WEDDING BELLS - 8th June 1954

Auckland House School Simla

I first met Aleco when I was in my early teens, in Karachi, British India  We didn't pay much attention to each other and I left for my school, Auckland House in Simla and he went to Lialpur where he worked for Ralli Brothers.

Karachi Grammar School

An Old Post Card of Alexandra College

Over the years, we met on several other occasions. Meanwhile, I attended the Karachi Grammar School for one year where I studied for the Senior Cambridge Degree and at Alexandra College, Dublin for two academic years.  My ardent wish was to study history at Trinity College Dublin, but my parents were adamant, three more years were out of the question, especially as the Korean war was raging, with unlikely results.  So I decided to accomplish my second choice which was one year at Irena, a finishing school at Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Frere Hall, Karachi

Then, I flew to Karachi, where my father was working. and was very happy to see my parents and dear old friends again, and very lucky to find a fantastic job as a junior secretary at the Belgian Embassy.   Aleco had a girlfriend who was much older than I, while I was, daily, invited by young men to either go dancing or to the "pictures" (cinema) with them.  Not one of these relationships was really serious, for me.

Queen Elizabeth II After Her Coronation with Prince Philip

The Eifel Tower, Paris

Venice at Sunset 

When we went on home leave with my parents in 1953, we first sailed to the UK and watched the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the first major event that was ever televised. Then we went to Paris, the most beautiful city in the world, the city of light.  We travelled by train to Venice, built on stilts on the sea, a unique city with beautiful private residences, churches and palaces and fascinating gondolas that took us, frequently, to our varied destinations.

Then we sailed to our lovely island, Cephalonia, where we had a house at Argostoli. I was delighted to see my beloved grandmother, Sophia, once more, also my dear relatives and old friends with whom we nostalgically reminisced our childhood years, during the Italian and German occupation.  I had a wonderful time, swimming and splashing in the blue sea on golden beaches and visiting the important landmarks of the island.

Unfortunately, on the 15th of August a monstrous earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale levelled Cephalonia and Zakynthos and partly destroyed Ithaki and Lefkada, leaving over 600 dead and many injured.  A great national tragedy.

Athens with the Acropolis and Lykavitos in the Background

Neoclassical Building  

Another Beautiful House

We stayed for three more days in Argostoli and then left for Athens.  Athens in 1953 was a beautiful city, the streets lined with bitter orange trees, beautiful parks and wonderful Neoclassical buildings, erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  There we saw dear old friends and Aleco invited us to his beautiful house in Kefalari, Kifissia where we met his mother and his brothers Pericles and his wife Dolly and Nicos and his wife Cleo.  When I told Aleco how much I liked Venice he told me he would take me there one day.  Little did I know then, that in less than a year I would be part of this family.

Our home leave came to an end and we returned to Karachi with the steamship Batory, a luxury steamer of the Polish merchant marine, which was then on the "India line".   There to meet us were the Maratos, the Issigonis, Norah and Dolph Widmer, the Waltons and Aleco.

We started dating with Aleco on a daily basis, fell violently in love and were married on the 8th June at the Christ Church Cathedral and, literary, lived happily ever after.  Only my parents and the best man, Stathis Vutsinas, came to the wedding service, but we gave a large reception at our house where the atmosphere was jubilant and the food, apparently, superb.  A beautiful beginning of a wonderful life, full of deep love, enthusiasm and respect.

Flowers in a Vase by Rachel Ruysch - 1700

Here are several recipes of the hors d'oeuvres and desserts that a few cooks under my mother's supervision prepared for our wedding reception.

 

                                                 PRAWN CANAPES

When I was young, so many years ago, no cocktail party was perfect without prawn canapés.

