EUROPEAN AND MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS 2019

Next Sunday, the 26th of May, we Europeans vote for our new Parliament.  

Unfortunately, several European countries have extreme right tendencies, which is terribly worrying as it is reminiscent of the nationalist governments of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, in the 1930s, that brought about World War II, which is described as “the deadliest conflict in human history”.   A horrific war with millions of fatalities, mostly civilian, that were killed with airstrikes and in death camps where masses of innocent people were murdered with poisoned gas.  Unacceptable, repugnant acts of, supposedly, civilized countries of the 20^th century.

I am very happy to say that most of us, Greeks, don’t have extreme right inclinations, so, after deep thought, let us all vote and choose the best candidates to represent us in the European Parliament, for the next five years.

But we also have municipal elections next Sunday.   So, let us elect the finest Mayor possible and his entourage, people we trust and esteem, who will rule our town or city with the utmost of diligence and devotion.  


My family are coming for lunch on Sunday, here is the menu:

     

                                              SMOKED SALMON TART

This is a lovely, tasty first dish.

Pastry:

(Recipe for 2 tarts)

200 g (1 tub) plain Greek yogurt

1 egg

200 ml (4/5 cup) olive oil

500 g (1 lb) self-rising flour (you will not need is all)

Filling:

200 g smoked salmon slices, cut into small pieces

2 spring onions, trimmed and very finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped dill

1 cup finely grated Parmesan

3 medium-sized eggs, whipped with

200 ml (4/5 cup) cream

First prepare the pastry. Whisk the yogurt and egg until smooth.  Add the olive oil and stir until very well combined.  Stir in 250 g flour, adding more gradually until a thick but pliable dough is formed (you might not need all the flour).  Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.  

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180 C (350 F), roll out the dough, thinly, between two pieces of baking parchment and line a 30 cm (almost 12 inches) buttered tart dish.    Cut off the pastry that is hanging over the edge of the dish and crimp the sides into a pretty pattern, reserving the remaining dough for another tart.    Pierce the dough with a fork, cover with crumpled foil and bake blind for 10 minutes.  Discard the foil, bake for 6 minutes more, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Cover the cold pastry shell with Parmesan, place the smoked salmon and chopped spring onion pieces evenly over, and sprinkle with chopped dill.  Pour in the egg and cream mixture and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 30 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Serve with a green salad.

          

Before starting to cook an Indian dish one must have at least two recipes, Garam Masala, a mixture of spices, and Ghee, Indian clarified butter. 

Garam  Masala:

30 g (1 oz) green cardamom pods

2 small sticks cinnamon

4 tbsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

4 whole cloves

1 tbsp grated nutmeg

 Preheat the oven to 100 C (225 F).  Spread the spices in a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Do not let them burn.  Snap the cardamoms and place the seeds in a bowl. Break the cinnamon sticks into small pieces.  Mix all the spices together in the bowl and blend, in small quantities, into a fine powder.  Place in an airtight jar and store at room temperature, for 2 months at the most.

Ghee:

I shall give you a recipe for clarified butter.  I think the difference with ghee, is that the ghee sediments are slightly browned.  That might not be the only difference.

Place any amount of butter you please, melt over very low heat and remove from the fire.  Skim off the foam and spoon the clear butter into a sterilised jar.  Discard the sediments. That’s all.

         

 I decided to prepare samosas and curry puffs as appetizers.  The main course will be two chicken dishes, tandoori chicken and chicken curry, accompanied by Shahjahani Biryani, a spicy saffron rice with lamb, and various trimmings.

                                                        SAMOSAS

Traditional Samosas

This is my version of making samosas.   I don’t use the traditional dough (recipe is given below) because then, the samosas must be fried just before serving. I use small, ready-made puff pastry rounds, which I fill with  potato filling, join the ends together and bake in a moderate oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 30 minutes until puffed and golden.

