Lightly cured Bonito (Lakerda) fish – Λακέρδα αλίπαστη (ηπίως)

During a visit to the Athens Fish Market, I had the pleasure of buying two fresh wonderful bonitos ( I hope the plural works), which in Greek are called “lakerda” . My objective was to lightly cure them in salt and water and then enjoy this wonderful delicacy with some of the best Greek Ouzo.

Στην πρόσφατη επίσκεψη μου στην κεντρική ιχθυαγορά Αθηνών, είχα την ευκαιρία να αγοράσω δύο λαχταριστές λακέρδες, με τον αποκλειστικό σκοπό να τις παστώσω ηπίως και μετά να απολάυσω αυτόν τον υπέροχο μεζέ.

Έχω μια δυσκολία στην ονομασία του εδέσματος, επειδή η περίοδος “ψησίματος” είναι μικρά, και έτσι δεν μπορεί να χαρακτηρισθεί γνήσιο αλίπαστο. Για τον λόγο αυτό έβαλα και το “ηπίως” παραδίπλα, για να αποφύγουμε τις παρεξηγήσεις.

Curing is light, and I want to emphasize this, as it is essential for the fish to maintain its aroma and flavors, and not lose them because of the salt. Light curing (depending on the size of the fish) should not exceed 48 hours. The same pronciple applies to relatives in the family of the bonito, i.e. mackerel, but the duration of curing should be restricted to 24 hours.

Η ηπία επεξεργασία οδηγεί σε αποτέλεσμα με εξαιρετικά αρώματα και γεύσεις, που δεν υπάρχουν όταν το ψαράκι έχει παστωθεί για τα καλά. Η ηπία επεξεργασία για την λακέρδα έχει διάρκεια το πολύ 48 ώρες.

Η ίδια προσέγιση μπορεί να ακολουθηθεί και στα ψάρια της οικογενείας, δηλαδή το σκουμπρί και το ρίκι. Αν το σκουμπρί είναι μικρό, καλύτερα να μείνει στο αλάτι μόνο 24 ώρες. Για το ρίκι ισχύουν ότι και για τη λακέρδα.

Η πρώτη ύλη
Η πρώτη ύλη

Η μέθοδος είναι απλή. Καθαρίζουμε το ψάρι και το κόβουμε σε μεγάλα κομμάτια. Για να πάρετε μιαν ιδέα, στην φωτογραφία βλέπετε όλα τα κομμάτια από δύο ψάρια με συνολικό βάρος 3 κιλά.

Τα ψάρια πρέπει να είναι πολύ φρέσκα! Αλλιώς δεν γίνεται δουλειά. Το τεστ είναι η ελαστικώτητα της σάρκας. Ζουλάμε τη σάρκα σε ένα σημείο που είναι άφθονη, και άν επανέλθει γρήγορα και με ενθουσιασμό, το ψαράκι είναι φρέσκο. Αλλιώς, αγοράζουμε κάτι άλλο.

The method is very simple. We gut the fish  and cut in big chunks as seen in the photo below.

Another method would be to fillet the fish. For big fish I prefer the big chunks, for small fish the fillet. Try both and see what you like. After cutting, place the chunks in a container full of water with ice. This helps the flesh lose all the blood. Losing the blood is essential in light curing. Otherwise the fish has a rather unpleasant taste, arising from the dead blood cells.

Τα κομμάτια
Τα κομμάτια

Το μέγεθος των κομματιών αποτελεί την πρώτη κρίσιμη παράμετρο επιτυχίας γιατί αν είναι πολύ μεγάλα δεν “ψηνονται”, αν είναι πολύ μικρά γίνονται “λύσσα” και πολύ ξερά.

Αμέσως μετά ακολουθεί το στάδιο της εμβάπτισης σε παγωμένο νερό επι μιαν ωρα για να φύγουνε τα πολλά αίματα. Το “ψήσιμο” στο αλάτι δεν είναι αποτελεσματικό όταν η σάρκα είναι ακόμη γεμάτη αίμα. Όσο λιγώτερο, τόσο καλύτερο το ψήσιμο.

