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The people of Skiathos have been cultivating vines since ancient
times. The heavenly taste and good quality of the wines made them
known all over the world.
The most famous were the dark red wine (among the best of its kind),
the Muscat wine, the Anthosmias, made of various grapes, which has a
sweet floral taste, and the wine called Alypiako. The name is owed to
Father Alypos, fourth Abbot of the monastery after Niphon, Gregorios
Khadjistamatisis and Flaviano.
Alypiakos wine is claimed by the greatest of Greek short story
writers, Alexander Papadiamantis in his tale “The Black Ignoramus” as
suitable to “relieve the sadness and worries of this world.” The fame
of Skiathos wine was destroyed during the Turkish occupation as indeed
was the recognition of all Greek wines. 1998 saw wine from the
Evangelistria vineyard being bottled on an experimental basis after a
lapse of some 150 years. From now a quantity will be produced to
satisfy the demands of the monastery and the multitude of its pilgrims
and friends.
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Local Recipes
Find out how to cook the Greek way. Pick up a few tips while on
holiday and try out that healthy option at home. There are several
handy booklets on offer with easy to follow recipes so why not
re-capture those happy hours in the taverna and brighten up a
winter evening.
Briam (baked vegetables stew)
INGREDIENTS
75 ml olive oil, 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped coarsely, 500
g courgettes, sliced thickly, 500g potatoes, peeled and sliced
thickly or cubed, 500 g carrots, peeled and sliced thickly, 500 g
aubergine, cubed, 4 large tomatoes, sliced thickly, 3 tablespoons
finely chopped parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 300
ml water, slices of feta cheese to serve.
METHOD
Place half the olive oil and the onions in a large roasting tin or
ovenproof dish and add all the other vegetables, reserving some
tomato slices. Sprinkle over the parsley, salt and pepper,
remaining olive oil and the water. Arrange the reserved tomato on
top.
Cover with a large sheet of foil and bake on the centre shelf of a
preheated 180ºC for 1½ hours. Remove the foil for the last 30
minutes of cooking to allow the top to brown. Serve with slices of
feta cheese.
Greek coffee - (Frappe)
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons instant coffee (add 1 spoon if you do not want the
coffee to have strong taste) 3/4 cup of cold water, 1 teasp sugar,
optional Milk, optional 2 ice cubes.
METHOD
Add into a shaker the coffee and the sugar and a little water (4-5
spoons). Shake until the coffee comes out of the shaker all thick
and foamy. Strain the coffee into a tall glass and add the rest of
the water, the ice cubes and milk. Greek Frappe coffee is drunk
with a straw, which is also used to mix the coffee and sugar as it
stands on the bottom of the glass.
Artichokes a la polita
Calorie information: 390 calories
INGREDIENTS
8 artichokes, 1/2 kilo potatoes, 5 carrots, juice from 2-3 lemons,
4 spring onions, 1 cup of olive oil, 1 bunch of fresh dill or 3
tablespoons dried dill, salt and pepper.
METHOD
Slice the stem of the artichokes and remove the outer leaves. Rub
each artichoke with the lemon and put all of them in bowl full of
water. Cut the potatoes and the spring onions in medium sized
slices. Slice the carrots and sauté them together with the spring
onions in a saucepan with the oil. Add the artichokes and the
potatoes, the dill, the lemon juice, salt, pepper and enough water
to cover them. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Shrimps with tomato sauce and feta
INGREDIENTS
1 kg shrimps 1/2 cup olive oil 250 gr small tomatoes, cut in cubes
1 spoon tomato paste 1 garlic clove, mashed 1 onion, finely
chopped 1/2 glass white wine 1 spoon parsley finely chopped, 1
large piece of feta cheese, Salt and Pepper.
METHOD
Clean the shrimps by removing shell. Do not remove tail and head.
In a frying pan place the shrimps and let them fry in olive oil
until golden. Then add garlic and onion. Add the wine after a
couple of minutes. Finally, add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and
pepper and let the shrimps boil for 5 - 10 minutes. Remove from
heat, add feta cheese cut in cubes and garnish with parsley. Serve
hot.
Soutzoukakia - Meat balls in tomato sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 kg/ minced beef, 2 eggs, 1 onion, finely chopped, salt and
pepper, 1 tbsp freshly chopped oregano, ½ teasp ground cumin,
plain flour for dusting, olive oil for shallow frying, 2 x 400g
tins chopped tomatoes, 2 teasp sugar.
METHOD
Place the minced meat, eggs, onion, oregano, cumin, salt and
pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix well, using your hands to
squish the mixture together.
Using damp hands, form into ovals about
5cm/2-inches long and 2.5cm/1-inch thick then roll in the flour to
coat evenly, shaking off
any excess flour.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the meatballs and cook
over a high heat, turning frequently, for 10 minutes.
Add the entire contents of the tins of tomatoes together with the
sugar, mix well, bring to the simmer and cook for a further 15
minutes over medium heat. Serve hot.
Aubergine salad
INGREDIENTS
2 medium sized aubergines, 2 large tomatoes, 1/2 onion, grated, 2
garlic cloves crushed, the juice of a lemon, 120 ml olive oil,
salt and pepper, A large bunch of parsley, pitta bread to serve.
METHOD
Heat the grill to medium high. Turn the aubergines under the grill
until the skin is black and blistered and the flesh very soft.
Peel off the skin as soon as you can handle the aubergines and put
the flesh in a strainer to remove the excess juice and squeeze
gently. Then turn the flesh into a bowl and mash it with a fork.
Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, skin and chop
them. Add the tomato, garlic and the rest of the ingredients to
the aubergine and mix well. Serve cold as a starter and dip with
pitta bread.
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