Traditional Dough:

300 g (10 oz) all-purpose flour

2 tbsp vegetable oil or clarified butter and vegetable oil in equal amounts

1 scant tsp salt

A pinch of sugar

About 125 ml (½ cup) water

Rub the flour with the oil or butter/oil mixture and salt together, until they resemble fine bread crumbs. Pour enough water over, knead vigorously and gather into a ball and keep kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes.  Brush the dough with oil, cover and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes at least. Preheat the oven to 100 C (about 220 F).

Then take small pieces of dough and roll into small circles and cut in half.  Press the straight edges together shaping small cones.  Place a small spoonful of filling into the cones and seal the top.  Then fry the samosas without crowding them until golden on all sides and transfer them to a baking dish, lined with kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven.  Serve immediately accompanied by any relish or chutney

of your choice

Potato Filling:

2 large potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 onion, finely chopped

1 heaped tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp curry powder

60 g (2 oz) frozen peas, defrosted

Salt and freshly ground pepper

A pinch of sugar

2 tbsp water or vegetable stock

½ cup finely chopped parsley

1 tsp garam masala

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

 Saute the cumin seeds in vegetable oil until they begin to burst.  Then add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring until the onions are soft and golden.  Add the curry powder, peas, potatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and water or vegetable stock and simmer, covered until the peas are tender.  Add the parsley and cook a few minutes more.  Reduce the heat, taste and add salt if necessary, stir in the garam masala, taste again and add the Cayenne pepper, if using.

                                                       CURRY PUFFS

30 small puff pastry rounds, defrosted but iced

Filling:

500 g (1 lb) minced veal

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 garlic, squashed

1 tsp grated ginger

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

A pinch of sugar

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cardamom seeds

½ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

250 ml (1 cup) water or vegetable or meat stock

1-2 tbsp of dried breadcrumbs

Saute the onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil, stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the minced meat and continue stirring until the meat shows no trace of pink. Add the salt, pepper, sugar and spices and cook for a few minutes more.  Then pour in the water or stock, lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the meat is thoroughly cooked and dry.   Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Stir in the dried breadcrumbs and set aside to cool.

To make the curry puffs, place a small puff pastry round on a plate, add a teaspoon of filling in the middle, moisten the edges with water, fold over and seal in the filling, pressing well with your fingers. Continue until you fill and seal all the puff pastry rounds.  Arrange them on baking trays, lined with baking parchment and refrigerate for 12-15 minutes.  You could brush them with egg-wash if you want.   Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden.

                                                    CHICKEN CURRY

 Purists will be shocked by this recipe. The sauce is made with the usual spices and condiments, but also with masses of fruit, even tinned fruit, and chicken stock.  Though contrary to tradition, the result is excellent. This recipe is equally good made with pork fillet.

1½ kg (3 lbs) chicken breasts, skinned, trimmed and cubed

A little salt, mixed with

½ tsp ginger powder and

¼ tsp white pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

½ - 1 tsp clarified butter

3 onions finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

2 heaped tsp medium hot, good quality curry powder

½ tsp ground cardamom seeds

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp Cayenne pepper

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 bay leaf

800g – 1 kg (1 lb 10 oz – 2 lbs) fresh apples or peaches, peeled, cored and thinly

                                                                                                                       sliced   

500 ml (2 cups) tasty, hot chicken stock or more if necessary

Salt, sugar and honey according to taste

1 packet desiccated coconut

Boiling water to cover

Sprinkle the chicken cubes with the salt and ginger mixture.   Sauté, in batches, on all sides, in olive oil and clarified butter, until lightly browned and transfer to a dish.

Remove all but 2 tbsp of the oil and butter mixture and add the onion and a little water and cook gently, stirring occasionally until the onion is cooked and slightly coloured.   Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes more.

Mix all the spices together and sprinkle over the onion mixture and stir for 3-5 minutes.   Then add the fruit, salt and pepper, lower the heat and cook gently, covered, stirring from time to time, until the fruit resembles a thick puree. Add the hot chicken stock and stir to avoid sticking.  Remove the ginger slices and blend the sauce with a hand blender and taste, and add the sugar and honey and salt if necessary.

