RECIPES FROM CORFU

  Here are a few recipes for dishes of Corfu that the Durrells might have enjoyed.  

                               

 

                                       BOURTHETTO WITH GREY MULLET

A wonderful way to start a meal.

 

1 ½ kg (3 lb)  grey mullet, scaled, gutted, thoroughly washed, salted for 30 minutes then rinsed to remove the salt

80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tbsp roasted garlic * please see recipe below

Sweet Paprika

A tiny pinch of Cayenne

1 heaped tbsp tomato paste

250 ml (1 cup) dry red wine

375 ml (1 ½ cup) hot water or more if necessary

Thyme leaves and chopped parsley

 

Gently sauté the onions and garlic paste in olive oil, season with salt and pepper until the onion wilts. Then sprinkle with paprika and Cayenne and stir for a few minutes more.  Add the tomato paste and cook stirring and pour in the wine and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.

 

Place a few thyme leaves in the cavity of each fish and arrange them side by side over the sauce.  If the fish are large cut them in half, adding a little hot water as they have to be partly submerged in the cooking liquid.  Cover the saucepan and simmer very, very gently until the grey mullet flakes when tested with a fork.

 

Taste the sauce and add salt pepper and Cayenne pepper if necessary.  Then sprinkle with chopped parsley and cook for 2 minutes. Place the fish on a hot dish, spoon the sauce over and serve with steamed rice or mashed potatoes.

 

                                                         PASTITSATHA

A delicious dish from Corfu for special occasions.

 

1 kg (2 lb) chicken drumsticks

Salt and pepper to taste

1 heaped tsp spetsieriko * see recipe below

Olive oil

Butter

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp tomato paste diluted in 

125 ml ( ½ cup) dry white wine

 

1 ½ liter (6 cups) hot, tasty chicken stock

500 g (1 lb) thick macaroni

1 tbsp olive oil

Grated Corfu or Parmesan cheese

 

Rub the drumsticks all over with salt, pepper and spetsieriko, then sauté in olive oil and butter until brown and place on a dish and reserve.

 

Sauté the sliced onion in the same saucepan, sprinkle with a little salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then add the garlic paste, bay leaf and pour in the tomato paste and wine mixture and cook 3-4 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Then pour in just enough hot stock to cover. Place on the lid and simmer gently until the chicken is tender and the sauce thick.  Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. 

 

Meanwhile, boil the macaroni “al dente” in the remaining stock, strain reserving the stock for a soup perhaps.

 

Return the macaroni to the saucepan drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and swirl. Serve the pasta on a hot dish, cover lavishly with the chicken and sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

 

                                                          SPETSIERIKO

This is the notorious spice mix of Corfu.

 

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp grated nutmeg

 

Mix everything well together.  Place in a sterilized jar and seal tightly.  This spice mix is always combined with a bay leaf.

      

 

                                               ROAST GARLIC PASTE  

This is a recipe that my beloved Mother gave me so many years ago.

 

Bulbs of garlic, the exterior skins removed, and the parts near the stems sliced off

Olive oil

 

Wrap the trimmed garlic bulbs in foil and roast in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F)  for 40 minutes or until soft.  Allow to cool and squeeze each clove to extract the delicious paste.  Place in a sterilized jar, cover with olive oil and refrigerate.

 

 

                                                            SOFRITO

Another delightful dish of the Corfiot cuisine.

1 ½ kg (3 lb) thinly sliced veal

Salt and pepper to taste

1 heaped tsp spetsieriko

130 g (1 cup) plain flour

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp roast garlic paste

1 sprig rosemary

1 bay leaf

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

1 liqueur glass vinegar

Hot water

1 cup finely chopped parsley

 

Season the meat with salt, pepper, and spetsieriko to taste, dredge with flour, shaking each slice to remove the excess.  

 

Sauté the veal slices in olive oil and butter in two or three batches and transfer to a dish with a slotted spoon.  Simmer the onions in a clean frying pan in olive oil and butter, with the roast garlic paste, a teaspoon of the spice mix, the rosemary twig, and the bay leaf, stirring until the onions become translucent.  Place the meat slices evenly over, pour in the wine, and simmer until the alcohol evaporates.  Then lower the heat and pour in the vinegar and enough hot water to just cover and swirl the saucepan. Simmer very gently until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens.  Add the parsley and cook for two minutes more.

Discard the rosemary twig and the bay leaf and serve with chips or steamed rice and a zesty green salad.     

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