Mantineia in February....

The clouds were low and there was still snow on the mountain tops.

....is hibernating.  The trees, the fields, the vineyards are sleeping, feeling and accepting the rain that falls abundantly.

At 600m above sea level, the Mantineia Plateau is surrounded by mountains. Mainalo on the west, Lirkeon on the northeast and Artemisio on the east.

It was a day-trip organised by my friend and teacher in my Sommelier training course, that brought me and a few others to this fertile plateau in central eastern Peloponnese. 

We were looking for wine. We found plenty and a few more "treats" along the way...

The church of Agia Foteini, Greece's most "unorthodox" Orthodox church.

Agia Foteini was built between 1970 and 1973 by the visionary architect Kostas Papatheodorou. Its architecture is an imposing melange of styles. Ancient Greek stone pillars and pediments resting on Byzantine arches made from marble, stone and tiles. 

Every material used to built Agia Foteini was procured locally. There is not even an ounce of concrete in the whole structure.

Ancient Greek fables and Greek Orthodox icons live together inside the church.

Moschofilero, one of Greece's most famous, indigenous varieties reigns supreme in Mantineia. The whole area has a PDO classification. Lemony yellow, fresh with crisp acidity and laced with intense lemon, lychee and even rose petal aromas it quickly became one of my favourite wines.

High altitude is unforgiving to the vines. Late October harvests give the grapes enough time to mature while keeping their crisp acidity and their characteristic rose petal and citrus aroma.

On this rainy February day we visited the vineyards and winery of Domaine Spiropoulos and were treated to a tour and a generous wine tasting by Mr Ioannis Spiropoulos.

Moschofilero is also vinified in the traditional Champenoise method, yielding delicate sparkling whites and roses with titillating acidity and an exotic, fresh nose.   

Maria against Time and the Quince of Change

The battle of all battles and I am loosing; big time! I haven't been able to post for more than a month.

Ideas I have, a lot! There has been a lot of wine; events I attended and loved; even food I cooked, ate and enjoyed alone or with friends!

What I'm lacking is TIME and maybe a whole lot of discipline.  The first, I can't fight; I don't think anyone can. The second...no comment... Discipline and I are complete strangers; I could not describe how it feels, tastes or smells even if my life depended on it!

My posts are getting fewer and fewer every month and despite my best intentions  it seems I'm going to have to settle. I hate "settling" as much as I hate change - a bit of a contradiction here, I know. Yet another issue to be discussed by me and an army of licensed professionals!! Come to think of it, though, settling seems to be the devil child of the ever-hating change. Does it make any sense  No? OK! I won't argue any more. Too much precious energy wasted on "could have-beens and-dones". I admit defeat and move on. One to two posts per month until things change .... again...oooof does it ever stop??

To sweeten the pill and make you forget my previous ramblings  I am going to share with you a very special recipe.

I am not sure if it is still Quince season where you live (if not, you can pin it and make it when you get your hands on some nice quinces!!). Here in Athens we seem to have a lot available at the moment. For the past few weeks my M-I-L  has been making this extra special desert for us.

Pay attention please. Quince, cooked long and slow in sugar and spices. It simply does not get better than this... The texture of the fruit is smooth and so comforting! Such a transformation from  its angry, raw, astringent personality. The long and slow cooking appeases it, alleviating its harsh character; the spices, blessed by time, infuse the fruit with sweet, soothing, aromas and flavours. In less than 90 minutes the perfect transformation occurs. 