The size of the chunks is also critical. Too big and your curing will be minimal, not light. Too small and the fish will be like a dry lump of salty flesh. Experiment with various sizes and find what works best for you. Needless to say, extremely important is also the quality and power of the salt that you will use.

Στο ξεκίνημα
Στο ξεκίνημα

Αφού ξεφορτωθούμε τα αίματα, προχωράμε στο επόμενο βήμα που είναι να βάλουμε τα κομμάτια σε μια μεγάλη λεκάνη, όπως βλέπετε στη φωτογραφία. Αρχικά στρώνουμε στον πάτο ένα παχύ στρώμα με χοντρό θαλασσινό αλάτι. Μετά βάζουμε τα κομμάτια του ψαριού με τρόπο που να είναι το μεγάλο κόκκαλο (η ραχοκοκκαλά) κατακόρυφη. Αυτό είναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντικό, κανένα κομμάτι δεν πρέπει να είναι “πλαγιαστό”.

Μετά καλύπτουμε τις επιφάνειες με χοντρό αλάτι, αλλά δεν “θάβουμε” τα κομμάτια. Προσοχή, άν τα θάψετε, θα γίνουν “λύσσα”!

Σκεπάζουμε τη λεκάνη με βαμβακερή πετσέτα και τη βάζουμε σε σκιερό και δροσερό μέρος. Προσοχή, δεν πρέπει να τη βλέπει ο ήλιος καθόλου!

Μετά απο 24 ώρες μετακινούμε τα κομμάτια και ώστε να έχουν αρκετό αλάτι σε όλες τις επιφάνειες και τα αφήνουμε για άλλες 24 ώρες.

Μετά από 48 ώρες η κατάσταση θα είναι περίπου όπως στη φωτογραφία που ακολουθεί.

Μετά απο 48 ώρες
Μετά απο 48 ώρες

Πλένουμα καλά να φύγουν όλα τα αλάτια, και μετά καθαρίζουμε, ώστε να μείνουν μόνον τα φιλετάκια και οι ουρές, χωρίς κοκκαλα και δέρμα. Τοποθετούμε όλα τα κομμάτια σε δοχείο με ελαιόλαδο και ολίγο λεμόνι, και αποθηκεύουμε στο ψυγείο. Έτσι μπορεί να κρατήσει για μια βδομάδα. Αλλέως καταψύχομε και χρησιμοποιούμε όταν θέλουμε.

Σερβιρισμ�νη

Η ανταμοιβή σας για τη σκληρή δουλειά είναι τεράστια! Κάθε μπουκιά από το ψαράκι μοσχοβολά και αναδίδει τα αρώματα της μάνας θάλασσαςσε υπερθετικό βαθμό, με τη βοήθεια και του χοντρού αλατιού, που στην ποσότητα αυτή δεν καταστρέφει τα πάντα! Προσθέστε λίγο λεμόνι για να σπάσει την λιπαρότητα του ψαριού, σερβίρετε ένα ουζάκι, και θα χαρίσετε στους συνδαιτημόνες σας ένα αξέχαστο μεζεδάκι.

Red Meats of Italy – A selection – Part 1

All of a sudden, I decided to post some images of red meats and red meat dishes from Italy. I call this Part 1 as I expect there will be more in the future.

I start by stating that I am not a fan of red meat. In an average place I usually do not order red meat. I prefer to eat vegetables, or chicken, or even better, a nice sald with cheese!

But I am a fan of exceptional red meat and its by products, flavours and colours and juices.

And this is what I will try to post here, the red meat beyond, creations that take the primary material and tranform it to something that is and is not the original. Transformation and transfiguration.

All the items included in thepost are”classics”, ie they have been around for a lond time and are here to stay. No meteorites, no short-lived stars, only treats that cut across the years.