Return the chicken to the sauce, bring to the boil and simmer, covered, stirring from time to time until the chicken is tender.  Taste once more and add salt, sugar, a little Cayenne pepper if necessary.   Cool and refrigerate until needed.   I usually make this dish the previous day as it really improves with time.

The next day, place the desiccated coconut in a saucepan and pour boiling water over to cover, and leave for 1-2 hours to infuse. Heat the chicken curry and strain the coconut milk over and stir.   Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  It should be perfect.

                                            SHAHJEHANI  BYRIANI

This elaborate, festive rice dish is made with either lamb or chicken, garnished with roasted nuts and raisins.  In India, this dish would be further decorated with small bits of edible silver leaf.

1½ kg (3 lbs) lamb from the leg, trimmed of excess fat and cubed

½ tsp saffron threads soaked in

250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

60 g (2 oz) unsalted cashew nuts

60 g (2 oz) almonds, blanched and sliced in three

60 g (2 oz) unsalted pistachio nuts

60 g (2 oz) sultanas, or seedless raisins

½ tsp clarified butter

Salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp clarified butter

2 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely grated

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

1 cinnamon stick

6 cloves

6 black peppercorns

1 heaped tsp green cardamom seeds

½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

500 ml (2 cups) or more hot chicken stock

200 g (1 small tub) yogurt

200 g (6½ oz) full cream

3 cups Basmati rice

1½ litres (6 cups) tasty chicken stock + the saffron infusion

1 tbsp butter

Rub the nuts and sultanas or raisins with clarified butter, with the palms of your hands and arrange, in separate piles, on a roasting dish, lined with parchment.  Sprinkle with a little salt and roast in a moderate oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 15 minutes until the nuts turn pale golden.  Be careful of the raisins as they burn easily.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Place the oil and clarified butter in a large saucepan and add the ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and Cayenne pepper and stir constantly for a couple of minutes. Then add the meat, in batches, and cook until well browned all over. Remove all but 2 tbsp of oil and return the meat to the saucepan, sprinkle with salt and add the remaining spices, tied in a piece of cheesecloth, and cook and stir for 2-3 minutes more.  Then pour in enough hot chicken stock to cover the meat, keeping the spice bundle submerged.   Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the lamb is tender. Remove from the fire and keep hot.  I use yogurt and cream only when preparing the dish with chicken. Of course, you can do as you prefer.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in the chicken stock and saffron water, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Then add the butter and keep hot.  

Pile half of the rice in a hot pyrex dish, spoon half the amount of lamb, evenly, on top and sprinkle with roasted nuts and raisins.  Then, carefully repeat the procedure, drizzling the top with any cooking liquid left.  Put a cinnamon stick in the middle of the dish, cover with cling film and keep hot in a moderate oven.  Serve with the remaining roasted nuts and raisins.

                                                  

                                                  TANDOORI CHICKEN

Grilled Tandoori Chicken Breasts

Oven Roasted Tandoori Chicken Breasts 

Tandoori is a cylindrical clay oven, in which this dish is traditionally cooked.   If you are not lucky enough to possess one, you could grill the chicken or roast it in the marinade, which is much easier, and more convenient.

4 chicken breasts, skinned, trimmed and cut in half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lime or lemon juice

Marinade:

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp lime or lemon juice

4 tbsp olive oil

500 g (1 medium-sized tub) yogurt

1 tsp turmeric

1½ tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Red food colouring

Blend the onion, garlic cloves and ginger, add the lime or lemon juice and blend to a smooth paste.  Place the blended ingredients into a bowl, add all the remaining marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Make 3 deep slashes on each chicken piece, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lime or lemon juice.

Spoon half the marinade evenly in a large pyrex dish, place the chicken pieces on top in a single layer, rubbing the marinade into the slashes and cover with the remaining marinade.  Cover the dish with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Then either grill the chicken or roast it in the marinade, covered, in a moderately hot oven preheated to 200 C (400 F) for 40.  Then uncover and roast for 15 minutes more.

