31 replies to this topic

[Piotr]

Hallo!
Can you sey my what is your favourite Cretan foods? Maybe have you some good recipes?

[emily]

My favourite... Not snails for sure.. tried them this year and they were not good! I Love any greek food in general. I had some lovely aubergine dish in Crete, stuffed with feta, peppers and rice! Very nice. Greek is my favourite food though!

And yours?

[DaveW.]

Usually you are served squid in batter and in rings. Ugggghhhhhh!!
My favourite, that I tried in Kalyves last summer....is medium sized, whole and stuffed with tomato and cheese. i don't think I have ever tasted anything so delicious.

[santo]

My favourites are:
Baked Feta with herbs
Yourvetisi
Lobster/Crayfish (if no lobster available)
Seafood meze
and to help wash it down, the obligatory Raki.

[attika]

I like Kaltsounia a lot,
Xerotygana,
Staka
and the sfakiani pita.

Also like Hohlious with potatoes!

[Dinny]

Uhmmm, you are making me hungry!!

I particularly like

- Revithia in tomatosauce

- Saganaki cheese (if it's not feta)

- Kuneli (rabbit)

- Stuffed melitzano

- And anything with a lot of skordo (garlic)

[attika]

Have you eat glystrida salad?

[Hana]

Piotr, have you seen this page? http://www.explorecr...iet-recipes.htm



...to Yanni:

What happened with the recipes from your friends from that mountain taverna, with those gorgeous photos? They were fantastic, sad not to find them..


...ah, I think I worked it out. They are scattered amongst the others ones, aren't they.. Mouthwatering photos I say!

[Wim]

I have often wondered why sea urchins are not part of the Cretan diet. The sea shores of the south offer plenty of these "sea chestnuts".



Sea urchin: the speciality of Carry-le-Rouet.There are Peacute;rigord truffles, Charolais beef and Carry-le-Rouet sea urchins, which are said to be beyond compare. Or at least there were; these echinoderms have suffered from the destruction of their favourite habitat, the great kelp beds. Today, these "sea chestnuts" can be gathered from 1st November to 30th March at the rate of four dozen per person, and must be over 5cm (2in) in size. However, it is forbidden to gather them using diving equipment.
If you want to make the most of this festive, popular and good-natured gathering, arrive early or you may have to park on the A55 motorway. Buy your platter of sea urchins from one of the fishermen and make yourself comfortable on a terrace in the sun - there are some lovely weekends in winter. Late risers will have to make do with a bit of jetty or a rock to sit on.

[santo]

My brain is telling me that there is No Way!!! they are going to go into my mouth, has anyone eaten Sea Urchins and can they describe roughly what they taste like

[yannis_s]

Sea urchins are part of the Greek diet. What we eat from them is their raw eggs in lemon and olive oil sauce, which is called sea urchin salad (achinosalata in Greek).
Some people love it and others find it nothing special. To me the taste is like sea-water with lemon and olive oil...
It is also said that the sea urchin eggs are a natural aphrodisiac.
Because of the over-fishing of sea urchins for commercial reasons, it has been forbidden recently to fish and sell sea urchins. What I cannot explain though, is where all the sea urchin salad sold in the restaurants of Crete come from.

[Wim]

Come on Santo, go for the adventure. Don't you remember your first "moule" or even " huitre" and don't forget your " fruit the mere".

Weren't they gorgeous?? Sea urchins taste, like the article says, like "chestnuts" which is also my opinion.



Chef, Guillaume



P.S. Yannis, the French eat the whole fruit, not just the eggs.

[santo]

Adventure !!!! be a trip to the toilet to expunge the contents I reckon, Although I do love seafood I can't eat the following:

Whelks (like chewing rubber, and I hate the feeling of gristle in my mouth makes me heave. I always cut off the fat from any dish, unless it's crispy like bacon or pork)

Mussels

Oysters( came straight back up, but then I don't like snotty eggs)

Yannis perhaps the sea urchin salads are provided by specially farmed products ???

[attika]

I like them very much..try to find urchin salad in Palaiochora last summer but nobody (restaurant) had it.
Use to eat it with some olive oil lemon and bread .

