31st OCTOBER, 2015

Two tragedies have shocked the world, today .

Many Thanks to the B.B.C for the Map.   The site of the crash is near El-Arish

A Kogalymavia passenger jet Airbus A-321, travelling from Sharm el-Sheik to St Petersburg, crashed, today, on the rocky mountains of central Sinai, with 224 passengers and crew aboard.  The Egyptian government announced, unfortunately, that there are no survivors.    Jihadis, connected to ISIS, claimed the destruction of the flight, but the Russian authorities firmly denied this statement.

In Bucharest, there were 27 dead and at least 200 injured in a fire, at a night club, where a popular light music event was taking place.    Unfortunately, panic was one of the reasons for this terrible tragedy   Three days  official mourning was announced by the Roumanian authorities.

The Greek Islands where Immigrants find Sanctuary and Refuge

The interminable odyssey of the immigrants and refugees crossing the stormy Aegean waters, in flimsy boats, usually end with dramatic results.  More than 60 dead, including children and babies, have been washed out on our island shores, during the last two days.   What could be done to prevent this unbearably  painful disaster?   Of course, 300 refugees have been saved by Greek Coast Gards and local fishermen who with tireless energy and bravery work day and night, from island to island to save people from drowning.

 Our thoughts, prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of all these tragic events.

 The President of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan proclaimed  snap elections for the 1^st November 2015.   The governing AKP party is struggling to reach a majority, despite the financial deterioration, the evidence of corruption and the intimidation of the media by the government.   We shall see tomorrow. 

Eleftherios Petrounias Gold Medalist

The good news of the day:

The Greek athlete, Eleftherios Petrounias won the gold medal in the Gymnastics World Championship in Glasgow.






My sister-in-law and very dear friend, Dolly Cocali, invited us for afternoon tea.   She offered us delicious sandwiches, scones, cakes and biscuits with the finest bergamot tea.

Afternoon Tea 

                                                  CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

Dainty Cucumber Sandwiches

You could prepare cucumber sandwiches, spread with cream cheese and mayonnaise, and sprinkled with finely chopped dill and white pepper.   I prefer them made in a simple way.  The bread slices spread with softened butter and covered with crunchy, paper-thin cucumber slices, a delicious, refreshing and elegant treat.

One cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced

Salt

One 500 g (1 lb) white loaf, sliced (get the best sandwich bread, possible)

Butter, softened

White pepper

Place the cucumber slices in a colander, sprinkle with little salt and leave to drain for 30 minutes.   Taste a cucumber slice, and if it is too salty, rinse to remove the excess salt.   Then pat, completely, dry with kitchen paper. 

Meanwhile, spread the bread slices thoroughly with softened butter, top with the prepared cucumber slices, slightly overlapping each other and sprinkle with freshly ground white pepper.    Cover with another slice of buttered bread, press down, remove the crust with a sharp knife and cut crosswise into four dainty sandwiches.     Complete all the sandwiches, and arrange them attractively on a pretty plate.

                                       HAM AND WILD ROCKET SANDWICHES

My Sons' Favourite Sandwiches

This is a sandwich that my boys used to love when they were teenagers.   I think they still do.

One 500 g (1 lb) whole meal loaf, sliced

Butter, softened to spread over the bread

6 slices smoked ham

A little mayonnaise

250 g (½ lb) wild baby rocket, stalks removed

Spread each slice of bread thinly with butter.    Cover with a slice of ham of equal size, brush with very little mayonnaise and place wild rocket leaves over to cover.   Top with the second slice of bread, remove the crust with a sharp knife and cut the sandwich into four pieces.   Prepare all the sandwiches and serve garnished with extra rocket.

                                                                SCONES

Yogurt Scones 

Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream

A South African friend, Athena Papamichael. gave me this recipe for scones, so many years ago.

390 g (3 cups) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp soda

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

90 g (3 oz) cold butter, cubed

3 eggs

180 ml (6 fl oz) milk

1 tbsp Greek yogurt

Egg-wash:

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp water

Reheat the oven to 190 C (175 F).

Mix the first five ingredients together and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

Whip the eggs with the milk and yogurt until well combined and pour into the flour mixture.   Stir until a soft dough is obtained.   Roll out to a 1 ½ cm thickness and “with the help of a small wine glass cut out rounds and place them on a baking tin” lined with baking parchment, brush each scone with egg wash and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until well risen and gold.

