I never imagined that i could have orange as a salad but apparently there is a part of Greece where this kind of salad is quite common.
Last summer i went for holidays in one really beautiful part of Greece, in the south east side of Peloponissos in the Sout Greece, called Mani. That area of Greece is most well know for the city of Sparti and history it holds but there are many more beautiful cities next to it.
I did had the opportunity to drive in many cities around the Peninsula during that summer but i think Areopolis was one of the best ones to spend some days and eat in there local taverns
The area is know for producing really high quality olives, and olive oil but also …oranges!
INGREDIENTS FOR ORANGE SALAD
2 ORANGES CUT AND SLICED
1 ONION SLICED
COUPLE OF OLIVES
OLIVE
CAPER LEAVES
SALT
Clean carefully the oranges removing there cover and cut them in slices. Place them in nice deep plate and the sliced onion and olives.
Sprinkle with some olives, the caper leaves and add salt to your liking.
The following recipe is mainly a festive one which we did last Christmas. Nevertheless, i guess it is so nice that you can try it anytime you need a more special dinner.
When my mother was here for Christmas we had the opportunity to use her skills for a Christmas dinner table we had to attend. So the idea and recipe is basically hers and i tried to recreate it once more with not the same success i have to say.
As we have said in the past, Christmas is a period where in Greece Pork is the traditional meal and not turkey. Even if that is changing in the last few years we still try to hold the traditions as much as we can.
It is fair to say that i did put a lot of pressure to her to come up with something nice. And she did…
Not sure, if it is the combination of prunes and apricots or the really good pork pieces i had or even the new pressure cooker we used but the food was absolutely mouthwatering and the proof for that were the constant, offensive messages i got on my social media accounts to post that recipe.
The recipe isn’t easy to be honest and you need to look out for some details but definitely it is worth trying. The following ingredients were enough to give a good taste to around 15 people on the day
What we have to say is that the food was prepare in a pressure cooker we got for the first time. I haven’t cooked in a pressure cooker for a long long time and it took me some time to get used of it. However, i think the pork was cooked great and it was one of the softest ones that i have ever tried. It made me think why i wasn’t cooking in a pressure cooker before…
Lastly i need to say that the only reason that i am posting this recipe is because of the immense pressure and bullying i was taking online from some “fans”… You can check the comments to see for yourselves..
300gr of unsmoked bacon. Typically 6 rashers sliced in big portions
250 gr of organic mushrooms
150gr of blueberries
Around 100gr of ginger
200gr of white wine
200gr of single cream
3 meat stock cubes
Olive Oil, salt, pepper
2 large onions
A handful of pine
HOW TO COOK PORK WITH PRUNES AND APRICOTS
Put some olive oil in the pressure cooker and add the pieces of pork together with the large pieces of onion. Stir them until they are brown from all sides and then add the wine. Add then the trimmed ginger.
In a bowl we add the prunes together with the apricots and cover them with the white wine. Leave them there for at least half an hour.
In the cooker we add
the meat cubes as well as salt and pepper
Fill it with water until it covers the meat (and a bit more) and then close the lid. Keep the
fire in the medium to strong heat. When the steam starts to come out then lower
the heat to just enough and let it cook for an hour. After an hour wait until pressure is removed
before you open the cooker. (Make sure you read all the instructions carefully
if you dont know how to cook with a pressure cooker)
In the meantime in a
small pot we add the almonds and we boil them for around 10-12 minutes. Then,
letthem to get cold inside the water and
start to peel them. If they dont get
peeled, boil them a bit more.
We need to have a
big deep pan as we will add a lot of ingredients on it. Alternative a deep pot
would do. Throw some olive oil on it
and the whole mushrooms on it and fry them a bit. When they are done remove
them from the heat.
In the same pan add
the prunes and appricots and stir them for 2 minutes. Like the mushrooms,
remove them from the pan and add them in the same bowl.
Lastly add in the
pan the almonds and fry them in the same oil for just a minute.
When the meat is
ready, add the prunes/appricots together with the mushrooms and the almonds and
keep boil them for 5 more minutes. Becareful dont over do it and they start
melting! They need to keep there texture.
