The Home Book of Greek Cookery

"It’s a simple book of classic Greek food that is very easy to follow. The measurements are in pounds and ounces, which is good for people in the UK. She seems to have got a lot of recipes from the woman who cooked in the house for her. There is a very good egg and lemon soup and a stifado, which is a rich dish of beef with lots and lots of small onions. These are all old Greek recipes. These days they use many more ingredients than they used to and many more herbs and spices. I also think it has changed because of all the cooking programmes on the TV. And, in the old days, many Greek dishes took a long time to make. Nowadays we’ve made short cuts, with the food processor, for example, or ready-made filo, and we tend to use less oil. I suppose tomatoes, garlic, and a lot of oregano. That was the main herb that was used. There were also dishes that combined meat and a special Greek pasta called orzo or kritharaki, which looks like rice. Of course, we followed the seasons more back then, too. I think I prefer cooking the old recipes rather than the new ones. For the last year, I have felt that we’re living in limbo, not knowing how long we’re going to be able to continue to exist normally. So many people are jobless, homeless, desperate, and most of us are gripped by worry. But with this beautiful spring and summer weather, it’s hard to feel so depressed. I noticed today, the day after our second elections, that there was quite a palpable feeling of relief in the air. I’ve just come from the organic farmers’ market and it was absolutely packed. There is such bounty there, you would never think we were having a crisis. In the morning I went to a supermarket and people were shopping casually, not stuffing their carts with staples in a panic. I think we’re feeling relieved because we feel we’ve bought a little time. I don’t think anyone particularly likes the New Democracy candidate who won a tiny majority but we feel as though the left candidate [from the Syriza party] isn’t quite ready to take over yet. He is 37 years old with no experience! But, generally speaking, you see people being a lot more economical, at least the people we know. We eat out less and buy fewer luxury foods. Yes, they probably cook even more lentils, beans and chickpeas than usual and not as much meat and fish. In the past Greek housewives were incredibly imaginative about making food go further – using small amounts of meat with rice, pasta, and all those vegetables. Until the 1980s, Greeks didn’t eat very much meat at all and they were a lot healthier. Now they’ve forgotten the “Mediterranean diet” they were practising without knowing it, but I’m sure all the good traditions of the past will start flooding back. I think it could be an upside as long as we have our olive oil, which makes everything tasty. Cucina povera , Greek-style, is so delicious it won’t be a hardship. The Ionian Islands were the obvious place to begin our careers as food writers because we knew more about them than any of the other Greek regions. I was writing guidebooks about them but June was the one with the recipes. Her husband is from Zakynthos and that was her introduction to Greek cooking. I think that Ionian cuisine uses much more garlic than the other Greek regions – that is one of the main things. And also they use a lot of cheese in unusual ways – in stews and stuffings. In Zakynthos there’s a cheese that is preserved in olive oil and their “national dish” is a beef stew with bits of cheese in it. Contrary to the mainland, pies aren’t part of the traditional food. And the islands also have quite a few “English” puddings, left over from when the islands were a British protectorate in the 19th century. When it was published in 1995, it was the first cookbook dedicated to the Ionian Islands in any language. The year after, it was translated into Greek, which made us very proud. We republished it in paperback in 2000 with a Corfiot publisher and then it went out of print. Recently IB Tauris, a British firm, found me on Facebook and got in touch with us about republishing it again. It seems somebody in their office had been to Corfu and came back with Prospero’s Kitchen and they loved it. I think its popularity probably stems from the fact that it’s not just a collection of recipes – it’s filled with stories, a bit of history, traditions and personalities that make it a book that’s fun to read as well as rewarding to cook from. One major difference is that the Ionian Islands were never under the domination of the Turks and the Ottomans. In fact, there is an Italian influence because the Venetians were there for 400 years. Of course, this was before pasta and pizza and you have dishes, like sofrito [veal in a white wine sauce], for example, that sound Italian but are not at all the same. In addition to a general influence, each of the islands developed their own special dishes, so, for example, in Corfu you find these wonderful fish stews called bourdettos or a rich pasta casserole called pastitsada with meat or chicken. And Corfu is unusual in that they use hot pepper, which is not found in the rest of Greece, except in Macedonia and Thrace. Also they’re very fond of parsley and, as June said, garlic. I think probably the Ionian people like garlic better than any other Greeks."