I wish I could have something pleasant to refer to in my blog, but this last week, we were all appalled at the terrible tragedy, caused by the crash of a Germanwings Airbus, in the French Alps, with no survivors.
As information keeps trickling in, we are informed that the co-pilot, deliberately, smashed the plane into the steep mountain slopes, where he and 149 innocent passengers found violent death. What is extremely alarming is that he had been treated for “suicidal tendencies” which he, ingeniously, hid from his employers and that his erratic behaviour and fears could only be observed by his close and intimate environment. Most people considered him a normal, happy person.
A wave of occupations of university facilities and public buildings, by anarchists, are taking place all over the country. This morning they even tried to enter the House of Parliament. Again, no arrests.
Two Greek Ministers warned and threatened that, as state salaries and pensions have to be paid, Greece cannot respect repayment to the International Monetary Fund, on the 9th April. The statement was later denied by the Government spokesman. Most Greeks are deeply concerned and apprehensive and we demand the new Government to govern the country with sanity and to, definitely, prevent a rift with our E.U. Partners.
Holy Week, Passion Week is approaching. Not being a very devout person, this period has a very special meaning for me. It's a time for remorse, recollection and hope. A catharsis perhaps?
Please find below, a few recipes for Holy Week and several for Easter Sunday
BEAN SOUP
This is the Greek national soup. Accompanied with feta or taramasalata, a green salad and crusty bread it can be a perfectly balanced meal.
This is a superb recipe that differs from the traditional one, by adding mushrooms to the stuffing.
Meanwhile cook the remaining stuffing with a little water and wine, until the rice is cooked.
Many years ago taramasalata used to be made with a pestle and mortar. It took at least ½ hour to prepare, but it had a granular texture, which is impossible to achieve with a blender or food processor. Taramasalata can also be prepared with boiled potatoes in place of bread. Three medium, floury potatoes are sufficient for this recipe.
100 g (3 oz plus) tarama (salted cod’s roe)
1-2 spring onions very finely sliced
ROAST LEG OF KID WITH ORANGE JUICE AND BRANDY
This is an easy and tasty dish.
You could use 1 cup of white sauce instead of the yogurt.
This traditional dessert can be found all overGreece.
I’m giving you this recipe as two separate ones because you can use the tartlets with different fillings and the lemon curd spread over a cake.
Dolly Cocali, my sister-in-law and my very dear friend, gave me the following recipe for a lovely chocolate dessert, so many years ago.
Please find below, a few recipes for Holy Week and several for Easter Sunday
BEAN SOUP
This is the Greek national soup. Accompanied with feta or taramasalata, a green salad and crusty bread it can be a perfectly balanced meal.
500 g (1 lb) white haricot or cannelloni beans, soaked overnight in cold water
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil, (add it after the beans are cooked, if preferred)
1 onion, grated
2 carrots, cubed
4 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled, and cubed
3 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped, or
2 tsp tomato paste, or
One 400 g (13 oz +) tin concentrated tomato juice
2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp Cayenne pepper (optional) or
1 small red chilli pepper (optional)
Strain the beans, place in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes and strain once more. Cover the beans with hot water and boil until almost cooked.
Sauté the carrots, celery and potatoes in a little olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add the onions and a little salt and cook, stirring until the onions change colour, and tip the vegetables into the saucepan with the beans. Add the tomatoes or tomato paste or juice, salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper or chilli, if using, and a little olive oil.
Simmer for 30 minutes more or until the beans and vegetables are tender, adding a little boiling water if necessary. Taste the soup for seasoning and adjust. Serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and drizzled with the remaining olive oil.
SQUID STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS AND RICE
This is a superb recipe that differs from the traditional one, by adding mushrooms to the stuffing.
1½ kg (3 lbs) small squid, cleaned and washed, tentacles separated and chopped
60 ml (about ¼ cup) dry white wine
Stuffing:
62 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
1 onion, grated
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250 g (½ lb) fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 liqueur glass brandy
Salt and pepper and
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
Squid tentacles
60 g (2 oz) long grain rice
1-2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
½ tbsp tomato paste, diluted in
125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine
250 ml (1 cup) water
Simmer the squid, both pouches and tentacles in wine for 5 minutes, in order for them to shrink a little, and reserve.
Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the chopped mushrooms stir and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with brandy, salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper and simmer until almost cooked. Add the rice, the squid tentacles, pine nuts and chopped parsley and stir until well combined. Taste and add some more salt and pepper if necessary, simmer with a little water, until the rice is almost cooked.
Stuff the pouches half full with the above mixture and secure the opening with toothpicks. You might not use all the stuffing. Lay the stuffed squid, in a single layer, in a large, shallow saucepan and pour in the wine/tomato paste and water mixture. Cover with parchment paper and the lid and cook for 15 minutes or until the squids and rice are tender.
Meanwhile cook the remaining stuffing with a little water and wine, until the rice is cooked.
Remove the toothpicks from the squid, and serve with the reserved stuffing. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
TARAMASALATA
Many years ago taramasalata used to be made with a pestle and mortar. It took at least ½ hour to prepare, but it had a granular texture, which is impossible to achieve with a blender or food processor. Taramasalata can also be prepared with boiled potatoes in place of bread. Three medium, floury potatoes are sufficient for this recipe.
100 g (3 oz plus) tarama (salted cod’s roe)
250 g (8 oz) or more day old bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed
dry
4 tbsp lemon juice or according to taste
125 ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dried bread crumbs (optional)
1 tbsp dried bread crumbs (optional)
1-2 spring onions very finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, sliced
Blend the first four ingredients until smooth and creamy. Taste for acidity and add more lemon juice if necessary. In order to give it a granular texture, stir in a tablespoonful of dried bread crumbs until very well combined (optional).
Place the taramasalata in a bowl, cover and chill. Just before serving, sprinkle with spring onions and olive oil and garnish with lemon slices.
Place the taramasalata in a bowl, cover and chill. Just before serving, sprinkle with spring onions and olive oil and garnish with lemon slices.
ROAST LEG OF KID WITH ORANGE JUICE AND BRANDY
This is an easy and tasty dish.
2 kg (4 lbs) leg of kid
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
Marinade
500 ml (2 cups) orange juice
2-3 tbsp bitter orange juice or
2 tbsp lemon juice
125 ml (½ cup) brandy
2 tbsp lemon juice
125 ml (½ cup) brandy
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
A piece of orange rind
A sprig of thyme
A few peppercorns
2-3 tbsp butter cut in small pieces
A little olive oil
Hot water
Simmer and cool the marinade ingredients. Discard the orange rind and pour over the meat. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, turning the meat over once or twice.
The next day strain the marinade and set aside. Dry the meat, season with salt and pepper and place it in a covered roasting tin, large enough to hold it comfortably. Sprinkle half the butter pieces over, and pour a little olive oil and 1/3 of the marinade around it.
Roast in a hot oven preheated to 200 C (about 400F) for the first ½ hour. Turn the meat over, dot with the remaining butter and pour some marinade around it,to prevent it from burning. Return it to the oven, and roast, keeping the same temperature, for the next ½ hour.
Reduce the heat, sprinkle the kid with the remaining marinade and chopped rosemary. Add a little hot water around it. Cover the tin and roast the meat, at 180 C (350 F), until tender. Turn over, at least once, and add hot water, when required. Remove the meat from the roasting tin and keep it hot.
Remove the fat and deglaze the baking dish with hot water. Pour the liquid through a fine strainer into a small saucepan. Boil the liquid rapidly to reduce it slightly. Taste it, and if it is too salty, add a little hot water and thicken with flour.
Carve the meat and serve it with gravy, roast potatoes and a green salad.
(Serves 6)
CHEESE PIE
You could use 1 cup of white sauce instead of the yogurt.
Pastry:
150 g (5 oz) whole meal 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 doughu
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
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 bechamel sauce, nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper and stir into the cheese mixture 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 bread crumbs. 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 until the pastry is crisp and golden.