500 g (1 lb) boiled prawns, shelled and de-veined

1 loaf, or more, brown sandwich bread, sliced and cut into rounds

Butter, at room temperature

2 cups homemade mayonnaise or one of a well known commercial brand, mixed either

with

2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup and

1 small sweet gherkin, very finely chopped

or

1 large avocado, peeled, stone removed, blended with

Lemon juice to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Spread the bread rounds, first with a little butter and then, either with thousand island sauce (mayonnaise + tomato ketchup + sweet gherkin), or with mayonnaise/ avocado mixture    Place the prawns attractively on top and top with very little sauce.   Arrange the canapés on a serving dish, cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

                                   LOBSTER AND TOMATO SAUCE CANAPES

 A delicious hors d'oeuvres.  One could replace the tomato sauce with mayonnaise

2 lobsters weighing about 500 g (1 lb) each
2 bay leaves
10 whole black peppercorns
Salt

Tomato Sauce:
3 large, ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 tsp sugar or more according to the acidity of the tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
A pinch of Cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh basil
1/4 cup water in which the lobster was boiled

1 loaf or more brown bread sliced and cut into rounds you could toast them if you wish
Butter at room temperature
Basil leaves for chopped parsley for garnishing


Boil the lobster with bay leaves, peppercorns, salt with just enough water to cover for 20 minutes and leave to cool in the water.

Prepare the tomato sauce,  Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and simmer until it thickens.

Remove the lobsters from the saucepan, reserving the water for preparing soup.  Cut in half, remove the flesh, discard the intestine and slice.

Spread the bread rounds with butter, cover each with lobster and a little tomato sauce and garnish with a fresh basil leaf.

                                        SMOKED SALMON CANAPES

Bread must always be slightly buttered, when making canapés, as it prevents it from going soggy.

1 loaf of brown sandwich bread, sliced and cut into rounds

A little butter, at room temperature for spreading over

360 g (12 oz) thinly sliced smoked salmon

One 200 g tub (almost 7 oz) cream cheese

A little cream, if necessary

I spring onion, very finely sliced and chopped

A little lemon juice to taste

1 heaped tsp finely grated lemon rind

1 tbsp finely chopped dill

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Garnish:

Small dill sprigs and

Tiny triangles of lemon slices made by cutting each thin slice into 16 pieces with a very sharp knife

Prepare the cream cheese mixture, by blending all the ingredients together until smooth.  Pour in just enough cream to make the mixture spreadable. 

Spread the bread rounds, slightly with butter.  Then spread each round with the cream cheese mixture and place a strip of smoked salmon attractively on top.  Garnish with dill sprigs and tiny lemon triangles   Place on serving dish, cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to serve.




                                                    
                                           HAM AND CHEESE CANAPES

120 g (4 oz) cream cheese
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Canape bread slices, toasted if preferred
Garnish green olives, red peppers and cucumber slices, dill


Blend the cream cheese, sour cream and mustard well together spread the bread slices and cover half with ham and the other half with sliced Cheddar. Garnish according to taste.

                                                 

                                                   CHEESE PUFFS

  

                                                

This recipe is prepared with choux dough.  The puffs can be served hot or at room temperature.

250 ml (1cup) water

100 g (1/2 cup) butter

A pinch of salt

150 g (1 cup + 2 scant tbsp) flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

120 g (4 oz) San Mihalis or Parmesan or mature Cheddar, grated

Bring water, butter and salt to the boiling point. Add the flour all at once and cook, stirring vigorously until the dough forms a ball around the spoon.  Remove from the fire and set aside to cool.

  

Sprinkle the dough with baking powder and stir well.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each egg has been well incorporated into the batter before adding the next.  Finally, add the cheese and mix together thoroughly. 

With a piping bag or with the help of 2 coffee spoons, place small mounds of the mixture on a baking tin, lined with baking parchment, 3.75 cm (1½ inches) apart.   

Bake in a hot oven preheated to 200 C (400 F) for the first 10 minutes or until puffed, and then reduce the heat to 180 C (350 F), or even lower, for the next 12-15 minutes.   Serve the cheese-puffs, immediately, or place them on a rack to cool.

                                        CHEESE PIES WITH TYROKAFTERY

                                         SPINACH AND  CHEESE PIES

A delicious Greek dish.  Even if you hate spinach, try this pie!  