Serve  the scones warm.   Split in half and spread with clotted cream and jam, or as we do in Greece, spread them with butter and jam or Greek honey.  If you prefer a savoury scone, just spread  them with butter and cover with a slice of your favourite cheese. 

                                               LEMON CAKE WITH LEMON ICING

Lemon Cake with Mock Lemon Curd Filling and Covered with Lemon Icing

This cake has a lovely texture and aroma.   You could either cover it with icing or cut it in half and fill it with lemon curd.  

Cake:
260 g (2 cups) self-raising flour sifted with
1 tsp baking powder and
Pinch of salt

150 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) butter softened

250 g (1 1/4 cups) sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest

3 eggs
200 g (1 tub) Greek yogurt

Lemon Icing:

4 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

Grated rind of a small lemon

Enough icing sugar to make a smooth runny icing (about a 1¾ cup)

Mock Lemon Curd Filling:

395 g (13 oz plus) 1 tin sweet condensed milk

3-4 tbsp lemon juice

1½ tbsp grated lemon rind

( Mix all the ingredients very well together until smooth and creamy)

Cream butter, sugar and the lemon zest until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat each egg until well incorporated ,before adding the next.   Then add the flour mixture, in three stages, alternately with the yogurt

Pour the batter into a prepared tin, and bake in a moderately hot oven, preheated to190 C (275 F) degrees for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is cooling, mix all the ingredients for the icing together until a smooth, runny icing is obtained.   Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer and pour the icing over.  Leave the cake in the tin until completely cold.

Alternately, cut the cake in half.  Spread one half, lavishly, with the lemon curd filling, sandwich it with the second half and refrigerate. Serve either sprinkled with icing sugar (I prefer this version) or spread  with lemon icing.  Garnish with very fine strips of lemon peel.

       

                                           SPICY FIG AND APRICOT CAKE

Spicy Dry Fig Apricot and Prun Cake

This is a recipe for a lovely, rich cake which keeps fresh for over a week.

For the figs:

½ kg (1 lb) dry figs, stems removed

250 ml (1 cup) water, mixed

250 ml (1 cup) Mavrodaphe or any other sweet, red wine (or any red wine with 2-3 

                         tbsp honey or sugar)

2 thin lemon slices

Ingredients for the cake:

115 g (½ cup) butter

200 g (1 cup) brown sugar

2 eggs

300 g (10 oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

½ tsp powdered cinnamon

¼ tsp powdered cloves

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

¼ tsp ginger powder

125 ml (½ cup) fig liquid

1 tbsp METAXA brandy

200 g (almost 7 oz) 1 tub strained Greek yoghurt

2 cups poached figs, diced

About 75 g (2½ oz) dried apricots, diced  (you could use half prunes and half apricots)

About 60 g (2 oz) roasted, chopped Greek pistachio nuts (unsalted) or walnuts.

Place the figs in a single layer in a saucepan, cover with the water and wine solution and add the lemon slices.   Poach the figs until tender, then strain and dice them, reserving the figs and the liquid for further use.   Discard the lemon slices.

Cream sugar and butter until the mixture is light and fluffy.   Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Mix the flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and sift it over the batter in 3 parts, alternately with the fig liquid, yoghurt and brandy, beating well after each addition.   Finally add the figs, apricots, and nuts and mix thoroughly.   Divide the batter between two buttered loaf tins and bake in an oven preheated to 170 C (325 F) for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.   Reverse on a pretty cake dish and enjoy.

                                          LACE COOKIES OR FLORENTINES

They Resemble Expensuve Lace and are from Florence

Delicate like lace, crispy and delicious, these elegant biscuits are fun and very easy to prepare.   Also, one can change the flavours by adding various spices and by drizzling icing or melted chocolate over.

400 g (2 cups) butter

100 g (½ cup) caster sugar

62.5 ml (¼ cup) Greek honey

A pinch of salt

¼ cup finely ground toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F.).

In a saucepan, heat butter, sugar, honey and salt, over very low heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts.  Raise the temperature, bring the mixture just to the boiling point and remove from the stove.    Stir in the flour and ground almonds until incorporated.  Do not over mix.

Drop teaspoonfuls of batter, 12 cm (5 inches) apart, on prepared tins lined with baking parchment, and bake until golden.   Cool on the tins for 8-10 minutes until the biscuits harden, then transfer them with a spatula, on racks to cool completely. 

