After all the meat eating of the festive days, it is essential to taste something lighter but tasty! Out of this need I came up with this simple but delicious dish that requires a large fresh fleshy octopus.
I boil the octopus in very low heat (45 minutes per 1 kilo). I let it rest and then cut the tentacles that I will use and grill them until they get the crispy surface on the outside, while they remain juicy inside. I then slice them and dress them in olive oil with a touch o lemon.
The other essential ingredient is a mix of chopped onions, tomatoes and parsley.
I make my own pitta bread in a rather sneaky way. I prepare a mix with flour, yeast, salt and vinegar, but leave it on the watery side. After it has rested for one hour I prepare the bread as if it were crepes, in other words I “fry” the mix in a non-stick pan.
After 3 minutes I take it out and place it on a baking tray in the oven for another 10 minutes.
The final step is the most satisfying and has to be done with your hands only. Lay onions, tomatoes and parsley on the bread and then octopus on top of it. Roll it tightly and slice in four parts.
Sprinkle with olive oil, a bit of salt and lemon and enjoy one of the freshest and most tasty simple dishes!
This is an original recipe that was conceived and executed in Munich during my last visit to Manolis and Marion in November 2009.
Marion (Manolis’ wife for the uninitiated) who is an accomplished cook, had prepared among other dishes salt cod in a tomato sauce, and cheek peas in the oven. She had also bought a wonderful delicious sausage from Spain, the one with whole chunks of fat in it. They are very delicious, but require a robust stomach.
As we were discussing about food and tastes, it became apparent to me that the next day we will have a lot of leftovers, a little bit of each dish and a few pieces of the sausage (chorizo). One of the themes of the conversation was the combination of pork products with seafood in Catalonia and the Basque country.
I therefore thought of combining the pieces of sausage left with the cod, and add some cheek peas to the lot. The container of all of these would be a mix of eggs and thinly sliced peppers. I even created a drawing of the dish.
Please disregard the rather dramatic “Teufels Dreieck” which means “Devil’s Traingle” in German. It was the tentative name for the dish, but it was dropped after Athina commented that it was rather unsuitable for such a nice tasting dish.
The dish remains without name to date, but as it is a classical example of “cucina povera”, or “cooking with leftovers”, I decided to name the article accordingly.
Take a deep round baking dish and put the slices of the sausage in a way that they form a triangle.Put in a very hot over (250 Celsius) and let the sausage fat to soften for 10 minutes.
Add thinly sliced peppers, the more colors the better, and then the cod flakes and the cheek peas.
Whisk 6 eggs and pour them over the triangle. Bake in 200 Celsius for 20 minutes and serve piping hot.
The result was more than rewarding. The mix of the sausage and the salted cod worked beautifully, the fish standing up to the ferocious attack of the strong animal. The cheek peas acted like the buffer zone between the two war camps, while the eggs and the peppers softened the impact of the competing tastes. What a dish!
Therefore, in food as in life, we can safely conclude that synthsesis is more than adding things together. This is a good example of the case.
Μια και το πιο σπουδαιο, το πιο υπεροχο, το πιο δυσκολο στη ζωη ειναι η Αγαπη, ξεκινω το 2010 με διστιχα της Αγαπης, απο τη Συλλογη Ελληνικων Δημοτικων Τραγουδιων του Φοριελ (Πανεπιστημιακες Εκδοσεις Κρητης 1999). Καλη Χρονια και με Αγαπη!
Ω, Παναγια μου Δεσποινα, βαρια που ειν’η αγαπη!
Μηδε ο τοπος με χωρει, μηδ’ ολο το σοκακι.
Για μαυρα ματια χανομαι, για μπιρμπιλια πεθαινω,
γι’ αυτα τα καταγαλανα σκαπτω την γην και μπαινω.
Τις ειδεν ψαρι στο βουνον, την θαλασααν σπαρμενην;
Τις ειδεν εις τετοιον καιρον αγαπη εμπιστευμενην;
Τι αδικια εις εμε, ματακια μου και φως μου
ολοι αγαπουνε την ζωην, κι εγω τον θανατον μου.
