LENT 2018

Kites Over the Parthenon

Clean Monday is the first day of Lent in the Greek Orthodox Church, seven weeks before Easter.

This year, I spent Clean Monday with my son Yiannis, my daughter-in-law Elpida and my youngest grandson, Chistophoros, at their lovely home.  It was a great pleasure to see Elpida's parents. her sister Alexandra and her nephew, Antonis.  The atmosphere was cheerful with interesting conversation and fabulous food, a day to be remembered.


I'm giving you below a few recipes of the dishes we enjoyed on Clean Monday.



                                              TARAMA  MOUSSE

This is Elpida's way of preparing a delicious tarama mousse.


150 g (5 oz) tarama
2 tbsp water
The juice of 2 lemons or according to taste
450 ml (1 4/5 cup) extra virgin olive oil


Blend the tarama with the water for 2-3 minutes, until smooth. Then, add the olive oil by the teaspoon, alternately with lemon juice until pale and creamy.  Place the tarama mousse in a pretty bowl and garnish with parsley.





                                     OCTOPUS COOKED WITH HERBS

This is a recipe for an aromatic octopus dish.


1 1/2 kg (3 lb) octopus, thawed (head removed for this dish),  trimmed, beak discarded, thoroughly washed, particularly around the suction cups.

According to Jane Grison in her famous Fish Book, one can tenderise octopus by dipping it into boiling water for three consecutive times.  Boil for 8 minutes more and set it aside.   When cool enough to handle, remove the dark skin but not the suction cups from the octopus.

Line a small Dutch oven with masses of oregano, thyme, sage, bay leaves, rosemary, garlic cloves, tarragon and basil.   Place the octopus on top of the herbs, cover and bake for 1 hour or more until tender, juicy and aromatic.

Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces and serve with a latholemono dressing or a paprika sauce and a green salad.



                                           LATHOLEMONO DRESSING

Ladolemono

This is a typical Greek salad dressing for both fresh salads and cooked vegetables, horta.


1 tbsp lemon  juice
A pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp mustard
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Stir the three first ingredients well together, then pour in the olive oil, whipping constantly, until thick.



                                                     PAPRIKA SAUCE

Paprika Sauce

This is a lovely sauce of S. American origin.


1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
A pinch of Cayenne pepper, optional
2 tsp roasted garlic paste
125 ml (1/2 cup) coconut milk
1/4 tsp ground cumin seeds to sprinkle over

Mix the first four or five ingredients well together until thick, sprinkle with thickly ground cumin seeds and serve.




                                      PRAWNS COOKED IN TOMATO SAUCE

Prawns in Tomato Sauce

A delightful vegan dish for Lent.

2 tbsp  olive oil
1 kg  (2b) prawns, shelled, deveined, thoroughly washed and patted dry
4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp  red pepper flakes or
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt to  taste
2 medium tomatoes, halved, deseeded, grated, skins discarded
500 g (1 lb) tinned tomato puree
1 tsp sugar if necessary
1 twig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, optional


Saute the prawns, on both sides, in olive oil with red pepper flakes or Cayenne pepper and salt,  stirring for about 4-5 minutes until the prawns are just cooked, then transfer them to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Add the grated and tinned tomatoes and the herbs to the saucepan, cover and simmer gently, for about 15-20  minutes or more until the tomatoes are cooked.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper and sugar, if needed.

Add the prawns and olives, if using, to the sauce and simmer until piping hot.  Do not overcook to prevent the prawns from hardening. Serve over steamed rice or any pasta of your choice.

              

                                         EGGLESS MAYONNAISE

A Tasty Lenten Sauce

This sauce looks and tastes like real mayonnaise

187.5 ml(¾ cup) water

2¼ tbsp cornflour diluted in a little water

1 tsp salt

½ tsp white pepper

1¼ tsp mustard

2-3 tbsp lemon juice

A pinch of sugar

250 ml (1 cup) extra virgin olive oil or

125 ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil and

125 ml (½ cup) sunflower oil

  Place the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and cook gently and stir until a thick sauce is obtained.   Remove from the stove and cool.   Blend the sauce with the mustard, lemon juice and sugar until well combined.   Remove from the blender and stir in the olive oil by the spoonful.   Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper if necessary. 

            

                                                 CHICKPEA CURRY

Add caption

A dish I love and whose recipe I was given, when we lived in India and Pakistan, so many years ago.

