Παρασκευή 12 Απριλίου 2013

My spring green pots!



These days I'm spending much time with my green and colourful pots.

Not much time for experimentation in the kitchen where i limit myself to spaghetti bolognese (μακαρονια με κιμά) and legumes, such as lentil soup.

However my pots are getting more and more promising and this year

I'm also growing tomatoes and yellow beans on our roof.

a timid butterfly
bees in the lemon flowers
The bees are bumbling happily sucking the nectar of the lemon flowers and a lonely butterfly paid me a short visit!

I love working in my garden in the spring even if deep digging is a hard- hard work.



tomato

yellow beans






Τετάρτη 10 Απριλίου 2013

Pork Stew with Leeks and Plums


This is a recipe from the region of Macedonia, in Northern Greece. It was posted on Google+ by Xaris Xaris and I was given permission to translate it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 kilo of pork meat, preferably from the shoulder, cut in pieces
1 kilo of leeks, only the white part, cut into slices
5 tablespoons celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 level tablespoon tomato puree
10 dry plums, cut in halves
¾ of a cup extra virgin olive oil
salt, freshly ground black pepper

Saute slightly the onion with the olive oil, add the pork and let it get golden brown on all sizes. Add 1 cup of hot water, a little salt and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Take the pork out of the pot and keep it warm on a large plate. Add the leeks in the pot (if you like you can blanch them before), 2 cups of water, a little salt and cook on medium temperature for another 25 minutes. Finally, put the pork back in the pot with the leeks, add the tomato puree dissolved in a little water, the plums and the celery. Stir only once and simmer for another 20 minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated and there is only a thick sauce in the pot.
Serve this dish warm with freshly ground black pepper on top.

Τρίτη 9 Απριλίου 2013

Black Risotto with Cuttlefish from the Aegean Islands (Σουπιοπίλαφο)



Ok, I know this sounds very Italian, however it’s a traditional recipe of the Cyclades, the Aegean islands. 
It is also expected from a maritime people who had long-term relationships with the italian cities of Venise and Genoa, through conquer and trade, to adopt and adapt many of their recipes. 
After all, the use of seafood such as octopus, cuttlefish and calamari is extensive throughout the coastal cities of the Mediterranean. 
You can buy fresh cuttlefish from your seamonger or deep-frozen ones, which usually come from the Indian Ocean. 
One way or the other, you have to clean them carefully so as not to destroy the precious little pouch which contains the black ink. This is responsible for the black colour of the rice and also those black spaghetti that you so much admire at the shelves of your local deli.

You wiil need:

  • -        1 kilo of cuttlefish (fresh or frozen)
  • -        2 large onions, diced
  • -        1 large cup of olive oil
  • -        3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
  • -        500 grams rice
  • -        2 level teaspoons of salt, a little pepper
  • -        the ink of the cuttlefish

The traditional recipe suggests that you use all the ink pouches from 1 kilo of cuttlefish, though I wouldn’t recommend it if you cook this for the first time. Just use 1 pouch and if you like the result you can increase it the following time.

Clean carefully the cuttlefish and wash it under running water. Cut it in bite size and let it dry in a drainer. Put the ink in a bowl and disolve it with a little water. Usually there is some sand which will naturally sit at the bottom of the bowl, so be careful when you add the liquid to the food.

Saute the onion with the olive oil, add the cuttle fish and stir in high temperature for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and let it simmer for one and a half hour. When the are cooked (they must be soft, not like rubber) add the ink and as much water as to amount up to 4 cups of liquid. Let it come to the boil, add the rice, stir once, turn down the heat, put the lid on and let it simmer until the rice is cooked to your liking. Don’t forget to stir occasionally because the rice tends to stick at the bottom of the pot, and then you’ll literally have “charcoal”  rice.

Serve it in room temperature accompanied by cool white wine or beer.

Good apetite! Kali Orexi!


Δευτέρα 8 Απριλίου 2013

Seftalies (Σεφταλιές) from Cyprus

Seftalies 
It's a quite simple recipe, just burghers wrapped in caul of fat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder gives that extra kick in the mix. The size varies from burghers to meatballs but I prefer the the latter since the feeling of the fat is minimum. The best option is to grill them in your BBQ, but yesterday it was a rainy day here, so I put them under the grill in my oven ant they were equally great. The caul of fat I had was rather small, so I made small meatballs with the rest of the stuffing.

Now, the ingredients:

- 750 grams mince (I used 500 grams lamb ans 250 beef, but you can also use pork)
- 1 large onion
- half a loaf stale bread, without the crust, soaked in water and then squizzed
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 level tsp salt
- caul of fat

caul of fat

Put the mince in mixing bowl.
Add the bread, the onion and the parsley finely chopped, the egg, salt, pepper and the cinammon.
Mix well and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Take the coul of fat and put it in a bowl with tiepid water and two tablespoons of wine vinegar.
Rinse it and strain it wit a clean kitchen towel.
Put it on your working surface and cut strips of 8 cm in diameter.

Take a small quantity of your stuffing and wrap it with the caul of fat, just as you would with spring rolls.

Grill them until the fat gets a golden brown colour and serve them with fried potatoes (This time of year we have plenty of Cypriot potatoes) and a green salad.
We like finely chopped lettuce with spring onions and dill, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar.

If you want to be more authentic, serve also some fried haloumi cheese.

Good Morning Cyprus!

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