Store the florentines, in tin or plastic containers, with baking parchment in between the layers. 

AN APPLE A DAY ....

The apple tree, Malus Domestica, is a deciduous tree of the rose family that is known for its delicious, sweet fruit, the apple.   It is a native of Asia and Europe, where it has grown for thousands of years, and was introduced to the other continents by European colonists.

The apple has religious, mythological and cultural symbolisms and connotations. 

According to Genesis, the serpent tempted Eve, who seduced Adam into eating an apple, the forbidden fruit, thus causing their expulsion from Paradise that brought about all the ills that harass mankind.

The Fall and Expulsion of Adam and Eve
 by Michelangelo

         

In Greek Mythology, a golden apple, which was supposed to be offered to the most beautiful goddess, was indirectly the cause of the Trojan war.   Paris, the prince of Troy was given the most onerous task of choosing the winner between the goddesses Hera,  Athena and Aphrodite.    Aphrodite, the goddess of love, tricked Paris by offering him, in exchange for the apple, the most beautiful woman in the world Helen, the wife of Menelaus King of Sparta.   Helen and Paris fell madly in love, boarded a ship and sailed off to Troy.

Also, in ancient Greece the apple was considered the sacred fruit of Aphrodite the goddess of love.  To throw an apple to someone was a sign of love and desire, to catch it showed acceptance and reciprocation.

The Judgement of Paris by Botticelli

In German paganism, the goddess Iounn provided the Nordic gods with apples that offered them eternal youth.

Apples are, also, considered very healthy.   Apparently, the phytonutrients contained in apples, regulate our blood sugar and the polyphenols act as antioxidants that benefit our cardiovascular system and prevent asthma attacks.    According to recent studies, polyphenols might have an ability to lower the risk of lung cancer.    So, certainly eat “an apple a day (that) keeps the doctor away”, according to the adage, and cook and bake a plethora of delectable dishes and desserts with this wonderful fruit.

A Flowering Apple Tree

Here are a few recipes prepared with apples.

                                              APPLE AND ROCKET SOUP

Red Delicious Apples

Wild Rocket

Chives

Do try this soup

6 large apples, peeled, cored and quartered

2 tbsp lemon juice

1½ litre (6 cups) chicken stock

30 g (1 oz) wild rocket, leaves only, chopped

125 ml (½ cup) low fat cream

6 tender chive stalks

Salt and pepper

Sprinkle the apple quarters with lemon juice, to prevent discolouring.   Then place them into the chicken stock and cook until the apples are almost tender.  Add the rocket leaves and cook for 10 minutes more.  Blend and sieve the soup, taste for seasoning and adjust. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Just before serving stir in the cream and sprinkle with snipped chives

          

                                        GREEN APPLE AND COURGETTE SOUP

You could use also use cucumbers for preparing this soup.

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

2 tender celery stalks, without leaves, trimmed and finely sliced

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

6 green apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

4 tender courgettes, trimmed and sliced

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 litre (4 cups) or more tasty chicken or vegetable stock 

1 tbsp chopped dill

Parsley for garnish

Cook the onions and celery in butter and olive oil, until translucent add the apples and the courgettes and sauté for 5 minutes more, stirring, so that everything has become slightly limp.    Pour in the stock, cover the saucepan and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked.  

With a hand blender, mash vegetables and apples together, until smooth.   If the soup seems too thick, thin it down with extra stock.  Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.   Stir in as much dill as you prefer and simmer for two minutes more.  Serve hot, garnished with parsley.              

                                                           APPLE GLAZE

Chicken roasted with Apple Glaze

Baby Lamb with Apple Glaze

This is one of my favourite glazes for roast meat or poultry.

250 ml (1 cup) apple juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

200 g (1 cup) white or brown sugar
(You could add a liqueur glass of calvados for more savour)

Prepare the meat for roasting the way you usually do by massaging it with salt, pepper and ginger powder, and by making small slits into the lamb or pork and inserting small slivers of garlic.   Rub the poultry with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and fill the cavities with herbs of your choice.

Place all the glaze ingredients into a small saucepan and simmer gently, stirring, until the sugar melts.  Remove from the fire and add the calvados, if using.

Roast the meat or poultry for 30 minutes at 180 C (350 F) degrees.   Then baste the roast lavishly with the glaze, three or four times, until roasted to perfection.

                                     PORK FILLET WITH SPICED APPLESAUCE

This dish can be prepared with either apples or peaches. 