500 g (1 lb) skinned chickpeas, soaked overnight, then boiled in

Vegetable stock with a

Slice of peeled fresh ginger and 
1 hot red pepper

(Strain the chickpeas, discard the ginger and pepper but reserve the liquid)

Sauce:

4 onions grated

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp hot curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine

500 g (2 cups) vegetable stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne pepper to taste (¼ - ½ tsp), optional

Sauté the onions and garlic with a little water and olive oil, until the onions are soft and the liquid has evaporated.  Add the five spices and stir-fry until the whole kitchen is full with their aroma, then pour in the wine and cook for 4 minutes, allowing the alcohol to evaporate.  Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick.

Add the strained chickpeas to the sauce.   Pour in a little of the stock that the chickpeas were boiled in to thin the sauce down if preferred.   Taste and sprinkle with Cayenne pepper for extra piquancy, and salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary, and simmer gently for 10 minutes more.  Serve with chapattis.  

    

                                             ORZO WITH MUSHROOMS

A Delicious Mushroom Youvetsi

In Greece, we usually use orzo for preparing youvetsi, a  delectable pasta dish with meat or poultry.  In this version, it is combined with mushrooms and it is absolutely superb!!


2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
500 g (1 lb) fresh mushrooms, trimmed, wiped and quartered
2 roasted garlic cloves, peeled
1 litre (4 cups) hot tasty vegetable stock or more
2 cups orzo
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Saute the onion in olive oil with a little water until soft.  Add the mushrooms, roasted garlic paste and cook until the mushrooms are tender and golden.  Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, stir in the orzo, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 15-20 minutes, until the pasta is cooked to perfection, adding more stock. if necessary. Taste and season accordingly.

                                    HALVA – GREEK SEMOLINA DESSERT

Halva with Almonds

I was inspired by my dear Alexandra Diakopoulos for preparing this superb dessert.  Alexandra is a super Mum, a well-known psychologist, a thoughtful and generous person and moreover, she is one of our Elpida's cherished sisters.

712.5 ml (3 ¾ cups) water

125 ml (½ cup) orange juice
62.3 ml (1/4 cup) Metaxa brandy
200 g (1 cup) white sugar
200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
5 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks


2/3 cup mild olive oil or sunflower oil
2 cups coarsely ground semolina
2/3 cup chopped almonds

Cinnamon powder for dusting
Flaked almonds for garnish



First, prepare the syrup.  Bring the six first ingredients to the boil stirring until the sugars dissolve.   Remove from the fire to cool a little, then discard the spices.

Heat the oil and the semolina in a large saucepan, over low heat, and cook stirring constantly until the semolina turns golden.   Add the almonds and cook gently for a few minute more, giving them time to release their aroma.

Then, pour in the warm syrup, a little at a time, stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon, taking extra care, as the mixture tends to splutter.  When all the liquid has been absorbed, remove the saucepan from the stove and cover it for 10 minutes.  Press the mixture well into a mould to prevent leaving any gaps, and after two minutes reverse it onto a dish.  Serve the halva dusted with cinnamon and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

                                          VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

A Vegan Chocolate Delight

This is a fudgy, moist chocolate cake of which I have no words.

195 g (1 1/2 cup) self-raising flour
65 g (1/2 cup) cocoa
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
225 g  (1 cup + 2 tbs) sugar
A pinch of salt
1 tiny pinch of Cayenne pepper, optional

1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 vanilla
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup water

Icing sugar for dusting over


Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line the base of a round cake tin with oiled baking parchment.   Also, brush the inside edges of the tin with oil.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir in the wet ingredients until well combined and smooth.  Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake shrinks from the edges and a tester inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.  Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Illusions of and Hopes for an Early Spring

TENSION NEAR THE GREEK ISLAND OF IMIA

Map Showing the Greek Island of Imia

A very severe incident occurred near the Greek islets of Imia, in the early hours of Monday the 12th February 2018, when a Turkish Coast Guard warship rammed the anchored Greek high sea Patrol Ship "Gavdos", causing severe damages.  This act of unprecedented aggression, during a period of peace, could have turned into a terrible tragedy, but miraculously there were no casualties.