Culatello di Zimbello
Culatello di Zibello

I start with the Emperor of the Italian cured meats: Culatello di Zibello!

Storage Area
Storage Area

This is the storage area where Miriam Leonardi (owner of “Trattoria La Buca” in the small town of Zimbello) keeps her treasures.

Slicing machine
Slicing machine

When I saw this machine I thought that it only befits the marvelous culatello to have such a beauty for slicing it.

Salumi di Cremona
Salame artigianale tipico di Cremona
I tasted this beauty in “Caffe la Crepa”, in the small town of Isola Dovarese. It was juicy, almost sweet, and its texture allowed it to melt in the mouth. Apparently Cremona does not only produce the finest violins in the world! Soppressata
Soppressata
Soppressata
Dekicious “Soppressata” from the “il Latini” restaurant in Florence.
Filetto di maiale affumicato
Filetto di maiale affumicato
Smoked pork filet from “Locanda San Lorenzo”, in the small town of Puos d’Alpago, near Belluno, Veneto.
Lardo di colonnato con zucca
Lardo di Mora Romagnola con zucca
An excellent treat, from “Trattoria Amerigo dal 1934” in the small town of Savigno, near Bologna. Lardo is transparent, sweet, and it melts in your mouth leaving a sense of olive oil! The zucca is the well know paumpkin, that here is grainy, tasty, and providdes support to the heavenly taste of the lardo!
Selection of antipasti
Selection of antipasti

 

A selection of antipasti from the “Vino e Camino” Ristorante in Bracciano, near Rome.

 

Steak Tartere di Vitello
Steak Tartare di Vitello
This tartare steak  comes from the wineshop of Pallatino in Roma. It is served without egg and the other regular trimmings. Just lemon, pecorino and light greens. The meat taste was clear, fresh and the firm texture of it made the pleasure complete. I was afraid that it would be a rather boring dish, given the absence of taste enhancing materials that accompany a Steak Tartar. I was wrong! Top quality veal does not need anything more than just some lemon to cut the protein surge, and a light cheese to provide a salty stimulus to the palate.

 

Display of meats in Dario Cecchini's Macelleria
Display of meats in Dario Cecchini's Macelleria
This is part of the diaply in Dario Cecchini’s Macelleria in the small town of Panzano, near Firenze.
Renaissance Salame
Renaissance Salame
Dario’s shop is full of surprises, including this one!

 

Ramerino in culo
Ramerino in culo
Marinated beef cubes (it could be called beef sushi) served with rosemary, from the restaurant of Dario Cecchini, Solociccia, although Dario does not call it a restaurant, but the home of a butcher!
Bolitti
Bolitti
A selection of boiled meats with vegetable and herb sauces, prepared by the team of Amerigo dal 1934.
Porcini e fegato di vitello
Porcini e fegato di vitello
A divine combination, porcini mushrooms with tender ultra sweet calf’s liver, from “dal Pescatore”, in the Park of River Oglio.
Fiocco di Manzo
Fiocco di Manzo
Roast beef from Dario Cecchini’s restaurant.
Roast Pork
Roast Pork
Roast pork from Dario Cecchini’s Antica Macelleria in Panzano.
Animelle co i funghi
Animelle co i funghi

 

Sweetbreads with porcini mushrooms offered by Osteria di San Cesario, near Rome.

 

Bistecca Fiornetina
Bistecca Fiornetina
Glorious juicy bistecca from “il Latini” in Firenze.
Capello da prete di manzo
Capello da prete di manzo
Cappello da prete di manzo al barbera e polenta gialla belgrano! This is the full name of the dish offered by “dal Pescatore”.

A Visit to the Paleo Psychico Open Market, Athens, Greece

I recently visited the open market in Paleo Psychico, near Athens. It is one of the best  – albeit small – open markets in the metropolitan area and I have a good friend there. I have noticed her many years ago as her stall had “real” vegetables and herbs, not the ones I call “Barbie” stuff. She is always ready to discuss a recipe, the latest developments in the country, or her daughters’ trip to Edinburgh.