Serve, sliced and garnished with lime or lemon wedges and chopped fresh coriander or parsley.

The trimmings for a curry meal, are pappers or  puppadums as they are called in S. India,  chapatis, two chutneys at least, a yoghurt sauce like raita, a lentil or chickpea salad, puris, spicy dhal, chilli-pineapple Relish,  banana and coconut, onion and lime salad etc. etc.

                                      

                                                APRICOT CHUTNEY

This is a recipe for a delicious, spicy chutney.   Needless to say, this chutney can also be prepared with fresh apricots or any other fruit.                                          

One 850 g (1lb 11 2/3 oz) tin of apricots in their juice

½ kg (1 lb sugar)

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

45 g (1 ½ oz) fresh ginger, roughly chopped

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

180 ml (1 2/5 fl oz) vinegar

 ¼ - ½ tbsp salt

Boil the apricots with their juice and the sugar, stirring until the sugar melts.

Meanwhile, process the garlic, ginger, Cayenne pepper and a little vinegar until smooth.

When the apricot mixture thickens, add the processed ingredients, (garlic-ginger-Cayenne-vinegar) and boil another 10 minutes and then add the rest of the vinegar and the salt.   Simmer until it reaches the consistency of jam about 1-2 hours

   

 Pour the hot chutney into sterilized jars and cover with rounds of greaseproof paper and seal. 

                                       A TART WITH CARAMEL GANACHE

A delightful dessert.

Pastry:

113.4 g (3 ¾ oz) butter at room temperature

3 tbsp sugar

Pinch of salt

160 g (1 ¼ cups) plain flour and a little more if necessary

230 g (7 3/5 oz) sugar

30 g (1 oz) glucose

500 ml (2 cups) milk 35% fat heated with

1 vanilla

250 g (½ lb) dark chocolate finely chopped

1 tsp coarse salt

First, prepare the pastry.   Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and place the butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix well together.  Then add the flour and stir until just combined. 

Place the dough into a 25 cm (9 4/5 in) tart tin with a removable bottom and press the dough with your fingers into the bottom and up the sides of the tart tin.  Cover the tart shell with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.   Prick it all over with a fork and bake for 25-35 minutes or until the pastry shell becomes crisp and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Over low heat, caramelize the sugar, in portions, then add the glucose and mix well together.  Pour in the milk and stir thoroughly and allow to cool a little.  Then stir in the chopped chocolate and mix well together.  Allow the caramel ganache to cool completely and spoon it into the pastry shell.  Level the surface, cover and refrigerate until firm. 

 Sprinkle evenly with coarse salt, cut into wedges and serve. 

 

A Beautiful Indian Garden

100 YEARS SINCE THE GENOCIDE OF THE GREEKS OF PONTOS BY THE TURKS

The Greek genocide and the Pontic genocide was the methodical slaughter of the Christian Greek population, "according to religion and ethnicity", which took place in Anatolia, during World War I (1914-1922), and its after-effects.

This religious and ethnic cleansing was controlled by the Government of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish National crusades against the indigenous population of the Empire including massacres, forced deportations, involving “death marches, summary expulsions, arbitrary executions and the destruction of Eastern Orthodox cultural, historical and religious monuments”.  According to veritable sources, several hundreds of thousands of Greeks, living in Turkey died during this period.   Most of the refugees and survivors fled to Greece, while others took refuge in the neighbouring Russian Empire.  By late 1922, most Greeks had either been forced to flee or had been killed, and those remaining were transferred to Greece under the terms of the 1923 so-called population exchange, which "formalized the exodus" and prohibited the return of the refugees.