Μαυρα μαλλια στην κεφαλη, στες πλατες ξαπλωμενα,
αγγελοι τα κτενιζουνε, με διαμαντενια κτενια.
Να χαμηλωναν τα βουνα, να’ βλεπα το Μισιρι,
να’ βλεπα το πουλακι μου, με ποιονα τρωει και πινει.
On the 26th December is the name day of my “brother”, Manolis. We have made it a tradition that every year we get together in my house and celebrate his name day having lunch. The same happened yesterday, and I happy to report the proceedings of this event.
As you may remember, I already had a go at the menu a couple of weeks ago, but as it usually happens, things changed. The ever moving fate brought two regions of the Mediterranean together on the menu. Thessaly of Greece and Toscana of Italy contributed their best products. Spleen sausage (splinantero) from Trikala and Bistecca Fiorentina from Panzano, Toscana.
Lets start from the appetizer, which is like a greeting card of the two regions in an envelope.
Hard salty goat’s cheese (kefalotiri) from Trikala and pancetta from Toscana, join forces in the greeting card.
Place one slice of cheese on top of a phillo pastry sheet, then a slice of pancetta, then tomato and parsley and wrap as an envelope. Bake and serve steaming hot.
This envelope was well received by all participants, who more or less gulped it down in a frenetic mode. This was largely due to the fact that the cheese had melted, it was thoroughly covered by the liquid fat of the pancetta, and engaged in constant dialogue with the acidity of the tomato and the strong sweet flavoor of the parsley. Hard to resist!
Next in line was the spleen sausage, the “splinantero” (σπληναντερο), prepared by a shepherd in a village near Trikala, in the region of Thessaly. This is forbidden food, according to the European Union. This is sausage made from the spleen and heart of muton, wrapped in the “suet” fat (μπολια). For the Greek speaking visitors, I have created an entry in wikictionary on splinantero (the spleen sausage).
I grilled it on charcoal fire and the result was divine! The honest beauty and quality of the ingredients shone through the grilled melting cover. Every dialog seized. Only moans could be heard.
Then it was time to greet the Tuscan beauty, La Bistecca Fiorentina! Especially prepared by my friend Dario Cecchini in Panzano, Chianti. I grilled la bistecca over charcoal, as the spleen sausage.
In Greece a lot of people eat meat well done, and so my task was a difficult one, as I personally detest well done meat. In any case, it all worked well and everyone was happy! Manolis more than anyone else, as he devoured the bone!
The bistecca was out of this world! Tender, juicy, full of flavors, it was literally melting in the mouth! Grazie Dario!
Every good meal must end with a good desert, may be more than good, to lighten the hearts and the stomachs of the participants. In this case, I made a kiwi tart on the basis of a recipe by Thomas Keller (Bouchon).
I am proud to report that not even a flake of the pastry was left! Needless to say, this lunch also demolished the alleged divorce that I have taken from sweets. (Manolis could make a comment here!).
A short note on the wines, all of which came from Toscana. We started with Morellino di Scansano Riserva 2000, from Val delle Rose (92 out of 100 in the Wine Spectator). Continued with Alte d’ Altesi 2000 from Altesino (93 out of 100 in the Wine Spectator). For the desert we had Castello di Brolio Vinsanto del Chianti 2004, from Barone Ricasoli.
Giuseppe Ungaretti is one of the giants of modern Italian poetry. He is the second modern Italian poet I present in this blog, the first having been Salvatore Cuasimodo. Ungaretti is brief, his language condensed to the absolute minimum. I was introduced to him by a very good friend who has since then “distanced” herself, but the memory and the intensity remains to date. This post is dedicated to her, with the full appreciation of the fact that she has been “lost” to me, but remains in the sweet cabinets of my memory.
Lets read Ungaretti’s “morning”.
Mattino
M’illumino
d’immenso
Morning
I flood myself with the light
of the immense
Can language be more condensed than that?
