Written by Karen Watts
Photography by Chris Watts
Ethically and physically I am generally a strong supporter of the ideal that you should mostly consume that which comes from your immediate environment – this practice boosts your immune system, economically supports the environment you live in and cuts down on the damage to the planet caused by shipping items thousands of kilometres around the planet.
However…. this week, hunting for “Star Characters” for Food Porn, we stumbled on a relatively new food shop on the island. Ariston on the main Lindos – Rodos Road is right next to the big Sklavenitis and has the appearance of a commercial cash ‘n’ carry, it is open to the general public and is worth a visit if one is prepared to put aside one’s principles. We went a little crazy, as you do when you live on a small Greek island and you find lots of items that have previously been difficult to source. Like New Zealand lamb. While I love the local lamb, particularly in the Spring, the rest of the year it does not make for sensational eating, as has been explained in previous blogs, local lambs do not have the benefit of the lush grasses of my birthplace.
Rack of Lamb Feast
(Gluten & Lactose Free)
Handfuls of Fresh Mint, Μέντα (Mentha), Rosemary, Δενδρολίβανο (Dendrolivano) & Thyme, Θυμάρι (Themari)
A Generous Half a Glass of Dry White Wine, λευκό κρασί (Levko Krassi)
2 500 kg Racks of Lamb, Αρνάκι (Arnaki) per 2 people
100 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ελαιόλαδο (Eliolado)
Sea Salt, Θαλασσινό αλάτι (Thalassino Alati) & fresh Ground Black Pepper, Μαύρο πιπέρι (Mavro Piperi)
Enough Potatoes, πατάτες (Patates) and Pumpkin or Squash, Κολοκύθι (Kolokythi) (or what ever veg takes your fancy) for as many people as you want to feed. I think that tender New Zealand lamb benefits so much from the taste of roasted pumpkin.
Hours before you want to eat place a handful of shredded mint into the wine and leave to infuse.
Pick the leaves from the rosemary and thyme, saving some rosemary sprigs for your veg and garnish, and mix into the olive oil with salt and pepper.
Massage the herby oil all over your racks of lamb, saving what ever you don’t use for the veg. Place the racks in plastic bags, seal and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.
Remove the lamb from the fridge half an hour before cooking time.
Peel and chop your veg into small chunks and parboil for 5 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200°.
In an ovenproof dish sear the meat on all sides on a high heat.
Drain the vegetables and place in another ovenproof dish with any of the left over herb oil and, if necessary to prevent sticking, a little more olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary leaves.
Place both dishes in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the lamb racks, cover with tin foil and leave them to rest for 10 minutes. Toss the vegetables and return to the oven.
Place the lamb pan on a high heat, add the mint infused wine and stir and scrape until the alcohol has burnt off and the sauce has reduced by at least half.
These times will give you perfect rare lamb and crispy vegetables.
For medium lamb cook for 25 – 30 minutes.
For well done – 40 – 45 minutes, but with lamb this tasty, I wouldn’t do it!
—————
Things are sprouting like crazy on Rodos this week. Bulbs of flowers soon to come are poking their heads through the earth, mint is sprouting almost anywhere you care to look and the first buds are appearing on fruit trees. Despite the tragic demise of my basil bush in the post-xmas temperature drop, I noticed while out scrumping for herbs for the lamb dish, above, that quite a few restaurants in town that are closed for the season have Basil plants outside that have survived the winter thus far.
Basil and Garlic Oil
Βασίλη & Σκόρδο Λάδι (Vasilli kai Skordo Ladi)
(Gluten & Lactose Free)
2 200 ml Sterilised Glass Bottles
400 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Sprigs of Fresh Basil
4 Garlic Cloves, slivered
Divide the basil and garlic between the 2 bottles and fill with best olive oil.
Seal and store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks.
Fabulous on everything from salad to bread and great for marinating both vegetables and meat.
—————
Amy from last week’s blog sent me this on her return to the UK:
“Hello from the cold, wet and miserable England boohoo I need ticket back!”
This inspired me to make a recipe just for all the people shivering in the UK.
Another Marcus Wareing, I have adapted it to ingredients that are available on the island.
