I shall start by giving you some recipes from Chios.
SPAGHETTI IN A TOMATO AND SPINACH SAUCE WITH STUFFED SQUID
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One could, evidently, prepare this delightful dish with a thick tomato sauce, without spinach, and with any filling preferred.
500 g (1 lb) spagetti, boiled in salted water according to the instructions on the package and sprinkled with a little olive oil
8 large squid, sacs only, thoroughly cleaned
120 g (4 oz) mild kasseri or Cheddar or Gouda, cubed
1 tsp mastic powder
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
4 large tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced
A little sugar, if necessary
A little sugar, if necessary
4 cups baby spinach
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sprinkle the cheese cubes with the mastic powder, stuff the calamari and secure them with toothpicks. Brush them all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook them on a hot grill, 3 minutes per side and place them on a dish, cover and keep hot.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, sauté the spring onions, over medium heat, in the remaining olive oil, until soft. Stir in the tomatoes, sprinkle with a salt and a little sugar, if necessary and cook gently until they turn into a chunky sauce. Add the baby spinach, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and continue cooking until wilted. Add the boiled spaghetti to the saucepan and toss until thoroughly mixed.
Serve the spaghetti on a hot platter, top with the stuffed squid and kali orexi!!
STEAMED MUSSELS WITH MASTIC LIQUEUR
A delicious seafood dish.
1 kg (2 lb) mussels, scrubbed and beards discarded
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 large leek, trimmed and finely chopped
1 tbsp or more olive oil
1 liqueur glass of mastic liqueur
375 ml (1½ cup) hot water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp dill, finely chopped
In a large saucepan, sauté the spring onions and the leek in olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper Then stir in the mussels, cook for 2 minutes more and pour in the mastic liqueur and hot water. Turn off the heat, cover and wait for 10 minutes for the shells to open.
Serve the mussels drenched in their juice, sprinkled with chopped dill and garnished with lemon wedges.
FILLET OF PORK BAKED WITH MUSTARD GARLIC AND MASTIHA
A very tasty main dish.
1 kg (2 lbs) fillet of pork, trimmed of fat and membranes
2 tbsp of mild mustard
4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 liqueur glass of Mastiha liqueur
4 tbsp olive oil
4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled, quartered and partly boiled in salted water
Salt and thickly ground pepper to taste
Mix the mustard with the minced garlic, a little salt and the mastic liqueur and spread evenly over the pork fillets. Place them in an oven proof dish, add the potatoes and 250 ml (1 cup) water, drizzle with olive oil, and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) until the meat and the potatoes are cooked, turning them around once or twice. Please check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
As they do not have equal cooking times, remove the meat or the potatoes first, allowing the other to be cooked to perfection. Serve with sauteed Brussel sprouts.
As they do not have equal cooking times, remove the meat or the potatoes first, allowing the other to be cooked to perfection. Serve with sauteed Brussel sprouts.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH MASTIC LIQUEUR
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250 g (1½ lb) dark chocolate cut into small pieces
30 g (1 oz) butter, cubed
4 tbsp water
4 eggs, separated whites whipped to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt
1 liqueur glass or more mastic liqueur
Melt chocolate and butter, over very low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Remove from the stove to cool.
Stir the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, one at a time, then add the mastic liqueur and finally, gently fold in the whipped whites until no traces are evident.
Serve in glasses garnished with mint leaves and strawberries.
Please find below a few recipes from the island of Cephalonia.
CHICKEN SOUP WITH POACHED EGGS
This soup is very popular with both children and adults alike.
1½ litre (6 cups) tasty chicken stock
6 extra fresh eggs
1 bowl grated cheese of your choice
Heat the chicken stock in a large saucepan. Break an egg into a saucer and bring it as close as possible to the simmering stock in the saucepan and slip it in. With a spoon 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 hot chicken stock over and serve with grated cheese, freshly ground black pepper and buttered toast.
BOURTHETO
A decadent, spicy seafood dish of the Ionian Islands that can, also, be prepared with shellfish or molluscs.
1 ½ kg (3 lb) fillets of cod or place or any white fish, washed, cut into small pieces, drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with a little salt
62½ ml (¼ cup) olive oil
3 onions, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
3 ripe tomatoes, cut in half, deseeded and grated, skins discarded
Salt
125 ml (½ cup) white wine mixed with
125 ml (½ cup) hot water
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish
Sauté the grated onion, minced garlic and the Cayenne pepper in olive oil for 2 - 3 minutes, over low heat. Pour in the grated tomato, the wine and water mixture, add the potatoes and sprinkle with salt to taste. Cover the saucepan and simmer for 10 -12 minutes.
