Greek gathering

One of the fondest memories I have is from the time when Jeanne d'Arc Living had the farm "Tingdalgaard" - we renovated it and the readers could follow the project in the magazine. Subsequently, we used the place as a location for countless photoshoots. The kitchen in particular was a place I simply loved to be. There was a magical atmosphere in that room. The article here was a "Menu of the Month" which was about good Greek recipes. Food that makes me long for lazy days on the Greek islands.

We have tried to create the atmosphere of a cozy Greek tavern in the kitchen. We have of course done this in the form of the menu, which is composed of traditional Greek dishes. But the table setting should also bring thoughts to the southern, Greek skies. The blue/turquoise color is one of the colors we all associate with Greece, so of course it has to be included. Small turquoise glasses for tealights in different heights and shapes, turquoise ribbons around the napkins, together with harbingers of spring in blue colors, help to complete the atmosphere. Along the length of the table we have placed lots of ivy anchors. In between, we have put small bouquets of pearl hyacinths, forget-me-nots and hydrangea in small bottles mixed with the tealight holders. It's both easy, cheap and exactly as unpretentious as we think it should be when we think of Greece. Rustic clay plates and coarse linen napkins are perfect for this.

 Meze

Meze is a Greek tradition of serving different small dishes. You can call it a Greek version of Tapas. Served correctly, it should "stimulate spirit, sociability and camaraderie and should be consumed in festive layers with music, song and poetic quotations", which sounds really nice. Our "meze" consists of toasted bread with goat's cheese and Serrano ham, roasted in the oven. You can get the recipe here. In addition, a good hummus, blended from a can of chickpeas, 1 clove of garlic and 1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt, ½ dl of good olive oil, ½ tablespoon of tahini and a little lemon juice. 4 pieces Portobello mushrooms are filled with creamy cream cheese mixed with sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. This time we bought the olives, stuffed small peppers, tapenade and pesto ready-made. However, you can get a fantastically good and really easy recipe for homemade green pesto right here. It is all served in portions, like an appetizer. A cool rose wine is served with this. MASSIMO RIVETTI, ROSATO VIARIVETTI22, Langhe DOC, Piedmont, Italy. The wine is a strong rosé wine with an acid level in perfect balance. Beautiful and clear in the glass, with fine aromas of strawberries, cherries and flowers.

 The main course consists of various Greek dishes, served as a buffet.

 Greek meatballs

250 g minced beef or lamb, 1 egg, ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, 1 clove of garlic, 50 g crumbled feta cheese, ½ onion.  

Finely chop the onion and garlic, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form small meatballs which are fried in a pan with a little butter or in the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes until they are cooked through.

Tzatziki

1/4 l Greek yogurt, 10%, 1 crushed clove of garlic, freshly ground pepper, 1 cucumber, 1 tsp. coarse salt. Mix yogurt with garlic and pepper. Place the mixture, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Meanwhile, peel the cucumbers. Halve them and remove the cores. Cut the cucumbers into thin slices or grate them on a grater and sprinkle with salt. Put them in a strainer for a few hours so the water can drain. Dry the cucumber slices lightly in a tea towel and fold them into the yogurt mixture.           

 Greek potatoes

500 g potatoes, fresh thyme, 100 g feta cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 dl oil, salt and lemon pepper. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Put them in a bag together with lemon, oil, salt and pepper and shake the bag well before distributing them in an ovenproof dish. Bake them in the oven for 1/2 hour at 180 degrees. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top and bake them for another ten minutes.

  Slovacki

300 cubed lamb or pork, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, 4 wooden skewers. Stir the meat well with melted butter, lemon zest, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Distribute the meat on wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for 20 minutes. Grill the skewers on all sides.

  Baked tomatoes

Cut the tops off 4 - 6 tomatoes. Drizzle with good olive oil, a little salt and sugar and thyme. Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about 20 minutes together with the potatoes.

              Baked aubergines

2 aubergines, ½ tsp. coarse salt, 10 g butter, 1/2 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon tomato puree, 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes, ½ stock cube, 1 tablespoon butter, 50 g grated cheese. Cut the aubergines into 1 cm thick slices and place them on a piece of paper towel. Sprinkle salt over. Chop the onion and garlic and sauté in a little butter. Dry the aubergine slices and fry them for 1 minute on each side. Divide the slices into small molds. Cook tomato sauce from chopped tomatoes, puree, bouillon and season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the aubergine and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. 

 Greek salad

Choose a good crisp salad, for example romaine lettuce for your Greek salad. Add half small tomatoes, slices of cucumber, possibly without seeds, red onion, feta cheese and olives. Shake a marinade of good olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pour over the salad.

 For the buffet we served DOMAINE LA JANASSE, COTES DU RHONE, Chateneuf du Pape, France. The wine has an intense and inviting aroma of crushed red berries, pepper and a hint of licorice.