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| Cornucopias with Autumn Vegetables and Fruit |
Like most traditional cuisines, Greek cooking is based on seasonal products. Years ago, we had a maid who said, one late September, that she intended preparing stuffed tomatoes so that we could bid them farewell until the following summer.
Nowadays, this is surely not the case, as most fruits and vegetables are yearly available, due to freezing, hothouse cultivation and cheaper transport. But seasonal produce is, definitely, much tastier and more aromatic and perhaps even more nutritious than its frozen or hothouse counterparts.
In early autumn in Greece, one can still find aubergines, okra, apples, figs, grapes, melons, walnuts and pistachios.
By October and November, pumpkins, cucumbers, dill, endive, fennel bulbs and both fresh and dried beans, are in season. Also, romaines, cabbages, radishes, courgettes, parsnips, green olives, apples, grapes, kiwis, persimmons, quince and pomegranates are available.
Please find below a few recipes prepared with certain of the above products.
PUMPKIN SOUP
Please find below a few recipes prepared with certain of the above products.
This is a recipe for a very tasty pumpkin soup, my family’s favourite.
1 kg (2 lb) pumpkin, peeled and cleaned from seeds and fibres, cut into chunks
2 large leeks, trimmed and sliced, white parts only
1 onion, chopped
2 large potatoes cut into chunks
1 ½ litre (6 cups) chicken stock (or half milk, half stock)
100 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) kasseri or Gouda , grated
2 tbsp San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 liqueur glass good brandy (optional)
120 ml (½ cup) or more thick yoghurt or cream
3-4 tbsp chopped parsley, optional
Place the vegetables in a large saucepan with sufficient water to cover, and cook until tender. Then set aside to cool, and blend.
Return the pumpkin puree to the saucepan, add the stock (or stock and milk), and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and a little nutmeg. Simmer gently until the soup thickens. Stir in the cheese, taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if necessary. Bring again to the boiling point and pour in the brandy, if using. Simmer the soup for a minute or two, and serve with a tablespoon of cream or thick yoghurt, sprinkled with chopped parsley. For a party, you could serve the soup in a pumpkin shell, instead of a tureen.
FRESH TUNNY FISH WITH FIG CHUTNEY
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| Tunny Fish Cooked to Perfection |
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| Chunky Fig Chutney |
A fish dish with an exceptional chutney.
4 fillets of fresh tunny fish 250 g (½ lb) each
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chutney:
710 g (1 lb 7 oz) fresh figs, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
1 medium-sized onion, peeled, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
51 g (1.7 oz) ginger, peeled and grated
150 g (5 oz) sugar
60 g (2 oz) raisins
½ tsp ground coriander seeds
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
½ tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
First prepare the chutney. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil, over low heat, until soft but not coloured, stirring frequently. Add the figs and all the remaining ingredients and cook very gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture resembles chunky jam. Place in sterilized jars cover and reverse the jars until completely cold,
Brush the tunny fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook in a very hot frying pan for 1-2 minutes on each side. The tuna fillets must remain red in the centre, to prevent the fish from drying out.
Serve the fish with fig chutney and a green chutney.
ROAST CHICKEN THIGHS AND FENNEL BULBS
A delicious dish.
1¼ kg (2½ lb) chicken thighs, washed and patted dry
2 medium-sized fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into 6 equal wedges
3 oranges, thickly sliced
2 small twigs of thyme
3 tbsp fennel seeds
Marinade:
1/3 cup ouzo
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp mustard
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade well together, in a large bowl. Add the chicken thighs, fennel bulbs, orange slices, thyme twigs and fennel seeds into the marinade and mix very well, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 246 C (475 F) and place the chicken thighs, skin facing up, in a single layer, into a large Pyrex dish. Arrange the fennel wedges and orange slices evenly around the chicken. Pour the marinade over and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Cover with aluminium foil to keep warm and set aside
Pour the cooking juices into a saucepan, bring to the boil, over medium heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup and pour over the chicken.
Serve with mashed potatoes and a salad of your choice and garnish with thyme twigs.
CHICKEN WITH FRESH FIGS AND BACON
This is a lovely, easy dish for special occasions.