[Kritsa Yvonne]

I am virtually a vegetarian so I feast on all the yummy vegetable dishes - I really love to go to the markets in Crete and I come back home so laden I could really do with next door's donkey to carry it from the car. (I make do with Alan though!!)

This autumn a local restaurant in Kritsa was serving broad bean stifado - and I found it compulsory to add it to whatever selection of dishes we chose.

Look in a Cretan market for a "bouquet" of leeks, chard, fennel and other herbs (dependent on what is in season) Fry the leeks in a good amount of olive oil then when soft but not brown add rind and juice of a lemon. Leave with a lid on teh pan whilst you chop up the green part of the chard (or spinach) and the herbs. Stir into the pan put the lid back on a shake occasionally so it doesnt stick for perhaps 20 mins then serve as part of a mezes or with a fish dish - DELICIOUS.

I tried to do it back in the UK but it is a pale imitation as you can't get the right sort of green bits.

In my blog you will see that my mum knows the way to Alan's heart is via cake and this reminded him that I had a "virgin" cake tin in one of the cupboards so I was shamed into using it - I am sure I will spell it wrong but I can now make an exceptionally good Saint Fanomeris cake.

[Wim]

I'm afraid the Brits, as somebody called the inhabitants of this island in the forum, have lost their appetite for adventure

A herbivorous? Thought they were extinguished in the late stone age.



Wim the carnivorous

[Ton]

Iam disapointed with all of you. No one mentioned Horta!!! Radikia are the best although there are many othe varieties, boiled with olive oil and lemon. They are popular in the spring.

[Wim]

O.K. Ton,



Here's to make it up to you.

Horta, literally translated, is wild greens or green vegetables.

Horta grows wild in the hillsides and is still hand- picked by villagers. It's a medley of
edible wild greens, simply braised in a little water and seasoned with olive oil, lemon, salt
& pepper. It's usually served cold or at room temperature. The combination depends on
the season and availability. Horta can be used as a variation for spinach pie, which is
rustic and delicious. Save the cooking liquid, which contains the golden vitamins. The
juice can also be added to vegetable drinks or soup stock. For the purpose of availability
outside of Greece, and preferred cooking techniques, the following theory is
recommended.

Allow at least ½ pound of raw greens per person (arugula, black mustard, dandelion or
beet greens, curly endive, sorrel, spinach, kale or collards)
.
Certain greens require longer cooking time, so add them to the pot in stages. For
instance, simmer kale and collards until tender, then add arugula during the last 10
minutes of cooking time. A good rule of thumb is the tougher the raw greens, the longer
the cooking time. Add salt or acid (lemon or vinegar) when you're ready to serve because
they can turn bright green vegetables brown. Use stainless steel or any other non-
reactive cookware.

General guidelines for six servings

4 pounds of raw greens
1/2 cup olive oil
2 small gloves garlic, finely chopped
3 leeks (white part only) cleaned and sliced
1/2 fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 cup fresh dill, chopped (optional)
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse greens thoroughly and remove tough stems. A water saving-technique is to fill a
clean sink or basin with 6 inches of fresh cold water, add trimmed greens, and submerge
a bit to allow sand to fall to the bottom of the sink. Transfer greens in small quantities to a
colander and rinse again. We have a saying in cooking school “How many times should
you rinse the spinach? Until it’s clean!”

Technique:

1. In a large heavy stock pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil and heat for 30
seconds.

2. Add leeks and sauté until tender. Add minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds more
(browned garlic will turn bitter).

3. Add greens that take the longest to cook (kale, collards) and simmer until tender
(about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

4. Add more delicate greens like arugula or spinach along with the fresh herbs and
simmer just until wilted.

Serve in a bowl with a little cooking juice, splash of lemon and olive oil, salt and pepper to
taste. To serve as a side dish, drain with a slotted spoon and add the flavorings at the
last minute.

[Ton]

Everything is fine above Wim except the Garlic and leeks.

Cheers

[Wim]

During my first travel to Greece/Crete I bought this nice cookery book by Chrissa Paradissis.



One of my favorites is Mayiritsa. (Eastern soup).



If somebody is interested in the recipe I'll post it here.



Could be nice if this topic would become a cookery one