The Allies of World War I condemned the Ottoman government-sponsored massacres as crimes against humanity.  Much later in 2007, the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution recognising the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities, including the Greeks, as genocide.  Other organisations have, also, passed resolutions, recognising the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities as genocide, as have the parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Sweden, Armenia, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

At the outbreak of World War I, Asia Minor was ethnically dissimilar, its population being Turks as well as the native groups that inhabited the region before the Turkish invasion, including Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Georgians, Assyrians, Jews and various other ethnicities.   Among the causes of the Turkish campaign against the Greek-speaking population was the dreaded suspicion that they would be liberated by the Ottoman Empire’s enemies.   Moreover, the conviction of the so-called Neo-Turks under the leadership of Kemal Ataturk to form a modern country, it was necessary “to purge from their territories all minorities who  could threaten the integrity of an ethnically based Turkish nation”.

According to the German military attaché, the Ottoman minister of war, Ismail Enver, had declared, in October 1915, that he wanted “to solve the Greek problem, during the war",…..in the same way, he believed he had solved the "Armenian problem” referring to the Armenian genocide.   Germany and the Ottoman Empire were allies before and during World War I.   By January 1917, the German Chancellor, Theobald von Benthamian-Hellweg reported that “The Turks plan to eliminate the Greek elements as enemies of the state, as they did earlier with the Armenians.  The strategy implemented by the Turks is of displacing people to the interior, without taking measures for their survival by exposing them to death, hunger and illnesses.  Their abandoned homes were then looted and burnt or destroyed.   Whatever was done with the Armenians is now done with the Greeks".

(“The Killing Trap: Genocide of the Twentieth Century” by Manus I. Midlarsky.)

According to Wikipedia, the Greek presence in Asia Minor dates at least from the Late Bronze Age. Homer lived in the region around 800 BC, the ancient Greek geographer Strabo referred to Smyrna as the first Greek city in Asia Minor.  Numerous famous ancient Greeks were natives of Anatolia, including the mathematician Thales from Miletus, the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus from Ephessos and the founder of cynicism Diogenes of Sinope.  


The Greeks called the Black Sea “Euxinos Pontos” (friendly sea) and by the 8^th century BC, they started navigating around its shores and settling along its Anatolian coast.   Even an ancient Greek myth recounts how Phrixus was flown to safety to Colchis, a Greek town on the Asia Minor shores of the Black Sea by a golden-fleeced ram.   His twin sister Helle, however, slipped off the ram's back into the sea, which was named after her "Hellespondos" and she was, later, saved by Poseidon. 

Phrixus Trying to Help Helle

During the Hellenistic Period (334 BC – 1^st century AD), which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek culture and language began to dominate even the interior of Asia Minor.  "The Hellenization of the region accelerated during the Roman and early Byzantine rule, and by the early centuries AD, the local Indo-European Anatolian languages disappeared being replaced by Koine Greek language".  From this period until the Middle Ages and the Renaissance all the indigenous inhabitants of Asia Minor were Greek Orthodox Christians, after the East-West schism with the Catholics, and Greek was their native language.  Therefore Greek culture flourished during the millennium rule (330 AD - 1453 AD) under the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and its citizens were knowns as Byzantine Greeks.  Thus, many renowned Greeks, during late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were natives of Asia Minor, including Saint Nicholas, the rhetorian John  Chryssostomos, the architect of Agia Sophia Isidore of Miletus and the Renaissance intellectuals George of Trezibond and Bassilios Bessarion.  Thus, when the Turks arrived in Asia Minor, the Byzantine Greeks were the largest ethnic group.      

A century has passed since the brutal genocide of the Greeks of Pontos, by the Ottoman Turks.   Today is a day of memory and of profound grief for the unnecessary massacre and tragic death of over 400.000 innocent victims.

We shall never forget and we shall incessantly strive until these despicable atrocities are recognised, internationally as a  barbarous genocide and a crime against humanity.

  

We Must Never Forget

Candles for the Victims, a Hundred Years after the Genocide

    

MAY 2019

On, Saturday, 1^st May 1886, thousands of workers struck, in Chicago, against their employers, their aim being an eight-hour working day.

A peaceful rally in support of the striking workers, took place in Chicago on the 4^th May 1886, at Haymarket Square, Chicago.  Unfortunately, it ended in a slaughter, as the police fired and killed eight workers.   After several workers retaliated, they were arrested, charged for high treason and some were executed. 