Ungaretti was born in 1888 in Alexandria, Egypt. His parents were Italians from the Tuscan city of Lucca. His father, a worker in the Suez canal, died when Giuseppe was 2. His mother ran a bakery in the city limits, bordering with the desert.
Variations on Nothing
That negligible bit of sand which slides
Without a sound and settles in the hourglass,
And the fleeting impressions on the fleshy-pink,
The perishable fleshy-pink, of a cloud…
Then a hand that turns over the hourglass,
The going back for flowing back, of sand,
The quiet silvering of a cloud
In the first few lead-gray seconds of dawn…
The hand in shadow turned the hourglass,
And the negligible bit of sand which slides
And is silent, is the only thing now heard,
And, being heard, doesn’t vanish in the dark.
Ungaretti went to Paris when he was 24 and started working as a journalist.
He served in the Italian army in the first world war and that’s when he discovered his poetic talent. With Montale and Cuasimodo, he is considered the founder of the School of Ermetismo, or Hermeticism.
From left to right: Montale, Cuasimodo, Ungaretti
Like many other great men, Ungaretti was friendly to fascism and Musssolini. Heidegger comes in mind, Ezra Pound… I will never come to terms with this. One comforting explanation may be relevant to their distance from the “real” life of society. Men of the Mind, who are Men of a different world!
Hymn to Death
Love, my young emblem,
Returned to brighten the earth,
Diffused between the rocky day,
It is the last time that I gaze
(By the foot of the ditch, glorious
With gushing water, dark
With caves) at the path of light
Which like the moaning turtle dove
Moves heedless across the grass.
Love, shining health,
The coming years weigh heavy upon me.
Casting aside the faithful walking stick,
I will slip into the dark water
Without regret.
Death, arid river
Forgetful sister, death,
You will be like a dream
As you kiss me.
I will have your footstep,
I will walk without leaving a footprint.
You will give me the motionless heart
Of a God, I will be innocent,
I will no longer have thoughts nor kindness.
With my mind walled up,
With my eyes fallen into oblivion,
I will act as a guide for happiness.
1925
And now the man himself, reciting his poem.
In this dialog with Death, I find myself in dialogue with my “friend”.
A lost love is in the memory the personification of death.
“You will give me the motionless heart”
I still hold the motionless heart in my hands.
And Christmas does not help, as it widens the gasping wounds.
The feeling of all the opportunities lost is a feeling that can destroy. It is the feeling of emptiness. The feeling of the ultimate GAP that invites you to jump.
May be happiness is a Utopian endeavor.
“With my mind walled up,
With my eyes fallen into oblivion,…”
Nobody could have said it better. I am immersed in oblivion.
And what comes next?
“The hand in shadow turned the hourglass,….”
The sense of the ticking clock.
The sense of the invisible hand.
The sense of the warmth of the body that became a memory burried in the sand of the clock.
The picture that you see is not a fake. You see pigs with black feet (pata negra) enjoying the environment of woods and waters in Spain) in one of the farms of Joselito, may be the most famous producer of bellota (acorn fed) ham. The leg is cured for a period ranging from 2 to 4 years and the whole process transforms the flesh of the acorn fed pig into a symphony of flavours. In addition, due to the chemical composition of acorns, the fat of the pig is transformed into an olive oil tasting substance.
There is no way to relay the whole experience, one has to taste this beautiful piece of cured meat. During my recent visit to Munich, Manolis welcomed me with a whole leg of Joselito’s bellota ham. This post is dedicated to Manolis and Joselito.
I start with the presentation of the whole leg on its stand, as presented to me upon my entry in Manolis’ dining room. Next to it, stands a bottle of rioja, “Castillo Ygay”, of 1978. The little card has a poem of Manolis:
“Το συντεκνο ο Μανωλιος
για να καλωσορισει
τον Χοσελιτο εστειλε
να τον προυπαντησει”
(liberally translated this means:
Preparing to welcome his brother,
Manolis has sent Joselito
to greet him)
The task of slicing is what can destroy or glorify the meat. The thinner the slice, the bigger is the surface exposed to the air, thus more aromas are released. But the most important seems to me is the marbling of the meat, these thin translucent lines of fat that give to the meat the unique flavor. Although the initial treatment of the leg is in a mix of salt and herbs, the meat is not salty at all! This is the first sign of quality.