Serve with a green salad of your choice.
Serve with a green salad of your choice.
CUSTARD CREAM PIE
This traditional dessert can be found all over
10 sheets phyllo pastry
250 ml (1 cup) hot, melted butter
Syrup:
600 g (3 cups) sugar
500 ml (2 cups) water
Custard:
1 litre (4 cups) milk
A piece of lemon peel or orange peel or
1 vanilla pod, sliced in two
1 vanilla pod, sliced in two
5 eggs
200 g (1 cup) sugar
100 g (2/3 cup) finely ground semolina
A little salt
2 tbsp of butter
To make the syrup, boil the sugar and water together for 10 minutes, and set aside to cool.
In a large saucepan, heat the milk with the peel or vanilla and keep warm.
Beat the eggs and sugar in a mixer, until almost doubled in bulk. Lower the speed, add the semolina and 2 ladlefuls of warm milk, and beat for 2 minutes more. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the warm milk and simmer gently, until the custard thickens, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the custard from the heat, stir in 2 tbsp butter, set aside to cool completely and discard the peel or vanilla pod.
Butter a 32 cm x 20 cm (12 in. x 8 in.) baking tin and line it with 5 sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet liberally with melted butter. Pour in the cool custard and fold the overhanging pastry over. Cover with the remaining phyllo sheets, again brushing each sheet generously with hot butter, and tuck them neatly into the sides of the baking tin.
With a sharp knife make parallel slits on top of the pastry, to allow the pie to breath. Heat the remaining butter to the sizzling point and pour over the pie, and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F), for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and pour the cool syrup over. Cut into portions, while still warm, and serve immediately.
TARTLETS WITH LEMON CURD
I’m giving you this recipe as two separate ones because you can use the tartlets with different fillings and the lemon curd spread over a cake.
Pastry for the tartlets
500 g (1 lb) self-raising flour
275 g (½ lb + 2 tbsp) butter at room temperature
3 tbsp icing sugar
Pinch of salt
1 heaped tbsp grated lemon rind
2-3 tbsp finely ground semolina
1-2 tsp orange fizz or more, if necessary
Combine the ingredients, roll out thinly and line mini-tartlet cases. Pierce with a fork and bake for 15 minutes or more in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) until the tartlets are golden. Remove and let them cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight biscuit tin.
Lemon Curd
Juice of 2 lemons
Grated rind of 1 lemon
150 g icing sugar
4 medium-sized eggs
Pinch of salt
125 g (4 oz) butter
Combine the ingredients in a metal basin over simmering water, stirring often until the sauce thickens. Sieve, cool and spoon the curd in a prepared jar and refrigerate.
Just before serving, fill the tartlets with 1-2 tsp lemon curd or more and enjoy.
CHOCOLATE ROLL
Dolly Cocali, my sister-in-law and my very dear friend, gave me the following recipe for a lovely chocolate dessert, so many years ago.
7 medium sized eggs separated, whites whipped into stiff peaks with a pinch of salt
400 g (2 cups) sugar
100 g (1 cup) cocoa
500 g (2 cups) slightly sweetened whipped cream
Garnish:
Icing sugar or
Strawberries or crystallized chestnuts or
Chocolate icing
Chocolate icing
Beat egg yolks with sugar until light and creamy. Sift in the cocoa and mix thoroughly. Fold in the whipped egg-whites until no traces of white is visible.
Spoon the mixture into a Swiss roll tin, lined with buttered baking parchment, and level the surface with a spatula. Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F), for about 20 minutes until well risen. Do not overcook. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
Turn out the cake on a piece baking parchment, detach the baking parchment from the top and trim the edges. Then place a piece of baking parchment over and roll the warm cake and the parchment together, and set aside to cool.
Unroll the cake carefully and remove the parchment. Spread with whipped cream, fold it up like a Swiss roll and place it on a serving dish. Dust the top of the roll with icing sugar or chocolate icing or garnish it with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, partly dipped in melted chocolate.
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