Amy, this one’s for you…
Marcus Wareing’s Mum’s Hot Pot
6 tbsp Vegetable Oil, Φυτικό λάδι (Fetiko Ladi)
2 Onions, κρεμμύδια (Kremmedia), finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
200 gr Button Mushrooms, μανιτάρια (Manitaria), quartered
600 gr Best Beef, Βοδινό (Vodino)
Seasoned Plain Flour, Αλεύρι (Alevri) for coating the meat
200 ml Red Wine, Ερυθρό κρασί (Erethro Krasee)
600 ml Hot Beef Stock
4 tbsp Brown Sauce
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Small Bunch of Fresh Thyme, tied with string
2 Bay Leaves, Δάφνη (Dafne)
500 gr Potatoes, peeled and chunked (Wareing uses new potatoes but these are difficult to source here at this time of year and when they can be found are from France and not of the first freshness)
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
For the Pastry:
200 gr Plain white Flour
Pinch of Salt
100 gr Cold Unsalted Butter, Βούτυρο (Voutero) chunked
For the Vinegared Onions:
250 ml Balsamic Vinegar, Ξύδι (Ksedi)
150 ml Red Wine Vinegar ( Wareing uses 400 ml Malt Vinegar which is unavailable on Rodos. I find that my balsamic / red wine vinegar mix gives a slightly sweeter result)
1 Large Onion, finely sliced into rings
Heat the oven to 140°.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a flameproof casserole dish. Add the onions and garlic with a little salt and fry, stirring, until light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add another 2 tbsp of oil and fry the mushrooms in the same way. Add to the onions.
Cut the beef into large chunks and coat in the seasoned flour. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and fry the beef, until well browned all over. Remove and add to the onions and mushrooms. Pour the wine into the casserole dish and scrape the pan to loosen the brown bits. Simmer until a syrupy consistency, then add the stock, sauces, salt and pepper and herbs. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Return the onions, mushrooms and beef to the pan. Cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours, adding the potatoes after 1 hour.
Make your pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter. Slowly mix in 3 tbsp of cold water to make a stiff dough. Wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before using.
Make your onions. Gently warm the vinegar in a pan, tip into a large bowl and stir in the onions ensuring that they are covered by the warm vinegar. Cover and set aside. (The longer the onions sit, the better they taste and these will last for weeks in the fridge.)
Remove the casserole from the oven and cool for about 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 180°.
Roll out the pastry with a little extra flour and cut out a lid a few centimetres bigger than your casserole dish. Discard the herbs from the casserole and check for seasoning. Brush water around the rim of the dish. Place the pastry lid on top, sealing it to the edges and brush all over with water. Pierce a hole in the centre. Return to the oven to cook for 25 – 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving with the onions.
—————
This week I was thrilled to receive two communications with regard to the VLK Blog.
From Amy & Josh in Nottingham:
Oh wow I’ve just read it – with the hugest smile on my face – josh thinks it’s epic ( his words) and licked his lips saying hmm that burger was nice though haha!!
Fab piece of writing Karen I really do think the winter is a good time to visit and I know maybe the island does need a break from the tourist world, perhaps one or two direct flights in the winter would be nice….
Thanks Josh, home made burgers coming your way on your return, promise.
And this from Janet, a previous VLK guest:
“I was thinking about Glutton Free recipes after reading the last food blog, perhaps Karen could write about that sometime? How to manage special diets when on holiday on Rhodes? Food labelling in Greek supermarkets etc…does it exist? With more and more people being tested and diagnosed with coeliac than ever before , and there are other food intolerances such as lactose etc. Just a thought. It is bad enough finding things here in UK and the last time I went to Rhodes I had only just been diagnosed with coeliac and didn’t know what to look for. Love the blogs and I read as soon as you tweet the the latest one is up”
Janet, thanks for the compliment. We touched on this really vital subject at the end of the season in Intolerance and Antagonism – this answers most of your questions. With regard to food labelling in Greece, it is there, but mostly it is in Greek. If you read Greek, fine. If you don’t….
What is great these days is that most proper supermarkets in and around Rhodes Town sell well-labelled, in English, products that make life easier: Gluten Free Pasta, Lactose Free Yogurt, Rice and Soya Products are all readily available. There is also a health food shop on Codrington Avenue that sells other less common products, like Tofu, for example.
And as a result of your message all recipes, as of today, that are either gluten or lactose free or both will be labelled as such.
When eating out never assume that the person serving you will understand your situation. For many people, though not all, working in restaurants during the summer on Rodos, it is a huge shift in thought just getting their heads around vegetarian requirements, so I would advise when eating out that you avoid anything obvious like pasta dishes, and stick to meat, fish and vegetables cooked simply. It has been known that people will say that something is, for example, gluten free, when it is not, just to keep you in their establishment.
More Kalliopi Kitchen blogs CLICK HERE