You gotta love quince; they respond to change admirably

~~~~~~~

Long & Slow Sweet and Spice Quince

Serves 4 - 6

Cooking time 60 - 90 minutes

Ingredients

3 quince, washed, peeled and cut into large pieces *keep the seeds*

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup water

5 cinnamon sticks

15 - 20 cloves

Procedure

Put the water, sugar, quince seeds (they are the ones that have all the pectin which will give us a nice light syrup), cloves and cinnamon sticks in a large, deep pan or pot (that has a cover) on medium to high heat. Add the quince. Make sure that the pot or pan is large enough so that the majority of the fruit pieces come into some contact with its bottom. 

Turn every piece of fruit two times and then lower the heat! Be careful, when I say low I mean low. It should be just above or the minimum possible depending on your stove!!

Cover then and let them alone for about one (1) hour. Your kitchen is going to smell wonderfully! 

Check to see if they are done by carefully inserting a fork, if they are tender and bright red, then they are ready. If not, don't blame them; they just need some more time and maybe some warm water, if you see that they are struggling in the heat without any liquid left!

After they finish their transformation in the pan they can stand on their own as the dessert du jour or accompanied with a bowl of Greek yoghurt for an even more tantalizing and refreshing flavour experience. 

Enjoy, learn from their transformation and forgive my powerlessness against Time.....

My Online Cooking Friends - French Fridays with Dorie

A few months ago, when I wrote my first post for the French Fridays with Dorie online cooking group, I was definitely very excited, a bit scared and to tell you the truth did not expect very much. It sure sounded like a very nice way to promote my infant blog, get traffic and hopefully, comments and cook some delicious sounding French recipes from Dorie Greenspans' "Around my French Table" which by the way is the biggest, heaviest cookbook I own!!

As the Fridays came and went my shy fascination with the group grow bigger and bolder! I started reading the other participants' blogs regularly and commented on their posts not just to get their reciprocal comment. I was eager and see how they prepared the dish, their thoughts about the recipe and how they might have adapted it to suit their and their family's pallets.

I must confess my feelings where not always on the noble side (I'm only human and a highly flawed one as a matter of fact...). I envied the beautiful photographs, the inspired writing and ability to manage a household full of people and pets and still be able to cook, photograph and post about it. Some people are blessed and born with special talents but still have to work really hard like the rest of us do to get to a place above our current self. If this is done for something that you love then the process is not as difficult as it sounds but really very fulfilling. And anyway this was not a race nor a contest. It was an opportunity to meet people who shared the same passion, learn from their experiences, their mistakes, and mine, without judgement and if anything with a lot of encouragement and positive energy. 

I studied Liz's, Patty's, Andrea's, Trevor's, Paula's, Maya's, Elaine's mouthwatering photographs. I got inspired by Mardi's, Mary's, Maggie's, Betsy's, Sara's beautiful writing. I related and laughed with Cher's, Alice's, Kathy's, Candy's, Guyla's, Nana's & Tricia's, Jora's, Teresa's everyday cooking adventures. I know I'm only mentioning a few of the wonderful people who participate in this cooking adventure. You have to forgive me, my literary skills are not advanced enough to mention every one without making this post look like a directory page. 

This Christmas time something really magical happened. Thanks to Alice's idea and flawless organisation (I have already proposed to her to move to Greece and have a go in organising our government!) cards started flying in from all over the world. Christmas cards with wishes and messages and favourite recipes from the members of our wonderful little online kitchen. It felt like Christmas morning every time I received a new one. A surge of excitement to see who it was from, and then gratitude and affection when I read the joyful messages full of wishes and words of encouragement. I just hope that my cards brought them the same joy and "childish" excitement, their's brought me!

Thank you all for making this past Christmas season a very special one!!!

As for this Friday's recipe, I have yet to see how my Long and Slow Apples look like! They have been stewing in the oven there for the past 3 hours! But I don't worry. As with many, if not all of Dorie's recipes, I am sure they will turn out tasting delicious. If their appearance is somewhat funny then this is completely my fault! I am going to enjoy them any way! 