Pat the fish dry, and place it on top of the potatoes but immersed in the sauce. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and cook for 6 - 8 minutes more or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley.
CEPHALONIAN MEAT PIE
Here is the recipe for a famous Greek pie.
Pastry
500 g (1 lb) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp mustard powder
160 ml (about 2/3 cup) warm olive oil
250 ml (1 cup) warm wine
Cornflour for rolling out the dough
2 tbsp olive oil, mixed with
1 beaten egg for brushing over
Filling:
500 g (1 lb) lamb, fat removed and cut into tiny cubes and sautéed in olive oil
500 g (1 lb) veal, fat and gristle removed and cut into tiny cubes and sautéed in olive oil
4 tbsp short grain rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 medium potatoes, cut in small cubes
100 g (1 cup) kephalotyri or Parmesan, grated
4 tsp fresh sapsiho or marjoram, finely chopped
4 tsp parsley, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
125 ml (½ cup) red or white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Nutmeg to taste
250 ml (1 cup) meat stock
60 g (2 oz) kephalotyri or pecorino cut into tiny cubes
12 prunes, stones discarded
2 tbsp butter
Sift flour, salt and mustard powder in a large bowl, pour in the olive oil and rub it in the flour mixture with your fingers. Pour in the wine and knead well to form a soft, pliable dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
For the filling, mix all the ingredients well together in a bowl, (except the cubed cheese, meat stock, prunes and butter) cover and refrigerate overnight.
On a working surface, sprinkled with cornflour, roll out 2/3 of the dough as thinly as possible. Drape it over a generously oiled baking tin, 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter. Spoon in the filling and level the top, pour enough meat stock over, to barely cover, tuck in the cheese cubes and prunes evenly over and dot with butter.
Roll out the remaining dough, cover the pie, press the edges together to seal and score 2-3 slits on top, to allow the pie to breathe. Brush with the olive oil and egg and mixture and bake in an oven pre-heated to180 C (350 F) for about 1 hour or until golden brown. Serve with a green salad.
CEPHALONIAN CHEESE BAKE
This is a tasty dish and very easy to prepare
4 tbsp softened butter
6 eggs, separated, whites whipped to soft peaks with a pinch of salt
210 g (7 oz) feta cheese, grated
2 tbsp San Mihalis or kephalotyri or Parmesan grated
125 ml (½ cup) thick yogurt
150 g (5 oz) self-raising flour mixed with
1 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 80 C (350 F). Beat butter until pale and fluffy, add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except the whipped egg whites, and mix thoroughly until very well combined. Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
Pour the batter into a buttered oven-proof dish and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.
CEPHALONIAN BACLAVA
This phyllo roll can be made with more or fewer pastry sheets.
5 sheets of phyllo pastry
120 g (4 oz) hot butter
250 g (½ lb) unpeeled almonds, roasted
2 tbsp icing sugar
Syrup:
250 ml (1 cup) water
350 g (1 cup) sugar
Boil for 5 minutes.
Grind the almonds and mix well with the icing sugar.
Brush a sheet of phyllo lightly with hot melted 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 sheets have been used.
Roll the stacked pastry sheets like a Swiss roll and place it in a buttered baking dish. Cut the roll in thick slices with a sharp knife and brush lavishly with sizzling butter. Bake in an oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 25 -30 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and cool, then pour over the hot syrup. Serve cold.
And a few recipes from the exceptionally lovely medieval castle city of Monemvasia.
SHRIMPS WITH OUZO AND PASTA
This dish really reminds one of Greek summers!
500 g (l lb) fine spaghetti
2 tbsp melted butter
750 g (1½ lb) shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp olive oil
60 ml (¼ cup) ouzo
5 spring onions finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
120 ml (½ cup) tomato juice
3 large, ripe but firm tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 tsp sugar, if necessary
250 ml (1 cup) Maleatis or any other dry white wine
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
150 g (5 oz) feta cheese crumbled
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente, strain, add half the melted butter, swirl the saucepan and keep warm. Reserve a little of the cooking liquid.