To commemorate this tragic incident, since 1904, the 1^st of May has been established as International Labour Day.   It also reminds us of the struggle for better working conditions and long weekends that we all enjoy today, thanks to the bravery and tenacity of our forebearers.    

And something pleasant, photos from the Kifissia Flower Show:

A special treat for Labor Day!

                            

                      SMOKED SALMON ROLLS WITH CHEESE AND HERBS

                           

Very easy to prepare, and a treat!

500g (1 lb) smoked salmon slices

2 packets cream cheese

1-2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

½ tbsp finely chopped dill

½ lemon, juice and grated rind

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Some crisp lettuce leaves and

1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish

Mix the cream cheese with the onion, herbs, lemon juice and rind, pepper and a little salt.  

Spread the salmon slices generously with the cheese mixture and fold each slice into a neat roll, cut in half and place on a dish.  Serve garnished with the lettuce leaves and lemon slices.

                 SHORT RIBS COOKED WITH GARLIC MUSHROOMS AND WINE

A delicious main dish, slowly cooked.

6 thickly cut beef short ribs, sprinkled with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large head of garlic cut in half

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 bottle of good red wine

1 litre (4 cups) beef stock or vegetable stock made with onions, carrots, celery etc.

6 rashes of bacon

500 g (1 lb) mushrooms of your choice

Preheat oven to 170 C (338 F).  Heat a deep roasting tin on the stove and sauté the short ribs in olive oil until well browned all over and transfer to a dish and keep warm.  Lower the heat and add the garlic, cut side down, and cook pressing slightly with a fork for1-2 minutes.  Then add the tomato paste and cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Return the short ribs to the saucepan and pour in the wine to deglaze it scrapping up the bits at the bottom with a spatula and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by half. The pour in the meat or vegetable stock and bring to the boil basting the ribs with their juices.  Cover the roasting tin with tin foil and cook for 3-4 hours, basting occasionally, until the meat is tender and succulent.

Meanwhile, a few minutes before the meat is ready, fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove most of the fat and add the mushroom and sauté for 4-5 minutes until cooked.

When the short ribs are ready remove from the oven and place on a hot serving dish and cover to keep warm.  Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skins and sieve them.  Discard the fat from the cooking liquid, sieve and add to the mashed garlic.  If the gravy seems too thin thicken it with a little flour.  

Serve the short ribs with the hot bacon and mushrooms and drizzled with a little gravy.  Pass the rest in a sauce boat.   

                    

                  A SALAD WITH LETTUCE, CHERRY TOMATOES, AVOCADOS    

                                                        AND PINE NUTS

                   

The dressing for this salad thickens and tastes like mayonnaise.  It keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days.

2 large cos lettuces, the inner tender leaves only, torn into bite-sized pieces

2 avocados, peeled, pitted, diced and drenched with lemon juice

12 cherry tomatoes, preferably from Santorini, halved

Salad Dressing:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp evaporated or fresh milk

½ tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Stir thoroughly until the sauce thickens

2 tbsp pine nuts, slightly roasted

In a large salad bowl layer the lettuce, avocados and the cherry tomatoes.  Drizzle with salad dressing, sprinkle with pine nuts, toss and serve.

                              UPSIDE DOWN CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE

This is an interesting cake

About 1 kg (2 lb) cherries, pitted

3 tbsp melted butter

3 tbsp sugar

A pinch of cinnamon

Cake:

1 egg

200 g (1cup) sugar

125 ml (½ cup) melted butter

Vanilla

195 g (1½ cup) self raising flour mixed with

40 g (almost ½ cup) cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda and

A pinch of salt

125 ml (½ cup) sour cream

125 ml (½ cup) boiling water

Place the sugar and butter and cinnamon in a round 28 cm (11 inches) baking dish

Arrange the pitted cherries on top, in a single layer.

For the cake, combine everything well together and pour over the cherries.   Bake in an oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake, come out clean.  Cool a little and invert on a serving dish.  Serve with cream.