Please visit our French Fridays with Dorie homepage to see how my online cooking friends have prepared this extra special recipe!

The # 99

Firstly....a wish....

Happy New Year! I wish that all your wishes come true in the new year! Abundance of health, love and friends and a shortage of tears and pain.

Secondly... an explanation for my absence and the title...

It's been a long time since my last post. Almost a month without cooking nor baking nor photographing. I wanted to march into the kitchen and bake cookies and bunt cakes, roast some vegetables and mix a fresh salad, alas time, my biggest enemy it seems, showed no compassion and rejected my eagerness. Seeing the number of the feeds reaching my Google Reader from my favourite blogs increasing every day without me being able to read them, let alone comment and write something of my own, had the most frustrating effect on me. While I was in Zagreb, time was my friend, a very generous friend it now seems. Life was not very complicated, gym in the morning, shopping for groceries, cooking lunch and dinner writing, reading, the occasional painting class, no traffic jams, no strikes...

It sounds nice and relaxed? Well it was, only  I did not appreciate it at the time. I remember myself complaining about being bored and uninspired. How ungrateful was I? But sure enough I got what I deserved. Time punished me by making himself unmanageable. But maybe he made me unable to manage him any more. Most of the times I find myself running from the gym to the school and then back home. I'm always in a bus or on a train going to some place from which I have to rush out again to go somewhere else. This is how it is in big cities like Athens. I know I shouldn't complain I should sit down and make a plan and re-organise my priorities. New Year's resolution? Maybe! I also want to start driving lessons so I have to incorporate this into my schedule somehow!

Whatever my issues with time are I have a whole year in front of me to solve them. It's promising that I started writing on the first day of the New Year isn't it?

Anyway, about the tittle...

This is my 99th post! Hooray for me and my Box of Stolen Socks!! 

It is customary off course to write a 'sum-it-all-up', 'greatest-moments' post when you reach 100. Well as those who read my ramblings and put up with my grammar mistakes, know, I am not a lot for custom. I like #99 better than #100. To me #99 seems mystical  and  utterly promising. So, instead of a 'sum-it-all-up, 'greatest-moments' 100th post, I am going to dedicate my #99 to a woman who left this world 3 years short of her 99th birthday; Georgie's grandmother, the woman who raised and formed his wonderful character and who decided to make a quiet exit just before Christmas.

Unfortunately I did not get to meet the real Evagelia. By the time I entered her life her perception of our world was severely altered by the fog of Alzheimer's disease which fell like a heavy blanket on her beautiful mind. I met a kind, innocent human being, the way we all are before we get corrupted by the absurdity and maliciousness of our world. A baby in an aged body, who held my hand every time the doctor came and smacked her lips with -what I thought was-  delight every time she tasted the cakes I baked. Rest in  peace dear Granny and don't worry we both got your message :)

And thirdly... a promise... to you, friends I know and friends I have yet to meet.

I will try to write more, read more blogs and feature them in mine. Publish the stories behind the ashtrays you have given me over the years and be honest about it. Taste more wine and write, without fear of judgement. I am a novice but we all have to start somewhere. I DO want you to be part of my learning process, my online homework diary, lets say. And please, please, write to me, tell me that you disagree or even that you agree with what I write, I expect your advice and help.

In closing something I found on Facebook

2013 is so young and full of potential. If you are willing to do the work, you will see your dreams unfold into reality.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Olives...both ways

Oh My God it is Saturday already. Another week has gone by so quickly!
What a week it has been!
I learned (in theory off course)  the hows, whys and what-nots of red and white vinification - in normal speak this means the process of turning fruity, sweet grape juice into wine.

I tasted (and spited) about 10 wines from Alsace, Champagne, Bourgundy and Greece.

Photo by C.Tsatsaris

I attempted my first décantage, an experience that I will always remember not only because it happened on 12/12/12 but also because I spilled most of the wine on the burning candle that produced a lovely sizzle and a lots of laughs from my fellow sommeliers-to-be! 