At the same time sauté the shrimps in 1 tbsp olive oil until they change colour, sprinkle with a little salt, add half the ouzo and ignite. When the flame dies down, remove the shrimps and keep hot.
Sauté the spring onions and garlic in the remaining olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until almost soft. Then pour in the wine and stir for a few minutes, until the alcohol evaporates, add the tomato juice and cook 10-12 minutes more. Add the cubed tomatoes, and the Cayenne pepper and taste the sauce, adding a little sugar if the tomatoes are acid, and simmer 5 minutes more. Add the sautéed shrimps, the feta, basil and the remaining butter and simmer gently for 2 minutes more. Taste once more for seasoning and add salt, if necessary, and freshly ground black pepper.
Mix the shrimp sauce with the spaghetti, pour in the remaining ouzo, toss thoroughly and cook a few minutes more. Add a few tablespoonfuls of the reserved spaghetti cooking liquid, if necessary and serve hot, sprinkled with Parmesan.
VEAL ESCALOPES COOKED IN WINE WITH CHEESE
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| Veal Escalopes Cooked in Wine |
One could cook the escalopes without cheese if preferred.
6 veal escalopes, 250 g (½ lb) each
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 twig of sage or rosemary
250 ml (1 cup) Malvasia or any other dry white wine
Water
Water
6 slices of graviera from Naxos or Crete
Sauté the escalopes on both sides in olive oil, over high heat. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, add the herb of your choice, pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.
Lower the temperature and simmer very gently, until the meat is tender, adding a little hot water, if necessary. Add the graviera slices on top, discard the herb, and serve the escalopes drenched with the melted cheese, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.
CHEESE AND ONION PIE
Cheese pies are very popular all over Greece. I very often prepare individual cheese pies with ready-made puff pastry rounds using the same filling.
Pastry:
150 g (5 oz) wholemeal flour
150 g (5 oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp mustard powder
150 g (5 oz) butter cubed
1 egg
Just enough water to form a soft, pliable dough
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs for sprinkling over the pastry before adding the filling
Filling:
500 g (1 lb) feta cheese, soaked in water for 5-10 minutes if salty
250 g (½ lb) anthotyro or ricotta cheese
2-3 tbsp kephalotyri or Parmesan or Cheddar, grated
1 large onion, finely grated
4 eggs
200 g (1 small tub) strained Greek yogurt or
1 cup béchamel sauce
Salt if necessary, nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper
First, prepare the pastry. Blend the two flours with the mustard powder and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and very little water until the dough forms a ball around the hook. Cover and refrigerate for half an hour at least.
In a large bowl, crumble the feta and anthotyro and stir in the grated cheese and onion. Beat the eggs with the yogurt or the bechamel sauce, nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper, add to the cheese mixture and stir thoroughly, until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper and nutmeg, if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Cut the pastry in half and roll out two thin pastry sheets. Line a buttered baking tin with one of the sheets and sprinkle evenly with the dried breadcrumbs. Spoon the filling carefully over, cover with the remaining pastry and join the two sheets attractively together. Score the top of the pie in portions, and bake for about 1 hour.
AMYGDALOTA FROM MONEMVASIA
Almond biscuits dusted with icing sugar are prepared in many parts of Greece.
1 kg (2 lb) almonds, blanched, roasted and ground
500 g (1 lb) sugar
1 cup softened butter
2 egg whites, lightly whipped
4 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
2 vanillas
500 ml (2 cups) rose water
Icing sugar
Pulse the roasted ground almonds with the sugar for 5 seconds in a food processor until well combined. Then add all the remaining ingredients, except the icing sugar, and pulse until a ball of dough is formed around the hook.
Remove the almond dough from the food processor, form small crescent shapes and place them on a buttered tin. Bake in an oven to 121 C (270 F) for 20 minutes, then, remove from the oven and place them on a dish to cool. Dip them in rosewater and after a few minutes sprinkle lavishly with icing sugar.
Recipes from the beautiful city of Volos and Mount Pelion.
WILD MUSHROOM SOUP FROM MOUNT PELION
This delicious soup is made with wild mushrooms from Mount Pelion.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2-4 dried porcini soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
750 g (1 ½ b) wild mushroom, wiped with a damp cloth and cut into small pieces
1 litre (4 cups) tasty vegetable or chicken stock
Lemon juice to taste
Galotyri or
2 tbsp cream cheese mixed with 2 tbsp cooking liquid
Salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste
Sauté the wild mushrooms, onion and garlic, in olive oil and butter, over medium heat, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the soaked porcini and strain their soaking liquid through a fine sieve, lined with kitchen paper into the saucepan. Simmer until dry, to concentrate the taste.