The Greek Government retaliated severely, rebuking the episode and the European Union reacted a few days later, as the president, Mr Jean Claude Juncker said that the EU was "strictly against the behaviour of Turkey.".

LARGE DEMONSTRATIONS IN ATHENS AGAINST NAMING GREECE'S NEIGHBOURING STATE MACEDONIA

Large Demonstrations at Syntagma Square, in  Athens

Two weeks after the demonstration in Thessaloniki, large crowds gathered in the centre of Athens to rally over the name issue between Athens and Skopje.

A Map Depicting  Alexander's  Conquests in  Egypt and Asia 

A few words about Macedonia, the ancient kingdom of Archaic and Classical Greece.   It flourished, especially, during the rule of Alexander the Great, who conquered the territory from Greece, Memphis in Egypt to the Indus river.   Macedonia was then. the most powerful empire in the world.

 “The definitive Hellenistic state inaugurating the transition to a new period of Ancient Greek Civilisation.  Greek art and literature thrived in the conquered lands and philosophy, engineering and science spread through much of the ancient world.”  The contributions of Aristotle, Alexander’s tutor, were enormous as his writings became the foundation of  Western philosophy. 

Today, Macedonia is one of the administrative regions of Greece and its capital is Thessaloniki.

The roots of the name dispute go back to 1944, when Commander in Chief, Josip Broz Tito named the part of Serbia known then as VARDAR BANOVINA “Macedonia”.  Simultaneously, he started to motivate the idea of a separate state of Macedonia with Thessaloniki as its capital, which infuriated  Greece and its allies.

When Yugoslavia split from the communist Eastern Bloc, in 1948, Tito became the “enfant gate” of the Western world and, to our great disappointment and resentment, our allies started calling Skopje “Macedonia”. 

Skopje is populated mainly by Slavs who arrived in the region around the 12^th – 13^th centuries AD, therefore, they have no reason or right to call themselves Macedonians.  We hope that this dispute will be shortly resolved and that Skopje will soon become a member of NATO and the European Union.  We wish them all the very best.

(The information for this post was acquired from newspapers such as the Estia, Kathimerini, The Guardian, Sunday Times, and sites like WIKIPEDIA, History.com, Britannica.com and BBC History, all of which I sincerely thank.)



Here are a few recipes from the cuisine of northern Greece.

                         FISH AND PRAWN SOUP FROM NORTHERN GREECE

                                        

Fish and Prawn Soup

Saffron filaments are the dried stigmas of the saffron flower CROCUS SATIVUS LINNAEUS, the most expensive spice in the world.  It has a distinctive aroma and taste and is much appreciated by culinary experts, and by most of us.   It is also a medicinal herb, helpful for relieving tension and stomach ailments.

The Saffron Gatherer

Archaeological excavations, in Crete and Santorini, brought frescoes to the light, depicting saffron flowers.   One fresco, in particular, the famous “Saffron Gatherer”, depicts a monkey walking amongst the lilies!   Kozani, in northern Greece, produces one of the highest quality saffron in the world, so do use it, whenever possible.

1½ kg (3 lb) fish (bass, cod, hake, snapper), cleaned and filleted

500 g (1 lb) medium sized prawns, peeled and deveined and thoroughly washed

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tbsp lemon juice or more if preferred

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled chopped

2 leeks, trimmed and sliced (white parts only)

2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 stalks celery, trimmed and sliced
2 tomatoes,  peeled and seeded

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into chunks

5-7 saffron threads soaked in ¼ cup water

1¼  litres (5 cups) unsalted fish stock made out of the heads and bones of the fish and the heads and shells of the prawns

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

2 tbsp ouzo or ½ cup dry white wine

Slightly salt the fish and toss the prawns with a little lemon juice and marinate for about 15-30 minutes.

Meanwhile sauté the vegetables in the olive oil, in a large saucepan, pour in the fish stock and cook until tender.  Place the vegetables and stock into a deep bowl, and blend the vegetables and stock with a hand blender and sieve them back into the saucepan.  Add the saffron and ouzo or wine and bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes more, until the alcohol evaporates.

 Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, place it in the fish-vegetable stock and cook very gently for 10 minutes.    Then add the prawns and simmer 4-5 minutes more, until the fish and prawns are just cooked.   Taste and add salt, if necessary, pepper and Cayenne pepper, if using.  You might have to add a little hot water if the soup is too thick.  

