LATEST INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL NEWS

A Coronavirus Patient Taken to Hospital

The coronavirus death toll in China reached up to 1.000 unfortunate people, while the cases of infection soar to 42.638, according to the World Health Organization report.  China and the WHO will form a team of experts to conduct discussions and valuations of the new coronavirus epidemic, they will also welcome international expert help. This novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans and according to the BBC, scientists are racing to find a vaccine against the spread and virulence of this horrendous infection.

A Chinese patient at the Attikon Hospital, in Athens, is suspected of having contacted coronavirus.PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT THE PARTHENON MARBLES MUST RETURN TO GREECE.

NEW DEMOCRACY IS EXCELLENT FOR GREECE.  

PLEASE DON/T FORGET THAT THE PARTHENON MARBLES MUST RETURN TO GREECE.

NEW DEMOCRACY IS GOOD FOR GREECE. 

Flooding Chaos in Britain

According to The Guardian, storm Chiara caused heavy damages and disruptions across the UK, on Sunday, bringing downpours and heavy flooding, damaging numerous properties and the cancellation of trains, flights and ferries.  Moreover, certain areas were left without power.

Not Even a Penny for his Thoughts

Donald Trump was, unfortunately, acquitted by the Senate on the impeachment trial.  Sensible people worldwide are bewildered how the citizens of one of the largest and most powerful countries of the world could have voted for such an absurd president, to say the least.

2020 Oscar Winners

In the Academy Awards 2020, "Parasites", a South Korean film, directed by Bong Joon Ho won four Oscars in one night: Best film, directorship, original screenplay and best international feature film.  The first time a non-English spoken picture received this tremendous honour.

Brad Pitt won an Oscar for "Once upon a time in Hollywood" and Laura Dern won an Oscar for best supporting actress for playing a divorced lawyer in "Marriage Story".  Moreover, Renee Zellweger was awarded the same honour for recreating Judy Garland and Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Award for his performance in Jocker.

Greece has been in a deep economic crisis for the last ten years and has had dramatic negotiations with our European partners, all searching for a solution that would avert the country's exit from the Eurozone.  If this had happened it would have been critical not only for the European Union but it would have, also, ruptured the global markets, including Wall Street, a domino effect.

Since August, the Greek government has tried to show that austerity is partly over, by providing additional funds to the lower and middle classes.  We all sincerely hope that our country will revive economically, in the not so distant future.

One of the most tragic consequences of the crisis is that a large number of bright young people have left the country.   In 2016, about 34.000 youngsters left Greece seeking for jobs elsewhere according to the Oxford Analytica Company, because Greece's unemployment is still the highest in the Eurozone.

We all pray and hope that our country will, soon, be out of this horrendous credit crunch and will be climbing to prosperity, step by step, so that, among others, these talented young Greeks will choose to return home.


(I wish to thank Oxford Analytica Company, ERT, STAR TVgr, BBC, CNN and FRANCE 24, also the Kathimerini, Estia, The Times and The Guardian for the valuable information for this post)

An Ancient Map of Greece with her Colonies

I am giving you below several recipes pertaining to the above countries.






                                      KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

A delicious dish of the Far East.

500 g chicken wings
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
A large chunk of ginger, finely grated
50 g cornflour
vegetable oil for frying
Sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onions

Sauce:
6 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp chilly paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
A small piece of ginger, grated
2 tbsp sesame oil

A popular British dish.

 First, prepare the sauce.  Gently simmer all the ingredients for 3-4 minutes until syrupy and set aside.

 Season the chicken wings with freshly ground black pepper, a very little salt and grated ginger. Then toss the chicken with cornflour until well coated.

Saute the chicken wings in about 2 cm of vegetable oil for 8-10 minutes until crisp and golden, turning round halfways.  Place on kitchen paper to drain and allow to cool for 2 minutes.

Heat the sauce and toss the crisp chicken wings in it.  Arrange on a serving dish and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions.





                                                   CUMBERLAND PIE

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A fabulous main dish from Britain.

2 celery sticks, threaded and finely sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and thickly sliced
1 bouquet garni (4 bay leaves + 3 thyme leaves + 1 small sprig of rosemary)
2 tbsp vegetable oil mixed with
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 kg (2 lb) beef cut into chunks
2 beef stock cubes
1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, peeled and sliced
25 g mature Cheddar,  thickly grated
25 g Parmesan, finely grated

Preheat oven to 160 C (    F).  Saute the celery, onion, carrots and herb bouquet in vegetable oil and butter.  Stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and stock cubes.

Gradually stir in 750 ml (2 1/2 cups) hot water, then add the beef and bring to a gentle simmer.  Cover snd cook in the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, partly cook the potatoes in boiling salted water.  Transfer the meat to as Pyrex dish.  Toss the potatoes with vegetable oil and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and thyme leaves. Layer the potatoes over the meat sprinkling with cheese as you layer. 

Increase the oven to 180 C (350 F) and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and crispy znd the sauce bubbles.  Serve with a green salad.

Transfer the meat and sauce to a pyrex dish.   Gently toss the potatoes with salt and pepper a few thyme leaves and drizzle with vegetable oil. 

                                                       APPLE PIE

This is a lovely aromatic apple pie which is very popular in the US

Pastry:

120 g (4 oz) butter

150 g (5 oz) brown sugar

1 egg

150 g (5 oz) powdered almonds

150 g (5 oz) self-raising flour

1 liqueur glass water

1 liqueur glass brandy

1 pinch of cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 pinch of salt

Egg-wash for brushing over the crust

1 tbsp brown sugar for sprinkling over

Filling:

1½ kg (3 lb) apples, pared, finely sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice

2 heaped tbsp cornflour

3 tbsp sugar

 ½ tbsp cinnamon

 ½ tsp grated nutmeg

 Cream butter and sugar, then add all the other ingredients for the pastry and mix all together until a soft dough is obtained. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for about an hour.

Mix the cornflour with the sugar and spices, sift over the sliced apples and mix gently until all the apples are well coated with the mixture.

 Roll out the dough into 2 circles (0.5 cm thick), one slightly larger than the other.   Place the larger circle in a deep, buttered tart-dish then spoon the filling in and even the surface.   Cover with the second pastry and join the two together, crimping them into a pretty shape.  Make two slashes on the pastry, brush it with egg wash and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about an hour.

Serve hot with ice cream.

                                             

                                                      WALNUT CAKE

This Greek walnut cake is easy to make and ever so light.

180 g (6 oz) butter, softened

180 g (6 oz - 1 cup minus 1 tbsp) caster sugar          

150 g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

5 eggs, separated, whites whipped into soft peaks

Vanilla

120 g (4 oz) coarsely chopped walnuts

Ganache:
100 g dark chocolate cut in small pieces
100 ml cream heated
1 tsp honey


 Half walnuts for garnish

 Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.  Coat the walnuts with spoonful or two

of the flour mixture, and reserve.

 Cream the butter and sugar, add the yolks one at a time and continue beating.  Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in a large spoonful of whipped egg whites to soften the batter.  Stir in the walnuts and, finally, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.   Bake the cake in a moderately hot oven, preheated to 190C (375 F) for about 45 minutes.  Reverse on a round dish and when completely cold cover with a double portion of ganache and garnish with half walnuts.

Flowers by Renoir