1¼ kg (2½ lb) spinach, blanched, drained and chopped

1 large onion, grated

3 spring onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chervil, if available, finely chopped

2 tbsp Mediterranean hart wort, if available, finely chopped

1 tbsp dill

2 cups feta (if salty soaked in water for 10 minutes), cubed

1 cup Graviera from Crete or Naxos or Cheddar, grated

2 eggs, lightly beaten

10 sheets phyllo pastry

125 ml (½ cup) butter, melted

2 tbsp olive oil to mix with the butter (optional)

2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs

Sauce:

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 bay leaf

1½ cup hot milk

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Little salt

Nutmeg, to taste

Sauté the onions in olive oil until transparent.   Add the spinach and herbs, pepper and a little salt and simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time, until the liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.   Stir the flour in melted butter, add the bay leaf, and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the milk and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.  Season with pepper, a little salt and nutmeg, simmer for 7 minutes more, and set aside to cool.  Discard the bay leaf.   

In a big bowl, combine the eggs and the two kinds of cheese with the sauce and mix well together.  Stir into the spinach mixture.  Taste and add salt, pepper and nutmeg, if necessary, and set aside to cool completely.

Line a buttered baking dish with 5 sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet lavishly with melted butter and then sprinkle the last sheet evenly with breadcrumbs. 

Spoon in the filling, level the surface and fold the overhanging pastry sheets over.   Place another 5 buttered sheets of pastry over, trim the excess phyllo and tuck it neatly into the sides of the dish.  Score the pie into portions, sprinkle with water, and bake in a moderate oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for about 1 hour. 

Serve cut into small pieces or fold into individual pies with phyllo pastry or form small quiches with the phyllo and bake in the sockets of a cupcake tin. 

 

                                                MUSHROOM TART

This recipe was given to me by Athena Papamichael.  I just added the turkey bacon, Parmesan and the béchamel sauce.

Pastry No 1:

300 g (10 oz) flour

225 g (7½ oz) butter

Salt

2 tbsp iced water or

Pastry No 2:

200 g (1 tub) Greek yogurt

1 egg

Salt

200 g (almost 7 fl oz) olive oil

500 g (1 lb) self-rising flour

(Mix yogurt with the egg and salt, then add the olive oil and stir very well together.  Sift in the flour, in portions, and stir until a soft pliable dough is formed. (You might not need all the flour).  Cover and ice for 30 minutes at least.  Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of baking parchment and proceed according to the instructions.

(2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs)

 Filling:

1 large onion, chopped

1 heaped tbsp butter

Salt and pepper

1 clove garlic, finely sliced

500 g (1 lb) Portobello mushrooms or any other fresh, white mushrooms, sliced

4-6 turkey bacon rashers, cut into small pieces and sautéed in a little olive oil

1 heaped tbsp flour

250 ml (1 cup) cream or more, if necessary

½ cup grated Parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

1 tbsp butter cut into small pieces

Béchamel:

2 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp plain flour

2 cups hot milk

2 eggs separated, whites whipped to soft peaks

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated nutmeg

½ cup grated Parmesan

You could use either pastry for this lovely tart

First, prepare pastry no I.   Mix the flour and salt, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.   Sprinkle with water and knead into a soft, pliable dough. Cover and refrigerate for ½ hour at least.  Then roll out the pastry and line a buttered tart dish.  Cover with baking parchment and dried beans and bake blind for 10 minutes, then discard the beans and the parchment and bake for 7 minutes more.

Sauté the onion in butter, until soft.   Add the fresh mushrooms and the finely sliced garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover the saucepan and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked and dry.  Sprinkle with flour and stir for 3-4 minutes.  Then pour in the cream, and stir and simmer gently until the sauce thickens.   Season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.  

Sprinkle the cold pastry shell with dried breadcrumbs, cover with the sautéed turkey bacon pieces and spoon over the mushroom filling.    Level the surface and dot with butter.