Pour in the hot stock and simmer very gently for 20 minutes. Remove half the soup and blend it until smooth and return it to the soup pot. Pour in a little lemon juice to accentuate the taste, bring to the boil and stir in the diluted cream cheese. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
SPETZOFAI FROM MOUNT PELION
A delightful first dish.
4 Pelion sausages, thickly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 large green bell peppers
2 large red bell peppers
2 large yellow bell peppers
2 large orange coloured bell peppers
(all peppers stemmed, deseeded and cut into large pieces)
250 ml (1 cup) Agiorgitiko or any other dry red wine
3 medium tomatoes, sliced in half, deseeded, grated skins discarded
1 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper to taste, optional
Sauté the sausages, until nicely coloured in 1 tbsp olive oil. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
Add the remaining olive oil in the same pan and sauté the onion for 2 minutes, stirring, and season sparingly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the garlic and stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.
Add and sauté the peppers, until slightly limp, pour in the wine, and scrape the bottom of the pan to extract all the taste of the sausage and peppers. Pour in the grated tomatoes, stir in the sugar and drop in the bay leaf. Lower the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 25-30 minutes until the peppers are tender.
Place the sausages in the saucepan and cook a little longer until the sauce thickens. Check for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper, if necessary, and Cayenne pepper, if using.
Serve with warm crusty bread for dunking into the delicious sauce.
LAMB, POTATOES AND CHEESE ROASTED IN BAKING PARCHMENT
This is an old-fashioned recipe with new techniques. It is called kleftiko honouring the freedom fighters of 19th century Greece, who apparently cooked lamb or kid in a similar way.
1 ½ kg (3 lb) leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat, washed and patted dry
2 cloves of garlic cut into the smallest wedges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
The juice of 1 lemon
Grated rind of 1 lemon
8 potatoes peeled and cut in half or into 5 ½ cm (1 inch) cubes and placed in iced water
3 tbsp olive oil
150 g (5 oz) kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, cubed
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
2 sheets of baking parchment
1 large sheet of aluminium foil
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Make small incisions all over the lamb and insert the garlic wedges dipped in salt and pepper.
Pat the potatoes dry and place them in a large bowl with the cheese, lemon juice and grated lemon rind. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with olive oil, toss thoroughly together and reserve.
Place a large piece of aluminium foil on a roasting tin, cover with two pieces of baking parchment forming a cross. Place the meat in the middle and rub it all over with melted butter. Sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper pressing the fresh thyme leaves firmly over the meat. Place the rosemary twig on top. Arrange the potatoes and cheese around the leg of lamb.
First fold the parchment flaps tightly over the meat and cover securely with the foil. Roast the lamb for 2 hours and remove from the oven. Unfold the foil and parchment away from the meat and roast for 20 minutes or more, until the lamb is tender and has acquired lovely brown colour. The potatoes should be crisp and golden. If not give them more roasting time.
WALNUT CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GLAZE
This cake is delicious and fluffy and very easy to prepare.
Cake:
180 g (6 oz) butter, at room temperature
180 g (6 oz) sugar
150 g (5 oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
5 medium-sized eggs, separated, whites whipped to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt
Vanilla
120 g (4 oz) walnuts, coarsely chopped
Glaze:
150 g (5 oz) dark chocolate chopped
150 ml (5 fl oz) cream
1 tsp honey
A few walnuts for garnish
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Coat the walnuts with 2 tbsp of the flour mixture and reserve.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350F). Cream the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour and mix well. Fold in two large spoonfuls of whipped egg-whites to soften the batter. Stir in the walnuts, and then, very gently, fold in the remaining whipped egg whites.
Pour the batter into a buttered baking tin, lined with baking parchment, and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and reverse on a serving dish and put aside to cool.
Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and just before it reaches the boiling point pour over the chopped chocolate. After two minutes, add the honey and stir vigorously, until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Pour the warm chocolate over the cake to cover and garnish it, attractively, with halved walnuts.
DACOS - CRETAN BARLEY RUSKS
This is my version of Cretan Barley Rusks. You can also shape the dough into doughnut shapes, slice in half, lengthwise, bake and dry.
