Spring is the "Asparagus season"...

Spring is the season of the fresh Asparagus and what a better white wine to accompany the various asparagus recipes, than a fresh & aromatic Greek Moschofilero.

Try this recipe below which goes perfectly with Moschofilero Lafazanis (www.lafazanis.gr)

Asparagus and Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:



1 pound pasta


8 asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch pieces


1 tablespoon olive oil


4 4-ounce skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips


1 teaspoon dried basil


½ teaspoon salt


½ teaspoon black pepper


¼ cup white wine


½ cup hard yellow cheese


Directions:


1.Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water according to package directions, 9 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.


2.Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring. Add asparagus and basil and cook until softened, 3 minutes.

3.Add salt, pepper, and wine; bring to a boil over high heat, reduce, and simmer until liquid is almost gone and chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.

4.Add reserved pasta and cheese to skillet; toss to coat and serve immediately

for more info on Lafazanis Wines please contact us at : dseitanidis@gmail.com

PINK...SPRING by Chateau Nico Lazaridi

Spring is already here...and what a better way to celebrate its arrival than the newly released Chateau Nico Lazaridi Rose 2010 dressed up with a brand new label,  a masterpiece of  the famous Greek painter Ianni Nikou. 

ROSÉ NICO LAZARIDI

Protected Geographical Indication Drama

• Dry Rosè Wine
• Varieties: Grenache Rouge 100%.
• Vineyards: Agora, Pigadia, Adriani.
• Cultivation: Linear planting in north-south orientation at altitudes of around 225 m yields the superb fruit from which this wine is made.
• Harvest: Early September.
• Vinification Method: Classic rosé vinification at low temperature 12-14ο C
• Characteristics: Clear, rose color with violet hues. Aromas of ripe red fruits with hints of rose. Freshness and vividness in the mouth with delicious, juicy fruit. Gentle with a long aftertaste of caramel.
• Aging – Storage: Will respond to aging for up to 2-3 years after harvest.
• Perfect Pairing: Serve chilled at 10ο C, with Mediterranean cuisine’s grilled meats and selected varieties of cheeses and appetisers.

Warmest Wishes for a Happy Easter!!

Greek Easter Feast - Whole lamb on a spit (Greek style)

Having already received many of your messages congratulating us for the Magiritsa recipe as well as asking for info on other traditional  Greek Easter recipes, we were "obliged'' to present the notorious OVELIAS "Whole lamb on a spit" (Greek style) & my favorite "KOKORETSI", in an effort to initiate our friends worldwide to the Greek customs & life style!!

Enjoy!!

OVELIAS - Whole lamb on a spit (Greek style)

Materials:

• 1 lamb at around 10 to 12 pounds

To rub the lamb:

• 1 / 2 cup oregano

• 1 / 4 cup salt

• 1 / 8 cup black pepper

Wash the lamb and then sprinkle the inside out with this mixture. Following is a twinge. The skewer will pass from the back through the cavity of the trunk and out of the head. By wire to tie the forelegs and hind legs. Intermediate tied to two or three points on the backbone of the spit to avoid the broken lamp in the shooting. The belly does not need to be stitched because it serves something.

Cooking the lamb will take around 5 to 6 hours depending on the size of the lamb and spit initially be placed on the highest point of the grill and then turn a fast pace, so as not to grab and cooked through. Will gradually be lowered, since the charcoal will digest. At times of course the barbecue will be supplied with coals. If during this time the flame is lit you can turn it off by throwing salt on the coals. During cooking the lamb will regularly washed with a brush with lemon and oregano until crisp.

Ovelias is a perfect match to a robust NEMEA -12 - LAFAZANIS, a NAOUSSA XINOMAVRO - ESTATE CHRISOHOOU or a NICO LAZARIDI MERLOT ; some of you though, may find Retsina as an interesting match, too!

Kokoretsi

Materials:

• 2 pluck with the spleen, heart, lungs and sweetbreads

• 2 diapers or bowl or caul

• 2 pounds lamb enterakia

• Oregano

• Salt

• Pepper



For the wetting of the lamb and intestines:

• 1 cup olive oil

• ½ cup lemon juice

• 2 to 3 teaspoons oregano

After the wash and pluck the rest and drain will not cut very large pieces and the seasoning and put them and oregano. We put them on the spit alternately, liver, spleen, lung, heart, sweetbreads, and where and we'll track and no diaper. After we finish we will wrap the diaper is great but if the diaper you will not go twice to not have much fat.

We take you to the edge of the bowel and secured to one end of the spit and then bring along to the other side and again the same procedure to make a mesh casing along. Then we will continue to wrap around it by trying to hide kokoretsi the inside. Once wrapped around the intestines would cover it with towels are not exposed and the spit will place somewhere upright all night.

The cooking time depends on the heat and the thickness of the intestines. For intestines with a diameter of about 10 cm would need around 4 hours. Like the lamb on the spit so the intestines should be placed first on high not to burn from the outside and when it is cooked from the inside then slowly lowered it down to crisp. I'll Spread and this in itself will Spread lemon lamb.

KALO PASCHA ( HAPPY EASTER )!!