THE LATEST NEWS

Israel and the militants in the Gaza strip have intensified their attacks on each other in some of the most violent battles of recent years, leaving four Israeli civilians and at least twenty-two Palestinians dead, in a two-day period of fighting.

According to the Associated Press, services in Catholic churches were cancelled for a second weekend in Colombo, Sri-Lanka, after the government warned of further possible attacks by the Islamic terrorist group that carried out the Easter suicide bombings.

Thailand officially crowned its new king with the “Great Crown of Victory”.   He received a symbolic nine-tiered umbrella conferring him as “King Rama” of Thailand.

Unfortunately, forty-one people were killed when an Aeroflot aeroplane caught fire, after an emergency landing, just after take-off, in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.  Survivors of this tragedy said that the plane had been struck by lightning, but Russia's national carrier announced that the aircraft had to return for technical reasons. 

There is a huge epidemic of measles in the United States, right now, with the largest number of cases being reported in the USA since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

Running out of children, a South Korean school enrolled illiterate grandmothers, who seem delighted with this incredible opportunity!

(The information for this post was mainly from the Associated Press, SKY.gr, ERT, CNN, BBC, FRANCE 24, and several Greek and international newspapers, to all of whom I am extremely grateful.)  

Here are a few recipes for dishes typical of the countries mentioned above.

                                               SHAKSHUKA WITH FETA

A very interesting breakfast or supper dish.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and grated

1 red pepper, seeded and finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

500 g (1 lb), ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded, grated, skins discarded

1 tsp cumin powder

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp sugar or more according to the acidity of the tomatoes

10 eggs

1 cup grated feta, if salty soak in water before grating

½ cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).   In a large saucepan, over medium heat, sauté the onions in olive oil, stirring occasionally until caramelised. Add the tomato paste and the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more, stirring constantly.  Then add all the other ingredients and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until a thick sauce is formed.  Taste for seasoning and salt, pepper or sugar if necessary

Transfer the sauce into a pyrex dish and with the help of a spoon make ten small holes.  Crack an egg into each hole and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Sprinkle, evenly, with grated feta, cover with tin foil, and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the egg whites are just set.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with warm, crusty brown bread.  

                                                              FELAFEL

One of my favourite snacks in Arab cuisine.

250 g (½ lb) skinned chickpeas, soaked in water overnight and boiled

1 onion peeled and grated

2 spring onions, trimmed and very finely sliced

1 cup chopped parsley

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp baking powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

2-3 tbsp plain flour

Mild tasting oil for frying

Process the nine first ingredients well together into a smooth, thick paste.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

Shape the chickpea mixture into walnut-sized patties or slightly larger if you prefer.  Sprinkle with flour, shaking off the excess, and fry in hot oil until golden brown.  Place on kitchen paper to drain.

Serve with pita wedges and a green salad.

                                   PSEUDO SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

We call this dish “pseudo” because the real Chinese recipe requires the chicken pieces to be fried in a light batter, and then to be covered with sweet and sour sauce.

750 to 1 kg (1½ to 2 lb) chicken breasts cut into cubes, sautéed in corn oil for 3 minutes on each side and sprinkled with salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tbsp corn oil

One 567 g (an ample 1 lb 2 oz) tin pineapple slices in thin syrup

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp vinegar

83.3 ml (1/3 cup) tomato ketchup

62.5 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce

62.5 ml (¼ cup) glucose syrup

250 ml (1 cup) or more hot water

(Mix all the ingredients together until well combined)

Vegetables:

4 onions, peeled and quartered

2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced, each slice halved

2 yellow peppers, deseeded and sliced, each slice halved

2 orange peppers, deseeded and sliced, each slice halved

1 green pepper, seeds removed, sliced, each slice halved

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

A few drops sesame oil

6 slices pineapple cut into small pieces

Sauté the grated ginger and garlic in corn oil, until soft.    Add the vegetables to the saucepan and cook, stirring, for a few minutes.    Add the sautéed chicken pieces, then pour in the sweet and sour liquid mixture, cover the saucepan and simmer until the vegetables and chicken and tender. 

