Low-level oblique aerial taken from a Bristol Beaufighter as it attacked a small cargo vessel and a naval patrol boat moored in the harbour at Fiskardho on the island of Cephalonia, Greece.
The Second World War found us on leave, on the
My parents went through very difficult situations. Our home was requisitioned by the Italians on the 21st December, 1941 . So we lived in poverty, like most Greeks did, throughout the Italian and the German occupation. We returned to India
Unfortunately, Cephalonia was completely destroyed again, in August 1953, by a monster earthquake this time. But due to the resilience and diligence of my fellow countrymen, the island totally recovered in period of 10-12 years, and is beautiful and inviting, once more, so do visit whenever you can.
I’m giving you a few recipes that typical of the island’s cooking.
CARAMEL ALMOND SQUARES FROM CEPHALONIA
These almond squares are called “barboule” and they keep fresh for about a month, layered in biscuit tins, with greaseproof paper in between.
1 kg (2 lb) sugar
½ -1 tsp lemon juice
½ kg (1 lb) almonds, peeled and dried in a hot oven for 5-7 minutes
Corn oil for the dish
Melt the sugar with the lemon juice, over very low heat until the syrup turns light golden in colour.
Add the almonds and mix thoroughly. When the mixture starts simmering again, transfer to an oiled baking sheet and spread evenly. It should not be over 1cm (about 1/3 in) thick. Let the caramel cool slightly and cut evenly, in bite-size squares.
CEPHALONIAN MEAT PIE
This is one of the better-known Greek pies.
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 together with
1 beaten egg
Filling
500 g (1 lb) lamb, fat removed and cut into tiny cubes and sautéed
500 g (1 lb) veal, fat and gristle removed and cut into tiny cubes and sautéed
4 tbsp short grain rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium potatoes, cut is small cubes
100 g (1 cup) kephalotyri or Parmesan, grated
4 tsp fresh 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
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, and butter) cover and refrigerate overnight.
On a 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 evenly, 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 in order to allow the pie to breathe. Brush with the olive oil and egg 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.
(Serves 10-12)
LIVER COOKED WITH LEMON AND SUGAR FROM CEPHALONIA
If you like liver, do try this dish.
1/2 kg (1 lb) liver, trimmed and cut into small slices 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) thick
Flour
About 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp or more sugar, diluted in
2 tbsp lemon juice, or according to taste, and
125 ml (1/2 cup) water or more
Dip the liver in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the olive oil in a frying-pan, and fry the liver for 2-3 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Sprinkle with salt, remove from the frying-pan and keep hot.
Discard almost all of the oil from the frying-pan. Pour the lemon, sugar and water mixture into the pan scraping off any brown bits. Stir and boil the sauce briskly, and taste and adjust with lemon, water and sugar, if needed.
Return the liver to the frying pan and heat it thoroughly, making sure that each slice of liver is coated with the sauce. Taste once more and add some salt, if necessary, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a salad of your choice and warm, crusty bread.
(Serves 6-8)
COURGETTES WITH FETA
1 kg (2 lb) courgettes, thickly sliced
120 ml (½ cup) olive oil
1 onion, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
A small sprig of fresh sage
3 ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded, grated, skins discarded
1 tsp sugar
125 g (4 oz) feta cheese, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
Lightly sauté the courgettes in olive oil with very little salt, stir in the onion, garlic and sage, and continue cooking for 5 minutes more.
Pour in the tomato and sprinkle with sugar and a little salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the courgettes are tender. Discard the sage. Taste for seasoning and adjust with freshly ground pepper. Be sparing with the salt because of the feta being salty. Stir in the cheese, taste once more and add a little salt if necessary. Serve garnished with fresh sage leaves.
(Serves 4)
HARE COOKED THE CEPHALONIAN WAY
Rabbit, lamb and chicken are also delicious, when prepared this way. You can hardly taste the large amount of garlic, when cooked.
1 hare, jointed
The juice of 6-8 lemons
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 head of garlic, cloves blanched in their skins, then peeled and mashed
½ tsp peppercorns
500 ml (2 cups) good quality, hot red wine, or more
1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
Season the hare slightly with very little salt and pepper, place in a glass dish, in a single layer and douse with the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the pieces over once or twice.
The next day remove the hare from the marinade, pat dry and set aside. Discard the marinade.
In a large, flat saucepan, brown the hare in olive oil, then remove and reserve. In the same saucepan sauté the onion until soft, and stir in the tomato paste, mashed garlic, thyme, salt and the peppercorns. Return the hare to the saucepan and mix well with the onion/tomato mixture. Pour in enough warm wine to just cover the hare. Cover the saucepan, and simmer very gently until the hare is tender (1-2 hours or more), turning over the hare pieces at least once.
Taste the sauce and season with salt, if necessary, and freshly ground pepper. Serve with fried or mashed potatoes and a salad.
(Serves 4)
HONEY PUFFS
These puffs are made with fried choux pastry.
112 g (1/2 cup) butter
250 ml (1 cup) water
Pinch of salt
130 g (1 cup) flour
4 eggs
Oil for deep frying
Honey or icing sugar
Powdered cinnamon
Bring the water, butter and salt to the boil and remove from the heat. Add all the flour together and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball, then cook, stirring for 5 minutes more. Remove from the stove and cool a little. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring each thoroughly before adding the next.
Heat 5 cm (2 inches) oil in a saucepan – the oil should not be too hot. Take teaspoonfuls of the mixture and drop into the oil, being careful not to over-crowd, as they will double in bulk. Fry for about 10-12 minutes. When they puff up to at least double their size, burst a little, and are golden in colour, they are ready. They should turn over by themselves.
Remove the puffs with a slotted spoon and place on doubled kitchen paper. Serve sprinkled with icing sugar or honey and cinnamon.
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