Day 19

I love cookery books. I especially love the ones that tell you about the food and where it comes from. They have been a godsend during lockdown – better than a straight travel book because not only can you be transported to another place, but you can maintain the illusion a little longer by cooking, occupying your mind and your hands, filling your house with wonderful evocative aromas and then, after a period of intense expectation, eating a delicious dinner as a reward.

Cyprus has wonderful food traditions. It is a blend of many influences – Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern and British, containing the best of each. Taverna by Georgina Hayden is a celebration of Cypriot food. It has taken me to delightful places this summer. Hayden was brought up in a flat above the restaurant her Cypriot grandparents owned in North London. Her other grandparents owned a Cypriot deli so she is steeped in the traditions of Cypriot food. ‘Feasting, family and community is the bedrock of Cypriot culture.’ she says, and her book reflects this.

The book introduces Cypriot food, its ingredients and cooking techniques. Then come the recipes, divided into eight chapters:

1.    Breakfast

2.    Meze

3.    Vegetables, grains and pulses

4.    Fish

5.    Meat

6.    Sides

7.    Baking and sweets

8.    Drinks

There is a comprehensive index followed by a list of online suppliers.

Each recipe is preceded by a memory or an anecdote or a story about the recipe’s origin and it has loads of beautiful photographs. This makes the book a pleasure to read as well as to work from – and it is easy to work from, with no fancy fonts disappearing into coloured pages, black on white in a font that looks very like my favourite Calibri, clear and easy to read when performing highly skilled culinary feats.

I haven’t cooked every recipe in the book. There are some that it is impossible to adapt for a single eater, however greedy, in a lock down situation, but all the ones I have tried have worked excellently and there are some that I use repeatedly.

Here are a couple:

I find breakfast a difficult meal. I know that it is important, but I have very little appetite first thing. These pancakes work though. They are delicious made fresh, but they also work if you make them the night before (not quite the same experience, but still good).

Anari, Pistachio and Apricot Pancake

Serves 2

·      125g anari or ricotta

·      100ml milk

·      2 large eggs

·      ½ a lemon

·      60g caster sugar

·      A pinch of salt

·      60g plain flour

·      ½ tsp baking powder

·      30g butter

·      3-4 apricots

·      20g pistachios

·      2 sprigs mint

·      2 tbsp honey

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4

If using ricotta, drain it in a sieve to dry it out a little. Spoon the anari or ricotta into a large mixing bowl and pour on the milk.

Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the ricotta and keeping the whites to one side in another clean mixing bowl.

Finely grate the lemon zest onto the ricotta, add the sugar and salt and beat all the ingredients together.

Sift the flour and baking powder onto the mixture and fold in.

Whisk the egg whites until you have stiff peaks and fold into the ricotta batter keeping it as light and airy as possible.

Place a medium non-stick frying pan o a medium heat and add the butter. As soon as it has melted and is bubbling, ladle in the ricotta batter. Then place pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until its risen, golden and th sides are crisp.

Meanwhile place a griddle pan on a high heat.

Cut the apricots into wedges and when the griddle is hot, grill them for a few minutes on each side until charred.

Finely chop the pistachios. Pick the mint leaves.

When the pancake is ready slide it onto a serving plate or board. Top with the apricot wedges, drizzle with honey and scatter over the pistachios and mint leaves and tuck in.

Delicious!

Vine Roasted Bream

This simple recipe takes minutes to prepare. Vine leaves make an interesting and elegant casing for the fish, protecting the marinade and keeping the fish moist. However if you can’t find them, don’t worry, use greaseproof paper. Just be sure to dampen it under running water first and give it a good squeeze.

Serves 2

Ingredients

·      2 garlic clothes

·      8 green olives

·      ½ tsp coriander seeds

·      1 bunch coriander

·      4 anchovies

·      Olive oil

·      1 lemon

·      Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

·      2 whole sea bream or bass around 300g each

·      12 vine leaves

Method

Preheat your oven to 200C/gas mark 6.

Peel the garlic cloves. Remove the stones from the olives. Blitz both in a food processor along with the coriander seeds, fresh coriander, anchovies and garlic adding just enough oil to make a paste. Finely grate in the lemon zest and season well.

Score one of the fish three times on each side and rub half the marinade all over the fish. Lay out 4 vine leaves. Overlapping slightly and place the bream on top. Finely slice the lemon and place half the slices in the cavity. Fold the leaves over the fish, top with 2 more leaves to make sure it is completely covered, then gently tie the whole thing together with string to keep it sealed. (Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect.) Place in a large roasting dish, then repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Drizzle everything with olive oil and place in the oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until browned and crisp and the fish is cooked through. To check, carefully open the package near the head and insert a skewer into the thickest par of the flesh. Leave it there a few seconds, then touch the tip of the skewer to your lips – carefully. It should be piping hot, and if it is that means the fish is cooked through.

Cut and remove the strings, then place the parcels on plates to open at the table.

Serve with potato salad.

Some atmospheric Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVD0AJXf7jg

Today’s Picture

The Birth of Venus, Botticelli, 1480

The theme of the Birth of Venus was taken from the writings of the ancient poet, Homer.  According to the traditional account, after Venus was born, she rode on a seashell and sea foam to the island of Cythera.  We see here Venus is prominently depicted in the centre, born out of the foam as she rides to shore.  On the left, the figure of Zephyrus carries the nymph Chloris, as he blows the wind to guide Venus.

On shore, a figure who has been identified as Pomona, welcomes Venus carrying a cloak which billows in the wind from Zephyrus’ mouth.

Botticelli takes his inspiration from classical statues for Venus’ modest pose, as she covers her nakedness with long, blond hair, which has reflections of light from the fact that it has been gilded.

It is painted on canvas, rather than the wood panels more generally used at the time. The medium used was thin layers of tempera (where the pigment is mixed with egg yolk). It is this technique which gives the painting its translucence. The composition is interesting, because Venus is not, as it first seems, in the centre of the picture. She is slightly to the right – as if blown off centre by Zephyr’s breeze.