Eating Joselito ham is a long process, that requires very good wine, that can accept the role of the second violin, as the first violin and the conductor of the orchestra is unquestionably, Joselito! The experience grows on you as you overcome the shock of the first tasting. I have tasted Joselito now since 2003, and it is always a revelation. The aftertaste is long and complex. This requires a slow eating process, long pauses to enjoy, to close your eyes, to relax and retreat into the world of the senses!
The first day’s session lasted almost 6 hours, and as you can see it had a noticeable impact on the leg.
When you see the meat close up, you will be impressed by the thick ruby color. Another important feature of bellota ham, is that it sweats, i.e. it releases its fat gradually and steadily once it is cut.
The hard work of day 1 required a second wine, which was a native Austrian red, with the impressive name “Admiral”, produced by Poeckl, in 1999.
The hard work with Joselito work continued on day 2 and the results are noticeable.
After such a wonderful experience, you are no longer a mere mortal, but an angel. May be not as beautiful as the Angel created by Manolis’s daughter, Athina, but nevertheless an Angel!
"Angel", by Athina Payatakis
Thank you Manolis, thank you Marion, thank you Athina, for this wonderful treat!
Thank you little acorn fed piggy! You are an angel too!
“Lets go and have a nice meal, this is no weather for being outdoors”, said Manolis, when the snow started accumulating on the ground and the visibility was reduced to less than 50 meters. You have seen the pictures in the “white” post, now its time to get down to the eating and drinking business.
Restaurant Guth was around the corner, at the outskirts of Bregenz by lake Constance in the Austrian – German borders. In the map below, you can see Bregenz in the lowest right side of the lake.
Chef Thomas Scheucher is one of the most creative Austrian chefs and has created a modern environment to serve his creations.
The building is new, and the outside is austere in style. The inside is warm and with a beautiful garden view.
The chef’s menu was our choice, but Manolis asked for a swap. Instead of the soup, he asked for the tripe. Such a request would not be honoured in France, where you would be asked to order it as extra. Not in friendly, hospitable Austria, where the request was accepted with a smile.
The amuse bouche was a slice of foie with brioche and quince and pear marmalade, accompanied by scallop’s and musel’s hot beverage. Exquisite and multilayered in taste and flavours, this was one of the best amuse I have ever tasted! The philosppher of Atelier will offer his own views while he comments on the post, so I will not try to interpet him, which would in any case be sacrilegious!
Marinated tuna with horseradish mousse, accompanied by a pike croquette served on cubes of beetroot. The tuna was soft and sweet, the horseradish perfectly accompanied the oily flesh, while the croquette was like solid foam (a contradiction of terms and senses).
Sauteed tripe with herbs of the nearby forest. Never had this dish before, and it was worth the wait of so many years! A complete game with the senses this one, thin threads of tripe enveloped in the aromas of the forest, melt in the mouth and bless it with eternal memories of gastronomic pleasures.
Zander fillet with octopus, on a bed of fresh green beans. The dish of extreme lightness, attempted to supplement the memory of the mighty tripe with a presence of indelible subtlety and kindness to the palate.
Free-range beef fillet with mushrooms, celery and semolina crack dumplings (knoedel). The ultimate in meaty texture and taste, medium to rare, the knife was practically not needed to cut through this velvety flesh!
Hot chocolate desert, with fried bananas and bitter sweet foam. The perfect conclusion to a perfect meal. It took the chef almost 20 minutes to prepare the cylinders of delight, and was well worth it!
In the basement, you can find another source of pleasures, the wine cellar. We were served excellent austrian wines to accompany the dishes. More on austrian wines will come in a future post, they are the big discovery of the year for me!
