MOTHER'S DAY

Many Happy Returns of  the Day

According to Wikipedia and the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Mother’s Day has been celebrated, worldwide, for thousands of years.   Important examples are the ancient Greek cult of Cybele and Rhea, mother of the Olympian gods;  the Roman festival of Hilaria, on the March equinox, in honour of Cybele, and later Christian Mothering Sunday.

Since 1908, modern Mother’s Day has been celebrated on the second Sunday of May.   Each mother deeply loves, cherishes and nurtures her children to the best of her ability, besides offering them, together with their father, the most precious gift of all, the gift of life.

My dear friend Eddie Cotsis had her birthday on the 9th May.    On Mothers’ day, the 13^th May, her children Rhea and Philip and Effie arranged a fabulous birthday lunch in her honour, at a well-known Kifissia restaurant, named after one of Aesop’s fables. 

Eddie is charming, intelligent, warmhearted and generous, and moreover, she taught some of us to play bridge more than half a century ago!  

Here are a few recipes for the festive dishes that were offered at Eddie's birthday treat.

                    CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS IN A CREAMY MASTIC SAUCE

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Kotopoulo Mastihato

This is a recipe of a dish, that a well-known Kifissia restaurant always offers.

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

500 g (1 lb) small, fresh Portobello mushrooms, thickly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

210 ml (7 liquid oz) brandy

3 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into bite-sized pieces and sprinkled with

2 tbsp seasoned flour

90 ml (3 liquid oz) Mastic liqueur

500 ml (2 cups) or more tasty chicken stock

250 ml (1 cup) cream

1 heaped tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

Sauté the onions in a little water and 1 tbs olive oil until soft.  Add the minced garlic and the sliced mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are almost dry.   Pour in the brandy and cook for 3-4 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.  Then season with salt and pepper and remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Add the butter and remaining olive oil into the saucepan and sauté the chicken, in batches, until brown all over.   Pour in the mastic liqueur and cook briskly, stirring, until the alcohol evaporates.   Then, add the chicken stock, stir and simmer gently for 12-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens.    Return the mushrooms to the saucepan and pour the cream over.   Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes more and sprinkle with fresh chopped tarragon.

Serve with an aromatic rice and a green salad

   

                                LIVER WITH CARAMELISED ONIONS

Liver and Onions

If you like liver, do prepare this easy, but very tasty dish.

3 tbsp butter

3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 twig fresh rosemary

6 tbsp brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 kg (2 lb) calves’ liver trimmed of membranes and cut into 1.75 cm (½ inch) slices, washed and patted dry

2 tbsp or more plain flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a frying pan, sauté the onions in 1 tbsp butter, a little water and the rosemary twig, stirring occasionally, until limp.   Sprinkle the sugar evenly over and stir from time to time until the onions caramelise.   Set the onions aside and keep warm, discarding the rosemary,

Meanwhile, dredge the liver in flour, shaking each slice to remove the excess, and sauté in the remaining butter, for 1 ½ minutes on each side.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and transfer to a heated dish.

Serve covered with the caramelized onions, mashed potatoes with cream and a salad of your choice. 

  

       JACKET POTATOES STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS AND SOUR CREAM 

A lovely dish for a light lunch or dinner.

4 large potatoes washed and patted dry

3 tbsp sunflower oil, separated

Salt 

500 g (1 lb) small Portobello mushrooms. wiped and sliced

1 garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

250 ml (1 cup) sour cream* (please see recipe below)

6 stalks chives, finely snipped

1 tbsp, finely chopped dill

Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, rub with sunflower oil, sprinkle with salt and bake for 30 minutes or until soft and set aside to cool a little.   Score the top of each potato crosswise with a sharp knife and push with your fingers to open the gashes as much as possible, cover and keep hot.

While the potatoes are baking, sauté the mushrooms with the minced garlic in the remaining sunflower oil, and simmer stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are cooked and dry.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and stir in the sour cream and snipped chives.  Taste and season if necessary. 

Fill the top of the potatoes with mushroom sauce and sprinkle with chopped dill.

*Here is the recipe for sour cream.

250 ml (1 cup) Greek yogurt

1 tsp tarragon vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp salt and freshly ground white pepper

(Mix everything well together cover and refrigerate for not more than three days.)

                 

                                           

                                                  CHEESE PUFFS

                                                  

Cheese Puffs Ready to  Serve

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 thoroughly together. 

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 10-12 minutes.   Serve the cheese-puffs, immediately, or place them on a rack to cool.

                                                   

              CREAM CHEESE CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE TOPPING

Happy Birthday

This is a copy of a delightful birthday cake that Rhea had bought for Eddie from a famous Athenian pastry shop.

Crust:
250 g (1/2 lb) chocolate biscuits, blended into fine crumbs

150 g (5 oz) melted butter

Filling:
1 kg (2 lb) cream cheese
1 tin condensed milk
3 tbsp icing  sugar

Vanilla to taste

62 g (1/4 cup) warm cream

7 gelatin sheets, separated and soaked in iced water

Chocolate Glaze:

300 g (10 oz) bitter-sweet dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp honey

Place the biscuits crumbs into a bowl, pour the melted butter over and mix thoroughly until it resembles wet sand.    Put the biscuit mixture into a 23 cm (9 inch) springform tin, pressing it, evenly, at the base of the tin, to form a crust.

Squeeze the gelatin sheets with your fingers to remove as much water as possible and place in the hot cream and stir vigorously until very well dissolved. 

In a food processor, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the condensed milk, icing sugar, vanilla, salt and the gelatin mixture and pulse until the mixture is well combined.    

Pour the mixture over the biscuit crust, in the springform tin.   Cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate glaze.   Place the butter, chocolate and honey in a Pyrex bowl, over simmering water, stirring frequently until melted and smooth.   Cool slightly and use immediately.

Unclasp the springform tin and spoon the melted chocolate glaze, evenly, over the cake.   Refrigerate for 30 minutes more or until it hardens to a shiny glaze, then garnish with fruit of your choice.  Serve iced.

Roses For Eddie!!