There is a whole host of dishes we make in Greece which are classed as ‘meze‘. These are small (or big) plates of delicacies and nibbles (not prawns on stick or mini sausage rolls though) which are served with tsipouro (a.k.a. raki) or ouzo. Try not to drink the later if you’re not used to them. Meze can be simple – just a few slices of cheese and tomatoes, more complicated like boureki or just out-of-this-world, like today’s recipe.
I’ve been watching Nigel Slater‘s (he really needs a new website) Simple Cooking on BBC lately. What actually made me watch it in the first place was the amazing title sequence. I want to bake something for the people who thought of having episode and recipe titles on food packages. So cute!
What kept me watching are the really interesting recipes. Even though in every single episode I marvel at the miles he has to walk in his kitchen to get from the cupboard to the fridge or from the oven to the garden. Seriously, this must be the biggest kitchen ever.
There is something about London in November that just makes me ache for hearty soups and curling up on the sofa with thick socks. It’s not so much the cold – it gets worse over December and January. It is all about the sharp smell of the cold to come in the air. Sort of like the promise of winter right around the corner.
I was looking for something seasonal to do this week and I stumbled upon some lovely ambercup squash the other day. They look so lovely, don’t they? Small, round, tough, they are like a toy vegetable I think. In the past I never cooked with squash and pumpkin, for some reason my family is not very big on them. My mum has now started growing them in her garden, too late for me as I have flown the nest and my memories of what we eat “at home” are pretty much set. So using squash and pumpkin is very much a London thing for me.
I uploaded a pic of our dinner today on Google+ and Stratos asked for the recipe. That is to say he actually threatened that he would have a heart attack if I didn’t share it. Fine. You know me, I’m here for my friends.
What you need to know about this recipe is that roasted chicken with potatoes is one of the most frequent things we have in Greece. It is considered ideal for a family Sunday lunch so after a few years you are sick and tired of it. So I just gave the recipe a little twist to make it more interesting.
Hello “auntie” Sofia!
I am sending you this photo as historical proof that yes, I, the kitchen lazy gal, made at some point in my life roxakia!
The photo is not very good, but I will not say the same for the roxakia. They are yummy!
Cleaning
Now that we know all about cross contamination, it is about time to explore the second magic C that stands for Cleaning. Maintaining a clean kitchen is very important. While this is not a big secret really, not everybody would agree with the same definition of a “clean kitchen”?
Here I am with the first ever Digital Scullery video in English. Cheers to all the friends of the Greek blog for the idea, by the way if people hate the video I’m blaming you 😉
I honestly thought about doing the Greek accent but I sound so fake that I just stuck to my own. So no funnies there I think. Anyway.
In this first ever Digital Scullery video in English the only classic recipe from modern Greece I could think of was the Frappé coffee – beloved in Greece. The actual phrase “drinking Frappé ” in Greek has become sort of like a cultural symbol. Depending on the context it could mean that you’re just chilling or – in some cases – that you are just lazying about.
Roxakia are a Greek type of sweet dough. I hope it’s mainly Greek but you never know. Anyway. They are bite sized cocoa and vanilla and cinnamon goodies that look lovely and taste like heaven. Avoid if syrupy stuff is not your cup of tea, but you will love them if you like any of the syrupy Greek, Turkish and Arabian goodies.
So. Friends of the Greek blog LOVE this dessert and have been asking me to do a video for absolute ages. I got around to it over the weekend (you can watch the video here – it’s in Greek obviously but you’ll see the technique I am describing below) and I managed to take some pics for the English side too.
It seems that the Dukan diet is sweeping the whole world , not just the nation (please get the media to stop with Carole Middleton and how she got her figure!). It does have some weird and interesting recipes (mainly with oat bran admittedly) and I mentioned that I wanted to make the muffins on our Facebook page. However, the Greek friends on there shouted out in despair about the galette. It seems people find it impossible!
All the chums on facebook (and twitter) are saying that this galette comes out horrible, gets stuck, it’s really hard. So, did my research and here I am with my photos.
Dear children, I know I’ve been truant and do not write often, but I’m back now that the temperature will drop and it is again time for meats, sausages, etc.
Today’s culinary hell, takes us to the much berated US of A, and its capitalist burgers. Most people love a burger, but unfortunately it’s irrevocably connected in their mind with the disgusting plastic versions in the fast food joints or even the less disgusting plastic versions of more upmarket burger places. For the latter I will admit that they serve burgers more reminiscent of normal meat than the type served in the haunts of alienated youths the world over.
It was a hot afternoon in August. Athena (@athensbynite) mentioned on twitter that she was eating some toast with cheese and red pepper marmalade. Or chutney. Or whatever. Read on and decide.
Opa, I thought. Is there a recipe like that and I don’t know it? What the hell? I asked Athena and hey presto she sent me the recipe in 3 tweets all together. It’s that easy!
The proof is right here. I made the marmalade, I tried it, I loved it.
Germs are everywhere in the environment inside and outside the house and on our bodies. In most cases they are harmless and they often help in the proper functioning of our body. For example, stomach bacteria help with good digestion and skin bacteria protect us from infection. However, there are some microbes that are dangerous to our health, especially when they enter our body through food.
Today I am starting with some basic food safety rules. They are more or less our mom’s rules – the ones we all tend to forget as university students, since we lived on take aways at that glorious time. The idea is to explore the 4 “magic” Cs. What does this mean? You’ll know pretty soon.
I know I know. I haven’t been writing a lot. The fact is I haven’t been cooking a lot so I don’t have anything to share. Sorry.
There is something today there. A special salad. Dear Prophet I don’t want to see you nagging. Salads go wonderfully with all your special meat recipes… even if the salad is a strawberry salad!
One more Digital Scullery lovely friend cooked, ate, took a picture and sent the recipe. Somewhat stolen from his mum Katy – (well done Katy though, for raising a son who is not afraid of the kitchen)!
Today a nice little step by step recipe that single people up and down the country will love. It is one of those easy but impressive recipes.