250 g (½ lb) wholemeal barley flour
250 g (½ lb) plain flour
30 g (1 oz) fresh yeast or
9 g (1 tbsp) dried yeast
1 tbsp honey dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water
More warm water, if necessary
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
Tomato, peeled, deseeded and chopped
Olive oil.
Vinegar
Salt and pepper
Fresh thyme
A few capers
Sliced olives
Feta cheese, crumbled
Place the two flours and the dry yeast in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the diluted honey, olive oil, salt and a little more warm water, very gradually. Blend, until the dough forms a ball around the hook.
Remove the dough from the food processor, place on a work surface sprinkled with plain flour. Knead for 5 minutes, place in a bowl, brush with olive oil cover and let the dough prove for 40 minutes or until it doubles in bulk. Punch the dough down, knead it for 1 minute and shape into two equal cylinders and arrange them on a baking tin, lined with baking parchment. Cover and let them rise for 15-20 minutes more.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Brush the dough cylinders with olive oil and bake for 40-45. Remove from the oven and cool. Slice the bread, arrange it on the baking tin, and dry in a very low oven for 15 minutes or more. Turn off the oven, let the rusks, cool in the oven and then store in tin boxes.
Serve the barley rusks, they way they do in Crete . Soak slightly in water, drizzle with vinegar and olive oil, sprinkle with salt and thyme. Cover the rusks with a spoonful of chopped tomato, capers, sliced olives and feta cheese. Delicious!
SNAILS STIFADO
Here is the recipe of an undoubtful delicacy.
I shall not tell you the harsh way these unfortunate creatures are treated to be purged of their impurities. It is a very cruel procedure and a disgusting spectacle.
1 kg (2 lb) cleaned snails, boiled to remove any possible remaining slime, drained and rinsed again
6 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
62½ ml (¼ cup) olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
750 g (1 lb 8 oz) cherry tomatoes, sprinkled with salt and sugar, drizzled with olive oil and roasted with:
7 – 8 cloves of peeled garlic
250 ml (1 cup) Daphne or any other dry white wine
250 ml (1 cup) hot water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ tsp or less Cayenne pepper, optional
1 tbsp or more balsamic vinegar
Sauté the spring onions, onion, bay leaf and rosemary twig, over low heat, in olive oil, stirring constantly for 8 - 10 minutes.
Add the snails, roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic and stir for 2 – 3 minutes more. Then, raise the temperature and add the wine and cook for a few minutes allowing the alcohol to evaporate. Pour in the hot water and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and Cayenne pepper if using, cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 30 - 40 minutes. Then remove the herbs if you wish, and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
Serve with crusty brown bread, and a glass of raki or tsikoudia or Daphne, a Cretan wine, whose aroma resembles bay leaves. as its name suggests.
FISH WITH OKRA
This is an interesting and tasty Cretan fish dish.
1 kg (2 lb) fresh okra
2 tbsp vinegar
1½ kg (3 lb) firm white fish like bream or sea bass, scaled, cleaned, filleted, thoroughly washed and sprinkled with salt, freshly ground black pepper and thyme. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
1 kg (2 lb) ripe but firm tomatoes, cut in half. Seeded, grated, skins discarded
Cut the stems off the okra, taking care of not piercing the pods. Dip the cut part into salt, and drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly in water mixed with vinegar.
Sauté the okra on all sides, in half the olive oil, over medium heat, until slightly coloured. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a dish.
In the same saucepan, sauté the onions, with the remaining olive oil, stirring occasionally, until limp. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute more, then return the okra to the saucepan and sprinkle with salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste. Pour in the wine and after 3 - 4 minutes, add the grated tomatoes and just enough hot water to cover. Cover the saucepan and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until the okra is tender but still firm.
Place half the okra in an oven-proof dish, brushed with olive oil. Arrange the fish evenly over and spread the remaining okra around and over the fish. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Place half the okra in an oven-proof dish, brushed with olive oil. Arrange the fish evenly over and spread the remaining okra around and over the fish. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Serve hot, with a potato salad or a green salad.
CRETAN FENNEL AND CHEESE PIE
This is a delicious Cretan pie.