Taste and add salt, if necessary, pepper, Cayenne pepper and a little sesame oil for the aroma.   Also, add the pineapple pieces and simmer for 4 minutes more.   Serve over fried rice.

                                         CHICKEN AND BANANA CURRY

Here is a popular chicken dish with a spicy banana sauce.

1 kg (2 lb) chicken, skinned, trimmed of all visible fat and hard membranes and cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp clarified butter

Salt

2 onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2.5 cm (1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

(Blend all three ingredients to a smooth paste)

Spice mixture:

1 tbsp curry powder, mild or hot

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

1 tsp cinnamon powder

5 cardamom pods popped and seeds crushed with a pestle and mortar

1 tbsp tomato paste

750 ml (3 cups) tasty, hot chicken stock

2 bananas, peeled and blended into a pulp

½ - 1 tin coconut milk

A day before you wish to serve the dish, sauté the chicken in batches, in olive oil and butter, remove to a platter with a slotted spoon, and sprinkle lightly with salt. 

In the same saucepan, sauté the onion/garlic/ginger paste, for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add the spice mix and sauté, stirring, until the spices release all their aromas.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.  Pour in ½ the chicken stock, mix and bring to the boil.  Simmer the sauce very gently for about 30 minutes, cool slightly and strain through a sieve pushing with the back of a spoon in order to extract all the juices. 

Pour the strained sauce back into the saucepan, add the sautéed chicken and the remaining hot chicken stock, cover and simmer the chicken for 15-20 minutes.  Check the chicken for doneness and cook a little more if necessary.  You could now cool the chicken curry and place it, covered in the fridge.

The next day, bring the chicken to the boil and heat thoroughly.  Add the banana purée into the sauce and taste for seasoning and adjust by adding salt and a little freshly ground pepper if necessary.   The sauce should be a very tasty thick.   Just before serving add ½ or 1 tin coconut milk and serve piping hot with sautéed rice, pappadoms and buttered chapattis.

 

                                                            BORSCHT

A delicious Russian soup that will warm your hearts on a bitterly cold winter’s day.

2 tbsp olive oil

210 beef sirloin diced and patted dry

1 ¼ tsp salt, divided

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large potato peeled and diced

2 cups shredded red cabbage

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp coriander powder

2 bay leaves

1500 ml (6 cups) beef stock

2 cups grated beetroots

3 tbsp vinegar

½ cup chopped parsley

½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

Season the beef with salt and pepper and sauté in olive oil for 2-3 minutes until no pink is visible.

Reduce the heat and add the onion, garlic, potato and cabbage and cook stirring for 5 minutes.  Then stir in the tomato paste, coriander, 1 tsp salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes more.  Add the stock and bay leaves and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.   Cover the saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the cabbage is very tender.

Stir in the beets, vinegar and the remaining ¾ tsp salt and continue simmering for 10 minutes more, until the beets are tender.  Let the soup stand for 5 minutes, covered, then stir in the dill and discard the bay leaves.

Ladle the soup into hot bowls and serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt.

                                        EGGLESS CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

A delightful dessert. 

125 ml (½ cup) water

3 tbsp sugar

210 g (7 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

½ tbsp. rum

250 ml (1 cup) + 1 tbsp heavy cream

Extra whipped cream and grated milk chocolate

Place the chocolate in a large bowl.   Simmer the water and sugar, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the fire and cool a little.  Pour the hot syrup over the chocolate and whip until smooth and glossy.   Stir in the rum and set aside to cool.

Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold 1/3 into the cool chocolate mixture.  Then, very gently fold in the remaining cream until no traces of white are visible. 

Divide the chocolate mousse into serving cups, cover with cling film and chill until it sets.  Remove from the fridge 10 – 15 minutes before serving.  Garnish with extra whipped cream and grated chocolate.

                                                  

Kifissia Flower Show 2019