6 pork fillets, about 1800 kg (3 lb 10 oz) sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 scant tsp clarified butter

1 rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf, optional

A little salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 liqueur glass of Metaxa brandy

About 1 litre (4 cups) or more tasty chicken stock

7 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 tsp “four spices" (please see below)

1 – 1½ tbsp honey or more

A little lemon juice, if necessary

Four spices mix:

1 tsp ground pepper

½ tsp powdered cinnamon

½ tsp powdered cloves

½ tsp grated nutmeg

(Mix well together)

I add ½ tsp powdered ginger

125 ml (½ cup) light cream

Heat olive oil and clarified butter with the rosemary sprig and bay leaf, if using, and sauté the meat in batches.  Discard the rosemary and bay leaf (if using) and sprinkle the meat sparingly with salt and pepper.

Also discard all but 1 tbsp olive oil – clarified butter and sauté the onion, with a little salt, until it becomes limp and translucent.   Place the meat over, sprinkle with garlic and  cook for 2 minutes more.    Drizzle with brandy and simmer a few minutes more, so that the alcohol evaporates.  Arrange the apples on top and pour the chicken stock over, to cover.   Sprinkle with the spice mix and stir in the honey.    Cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes or until the meat is thoroughly cooked and tender.  Do not over cook.

Remove the meat and mash the apples and onions with a hand blender until smooth. Taste the sauce and season with  more salt, spice mix and honey, if necessary.  Add a little lemon juice, if using.  Place the meat into the sauce and cook for a few minutes more.   When needed, add the cream and heat the food thoroughly, but do not boil.   Serve  with steamed rice or mashed potatoes.  

      

                                                               APPLE TART

Apple tart

I don’t remember who gave me the recipe for this is a lovely lenten dessert.

Pastry:

390 g (3 cups) plain flour, mixed with

1 tsp baking powder

¾ cups margarine

A pinch of salt

1/3 tsp cinnamon

Grated rind of 1 orange

5 tbsp sugar

1 liqueur glass brandy

1 liqueur glass orange juice or a little more, if necessary

Filling:

1 cup apricot jam

½ cup chopped walnuts

6 apples, peeled, sliced and drenched with the

Juice of 1 orange

Process the margarine with the flour, until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.  Add the salt, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest and whiz until well combined.  Pour in the brandy and orange juice and blend until a soft, pliable dough is obtained.  Flatten out the dough, cover and refrigerate it for at least half an hour. 

Roll out 2/3 of the dough and line the base and sides of a greased tart dish and reserve the remaining dough in the freezer, for further use.    Spread the apricot jam over the base of the tart and sprinkle, evenly, with walnuts.   Neatly arrange the apple slices on top, overlapping each other, and grate the reserved  frozen dough, evenly, over.   

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 40 minutes, then lower the heat to 160 C (340 F) and bake for 20 minutes more. 

                                           

                                                     MARY’S APPLE CAKE

Apple and Walnut Cake

My dear friend Mary Xenakis often prepared this delicious, juicy cake for us when we started learning bridge, so many years ago.   

112.5 g (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened

400 g (2 cups) or less sugar

2 eggs

260 g (2 cups) plain flour, reserve 1 tbsp for dusting the walnuts

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

4 small apples, finely diced

75 g (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped walnuts, dusted with the reserved flour

Sift flour with salt, baking powder and spices.

In a large bowl mix the butter, sugar and eggs, until just combined.   Then add the flour mixture,  finally, the apples and walnuts and stir, until just mixed.  

Spoon the batter into a buttered baking dish, level the top and bake in a moderate oven pre-heated to 180 C (350 F) for about 1 hour.

     

                                                     UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

                                         

A Cake with Apples and Spices

This cake can also be prepared with fresh peaches or tinned pineapple slices

 Topping:

170 g (3/4 cups) butter

150 g (3/4 cups) sugar

1 tbsp powdered cinnamon

Grated nutmeg

3-4 apples (according to size), peeled, cored and sliced

Cake:

4 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiffly with a pinch of salt

200 g (1 cup) sugar

130 g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger powder

First prepare the topping.  Place the butter, sugar and spices in a baking tin, in a warm oven.  When the butter has melted, remove from the oven, stir well, so that all the ingredients are well blended, and spread evenly over the baking tin.  Cover with  sliced apples, slightly over-lapping each other, forming neat circles and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Combine the flour with the baking powder and spices and sift over the eggs, a little at a time, stirring gently with a rubber spatula.  Finally fold in the egg whites.   Pour the batter over the apples, level with a wet spatula, and bake in an oven preheated to 190C (375 F) for 45-50 minutes.    Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, and overturn onto a serving platter.