6 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cubed
2-3 tbsp flour mixed with 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
8-10 rashers lean bacon
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp mustard with honey
350 ml (½ a bottle) Santorini Sigalas or any other good dry white wine
360 ml – 480 ml (1½-2 cups) tasty chicken stock
2-3 sprigs of fresh tarragon or
1-2 sprigs of fresh sage
12 fresh figs, peeled and halved
Salt and pepper
120 ml (½ cup) or more thick cream
Dredge the chicken pieces in seasoned flour, and set aside. In a large, shallow saucepan sauté the bacon in 1 tbsp olive oil, remove and reserve.
Shake off the excess flour from the chicken pieces and fry them in the same saucepan, in two batches, until slightly brown. Lower the heat, add the remaining olive oil, onion and garlic and simmer until the onion changes colour. Stir in the mustard, return the chicken pieces to the saucepan, pour the wine over, and with a spatula scrape the bottom of the saucepan to avoid sticking. When the wine reduces a little, add the chicken stock and the herb of your choice (tarragon or sage). Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is almost ready 12-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, season the figs with salt and pepper and cook them separately with a little wine, chicken stock and a small knob of butter, until soft but not falling apart. Remove the herbs from the chicken, spoon the figs over and cook for a few minutes more. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary. At this stage, you can cover and refrigerate it until the next day. Don’t forget the bacon.
Just before required, heat the food thoroughly, and pour the cream over, taste once more and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Also, heat the bacon until crisp. Serve the chicken and figs on a hot platter garnished with bacon and accompanied by what we used to call “smashed potatoes with cream”!
SMASHED POTATOES WITH CREAM
1 kg (2 lbs) or more mealy potatoes, peeled and sliced
Enough water to just cover
1 whole garlic clove
1 sprig of sage
Salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup or more, cream
1 tbsp snipped chives
Boil the potatoes with all the ingredients except the cream and chives. Remove the garlic and sage and strain thoroughly. Return the potatoes to the saucepan and heat in order to remove any possible remaining moisture. Before serving, pour in the cream and stir, and check the seasoning. Serve sprinkled with chives and freshly ground black pepper.
PORK WITH CABBAGE KAPOUSKA FROM CHIOS
Kapouska is Russian for cabbage. This is a wonderfully satisfying dish for a bitterly cold day, especially if you use a fiery red-hot pepper.
1 kg (2 lb) pork cut in 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp Cayenne pepper or
½ a red-hot chilli pepper
½ kg (1 lb) ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Hot vegetable stock
1 kg (2 lb) white cabbage, thinly shredded
Sauté the onions in the olive oil and add the pork and brown well. Season the meat with salt, black pepper and Cayenne pepper or drop in the chilli pepper.
Add the tomatoes and enough stock to cover, and simmer until nearly done. Add the cabbage and cook until tender. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve with boiled potatoes.
CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS WITH GRAPES
Whenever I prepare this delectable, gourmet dish it is always enjoyed.
12 chicken drumsticks
Marinade
125 ml (½ cup) soy sauce
125 ml (½ cup) water
2½ cm (1 inch) square piece of peeled ginger, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 rosemary or tarragon sprigs, cut in half
Olive oil
1 kg (2 lbs) sultanina grapes, stems removed
A knob of butter
Salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp petimezi (syrup of grape must), optional
Marinate the chicken for 3 hours at room temperature, turning them around once. Then place them on a grill standing over a baking tin and brush with olive oil. Pour a cup of water in the tin and roast the drumsticks in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 35-40 minutes. Pour the rest of the olive oil in the marinade and baste every 15-20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn the chicken over and cook, for the remaining time or until the skin is crisp and brown.
Meanwhile, reserve a cupful of fresh grapes and sauté the rest in butter. Season with a little of the marinade add a sprig of the same herb used for the drumsticks, taste for seasoning and add some salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in the petimezi (optional) but do not cook more than 6-7 minutes.
When the drumsticks are ready, serve them attractively on a dish. Add the raw grapes to the cooked ones and spoon them next to the chicken.
COURGETTE BAKE
An easy and delicious first dish.