Conclusion: When you get a chance, visit Guth, you will thank me for that!
P.S. For the culturally oriented, there is fantastic Opera Festival during the summer in Bregenz. Just imagine the immense combination of a beautiful opera performance accompanied by a meal in Restaurant Guth…..
P.S.2 Thank you Manoli for opening guth’s door for me!
P.S.3 Thank you Nature, for creating the unique Christmas images on the last day of November in the year of 2009.
P.S4 Thank you Romania, for having your National Day on the 1st December, which gave me the opportunity to visit Manolis and Guth and…
P.S5 At the time of the visit, the restaurant was recommended by the Michelin Red Guide as “one star”.
Today I want to share with you one of the songs that Gustav Mahler wrote to poetry by Friedrich Rueckert.
The poem is simple, almost childish, but the song is a masterpiece. Mahler has managed to condense in his lieder all the passion of his music, and the fact that he has not writen even one opera, being the Director of the Vienna Opera for ten years, testifies to his immense focus on lieder and song cycles. At this point it is pertinent to note that Mahler’ smusic was not played and/or recorded much, until the 1950’s. One of the conductors who “un-earthed” Mahler was Dimitri Mitropoulos.
My mother was studying in New York in early 1950s and was a regular at Carnegie Hall, where Mitropoulos was conducting. I owe it to her that this door of humanity and civilization was opened for me at a very early stage in my life.
Friedrich Rueckert : If you love for beauty (Liebst du um Schönheit)
The clip that follows features mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager,
and is in my opinion of the best interpretations of the song.
Liebst Du um Schönheit Angelika Kirchschlager Gustav Mahler, Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Rückert Live from the Rheinvokal Festival, Mittelrheinhalle, Andernach, 19.06.2009
Today I wanted to eat fish and so I went to find my good fishmonger. One of my buys was super-fresh mackerel, which is one of my favorite fishes.
Σημερα το τραπεζι εχει ψαρακι, που το εχω λαχταρησει λογω ταξιδιων στα μερη που εχει μονο γουρουνακια, κοτοπουλακια και αρνακια με μοσχαρακια! Πηγα λοιπον στον καλο μου τον ψαρα στην Ραφηνα και αναμεσα στα αλλα πηρα φρεσκωτατα σκουμπρια (οταν τα εζουληξα ηταν σφιχτοτερα και απο το ….), που ειναι απο τα αγαπημενα μου ψαρακια.
I decided to cook it in a primitive way. A child can do it. Here it goes.
Αποφασισα να το μαγειρεψω με ενα πρωτολειο τροπο, τοσο ευκολο που και ενα παιδι μπορει να το κανει. Ξεκιναμε λοιπον. Χρειαζομαστε αφθονο σκορδο, κοκκινες πιπεριες, και ελαιολαδο σεε να μεγαλο τηγανι (με βαθυ πατο). Ψιλοκοβουμε τα σκορδα και τις πιπεριες, και μαραινουμε σε μετρια φωτια.
Chop plenty of garlic, and dice red peppers. Throw them in a pan with a touch of olive oil, in medium heat.
After the juices have started running and the aromas of garlic start to be released, lower the heat to low and place the fish on the “bed” of peppers and garlic. The belly of the fish must be down, touching the “bed”.
Αφου μαραθουνε λιγο οι πιπεριες και αρχισουν να αναδυονται τα αρωματα απο το σκορδο, βαζουμε τα ψαρακαι στο τηγανι με την κοιλια να ακουμπα στο “κρεββατακι” με τα σκορδα και τις πιπεριες. Χαμηλωνουμε τη φωτια στο “χαμηλο” (στην κλιμακα του 1-10 να ειναι το πολυ στο 3).
The last step is to add chopped parsley on top of the fish.
Προσθετουμε πανω απο τα ψαρακια σαν τελευταιο βημα και ψιλοκομμενο μαιντανο.
The fish needs about 30 minutes in low heat to be cooked. This is slow-cooking at its best.
