Breaking the fast...on the French Riviera

This morning I woke up to the sunny French Riviera village of Eze. It is a beautiful place and the view over the sea from our apartment is incredible. After a short walk along the beach, it was time to break the Easter fast. I have very much enjoyed my time fasting, I have learnt new recipes and also feel very good. So I have decided to continue to fast from Monday-Thursday. Even my boyfriend (who is a lover of meat and milky tea) joined for the last week of fasting. 


The table was set outside on the balcony and then breakfast was laid; boiled eggs, smoked salmon, taramosalata, tomatoes, bread from here nearby and some red orange juice. Whilst here in Eze, I hope to update on some of the local delicacies I try and also on anything delightful that may be created here. Last night we had some beautiful octopus in a chilli and tomato sauce, which was given to us by the lady living above. She told us it was a sicilian recipe and it was gorgeous.  I will try and get the recipe and then post it on here :) 

Simple pasta for a beautiful day :)

So the weather has been perking up lately, this weekend we had some lovely weather. I wanted to do something simple and I think this pasta is perfect. I will keep it short because it is designed to be quick and so I don't want to take up to much of your precious time when the sun is shining :)


Ingredients:
- Pasta (Any kind you like)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- Large handful of spinach, washed a chopped roughly
- Large handful of sun-blushed tomatoes
- Small handful black olives chopped


Cook the pasta for 7-8 minutes over a medium heat. Meanwhile in a pan, fry the onions over a low heat until they are soft and lightly golden. 


When the pasta is done, drain the water and then place the pasta back in the saucepan. Add the cooked onions, olives, tomatoes, spinach and some salt and pepper. Drizzle with a good glug of olive oil, place a lid on top and leave for one minute while the spinach withers a little. 


Enjoy, wow! easy as that! 

Olive Tapenade Focaccia

Every weekend I go to buy olives from the market. It is hard to get good quality olives, but I am lucky that there is a wonderful middle eastern stall that has Kalamata olives that taste like I am in Cyprus. Though they are incredibly delicious, there are always some left over and I usually chop them up and add them to bread, pasta or risotto. Recently, I made this beautiful Olive Tapenade Focaccia bread. 


Ingredients: 


For the focaccia:
400g whole wheat flour
7g dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon raw cane sugar
275ml warm water
25ml olive oil
some semolina
pinch of fine sea salt and a pinch of coarse sea salt.


For the olive filling:
Large handful mixed and chopped olives
1 clove garlic
small glug of olive oil
handful fresh basil

Mix together the flour, yeast, fine salt and sugar together in a bowl and then gradually add the water and olive oil. 


Place the mixture on a surface covered with some semolina and knead for around 10-15 minutes. It should feel soft and not sticky, if needed add a little more flour or olive oil to get the right consistency. Roll into a ball and brush lightly with olive oil. Then place in a bowl, cover with cling-film and leave in a warm place for around 30 mins-1hr.


Meanwhile in a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic, chopped olives, olive oil and basil into a paste. After this time roughly roll the dough out and spread with the tapenade. 


Place on a backing tray, and then fold in half and shape into a circle. Cover with a tea towel and leave for a further 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 220°C.


After 15 minutes, poke indentations into the top of the bread and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until lightly golden. 

Giant beans in tomato sauce: Φασόλια Γίγαντες

In Greek cuisine we eat a lot of dishes that use legumes. For someone fasting at this time, they can supply a good alternative to meat and give an excellent supply of energy. Despite the fact that there are many things that are not allowed during the fasting period, I feel as though a whole new world of recipes has been opened up to me. In fact, I may go so far as to say that it is during this time that I have eaten the most delicious dishes, fresh, new and inspiring. 


This weekend I decided to make a rather famous Greek dish; giant beans in tomato sauce. It is such a comforting dish, the creamy butter beans in a wonderful rich tomato sauce, laced with fresh herbs and beautiful Mediterranean spices. To accompany them, I prepared some home-made flat garlic bread and this turned out to be a delightful combination. The fresh garlicky bread went perfectly with the zingy tomato based sauce. 


For the bread (makes 2 flat breads):
200g good quality flour
50g semolina
120ml lukewarm water
3.5g dried yeast
Half a teaspoon of raw cane sugar
6 cloves garlic 
50 ml olive oil
Ground black pepper


Mix the flour, semolina and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl mix the yeast, sugar and water together with a fork until the yeast dissolves. Pour the water slowly into the bowl of flour and bring the mixture together with a fork and then your hands. 


Knead the mixture on a surface lightly covered in semolina for around 10 minutes. It should feel soft and elastic, so feel free to add water or extra flour to get the right texture. Roll the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for around 30 minutes.

Using a pestle and mortar, grind up the garlic cloves with the olive oil and some salt. Leave aside.


After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 220°C and then split the dough ball in two and roll each half out into a large flat circle. Make some slits along the bread and the smother each flatbread with the garlic mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper.


Bake the flatbreads in the oven for about 20 minutes.


For the beans:
1 tin of butter beans (drained and washed)
1 onion
1 clove garlic 
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tin chopped tomatoes (or 5 fresh tomatoes peeled and chopped)
Handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon oregano
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste


Preheat the oven to 220°C.