 Prepare the béchamel.   Melt the butter, add the bay leaf and the flour and stir tor 4-5 minutes.  Then add the hot milk in portions, stirring each time, until the sauce bubbles and thickens.  Remove from the fire and cool.  Discard the bay leaf and add the egg yolks, one at a time.  Season with pepper, nutmeg and a little salt, and finally, fold in the whipped egg whites.  Spoon carefully over the mushroom tart (you will not need all the béchamel), sprinkle with ½ cup Parmesan and bake in an oven preheated to 160 C for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve with a zesty green salad.

                                       PRAWN AND CRAB TARTLETS

        

                             

This is a lovely tart!  One could also prepare tartlets. 

Pastry:

250g (1 2/3 cup) plain flour

125g (½ cup) butter

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp or more, iced milk

A pinch of salt

Filling:

180 ml (6 oz) bland kasseri or Emmenthal, grated

500 g (1 lb) prawns, shelled, deveined, thoroughly washed and sautéed in a little white wine and 2 rosemary twigs until they just change colour

4 eggs, separated

125 ml (1/2 cup) cream, 2% fat, if preferred

125 ml (1/2 cup) full milk

½ cup crabmeat, cooked

2-3 spring onions, finely chopped and stewed with 2 tbsp water and a little olive oil

1 tbsp mayonnaise, low fat if preferred

Salt and pepper to taste

1\8 tsp Cayenne pepper

2 heaped tbsp San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated

2 tbsp dried bread crumbs for the pastry shell

 For the pastry, mix the flour and salt in a bowl.  Cut the butter into small pieces and rub with flour, add the egg yolk, sprinkle with milk and mix lightly until the dough comes together. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

 Bring the pastry to room temperature, roll out thinly and line a 27 cm (11 in) tart dish.   Bake blind, covered with baking parchment and beans, for about 10 minutes.   Remove paper and pulses and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.   Remove from the oven, sprinkle with dried breadcrumbs and set aside to cool.

 Sprinkle half the kasseri or Emmenthal over the cold pastry shell and place the prawns evenly on top.  Mix the egg yolks, cream and milk together, and set aside.

Mix the crabmeat with the onions, mayonnaise, the remaining grated cheese and the Cayenne, well together and stir into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, to form soft peaks, and fold, gently, into the crab mixture.    Taste for seasoning and adjust, if needed.  

Spoon the filling into the tart, over the prawns, level the top and sprinkle with Parmesan.   Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for about 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden brown.   Needless to say that you can prepare this tart only/ with crab or only with prawns.

                                                                    

                                      TRADITIONAL CHICKEN PIE

Chicken pie is baked all over Greece.  Here’s the recipe:

                                                        

Pastry:

500 g (4 cups) self-rising flour

250 ml (1 cup) olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 egg plus 1 yolk, beaten,

200 g (1 tub) yogurt

1-3 tbsp beer, if necessary

2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs

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 to taste

1 tsp peppercorns

1 slice of lemon

1 bay leaf

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

125 ml (½ cup) milk

1 heaped tbsp cornflour

65 g (½ cup) grated kephalotyri or Parmesan

65 g (½ cup) grated kasseri or bland Cheddar

4 eggs separated, yolks beaten slightly, whites whipped to soft peaks

Nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

1 beaten egg white

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 necessary. 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 sliced lemon and 1 bay leaf and simmer for about 40-45 minutes (In a pressure-cooker it needs only 25 minutes).  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 juices, and pour it back into the 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 into the onions and bring to the simmer.  Mix the cornflour with the milk, pour it into the chicken mixture and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens    Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the cheese and set aside to cool.  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 with dried breadcrumbs. Spoon in the filling, level it with a spatula, trim the pastry and fold it over the filling.  Place the second pastry sheet over the pie and tuck it neatly into the sides of the dish.   Score a few slits on the pie and brush with beaten egg white.  Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375F) for about 1 hour.

One could also prepare individual chicken pies, then diminishing the baking period to 30 minutes.

  

                                    

                                     PRAWNS WRAPPED WITH KATAIFI WITH A

                                          SWEET AND SOUR TOMATO SAUCE

Kataifi derives from “Kadife” which Arabic for velvet. The original way of preparing this pastry was by pouring batter through a perforated tube on a very hot slab.   After a few seconds, the fine strings of pastry were pulled off, folded and packed for further use.