 

My good friend
My good friend

I have been going to this market for years, although not regularly, as my job does not give this luxury.  

 

Carrots from my friends stall
Carrots from my friends stall

I hope these photographs of carrots and aubergines express what I mean by “real” as opposed to “Barbie” vegetables. 

 

Aubergines duo
Aubergines duo

 

Vlita - Βλήτα
Vlita - Βλήτα

My friend uses only natural fertilizers in her fields. The Vlita are tender and juicy, but most of all, tasty!

 

Hot peppers
Hot peppers

These babies are really hot! I was told that the best way to eat them is to preserve them. Here is how: bake them, take the skin off, and then can them in olive oil. I will try it this weekend, to see what comes out.

 

Real tomatoes
Real tomatoes

But before I try the preservation of hot peppers, I will try the preservation of tomatoes! I announced it to my friend that I will try to preserve her tomatoes, and that she will need to try the result. She accepted the challenge, so the clock has started clicking. There will be a separate post on the preservation of tomatoes!

As I was talking to my friend, a customer came about, grabbed one tomato and smelled it. He then put it back and left. I was surprised, because I know that the only way to smell a tomato is to cut her in half and then smell the flesh.

 

Basket Seller from Liviadia
Basket Seller from Liviadia

One of the most attractive features of the open market is that it attracts various sellers, and here comes one of them. He comes from Livadia, 100kms nortwest of Athens, and makes the baskets himself. I could not resist the temptation, and I bought the one with the handle for 10 EUROS.

 

Lemons and omelette
Lemons and omelette

A few stalls down the road is a lemon seller from the area of Corinth. I caught the moment when the nearby snack bar’s delivery girl was delivering an omelette.  As you can see although it is early for lemons, they are quite big and juicy! Nothing compared to the plastic things they import from Argentina and sell as lemons!

 

Grapes Seller
Grapes Seller

This lady also comes from the area of Corinth and sells grapes and olive oil. 

 

Colourful lettuce
Colourful lettuce

 

This comes from Pkistan
This comes from Pakistan

This baby comes from Pakistan. My friend got the seeds from her Pakistani friends. It is sweet and tastes like a white pumpkin. Apparently it is delicious with chicken, due to its light taste. Unfortunately I am not clear about its name. It is something like “opo”.

 

Stamnagathi - Σταμναγκάθι
Stamnagathi - Σταμναγκάθι

This is the famous “stamnagathi”, a weed that grows on the island of Crete, and has therapeutic properties. It costs 14 EUROS per kilo.

Psariston Seafood Tavern, Athens, Greece – Ψάριστον

I have started going to this tavern in 2004. It was colleagues from Thessaloniki who took me there, and started drinking tsipouro from the moment they sat down. Apparently the owner – chef is from the North and serves two types of tsipouro, with and without anise (Pimpinella anisum). But this is not about tsipouro, it is about seafood, so I better get down to it!

Over the four years that I visit the tavern regularly, it has evolved for the better and is now at a level that I can recommend it as one of the best seafood places in Athens, without any doubt.

Its name plays with two greek words, one being “psari” ie fish and the other “ariston” ie best. By combining the two words, the imaginative owners imply that they serve the best fish, “ps-ari-ston”, a word that does not exist in the greek dictionary. But this is not about language, it is about seafood, so I better get down to it!

Graffiti on the wall
Graffiti on the wall

The inside of the tavern is – on purpose – a kitsch assortment of above average proportions. In a strange way, you have the feeling you are on an island.

The inside
The inside

The “Psariston” salad is quite fresh and creative, as it has tomatoes, some feta cheese, olive oil, capers, parseley, balsamico and lightly marinated gavros.

Psariston Salad
Psariston Salad

The “married fava” dish is also very good, as it combines the “fava” with tomatoes, onions, ans capers.