In a pan fry the onions and garlic in some olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Then add the tomato puree and fry for a further minute. Now add the spices and the tomatoes, then finally the butter beans. Cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat.


Now pour everything into a small oven dish. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for around 20-30 minutes. They should be sizzling when you take them out of the oven. Add the parsley and another drizzle of olive oil and then set on the table to enjoy alongside some wonderful flat bread. 


This is great for lunch or dinner and can be warmed up the next day. If there is bread left over then just wrap it in some cling-film and it will stay soft. 

Hummus

Something that never fails to satisfy and is fast to make is hummus. Chickpeas are a good source of protein during the fasting period so stock up on this wonderful dip, which can be served with fresh bread or crudites.


Ingredients:

Tin of chickpeas
3 tablespoons tahini
juice of 1 lemon
half a cup of olive oil
2 tsp paprika
handful fresh coriander 
salt and pepper

Okay, now this might seem like a lot of work but...put everything into a blender and turn it on...


Blend until smooth and...serve.




Phew! What a lot of work :) 

Greek-Cypriot Easter (Forty days of fasting): Fagita Nistisima

It is time for the 40 day fast in Greek culture. It began on Monday and runs through until Easter. This is the first time I am fasting, more as a tribute to my grandparents and my heritage. When I was younger, I remember my 'great' yiayia (my dad's yiayia) fasting. She was a very special woman who lived a long, healthy and pure life; if I could strive to be like anyone then it would be her. 


So, it is no dairy and no meat or fish; the exception is that all shellfish are okay to eat. Over the next weeks I will be sharing some nice recipes that can be made whilst fasting. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to make and at first it seems like a mammoth chore, however there is an abundance of food available to you. In many ways, I use this as an opportunity to explore new recipes :) 


It is important to eat properly and ensure that you are still getting a good supply of protein and fat. Not all of these recipes will be Greek-Cypriot. They will be varied, to make fasting fun ;) 


On Tuesday it was my birthday and so it was interesting to try and find a delicious meal to cook for the celebrations. Indian cuisine is perfect for fasting in my opinion as they use a lot of coconut milk, lentils and filo pastry. Thus, please enjoy some prawn curry with chickpea rice, dahl and samosas...mmmmm.


Chickpea rice:


Fry 1 onion in a pan on a medium heat for around 5 minutes. Then add the rice (2 small handfuls per person) and fry for 1 minute. Now add around a litre of stock, one half first and then the rest as the rice absorbs it. Cook for 10 minutes until the water is all absorbed, drain and add the chickpeas and then put the lid on and leave aside. 


Dahl:


In a pan place 2 cups of mixed lentils (I use green and yellow but there are also dahl mixes available to buy). Add about a litre of water and boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Remove any scum from the surface and then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer for around 30-40 minutes until the lentils are soft and the water has been absorbed.


Peel and chop a tomato and wash and chop some spinach finely. Add them to the lentils along with 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp turmeric and a teaspoon of stock powder. To serve, drizzle with a little olive oil, add a haldful of fresh chopped coriander and a little salt and pepper.


Cigar samosas:

Finely chop an onion, a carrot and a potato. Fry them in a pan with 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp turmeric and some a hanful of frozen peas. When the vegetables have softened they are ready to be placed in some filo pastry. Lay out the filo sheet and add a spoon of the vegetables. Now fold the filo either into triangle shapes or long cigars. Brush with olive oil and bake in the oven at 220°C for around 20-30 minutes.

Lay everything on the table and enjoy this food with others. Enjoy the wonderful flavours!

Olive bread (ψωμί με ελιές)

You may have noticed that I already posted a recipe for olive bread and now I shall describe another, equally as delicious. This is a great bread for making on Sundays and enjoying with family. You can keep it and enjoy it in the week, I take it to work and enjoy it for my lunch. 


Olives are so wonderful and vital to our Greek-Cypriot diet; the flesh is eaten, the oil is spread, slurped or sizzled. Bread is also an important part of our culture, our food is all about sharing and this is the ultimate symbol of togetherness. 


Ingredients: 
Handful of chopped Kalamata olives
300g flour
7 grams yeast
4 tablespoons olive oil (olive oil) 
175ml warm water
1 and a half teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
A little more olive oil (good quality)


In a bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water, olive oil and sugar and leave for around 15-20 minutes. 


Add the salt and flour, slowly blending and then take out of the bowl and knead the dough for around ten minutes. Then roll into a medium ball and brush with a little olive oil. Place in a bowl and cover with a tea towel, then put in a warm place to rise for around 2 hours. 


After two hours take the dough and hit it a couple of times with your fist on a work-top. Preheat the oven to 220°C.


Now gradually fold in the olives until they are all within the dough. Mould it into a ball shape, brush with a little more olive oil and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover again with a tea-towel and leave it for another 30 minutes. 


Then uncover and mark some circles on the top with a sharp knife. Place the bread in the oven and bake for around 25 minutes. When it is done, leave it to cool and enjoy it dipped in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.