2 cups grated courgettes
4 rashers bacon, cut in small pieces, sautéed and placed on kitchen paper to drain
1 large tomato, skinned, deseeded and diced
½ cup self-rising flour
1 large onion, grated
4-5 eggs
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp or less Cayenne pepper
150 g (5 oz) cubed feta
1 cup grated bland kefalotyri, Cheddar or Parmesan
An oven-proof dish, greased with:
A knob of butter and sprinkled with
Dried breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 180C (350 F).
In a large bowl mix the first eight ingredients well together. Fold in the feta and spoon the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle evenly with grated cheese and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of the bake, comes out clean. Serve with a green salad, crusty warm bread and a glass of wine.
A PUREE OF PARSNIPS WITH ROCKET AND CHEEESE
Truffle oil parsnip puree is a famous spread.
1 loaf of bread cut into 12 slices, toasted for 2 minutes each side, on a hot griddle pan.
Rub the slices with
Rub the slices with
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
3 large parsnips, halved, quartered, cored and diced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp truffle oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Parmesan or San Mihalis shavings
Rocket leaves for garnish
Sauté the parsnips in butter, over medium heat. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and stir frequently until golden and soft, adding a little hot water, if necessary.
Remove from the heat and blend into a smooth purée with both the oils. Then taste and season accordingly and set aside to cool.
When ready to serve, spread the hot, garlic scented toasts with the parsnip mixture, scatter the shaved cheese evenly oven, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with rocket leaves.
APPLE PIE
Do prepare this 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 breadcrumbs. Add just enough water so that the pastry comes together. Flatten the dough, cover with cling film and place the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Meanwhile, arrange the apples in a baking tin. Place the butter, evenly, on top of 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.
QUINCE POACHED IN SWEET RED WINE
All I want for a Christmas is a quince tree in my garden. It has beautiful flowers that ripen into large yellow fruit that look very tempting between the foliage. Could it be the forbidden fruit of Eden
It is one of the very few fruits that can’t be eaten raw. It can be baked and stewed with meat and fowl and it makes fantastic savoury sauces, delicious jellies, jams, pastes (kydonopasto), syrups and chutneys. Also, lovely cakes and pies. It is a delicious dessert when poached in a thick wine syrup over Greek yogurt. You could even prepare a Bellini Cocktail with quince syrup and iced sparkling wine.
3 medium-sized quinces, washed, cut in four and cored, then each slice cut in half
2 tbsp butter
1 liqueur glass Metaxa brandy
125 ml (½ cup) Mavrodaphne or any other sweet red wine of your choice
500 ml (2 cups) tasty hot meat stock, you may not need it all
A spice pouch with:
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
A small slice of ginger
2 star-anise pieces
1 tsp black peppercorns
Salt, if necessary
In a large, flat saucepan, over low heat, sauté the quince in butter for about ten minutes until it starts to soften a little. Add the spice pouch and pour the brandy and the wine over the fruit and cook for 10 minutes more, until the alcohol evaporates.
Then add enough hot meat stock to just cover the fruit. Place a piece of parchment paper over, cover the saucepan and simmer for 10 -15 minutes more until the quince is cooked and tender. Remove the lid of the saucepan and simmer until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy. Remove the spice pouch. Taste and add a little salt, if necessary.
Just before serving add a tiny knob of butter and bring to the boil. It is lovely, served hot with any meat or poultry dish.
POMEGRANATE SYRUP
Pomegranates make a lovely, translucent and ruby-coloured syrup. As for the taste, it’s fruity, fresh and mellow. Serve it with ice-cream or Greek yogurt, drizzle it over crepes or pancakes and use it in salad dressings instead of sugar or honey. You could also use it to prepare a glaze for meat and poultry dishes.
500 ml (2 cups) pomegranate juice, strained
400 g (2 cups) caster sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
Bring the juice and sugar to the boil. Stir until the sugar melts and skim when necessary.
Lower the heat and simmer until thick. Add the lemon juice and simmer for 10 minutes more. Cool the syrup, pour into prepared bottles and store in the fridge.
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| Pomegranates for Good Luck and Happiness |
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