Ladle the soup, into large bowls, sprinkled with garlicky croutons or parsley.

                                         

                                       

                            LAMB, ONION AND CHESTNUT CASSEROLE

                        

Lamb and Chestnut  Casserole

 This is an interesting and tasty dish.

1 ½ kg (3 lb) leg of lamb, boned and trimmed of excess fat, cut into serving pieces

2 carrots

1 onion, peeled

1 celery stalk with the leaves

1 bay leaf

Salt and a few peppercorns

Enough water to cover the meat halfway

2 small rosemary sprigs

2-3 tbsp honey, mixed with

2 tbsp lemon juice

24 small onions, parboiled, peeled and lightly sauteed in olive oil and butter, optional

24 chestnuts, parboiled and peeled

2 tbsp butter, cubed

Place the lamb in a large, heavy casserole, with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, very little salt and the peppercorns.   Add the water, bring to the boil and skim.   Then cover the pan and simmer for 30-35 minutes.

Remove the meat and set aside, discarding the bay leaf.    Sieve the cooking liquid into a small saucepan, pressing the vegetables with the back of a spoon to extract as much of their juices as possible.  Boil briskly until the liquid has reduced to two cups, stir in the honey and lemon mixture and set aside. 

Arrange the meat, onions if using, and chestnuts in the casserole, season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Drizzle the lamb and vegetables with the reserved honey and lemon mixture, place the rosemary sprigs over and dot with butter.  Cover the casserole and bring to the boil.    Then, place the covered casserole in the middle of a medium-hot oven, preheated to 190 C (375 F), for about 30 - 45 minutes or until the lamb, chestnuts and onions are brown and tender and the liquid has almost evaporated.  

Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and salt, if necessary.   Serve with mashed potatoes and a colourful salad.

                                                   CHEESE TERRINE

Cheese Terrine Garnished with Basil

This a lovely and tasty terrine, that can be offered instead of cheese, or as a main dish for a light lunch. I  have given you this recipe before but I'm posting it once more as Florina is a town of  Macedonia which is famous for its sweet red peppers.

8 large red Florina peppers, roasted, skinned and de-seeded, then sprinkled with vinegar and salt, for 10 minutes, dried and each cut into three slices, lengthwise

500 g (1 lb) Feta cheese, blended

500 g (1 lb) anthotyro or any other bland white cheese, blended

1 onion, grated and sautéed in

½ tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp water, until soft and dry

1 cup chopped parsley

1 cup chopped, homemade, sundried tomatoes (optional)

2 heaped tbsp chopped chives

3-4 tbsp thick yogurt

Freshly ground black pepper

A little salt, if necessary

7 sheets (15 g / ½ oz) gelatin, soaked in iced water, squeezed and dissolved in

125 ml (½ cup) hot water

Line a loaf tin with cling film, then cover with the Florina pepper slices leaving some hanging over the sides of the tin.

 Combine the two blended kinds of cheese with the other ingredients, and mix thoroughly, together.   Taste and add freshly ground pepper and a little salt, if necessary.    

Place the cheese mixture evenly, over the peppers and cover with the overhanging red Florina pepper slices and cling film.  Chill for 7 hours.  

When ready to serve, uncover the cling film and reverse the cheese terrine on a dish and garnish with basil or parsley and chives.

                                                   

                                             CUSTARD CREAM PIE

                                                   

A Delightful Dessert 

A golden and creamy perfection!  The custard can be, alternatively, flavoured with either orange or tangerine peel or a vanilla pod.    I don't use syrup over the cream pie, I just dust it with icing sugar and ground cinnamon, like bouyatsa, the Macedonian speciality.

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

5 eggs

200 g (1 cup) sugar
A good pinch of salt

100 g (2/3 cup) finely ground semolina

2 tbsp of butter

First, prepare the syrup, if using.  Boil the sugar and water together for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

In a large saucepan, heat the milk with the lemon peel, and keep warm.  Beat the eggs, sugar and salt 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, discard the lemon peel, stir in 2 tbsp butter, and set aside to cool completely.

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 the cool custard over, trim the overhanging pastry and fold it over the filling. 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 breathe. Heat the remaining butter to the sizzling point, pour evenly 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 evenly over, if using, or just dust with icing sugar and ground cinnamon.  Cut into portions, while still warm, and serve immediately.