FOOD: Recipes from The Real Greek at Home.
RABBIT MOUNTAIN-STYLE
Serves four
1 rabbit, skinned and cleaned
Juice and finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 bunch mountain thyme or lemon thyme
100ml olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Joint the rabbit: you should end up with two hind legs, two pieces each with a shoulder and front leg, and the saddle. Cut the saddle across into three or four even pieces. Place the rabbit pieces in a mixing bowl with the lemon juice, zest, thyme, and olive oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and marinate at room temperature for an hour. Turn the pieces in the marinade a few times.
Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet for a few minutes until it is hot. Reduce the heat under the pan (or lift it away). Season the rabbit pieces, then cook until nicely browned and cooked all the way through - about 10-15 minutes. If you are cooking over wood or charcoal, wait until the coals glow red and are covered with ash before starting. Keep brushing the rabbit pieces with marinade as they cook. When the rabbit is ready, serve hot. It must be eaten with the fingers.
SPINACH AND YOGHURT SALAD
Serves six
1kg spinach, washed and finely shredded
1 bunch mint, finely chopped
3 spring onions, including the green part, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g strained Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
55g butter
Mix together the spinach, mint, spring onions, garlic, yogurt and olive oil. Season to taste. Melt the butter, taking care that it does not burn, and pour it over the salad.
BAKED FISH WITH FENNEL AND LEEKS
Serves six
250ml olive oil
500g fennel bulb, with any feathery leaves, finely chopped
700g leeks, trimmed and finely chopped
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
500g tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded, and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1kg fish fillets (any fresh, firm, white-fleshed fish), pin boned
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas 6. Heat 100ml of the olive oil in a deep saucepan, then add the fennel, leeks, and spring onions, and sauté. After a few minutes they will take on some colour. Add the tomatoes and season well. Keep simmering until everything has thickened. Spread the mixture onto a roasting tray. Arrange the fish fillets on top in a single layer. Season well, and sprinkle with 100ml of the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, until fish is cooked through.
Remove the fish from the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes. Dress the fish with the remaining olive oil, if you like the raw flavour of olive oil on cooked fish.
TARATORI
Serves 12 as mezedes
100g red peppers, preserved in a jar
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
250g strained Greek yoghurt
30g garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1/2 bunch dill, finely chopped
1/2 bunch mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Drain the peppers, cut in half, seed, and roughly purée with the back of a knife on a board. In a small bowl, add a bit of sea salt to the spring onions. Mix well with your fingers, then rinse. This will remove some of the oniony smell and make the flavour less harsh. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep the mixture refrigerated, covered, until needed. Before serving, stir some ice cubes into the mixture: as they start to melt, the mixture will become authentically runny.
The Real Greek at Home is published by Mitchell Beazley (£20 in UK)