                                                                 APPLE PIE

Delicious Apple Pie

This is one of the best apple pies.  Use hard, juicy, aromatic apples for the best results. As the ingredients are measured by volume and not by weight, I use a 250 g (8 oz) tub of margarine and the same tub to measure the sugar and flour.

6 apples, peeled, cored and diced

the juice of 1 lemon or more, if preferred

Crust

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar
A pinch of salt

1 cup self-raising flour

Sprinkle the apples with lemon juice and arrange them evenly in a pyrex dish.    Whip the butter, sugar and salt together until light and fluffy, and fold in the flour.   This is a thick batter, not a dough, so spoon it carefully over the apples, without leaving gaps in between, and level the surface with the back of a wet spoon.

Bake the pie in an oven preheated to 180 C for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is crisp and golden.

                                                                APPLE PIE

A Wonderful Apple Pie

My dear niece Maria-Liza Cocali, Dimitris' wife. gave me this recipe for a superb, crispy apple-pie.

 Pastry:

250 g (½ lb) plain flour

125 g (¼ lb) butter

A little water 

Filling:

1 kg (2 lb) apples, peeled, cored and cubed

200 g (almost 7 oz) butter, cut into small pieces

200 g (almost 7 oz) sugar

First prepare the pastry.   Gently rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.   Add just enough water so that the pastry comes together.  Flatten the dough, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).    Meanwhile, arrange the apples in a baking tin.   Place the butter, evenly over the apples and sprinkle with sugar.   Bake for 30 minutes.   Remove from the oven to cool.

Roll out the dough between two pieces of baking parchment.   Drape the pastry sheet over the cool apples, cut the excess pastry and tuck it neatly down the sides of the tin.  Bake the apple pie for 30 minutes more or until the pastry is crisp and golden.

                                                    APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

Applesauce Muffins with Raisins

This is a very popular and healthy small cake.

260 g (2 cups) plain flour

2½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp powdered cloves

½ tsp ginger powder

¾ cup raisins

2 tbsp sun flower oil

150 g (¾ cup) brown sugar

62.5 g (¼ cup) apple sauce

125 g (½ cup) milk

2 large egg whites, stiffly beaten with a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).    Stir in all the dry ingredients together and add the raisins.

Beat the sugar and oil together.   Stir in the apple sauce and the dry ingredients in three parts with the milk.   Fold in the beaten egg whites.   Half fill prepared muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.

                                                   APPLE AND ONION CHUTNEY

                        

Golden Delicious

This is the very first chutney I made.   One could alternately use pears or quince to prepare this delicious, spicy, chunky chutney.

1 kg (2 lb) apples peeled, cored and cut into cubes (try Golden  Delicious)

500 g (1 lb) onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp grated ginger

500 g (1 lb) sugar

250 ml (1 cup) good quality vinegar

Salt to taste

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper or more, if preferred

1 cinnamon stick

Place all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts.    Lower the heat and simmer very, very gently stirring occasionally, until the apple mixture thickens and reaches the consistency of jam.   Remove the cinnamon stick, ladle the chutney into prepared, sterilized jars and seal.




                                                         APPLE SPOON SWEET

                                           

Firiki spoon sweet

“Firikia” are small, sweet green apples with a delicate aroma.  You could stuff each apple with a toasted almond if you wish.

1 kg (2 lb) firikia or any other small apples

2 lemons, the juice

1 kg (2 lbs) sugar

600 ml (2½ cups) water

Cloves (one for each apple)

1 cinnamon stick

Wash, peel and core the apples and cover with water and the juice of a lemon to prevent discolouring.

Meanwhile prepare the syrup.   Boil the water and sugar with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the cinnamon stick, for 5-10 minutes.  Drain the apples, pierce the top of each with a clove, and place them in the hot syrup and simmer gently until they are tender.  Remove the saucepan from the fire and set aside for 24 hours.

 

The next day, discard the cinnamon stick and simmer the spoon sweet until the syrup thickens. Taste, and add little more lemon juice, if necessary.  

Cool the apples, before placing them in prepared jars.

                                                          SPICED APPLES

If you have hard, unripe firikia or any other small apples, try preparing this gourmet delicacy.