In the same time we need to have the blueburry sauce. In a big bowl we remove all the ingredients from the pressure cooker and now we have there only the broth. We use the wine where we had the fruits and add there the cream.
Take the mixture and add it on the broth we have inside the pressure cooker. Heat it up just enough so the mixture gets a good texture.
Remove
some of the mixture and add it to a small pot together with the bluberries.
Boil them until they become a good sauce with the blueberries to melt.
In the pressure cooker we add again all the ingredients and leave them there until we serve the food. Ideally you want to serve it in a large plate so all the ingredients are visible and clear. Use a small pot for the blueberries sauce next to it.
That is an easy way to start 2019. Cooking some chicken was never difficult and always gave you a number of options.
You can either make it straight in the oven, grill or use it on a variety of ways like they do in Eastern cuisine.
Mixing up though some Greek ingredients on it like olives can make quite special though. Below is a recipe that hopefully you will find easy to cook and also really tasty as i did.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN WITH BLACK AND GREEN OLIVES
Black and Green Olives with stone. Around a small cup.
The olives make the difference in this chicken dish
How to cook it
Wash and cut the peppers in slices as well as the onions and garlic
In a big deep pan, add some olive oil as well as the butter and bring it in medium to high heat. Add the chicken and cook it from all sides until it becomes red-brown. Remove it and put it aside.
In the same pan, add some more olive oil and the peppers, onions as well as the garlic. Finally add the chopped tomatoes.
Add again the chicken, as well as salt, pepper, paprika and the bay leaves and let it boil for some 10-15 minutes making sure the chicken is well cooked.
Just before the end add the olives making sure they boil for some 5-10 minutes more.
Its 1st of January 2019, and most
probably you were out last night.
Maybe you read that blog another day, but still you
were out last night.
You drunk, you drunk a bit more …and then a bit
more. Its ok, we fell for you. We all
have been in this place. Waking up the next day with a hangover.
Now that “last shot” your friend suggested doesn’t feel
it was a good idea…does it?
The point is that now you need to do some work in
order to return into perfect form. You need to help your body with vitamins and
good food so you can feel a bit better. No worries, I did my research for you, and I do
present you what you need to have to come back from the dead.
Behold!
Bananes
They are god sent! For years, I was eating them and never knew why they helped me recover so much. Apparently, rumors say, that they have a lot of kalium which we lose when we go to the toilet for our needs… Additionally, they have the necessary amino acid called –tryptophan which increases the serotonin levels (and your mood in general) on your brain, which has significant fallen after last night’s party… Lastly, the sugar contained in them will give you some sort of energy to keep you going for the day
Eggs
Greek Kayanas: Egg in red sauce with Feta cheese
The old time classic….egg! Apparently, the eggs have inside them the magical amino acid cysteine which is used to break up whatever is left from the toxins of alcohol. So basically, you need that for your body to fight back against that Jack Daniels shot you had last night!
I was never into avocado until I moved in UK. Neverhteless, avocado is really tasty and necessary for your body at those moments. Like Bananes, they have a lot of kalium that you lost from last night but they also have vitamin B6 and many more nice things good for your poor heart that is working overtime for you. Go get your avocados!
Salmon
Your favorite alcoholic drink (well, alcohol to be honest) reduces vitamin B from your body which essentially leaves you weak and helpless. Now, I know its not easy to have always fresh salmon on your fridge and you would find it really difficult to go to the super market at that time…but in the slight case you had…
Then you should know that salmon is rich in vitamin B12 and amino acid as well as a great source of good protein for the next day. Get that fillet!
Patsas
Ok, no dietitian suggests patsas for your hangover but… a lot of traditional Greek party people for many years do!
Its not a dish that you can you easily do but I can assure you that is something a lot party people in Greece..will be having at around 6-7 o clock in the morning of new year. Most probably in one of the traditional restaurants in center of Athens or Thessaloniki.
Getting the traditional Patsas (tribe soup) ready in Thessaloniki
Patsas is might look disgusting but it has all the fat that your body needs to relax at this time and it is one of the small secrets of Party people in Greece. Interested? Check more here!