Τα ψαρακια χρειαζονται περιπου 30 λεπτα για να γινουν σε αυτη τη χαμηλη φωτια. Ηπια μαγειρικη στην καλυτερη εκφραση της! Καθως τα ψαρακια μαγειρευονται ηπιως, ετοιμαζουμε το “κρεββατακι” του πιατου, που ειναι πατατες τηγανισμενες ηπιως σε ελαιολαδο.
While the fish is cooking, we prepare the real “bed” of the dish, which is sliced potatoes slow-fried in olive oil.
We are now ready to serve the fish on top of the potato slice.
Και τωρα ειμαστε ετοιμοι για να σερβιρουμε το ψαρακι επι της πατατας.
The potatoes are crunchy, the fish is succulent and firm (as it is fresh), the garlic and the red pepper go very well together, the parsley tones down the rather strong ingredients. If you like you add flakes of chilli peppers on top for an extra punch. In any case, this is a delicious, easy to do dish that reminds everyone the virtues of slow cooking.
Οι πατατες ειναι τραγανιστες, η σαρκα του ψαριου ζουμερη και στητη, το σκορδο με τις πιπεριες παιζει ομορφα παιχνιδια, ενω ο μαιντανος ερχεται να τα καλμαρει ολα αυτα. Αν θελετε να ειστε προς την καυτερη πλευρα, προσθεστε και λιγο καυτερη πιπερια (μπουκοβο ας πουμε) και καλη ορεξη.
Ο πλους συνεχιζεται, ατελειωτο το κουβαρι ξετυλιγεται και σταματα για λιγο στα στενα της κορινθου, λιγο νοτιωτερα απο τα δυο στενα των τρικαλων, για να μαρτυρησει την πορεια του παπορι απο την περσια. Ο,τι και να συνεβει στον σακαφλια, μοιαζει λιγο μπροστα στο δραμα που εκτυλισσεται μπροστα μας.
Το παπόρι απ’ την Περσία
πιάστηκε στην Κορινθία
τόννοι έντεκα γεμάτο
με χασίσι μυρωδάτο
Τώρα κλαίνε όλα τ’ αλάνια
που θα μείνουνε χαρμάνια
Βρέ μπουρνάζε μου τελώνη
τη ζημιά ποιός την πληρώνει
και σ’ αυτή την ιστορία
μπήκαν τα λιμεναρχεία
Ήταν προμελετημένη
καρφωτή και λαβωμένη
δυό μεμέτια(*) τα καϋμένα
μες στο κόλπο ήταν μπλεγμένα
(*) Μουσουλμάνος, ο Μωαμεθανός, κατά τους Έλληνες (ίσως σύντμηση του «Μωάμεθ»)
I boil the octopus in very low heat (45 minutes per 1 kilo). I let it rest and then cut the tentacles that I will use and grill them until they get the crispy surface on the outside, while they remain juicy inside. I then slice them and dress them in olive oil with a touch o lemon.
The other essential ingredient is a mix of chopped onions, tomatoes and parsley.
I make my own pitta bread in a rather sneaky way. I prepare a mix with flour, yeast, salt and vinegar, but leave it on the watery side. After it has rested for one hour I prepare the bread as if it were crepes, in other words I “fry” the mix in a non-stick pan.
After 3 minutes I take it out and place it on a baking tray in the oven for another 10 minutes.
The final step is the most satisfying and has to be done with your hands only. Lay onions, tomatoes and parsley on the bread and then octopus on top of it. Roll it tightly and slice in four parts.
Sprinkle with olive oil, a bit of salt and lemon and enjoy one of the freshest and most tasty simple dishes!
The poem is simple, almost childish, but the song is a masterpiece. Mahler has managed to condense in his lieder all the passion of his music, and the fact that he has not writen even one opera, being the Director of the Vienna Opera for ten years, testifies to his immense focus on lieder and song cycles. At this point it is pertinent to note that Mahler’ smusic was not played and/or recorded much, until the 1950’s. One of the conductors who “un-earthed” Mahler was Dimitri Mitropoulos.