1 kg (2 lb) firikia apples, peeled, cored and rubbed with lemon juice

Cloves

500 g (1 lb) sugar

500 ml (2 cups) white vinegar

A large pinch of salt

1 rind of ½ a lemon

2 tsp allspice berries

A small piece bruised ginger

A stick of cinnamon

(all tied up in piece of cheesecloth or sterilized gauze) 

Stud each apple with a clove.   Place the sugar, vinegar and salt in a saucepan, add the spice pouch, simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves.   Add the apples and simmer very gently, turning them over once, until they are tender enough to be pierced by a wooden skewer;  this might take from 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and pack into sterilized jars.  Discard the spice pouch and simmer the cooking liquid until turns into syrup.  Cover the apples with the vinegar syrup and seal the lids.  Serve with meat, poultry or cheese.  Bon appétit!

   

BABY SOPHIA IS ONE TODAY!!

                                            

Baby Sophia is one today!!

My precious great-granddaughter Sophia is, already, one year old!!   May she always be as healthy, happy and adorable as she is today.  Happy birthday Sophia mou!!!

My fondest love and very best wishes to Sophia's jubilant parents, my grandson Alex and his charming wife Tina, to her beloved “big” sister Janna and to her doting grandparents.

Let us all celebrate!!

Pink Lemon Cupcakes for the Birthday Girl

   

13th October, 2015

This has been a terrifying week.

5th October, 2015.

The Arches of Triumph in Palmyra

Another view of the triple arch in Palmyra

The world was shocked and furious with the most recent act of vandalism by the ISIS terrorists.  They blew up the Arches of Triumph in Palmyra, a triple arch that was built by the Romans to commemorate their victory over the Persians, 2000 years ago.   It was a beautiful piece of ancient Greco-Roman architecture that was also called the “Jewel of the Collection”.

The Syrian Chief of Antiquities expressed his firm belief that it was "absolutely imperative for the international community to liberate Palmyra" from these barbarous savages, before they have the time to erase the whole ancient city from its foundations. 

What do these people believe in?   No known religion could possibly command the slaughter of innocent non-believers, and the destruction of beautiful pieces of art, that are considered by ISIS as  idolatrous.

The Israel-Palestinian conflict has, unfortunately, flared up again with many victims, on both sides.

 On Sunday morning, the 11^th October, two explosions rocked Ankara, the Turkish Capital.   They targeted a peace rally and left about 100 dead and 250 injured and was the deadliest terror attack ever, on Turkish soil.

It is now evident, that two suicide bombers, of unknown origin, carried out these deadly attacks.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims, in their deep shock and profound grief.

At home, beside the migrant crisis and the capital controls, the Government must legislate very hard and "unfair" reforms, by Friday the 16^th October, so that Greece can collect the first 2-billion-euro bailout tranche from Europe.   The reforms might provoke vehement discussions in Parliament and social unrest all over the country.

Here are a few recipes for food that will satisfy and comfort us, during these very difficult days.

                                      PRAWNS WRAPPED IN KATAIFI WITH

                                      SWEET AND SOUR TOMATO SAUCE

Prawns Wrapped in Kataifi

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 concept as their colleagues did, centuries before.   Now with the help of sophisticated machinery and the appropriate “know-how” they produce excellent kataifi pastry.   I have explained what kataifi pastry is, before on this blog, but I feel I should once more. 

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

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

Salt and freshly ground, multi-coloured (black-red-green-white) pepper and sauteed in
1 tbsp olive oil with
1 twig of rosemary and set aside to cool.

30 wooden skewers soaked in water for 2 hours at least 

750 g (l½ lb) kataifi pastry

Corn oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce:

1 large onion, grated

2 leeks, white part only, split 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 vinegars, 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 taste. Taste and add salt and freshly ground multi-coloured pepper, if necessary.   Place in a bowl cover and refrigerate.

Thread each prawn, lengthwise, on a wooden skewer.   Fluff out the kataifi pastry, thoroughly.   Take equal strands of kataifi and cover each prawn completely, except the tail.  Holding by the skewers, deep fry the kataifi wrapped prawns, in hot corn oil, until crisp and golden,   Remove and pat with kitchen paper to remove extra oil.    Serve hot, with the sweet and sour tomato dip sauce 

  

                            SPAGHETTI WITH CHICKEN IN BROCCOLI SAUCE

Spaghetti Bacon and Cheese

Broccoli Sauce

This is a recipe for a delicious but cheap dish that almost everybody loves.