Crust:
300 g (10 oz) plain flour
1 tsp salt
125 ml (½ cup) mild-tasting olive oil or sunflower oil, if preferred
4 tbsp of raki or tsikoudia
1 egg yolk (reserving the white for later)* mixed with
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Filling:
1 kg (2 lb) fennel bulbs, trimmed, thinly sliced and boiled, until soft, in a tasty vegetable stock. Strain and reserve both the fennel and the stock
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
500 g (1 lb) Cretan anthotyro, grated or mascarpone or ricotta cheese
1 cup finely grated Cretan Graviera
Béchamel sauce made with:
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 bay leaf
30 g (1 oz) plain flour
300 ml (10 fl oz) of the fennel bulb stock
(Please see below)**
(Please see below)**
1 tbsp chopped dill
2 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with the tiniest pinch of salt + the reserved egg white*
Salt if necessary
First, prepare the dough. Sift the flour with salt in a large bowl, add 4 tbsp of olive oil, the raki or tsikoudia and 125 ml (½ cup) water and knead into a soft pliable dough. Divide it into six pieces, cover and set aside for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the cooked fennel, olive oil, the two kinds of cheese, the bechamel sauce, chopped dill and freshly ground pepper well together. Taste, and add more salt if necessary.
Form the six pieces of dough into balls. Roll out each ball of dough, thinly, into a round pastry sheet, brush with olive oil and make two stacks of round pastry sheets.
Roll out the first stack of round pasty sheets and line an oiled round baking tin. Spoon in the filling, and level the surface. Roll out the second stack of pastry sheets, cover the filling, and crimp both edges, attractively, together. Carefully, pierce the top of the pie in several places with prongs of a fork.
Brush the top of the pie with the egg yolk/milk mixture, sprinkle evenly with toasted sesame seeds and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 1 hour, until golden brown. Serve hot.
Brush the top of the pie with the egg yolk/milk mixture, sprinkle evenly with toasted sesame seeds and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 1 hour, until golden brown. Serve hot.
**Béchamel Sauce:
Melt the butter, over medium heat, add the bay leaf and sift the flour over, stirring for 3-4 minutes, to prevent the taste of raw flour. Then pour in the hot fennel bulb stock, in portions, stirring well after each addition, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, discard the bay leaf and serve or use as preferred.
LAMB SHANKS WITH ONIONS
Lamb roasted very slowly, in a covered casserole, with excellent results.
4 lamb shanks, all visible fat removed
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 kg (2 lb) onions, peeled and finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
60 ml (2 fl oz) vinegar
250 ml (1 cup) Daphne or any other white wine
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
Brown the lamb shanks all over in olive and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F).
Put the onions and garlic in a casserole and place the lamb on top. Pour in the vinegar and wine, sprinkle with the thyme leaves and drop in the fresh rosemary sprig. Cover the casserole and roast the lamb for 2½ hours. Then, remove the lid and roast for 30 minutes more, until the lamb is brown and falling off the bones and the onions have turned into a lovely, golden sauce.
Serve with mashed potatoes, a salad of your choice, plenty of crusty hot bread and bottle of Daphne.
KALITSOUNIA
These sweet cheese pastries from Crete are, supposedly, a Christmas treat, but being so popular they are prepared all the year around.
Crust:
62½ ml (½ cup) olive oil
50 g (½ cup) sugar
62½ ml (½ cup) strained yogurt
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
356 g (2 ¾ cups) plain flour
62 ½ ml (¼ cup) Metaxa brandy
Filling:
870 g (1 2/3 lb) soft mizithra cheese grated or mascarpone or ricotta
½ - 1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp grated orange rind
2 tbsp plain flour
Egg wash for baking
Cinnamon for garnish
Cinnamon for garnish
For the crust, mix the flour with the baking powder and sugar. Rub in the olive oil until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the yogurt, the beaten eggs and the brandy and mix well together. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and set aside for 30 minutes, to rest.
In a bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together until well combined.
Roll out the dough thinly, and with the help of a saucer as a guide, cut 7.5 cm (3 inches) circles. Place a tablespoonful of the cheese mixture on the centre of each round and spread it out near to the edges. Raise the rim of the dough up and around the cheese, wet your fingers with brandy and pinch the edges to enclose the cheese, like a tart.
Place the kalitsounia on a baking sheet, brush with egg wash and bake in an oven heated to 180 C (350 F) for about 20 minutes until golden. Serve cold, sprinkled with cinnamon.
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| Autumn Flowers by Barbara Couse Wilson |
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