After such a busy week I completely forgot to go to the market for the required ingredients for yesterday's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Chicken, Apples and Cream a la Normande . Don't despair! You can find out how my fellow Doristas prepared it here - it sounds really yummy and I will definitely cook it sometime in the future.

For now you have to settle with what I am going to offer you today.
Two lovely recipes featuring two great products of my country, olives and olive oil. They are not the elaborate food creations you expect to find on the internet around this season. They won't fill  up your festive tables but believe me simplicity sometimes is much appreciated especially when you are up to your head with baking pies and roasting hams and turkeys and pheasants and you just need a simple, tasty nibble to keep your guests occupied while your run back and forth topping up glasses and setting more plates on the table. Both recipes can be made well in advance and stored in the fridge until they are needed!!!

The first recipe was featured a couple of weeks ago on French Fridays with Dorie.... Herded Olives Marinated in Thyme, Rosemary and Orange Peel. I made them and let them stay and macerate in their glass jar for a few weeks so that they could be infused by the aromas of the marinated olive oil even more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Olives Marinated in Thyme, Rosemary and Orange Peel
Adapted from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan 
Ingredients
Olives, green or black as plain as possible
Fresh rosemary springs, leaves removed and chopped
Fresh thyme springs, leaves removed and chopped
Coriander seeds
Black peppercorns
Green peppercorns
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (maybe a bit more to top up the jar with the olives)
Garlic cloves, green part removed and filleted
Bay leaves
Orange zest
Procedure
Toast the spices (black and green peppercorns, coriander) in a hot pan long enough to release their aromas. Put them into a small bowl  remove the pan from the heat and wait a bit for it to cool down. Gently warm up the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. When I say warm it I mean warm it not burn it. Put the pan in very low heat and be patient - the result is definitely going to reward you as the herbs and spices you are going to add in will be able to release their flavours and aromas without being shocked from the heat of the oil. When the oil is thus warmed, add all the remaining ingredients (rosemary, thyme, the toasted spices, bay leaves, garlic, orange zest) and heat them through for no more that two minutes - we don't want to sauté them!!

Put the olives in a clean glass jar (sterilised if possible) and pour in the warmed oil and herb mixture. Mix everything around. You have to let the jar stand until the olives and the oil inside reach room temperature before you refrigerate it. I kept mine in the fridge for about a week before I was tempted to taste my creation. I was  taken aback by the intensity of the aromas of the herb infused olive oil and the taste it gave to the olives. I went ahead and made enough to fill an even bigger jar and I now use to oil to flavour my salads and roast fish or chicken!

The next recipe I am going to share with you is sinfully delicious and seriously addictive!

I cannot say for sure if it is a pesto, a spread or a dip! I would call it a bit of everything because you can easily spread it on a piece of toasted bread and enjoy it with a glass of fresh white wine or toss it in a plateful of warm pasta with a few shaves of Parmesan on top and be transported to a sunny terrace by the sea forgetting that your driveway is buried under 50 cm of snow!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fresh Peppermint, Walnut and Olive Pesto - Dip

Adapted from a recipe by an award winning Greek Chef Christoforos Peskias publiced in Βιβλιοθήκη Γεύσης της Καθημερινής - Σπιτικές Κονσέρβες
Yield: about 2 cups
Ingredients
2 - 3 cups (tightly packed) leaves of fresh peppermint, washed and thoroughly dried
2 -3 garlic cloves, peeled, green part removed
200 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100 gr walnuts, chopped
200 gr Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Procedure
Blend the mint leaves with the garlic and olive oil until they form a smooth green paste. Add the chopped walnuts and blend again for 4 - 5 seconds, you want the walnuts to get even more chopped but not really mashed up so that their presence could add a bit of bite to the whole mixture.
Empty the contents of the blender into a large enough bowl and add the chopped Kalamata olives. Mix them all together and you are ready to serve!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup {FFwD}

Cauliflower Soup....
Creamy Cauliflower Soup...
Creamy Cauliflower Soup "sans" Cream....