"Married" Fava

The octopus dish that came next is another interesting combination: sliced grilled octopus, hot peppers, crushed feta cheese and fresh tomato cubes all in one!

Octopus with hot peppers and fresh tomatoes
Octopus with hot peppers and fresh tomatoes

The grilled “chtenia” came next, they were juicy and loaded with flavour! (I cannot translate their name.)

Grilled Chtenia
Grilled Chtenia

Finally, the medium sized grilled squid was tender and sweet. Perfect!

Grilled Squid
Grilled Squid

Practical Info. The tavern is right next to the AB Grocery Store opposite the Olympic Stadium on Kimis Avenue. It is better to call in advance so that they give you instructions, or even better, get a taxi, so that you can enjoy the good ouzo and wine served.

Psariston, Kalavriton 16, Neo Herakleio,

A Visit to the Athens Fish Market – Part 2 — Επισκεψη στην Βαρβακειο Αγορα – Ιχθυαγορα – Μερος 2ο

This is the second part of the post on the Athens Fish Market.
As in the first part, all items are given with their Greek names. English names are given only when I am almost certain about them.
However, this does not mean I have not made an error somewhere.
Calamari
Calamari
Calamari, squid. This is the medium size. I observed three sizes altogether.
Σαβρίδια Καρύστου
Σαβρίδια Καρύστου

Savridia from Karistos, South Evia.

Σουπι�ς
Σουπιές

Soupies (cuttlefish). An all time favourite!

Μαρίδα
Μαρίδα

Marida. A Greek classic, it used to be one of the cheapest fish in the market.

Not any more!

Σαργοί Πάρου
Σαργοί Πάρου

Sargoi from Paros. A rather rare sight, catch from Paros, that is now paying the price of careless fishing without any regard for the seabed and the sea world.

Κοκάλια Χαλκίδος
Κοκάλια Χαλκίδος

Kokali, a shiny fish from Chalkis, the capital of Evia, near Athens.

Γοφάρια Καβάλας
Γοφάρια Καβάλας

Gofaria from Kavala, in the North of Greece.

Λακ�ρδα Μυτιλήνης
Λακέρδα Μυτιλήνης

Lakerda from Mytilini, Lesvos. It is usually cured in salt. I will publish a recipe in the near future.

Τσιπούρες Μονεμβασιάς
Τσιπούρες Μονεμβασιάς

Tsipoures from Monemvasia, a medieval town in the south Peloponese.

Μελανούρια
Μελανούρια

Melanouria, meaning negrittos.

Κολιός Καρύστου
Κολιός Καρύστου

Kolios, a cousin of mackerel.

Γοβιοί
Γοβιοί

Govioi, unknown to me, looks like a river fish.

All in all, a satisfying visit.

To be continued.

A Visit to the Athens Fish Market – Part 1 – – Επισκεψη στην Βαρβακειο Αγορα – Ιχθυαγορα – Μερος 1ο

I visited the Athens Fish Market after a long time, having the impressions from my visits to Venice and San Sebastian rather fresh.
I was wondering what my home town’s market would give me as images, smells, offerings.
I will publish the post in two parts. This is Part 1.
Φαγκριά Αμοργού
Φαγκριά Αμοργού

I decided as a rule to keep the Greek names of the fish and seafood, as I find it hard to translate. The ones who know, will recognize it.

The ones who don’t will not lose much.
Ensemble
Ensemble
Θράψαλα Καρύστου
Θράψαλα Καρύστου

Thrapsala.

These are the “poor man’s” squid in Greece and I am ashamed to admit I have never tasted them.

This – unfortunately – does not constitute a proof that I am rich.
Θράψαλα - Γόνος
Θράψαλα – Γόνος

Apparently it is legal to fish the small ones.

Σφυρίδες
Σφυρίδες

Sfyrida. One of the best fishes of the Aegean!

Σφυρίδα
Σφυρίδα
Σκορπίνες
Σκορπίνες

Scorpina. This rockfish makes a delicious soup.