Today, pastry manufacturer in Greece use the same method as their colleagues did, centuries before.   But now with the help of sophisticated machinery and the appropriate “know-how” they produce an excellent kataifi pastry

This is an appetizer that can be served either as a first dish or as finger food.

30 middle-sized prawns, shelled, deveined, tails left on

Salt and freshly ground, multi-coloured (black-red-green-white) pepper

30 thick wooden toothpicks

750 g (l½ lb) kataifi pastry

Corn oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce:

1 large onion, grated

2 leeks, white part only, slit in half, lengthwise, washed and finely chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

A little salt

250 ml (1 cup) water

125 ml (½ cup) vinegar

62.5 ml (¼ cup) white balsamic vinegar

100 g (½ cup) caster sugar

4 large tomatoes, halved, seeded, grated skins discarded

3 tbsp tomato ketchup

Salt and freshly multi-coloured pepper

1 bay leaf

First, prepare the sauce.   Sweat the onion, leeks, ginger with water and a little salt until soft and cooked but not brown.  Then add the two kinds of vinegar, sugar, grated tomatoes, tomato ketchup and bay leaf to the onion-ginger mixture, cover and simmer until the tomatoes and onions are completely cooked and thick.   Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf.  Purée and sieve the sauce, pressing with a spoon to extract most of the sauce. Taste and add salt and freshly ground multi-coloured pepper, if necessary.   Place in a bowl cover and refrigerate.

Sprinkle the pawns with salt and freshly ground pepper and fluff out the kataifi pastry, thoroughly.   Take equal strands of kataifi and wrap each prawn completely except the tail.   Fry in hot corn oil until crisp and golden then remove from the heat with a slotted spoon and pat dry with kitchen paper.  Prick each prawn with a toothpick and serve hot, dipped in sweet and sour tomato sauce. 

  

                           CHOCOLATE ROLL WITH PRALINE FILLING

This is one of the best chocolate rolls I’ve ever tasted.

Chocolate Sponge Cake:

60 g (2 oz) self-rising flour sifted with

½ tsp baking powder and

30 g (1 oz) very good quality cocoa, then stir in

60 g (2 oz) hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely ground

5 medium sized eggs, separated, whites stiffly whipped with a pinch of salt

200 g (almost 7 oz) caster sugar

Vanilla

Filling:

200 g (6 .2 oz) finely chopped chocolate

125 g (¼ lb) butter, cubed

One 304 ml (an ample 10 fl oz) tin sweet condensed milk

100 g (3.3 oz) hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground

250 ml (1 cup) thick cream, whipped to the soft peak stage

Icing sugar for dusting over

First prepare the filling.  Melt the chocolate, in a bowl, over simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Then add the butter, condensed milk, and the finely ground hazelnuts. Mix thoroughly until the butter melts and everything is well combined together.    Cool, pour the mixture into prepared jars, seal with airtight lids and store in the fridge.    Before using, bring the hazelnut praline to room temperature.

For the chocolate sponge, heat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a 30x40 cm (12x16 inches) baking tin with buttered baking parchment, letting the parchment extend over the sides of the tin and brush with  melted butter, once more.

Whip the egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and salt very well together, until pale and fluffy.  Fold in the flour/cocoa/hazelnut mixture until just combined.   Stir in ¼ of the whipped egg whites to lighten the batter, then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.   Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for about 12-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes.

Place a piece of baking parchment on a kitchen counter and sprinkle with icing sugar.  Reverse the chocolate sponge over the parchment and roll both together, cover with tin foil and set aside to cool completely.

Fold the whipped cream into 1 cup of praline and mix thoroughly until no traces of white are evident.  Taste and add more praline if you prefer a sweeter filling.

Unroll and spread the cool sponge cake with the prepared filling and roll it up again.    Trim the ends, if necessary, place the roll on a pretty dish and cover with cling film.   Refrigerate for 3 hours at least.   Serve sprinkled lightly with icing sugar.

A Vase by Dimitris Mytaras