6 rashers bacon

3 tbsp corn oil

4 chicken breast or legs or both, skinned, boned and cubed

A little salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 liqueur glass Metaxa brandy

750 ml – 1 litre (3-4 cups) hot, tasty chicken or vegetable stock

A knob of butter

2 large onions, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 slice fresh ginger

1 broccoli, cut into florets, the stems peeled and sliced

500 g (1 lb) spaghetti, boiled according to the instructions and sprinkled with 1 tbsp olive oil.

Grated kefalotyri or San Mihalis or Parmesan

Fry the bacon in corn oil until crisp.  Remove and pat with kitchen paper to remove the extra oil, chop and reserve.

In the same frying pan, sauté the chicken, 2 minutes on each side.  Season the chicken with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and transfer to a dish.

Remove most of the oil from the frying pan, add the butter and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is cooked and soft.   Arrange the sautéed chicken pieces over, pour in the brandy and cook for a few minutes so that the alcohol evaporates.   Pour in the chicken stock and transfer everything to a large saucepan.   Simmer covered, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.   Transfer the chicken, with a slotted spoon, to a dish, and reserve.

Boil the broccoli in the cooking liquid, until soft.   Discard the ginger.  With a hand blender, purée the broccoli and onions and sieve, through a fine strainer, pushing with a spoon to extract all the taste.  Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and heat, until piping hot.  Taste and season accordingly.

Serve the hot spaghetti sprinkled with crispy bacon.  Serve with the broccoli sauce and grated cheese.

  CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ROLL WITH CHOCOLATE PRALINE MOUSSE FILLING

Chocolate Roll

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

60 g (2 oz) self-raising 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

250 g (½ lb) butter, cubed

304 ml (an ample 10 fl oz) 1 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

First prepare the filling.  Melt the chocolate, in a bowl, over simmering water and stir until smooth.  Then add the butter, condensed milk, and the hazelnut powder. 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.

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a 30x40 cm (12x16 inches) baking tin with oiled baking parchment, letting the parchment extend over the sides of the tin and brush with oil, once more.

Whip the egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and salt very well together, until pale and fluffy.

Fold in the flour until just combined.   Stir in ¼ of the whipped egg whites to lighten it, 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 minute.

Place a 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 down 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 a sweeter filling is preferred.

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 with icing sugar.

Hazelnut Praline Chocolate Sauce before adding the Whipped Cream

                                        

 .                     

                                       CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT PRALINE TART

Smooth Chocolate Delight in a Crispy Shell

   

This every chocolate lover’s dream!

Pastry:

250 g (4 oz) flour sifted with

60 g (2 oz) icing sugar and

A pinch of salt

125 g (an ample 4 oz) butter, cut in small pieces

1 egg

Filling (chocolate praline ganache):

210 g (7 oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped

250 g (½ lb) butter, at room temperature

304 g (an ample 10 fl oz) one tin, sweet condensed milk

100 g (3.3 oz) hazelnut powder

A pinch of salt

375 ml (1½ cup) thick cream whipped to soft peaks

½ cup of toasted hazelnuts for garnish.

Prepare the chocolate praline.   Melt the chocolate over simmering water and mix until smooth.  Stir in the butter, condensed milk, hazelnut powder and salt until completely combined.  Cool and pour into sterilized jars, seal with airtight lids and store in the fridge.

The day that you wish to prepare the tart, bring a jar of chocolate praline to room temperature.   Then make the pastry.  Place the flour in a bowl, add the butter and rub it into the flour, until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Stir in egg with a fork until it clings together.   Press into a ball, flatten it out, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

Roll out the pastry between two pieces of baking parchment.   Line a buttered tart dish with the pastry sheet and trim the edges.  Prick the tart all over with the prongs of a fork and cover with parchment and tin foil, pressing the sides in order to prevent them from collapsing.  Bake the tart for 12 minutes, in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F).   Discard the parchment and foil and return it to the oven and bake blind for 10-12 minutes more or until the pastry is crisp and golden.   Remove the pastry shell from the oven and cool it completely.

Whip a cupful of chocolate praline until smooth, fold in the whipped cream, and mix gently, until no streaks of white are evident.

Spoon the filling into the cold tart shell and even the surface.  Garnish with hazelnuts and refrigerate.