Χταπόδια
Χταπόδια
Μόσχοι
Μόσχοι
Γαλ�ος
Γαλέος

Galeos. This is a relative of the shark.

Μπακαλιάροι
Μπακαλιάροι

Bakaliaros. In Greek the name of this fish is “cod”. And it is caught in the Aegean.

Μπακαλιάρος
Μπακαλιάρος

Bakaliaros – detail

Μπαρμπούνια
Μπαρμπούνια

Barbouni. The all time classics, – red mullets – they are fried, as they are very small for the grill.

Λούτσοι Ικαρίας
Λούτσοι Ικαρίας

Loutsos. A very tasty white fish.

Athens Fish Market - The Hall
Athens Fish Market – The Hall

This is a picture from a previous visit, but I like it and the hall hasn’t changed since it was taken.

Guggenheim Bilbao, Jatetxea, Restaurante

Suspended Figure, Munoz
Suspended Figure, Munoz

Update 2021: The restaurant is no longer in operation inside the museum building. A new restaurant “Neua Guggenheim Bilbao” has pened and operates in an adjacent area of the museum vomplex.

I visited the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in July 2008 and had lunch in the restaurant. It is a restaurant much acclaimed and I was quite curious to see, smell, and taste the food.

The Chef is Josean Martínez Alija, a disciple of Martín Berasategui’s.

Before lunch, I had the opportunity to visit the brilliant exhibition of works by the Spanish Artist Juan Munoz.

Back in the restaurant, I opted for the gastronomic menu with the rather overwhelming title “Creation, Freedom and Tendencies”.

Having in mind that this is a title more suitable for a Ph.D. in Philosophy, I waited for the amuse bouche.

It turned out to be “tempura” peppers, which I liked very much. They were sweet, tender and very fresh.

"Tempura" Green Peppers

The first dish of the menu was “Stewed tapioca pearls”. I was told that this is a simulation of a traditional Basque dish which has humbler ingredients. The dish was perfect, the pearls had absorbed the flavours of the stew and I had the sense of the pearls exploding in my mouth, releasing their flavours. Imaginative and pleasing.

Stewed tapioca pearls
Stewed tapioca pearls

The “Roasted red endives” followed. This was a “minimal” dish and I have mixed feelings about it. I like endives, but at the end of the day an endive by itself is not the most pleasing dish. Although it was full of flavour, this was not enough to constitue a dish in a gastronomic menu.

Roasted Red Endives
Roasted Red Endives

Another roasted vegetable was next: “Roasted aubergine flavoured with “makil goxo”. I have the same comments as in the endives dish. Yes, the aubergine was very tender and juicy, but there was no complexity of flavours, no synthesis worth mentioning.

Roasted aubergine
Roasted aubergine

The next dish was also roasted: “Roasted fish of the day”. The “minimalism” of the previous dishes continued with the hake. A good piece of fresh fish is not a gastronomic dish.

Roasted fish of the day
Roasted fish of the day

The last dish was the “Iberian pork stew”, and it was a very good stew. But only a stew.

Iberian pork stew
Iberian pork stew

All in all, I was rather diappointed. In my view gastronomy requires synthesis of ingredients, tastes (and traditions in some cases), an abstract concept is not enough.

“Sushi” Greek Sardines

Ready to eat!
Ready to eat!

I like sardines very much. This is why I like to eat them lightly cured in coarse sea salt and lemon juice.

Natalia, my trusted culinary advisor, considers the dish a “sushi” dish, due to the very short duration of the curing process. In her honour, I have renamed it “Sushi” Greek Sardines. I added the word “Greek” because of the olive oil and the lemon.

As fresh as possible!
As fresh as possible!

 

I usually buy them from the fishmarket of Lavrio, a small town near Sounio, near the tip of the south peninsula of Attica. The fishing boats supply the local sellers with top quality fish.

The difficult part of this recipe is that you have to do the dirty work before you enjoy the fruits of it.

This means descaling, gutting and filetting.

