the sole fillets in a little water, until they flake and remove them from the pan.  Reserve the cooking liquid.

Cook the shrimps in a little water, a knob of butter, a small sprig of rosemary and sprinkle with a small pinch of salt.  Also, reserve the liquid from the shrimps.

Prepare the béchamel sauce.   Melt the butter, add the bay leaf, sift in the flour and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes, to prevent the taste of raw flour.  Then add the hot milk, the cooking liquid from the soles and shrimps and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens.  Then, mix the egg yolks with the cream and stir into the sauce.  Taste and add salt if necessary and freshly ground pepper.  Discard the bay leaf.  Add ¼ of the whipped egg whites into the sauce to lighten it a little, then very gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites.

Spoon half the béchamel in a buttered baking dish, place the fish, shrimps and mushrooms evenly over, and cover with the cheese slices.   Top with the remaining béchamel, brush with egg wash and dot with butter.  Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 25 minutes or until the top turns puffed and golden.

   

                                       MOUSSAKA WITH CHESTNUTS

An interesting and tasty main dish.

1250 g (2 ½ lb) chestnuts, roasted, peeled and sprinkled with salt

750 g (1 ½ lb) minced meat

3 tbsp or more butter, divided

1 onion, peeled and grated

1 carrot, peeled and finely grated

125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine

500 ml (2 cups) tomato juice

60 g (2 oz) pine nuts, toasted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar, optional
Chicken or vegetable stock, lightly salted

First, sauté the minced meat with the grated onion and carrot, stirring, until the meat changes colour and is no longer lumpy.   Pour in the wine and cook for a few minutes, allowing the alcohol to evaporate.   Then, add the tomato juice and a little hot water to cover, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and sugar, if necessary.  Cover the saucepan, lower the temperature and simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked and dry.  Finally, stir in the toasted pine nuts.

To assemble the dish, place half the chestnuts in a butter Pyrex dish.   Spoon the minced meat, evenly, over and cover with the remaining chestnuts.   Brush with soft butter, pour in enough hot chicken or vegetable stock to cover.   Wrap the dish with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the chestnuts are tender and the moussaka is dry enough to be cut into pieces.   If not, bake 10 minutes more.

Remove from the oven, brush the top with soft butter and serve with steamed rice and a green salad.

                                             GNOCCHI ALA ROMANA

A delectable Italian side dish.

500 ml (1 fl lb) milk

156 g (5 oz +1 tsp) semolina

A little salt

72½ g (2 ¾ oz) butter, divided

62½ g (2.8 oz) grated Parmesan, divided

22 g (0.7 oz) grated Gruyere, divided

2 eggs, whipped

Simmer the semolina in milk, stirring, until cooked and thick.   Remove from the fire, sprinkle with salt, half the amount of butter, half the grated cheese and the eggs and stir well together with a wooden spoon.

Spread the mixture on a work surface, roll it out 1.25 cm (½ oz) thick, and cut into small rounds with a biscuit cutter.  Arrange them on a buttered Pyrex dish, dot them with butter, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and bake in an oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 12 minutes.

Serve the gnocchi ala Romana with a meat sauce.

                                                      POT ROAST

A favourite Sunday dish for the family gatherings:

1 ½ kg (3 lb) beef silverside, trimmed, washed and patted dry

1 clove garlic, peeled and cut into tiny wedges

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp clarified butter

250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
250 ml (1 cup) water or more, if necessary

1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 1 sprig basil, + 1 sprig rosemary + a sprig thyme + 1 sprig marjoram)

1 onion sliced

16 baby potatoes, washed

6 carrots, scraped and thickly sliced

½ kg (1 lb) pearl onions, peeled

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).  Make small incisions all over the meat and insert wedges of garlic dipped in salt and pepper.   Sprinkle the meat evenly with flour and sauté it in olive oil and clarified butter, until well browned.  Season the meat with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, pour in the wine and cook for 3-4 minutes, thus allowing the alcohol to evaporate.

Place the meat in a Dutch oven and pour the water into the frying pan to deglaze it, scraping the bottom of the pan to extract all delicious taste of the meat.   Pour this over the meat, place the onion slices over and drop in the bouquet garni.  Cover the roast and bake for about 2 hours.  Add the vegetables, season sparingly with salt and pepper and pour in extra hot water if the roast looks dry.   Continue baking for one hour or until both the meat and vegetables are tender.  Evidently, remove the vegetables if they are cooked before the meat.

Slice the meat, drizzle lavishly with gravy and serve with the baked baby potatoes, carrots and pearl onions.

                             

                      HAZELNUT DESSERT WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

                         

You could cover the cake with homemade hazelnut praline cream *(please see recipe below), instead of the chocolate sauce.

Cake:

220 g (2 cups) lightly roasted hazelnuts, skinned and finely ground

150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar

5 eggs, separated

Vanilla

1 heaped tsp baking powder

1-1½ tbsp brandy

60 g (½ cup) icing sugar for the egg whites

Pinch of salt

Chocolate sauce:

170 g (7 oz) dark chocolate, chopped 

170 ml (7 oz)) cream

1-2 tsp honey

Garnish:

2 tbsp coarsely chopped, roasted hazelnuts

A few chocolate curls, or

A few Maraschino cherries

Brush the sides and bottom of a cake tin with melted butter, then line the bottom of the tin with baking parchment, brushed with melted butter.  Sprinkle with sifted flour.

For the cake, beat caster sugar with the egg yolks until light and creamy.  Add the hazelnuts, brandy and baking powder and mix well together.  

Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt into soft peaks, add the icing sugar, by the spoonful, and keep on whipping until stiff.  Then very gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter, spoon it into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.  

Bake in an oven, pre-heated to 180 C (350F) for about 35-40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the oven and after 5 minutes invert it on a dish, to cool.

For the sauce, place the chocolate into a bowl and heat the cream, just under boiling point.   Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, wait for 2 minutes, add the honey and stir until the sauce is smooth and glossy.   Set aside to cool.

Cover the cake with the chocolate sauce, or with hazelnut praline cream, if preferred, and garnish with the chopped hazelnuts, chocolate curls or maraschino cherries

                         *HOMEMADE HAZELNUT PRALINE CREAM

100 g (an ample 3 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

125 g (an ample 4 oz) butter, cubed

60 g (2 oz) roasted hazelnuts, blended to a thick paste

1 pinch salt

198.5 g (½ tin) sweet condensed milk

Vanilla

Place everything in a metal bowl, over simmering water, and stir, until the chocolate and butter melt and all the ingredients join into a smooth, shiny sauce.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

This quantity is enough to cover the above cake.    You could, also, prepare a triple portion, spoon the praline in prepared jars and store in the fridge.

 

Summer Flowers by Henri Fantin Latour