How do you sell Cauliflower soup to a house full of people known for their epic aversion to the vegetable.

I said "You should try it, the recipe is French" and hoped that the francophiles among them will yield to the soup's refined flavours... "The French also eat snails and frogs" they replied...

"The recipe is from the same book last Friday's beef daube came from. Wasn't that the best braised meat you've had in a long time" I countered hoping that the power of association is strong enough to make them want to take the plunge into the soup! "That was beef stewed in wine for hours how does it relate to boiled cauliflower? DO you see any similarities because I don't" came the reply and in all fairness I get the point!

"It is creamy and velvety and it doesn't really taste like cauliflower at all" I found myself screaming from the kitchen as they walk away with a piece of bread and a slice of cheese on the plate...

"But I put bacon in it" I finally say exasperating.... "mmmm OK, I guess I'll give it a try! After all everything tastes better with bacon!!!"

OK, I might have exaggerated a bit here, but more or less this is how it went down in the kitchen today. Cauliflower is not glamorous and not the easiest dish to sell, especially when it it quite sunny outside and no one is suffering from a stuffy nose and is in need of a soothing pottage.

I for one, love cauliflower, in any version! Boiled and mashed up with a bit of lemon and herbs, roasted, oozing with cheese from the oven, even as a substitute for rice - the famous cauli-rice for those of you conversant in "Paleo talk". There was no way this pot of velvety, fragrant, white magic would go to waste. The challenge was to get the rest to try just a bit (I would never dare think of converting them to cauli-lovers) and in the end I managed just that. M-i-L had about half a bowl and declared it "quite good". Honestly I think there's going to be a long time until another head of cauliflower sees the insides of this kitchen! 

This is how I tweaked Dorie's recipe for the Creamy Cauliflower Soup sans Cream

 Serves 8

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan "Around my French Table"

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 large yellow onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

200 gr sticky bacon, cut into small cubes

The leaves of 2 thyme springs

1 cauliflower head, washed, and cut into florets

7 cups of chicken stock

Procedure

Heat the olive oil into a large stock pot. Add the onions, garlic, half of the bacon cubes, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir well and then lower the heat, cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes stirring often. 

Add the cauliflower into the pot and pour in the chicken stock. Increase heat until the liquid is starting to boil then reduce heat, cover and let it simmer gently for about 20 minutes (the cauliflower has to be very tender).

In the meantime, heat a small pan and add the remaining bacon. Fry it for 10 - 15 minutes in low heat until it becomes crispy. 

When the soup is ready, purée it with an immersion blender until it becomes very smooth and velvety! Ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle them with bacon bits and thyme leaves. 

To see how other members of our group enjoyed this recipe visit the French Fridays with Dorie website. 

Banana, Macadamia & Coconut Cake for The Home Bakers

I baked this Banana, Macadamia & Coconut Cake last weekend! It was a busy weekend but I was in the mood for baking. I organised everything and had the cake baked by noon, took a couple of pictures, went to a tasting event for sparkling wines and Champagnes and completely forgot about the cake and the post I had to write for The Home Bakers group.

Don't be jealous about the wine tasting event...there is a huge catch in the whole training to become a Sommelier business - yes you get to taste a lot of good (or not) wine but you have to spit it...publicly...in front of a lot of people...without spilling anything on yourself! It is not as glamorous as it sounds!! And the spiting without spilling part takes a lot of practice and can leave you really heartbroken when the wine is really good but your course instructor is looking over your shoulder, counting and monitoring said spitting (super gross - I'm stopping now!!)

Anyway back to The Home Bakers and our 11th bake (I missed the 10th) from Lou Seibert Pappas book Coffee Cakes. This one was chosen by Kit from I Lost in Austen. A great choice as it turned out. The bananas really show and keep the cake moist, sweet and balanced. You should definitely give it a try. It is very easy to prepare and if you are not a fun of macadamia nuts you can easily substitute them with walnuts, almonds or whatever else you fancy, better yet, you can make it completely nut-free and just sprinkle the top with sugar and cinnamon! You can find the recipe here.