If you are brave enough, the story continues as follows.

Isn't this beautiful?
Isn

The benefit of doing the dirty bits yourself is that you get to know how fresh each fish is. The fresh fish has firm flesh, that bounces back if you press it. While knifing and cleaning, you see for yourself the fresh ones. If there are fish that get squeezed easily, throw them away, they are stale.

After you have the fillets ready, sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of coarse sea salt over them and squeeze a lemon. Add a bit of water so that all fillets are covered.

Leave them to rest for 30 minutes.

The objective of this light curing is to cut the acidity of the raw fish. You do not want to make it salty of bitter. After the thirty minutes are gone, throw away all the liquid, clean the fillets throughly so that there is no particles on them and place on a shallow dish.

You must taste them at this stage, They must taste sweet with just a hint of salt and lemon, no more than that. All the seasoning that you want, you can add at this stage.

Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt over them and serve.

Sea Bass with eggplants and potatoes

Sea Bass with eggplants and potatoes
Served: Sea Bass with eggplants and potatoes

This is a simple recipe that I picked up some time ago on the island of Crete, and modified it. It requires the best quality of ingredients, as this way of cooking brings ot the foreground the essence of the ingredients in a way that cannot be masked by anything.

Ingredients: one sea bass weighing a minimum of 1 kilo, potatoes (1 kilo) and four bell shaped eggplants ( 1kilo)

The preparation is very simple: slice the potatoes to 1-2 mm slices, and the eggplants to 2-4 mm slices. Take a baking tray, put some olive oil on it and then layer the potatoes. As you can see in the photo, the slices should be semi-transparent, otherwise they will not cook. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Potato slices
Potato slices

Place the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes and sprinkle olive oil and coarse sea salt over them.

 

Eggplant slices
Eggplant slices

Rub coarse sea salt on the inside and outside of the fish and sprinkle ground black pepper over it.

Then place the fish on top of the eggplants, resting on its belly, the spine being vertical, and make sure it is stable.

 

 Ready to cook
Ready for the oven
Now comes the tricky part. Please the tray in a hot oven (200 C) and leave it for approximately 30 minutes.  
 Ready to serve
Ready to serve

The fish is ready when the skin is crispy and brownish. After you remove from the oven, squeeze a lemon over the tray before serving.    The result is delicious. The eggplants and potatoes melt in your mouth, full of sea flavours, while the fish’s flesh is moist and tender.    

 

You need a nice glass of white wine, I prefer chardonnay.

 

Pasha Restaurant, Novi Sad, Serbia

My work brings me to Serbia these days.

I  would like to share with you my impressions after visiting the Pasha restaurant in the city of Novi Sad.

The restaurant is next to the tennis court of Dunavski Park, a beautiful small park 100 meters from the Dunau River.

The clientele is mostly locals who have the money to pay for a rather expensive by local standards meal.

Fried green pepper
Fried green pepper

 The fried green pepper is juicy and with loads of garlic.

Salmon Carpaccio
Salmon Carpaccio
Beef Carpaccio
Beef Carpaccio

 The salmon is lightly marinated in lemon and dill and served as carpaccio. Good, but not exceptional, I would like it to have more flavour.

The beef carpaccio is exceptional, the visit to Pasha is justified by it alone.

 The beef tortellini that I tasted were rather bland, while the four cheese sauce was so overpowering that any trace of taste left in the tortellini was lost in the battle against the cheeses! I do not comment on the use of the work tortellini, as the picture reveals them to be tortelli in the best case!

 

Beef tortellini with four cheeses sauce
Beef tortellini with four cheeses sauce

 The most appealing feature of the restaurant for me is that I can have a decent glass of local wine. As an example, I want to mention Harizma of 2007, by the Aleksandrovic Winery http://www.podrumaleksandrovic.co.yu/about_us.shtml.

Harizma 2007
Harizma 2007

It is powerful Chardonnay with very rich bouquet. I tasted the 2007 wine and it was brilliant!