Happy Easter with a traditional Greek recipe, the classic Magiritsa Easter Lamp soup



         



         Magiritsa is traditionally made with the parts of the lamb not used for spit-roasting. Remember that Greek Easter lambs are very small, about 24 pounds. In the classic recipe, all the innards--heart, lungs, and so forth--go into the pot, but they do not really contribute to taste.

         The flavor of the stock comes from the boiled head and neck, and the soup gets its distinctive taste from scallions, fresh dill, and egg-and-lemon sauce. There are lots of different magiritsa recipes. A friend described to me the one her family prepared in Halki, a small island in the Dodecanese. In her family's version, no innards are used because, on Halki as on all the Dodecanese islands, people do not roast the lamb on a spit, but slow roast it in a wood-burning oven, stuffing the cavity with rice and chopped innards.

In Halki's magiritsa, many lamb's heads were boiled to make a very tasty stock. The heads were not boned, but as they cooked for many hours, even the bones softened. Each member of the family got one head and ate it with the broth. No scallions or dill were added to that unusual magiritsa.

Serves 6 to 8.

• Head, neck, some intestines, and liver of a young lamb, or 3 pounds lamb bones (see variation)

• 2 large onions, halved

• Sea salt

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 2 cups finely chopped scallions

• 1 small chili pepper, minced, or freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh dill

• 2 eggs

• Juice of 1 1/2 - 2 lemons

 

       Wash the lamb head and neck thoroughly and place in a pot with the onions. Cover with cold water, season with salt, and simmer for about 1 hour, skimming the surface several times to remove the accumulated froth.

       Cut the intestines into several pieces and wash thoroughly under running water. If you like, slice them open so you can wash them more easily. In a separate pan, bring some salted water to a boil and add the intestines. Blanch for 2 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and discard the water. Chop the intestines finely. You don't need more than 1 cup of chopped intestines.

       The head and neck are done when the meat falls from the bones. Remove from the pot. Using a sharp knife, cut open the head and separate the meat from the bones. Remove the meat from the neck and cut all the meat into small pieces. Strain the stock and discard the onions. Let the stock cool and remove the fat. (Up to this point, the preparations can be made a day ahead. Refrigerate the meat and the stock, making it easier to skim off the congealed fat.)

        To finish the soup, wash the liver well and cut it into small cubes. In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the liver with the scallions and chili pepper, if using. Add the finely chopped meat and intestines, together with 1 cup of the dill, and turn a few times with a wooden spoon. Transfer the mixture to a pot and add the skimmed stock plus an equal amount of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add more pepper and salt if needed.

      Beat the eggs in a large bowl with about 2 spoonfuls of water and the juice of 1 lemon. Slowly add cupfuls of the hot soup to the bowl, beating continuously with the whisk. When the egg mixture is very hot, pour it slowly into the pot, over very low heat, stirring well to prevent curdling. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed, sprinkle with the rest of the dill, and serve immediately.

This delicious & nutricious soup  perfeclty matches with Lafazanis Chardonnay (Single Vineyard), Estate Chrisohoou Aspo apo Mavro (Xinomavro Blanc de Noir) or even a young red (Agiorgitiko Lafazanis) & a smooth Rapsani Chrisohoou!!

Kalo Pascha (Happy Easter) to all !!!

Recipe by : Aglaia Kremezi (writes about food in Greek, European, and American magazines, publishes books about Mediterranean cooking in the U.S. and Greece, and teaches cooking classes)

RETSINA - A UNIQUE TRADITIONAL GREEK WINE

RETSINA

Retsina  is a traditional white - or sometimes rosé -  wine that has been made in Greece for at least 2000 years. Its unique & distinctive flavor is said to have its  origins from the ancient practice of sealing the wine vessels (amphorae), with  pine resin to avoid destroying them  by being in contact with  oxygen. The pine resin was keeping the air out of the vessel, while at the same time was "infusing" the wine with its distinctive aromas and taste. Later on,  the Romans started to use barrels for the fermentation & maturation of the wines removing any need of sealing the vessels with resin, yet the flavor of Retsina itself became so popular among the nations in the  Mediterranean Basin, making it a beloved type of wine and a traditional Greek product  well known all over the world, even today!

Retsina is usually made of various local grape varieties but the best is considered that of Savatiano, as well as of Roditis grapes.

Retsina was - and still is -  one of the top selling wines within Greece and one of the top exported Greek wines - despite the "ruthless war" against it mostly by some "late" fans of  "imported traditions" - and it is no coincidence that people from around the world enjoy it not only when in Greece for holidays, but also at home or in the numerous Greek restaurants.

Enjoy Retsina, wherever you find it, always chilled and  in small glasses, accompanied by any kind of appetizers (tapas or mezedes)!!

Yamas!! (Cheers)

For any further info, please feel free to write at : dseitanidis@gmail.com

A real Greek recipe for our Dutch friends who asked for it...the notorious STIFADO

STIFADO is one of the "Classic" Greek dishes not only in most of the Greek restaurants around the world but also is one of the beloved every day meals of the Greek families;

Enjoy it in its Dutch version accompanied by an excellent dry red wine from the slopes of Mount Olympus, Rapsani Chrisohoou 2008.