I was in Italy when the banks were having problems with minting enough small currency so a lot of stores gave you your change in candy, which infuriated the captain of one of the yachts, as it messed up my petty cash!
I made the Greek Island trip often in the 1970's, watching the sun as a big red orb, slowly making her way to the underworld, as the yacht slowly and carefully entered the massive Corinth ( where Pegasus was born) Canal..slowly winding our way to the Ancient Port of Piraeus, Athens.
I never remember any bad weather in Athens, just intense heat..but the friendly people and great food, made every feel day great, and I hardly noticed the 18 hours a day I was working! The peace and quiet of the many islands, whose island homes glistened bright, eye-glaring white against a true blue azure sea.
The sounds of pelicans on fishing boats, the sight of octopus drying on racks in the early morning sun, or a fisherman battering one against rocks to tenderize it! ( sounds crazy but they were already dead and it does work); the shouts of delight of neighbors chatting on the sides of the street markets.
The smaller Greek islands, off the tourist routes were and are spectacular, in natural grandeur and plain old peace and quiet...on one of these islands we managed to cause a bit of a stir, as the elderly owner of the yacht decided to go and try out his new aqua scooter ( a device that supposedly pulled you through the water with ease so you didin't have to waste your energy actually swimming) it DID come with instructions but they were in French and he couldn't be bothered to ask his wife for help...all was going well until he somehow put the machine into reverse and it got caught on his swimming shots and ripped them off..great panic ..as none of the other passengers could stop laughing, and the crew did their best to keep their faces straight..happy sailing tales, there are many more...
The menu for today
Great Portobello mushrooms topped with a 2 cheese, basil peso to be baked at the client's home
Pasta e fagioli ..tomato based soup with red kidney beans and whole wheat pasta shells, this one is spicy and I have added chili, mustard greens, own grown peppers
Spicy tapanade salad...ripe tomatoes with chili peppers, capers, black olives, red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, fresh basil, toasted bread..assembled at client's home
Greek Style Spinach and Potato pies...I am making these from puff pastry as opposed to filo, as they transport easier, also adding lemon zest to the potatoes, cream cheese,garlic, yogurt (lebne) cheese, nutmeg to the wilted field spinach, onions and carrots. This is served with roasted tomatoes and pine nuts ( pine nuts are also found in Greece).
To be easy to eat I am also making the pies strudel shaped...as one of my clients has a young son..
Honestly these are fabulous "pies" rich, yet fresh tasting.
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| Greek "Pies" before baking |
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| red onion, capers, black olives for tapenade salad |
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| Fresh own grown basil and tomatoes for tapenade |
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| the tapenade to be dressed with red wine and olive oil at client's home |
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| toasted foccacia bread for the tapenade |
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| "Just" roasted tomatoes with pine nuts and basil side dish for the Greek "Pies" |
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| own grown and dried tomatoes for base of roasted pesto mushrooms |
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| red cabbage and broccoli slaw..side dish for the mushrooms |
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| pesto with toasted pine nuts, cheese, own grown basil, garlic and extra virgin olive oil |
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| The mushrooms to be baked at client's home |
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| The cooked "pies" |
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| these 3..field spinach wilted down to be added to potato mix tomorrow |
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| Potato, cream cheese, lebne and lemon zest mix for the "pies" |
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| Soups pasta e fagioli..pasta on top so it doesn't soak up all the soup |
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| these 2 spicy pasta e fagioli |
The lemon- nutmeg-lebne yogurt Greek "Pies" were a huge hit as were the roasted tomatoes with pine nuts & basil
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