Recipes from Sifnos island…a taste of Greece - colors and aromas from the Cyclades
Holidays in Sifnos are not only implying a cosmopolitan break and bathing in superb beaches. The island offers numerous opportunities for an unforgettable and very tasteful voyage that will constitute a very good reason to return for more, again and again. Abundant choice from delicious appetizers to elaborate main courses, all you have to do is select the eatery that suits you best and indulge in rich but simplistic local recipes. Chickpeas soup, fried chickpeas balls, the famous dish of “mastelo” lamb, honey pie, baked almond cookies, caper salad and many more sweet ad savory tastes that cover even the most demanding of us. The best place to begin your voyage in the gastronomy of Sifnos is at the restaurant of Verina Suites where you will have already made your accommodation arrangements. Enjoy an inspirational menu next to the swimming pool and pair your meal with an exquisite bottle of wine from a plethora of regional labels.
Here are two local recipes from the island of Sifnos that will further whet your appetite.
Even if your first go is not as good as you would have expected, it is really worthy to try again following the instructions carefully! Attention to detail is important.
Good luck and bon appetit…
“Mastelo” the Sifnos way
INGREDIENTS: 5-6 kg of lamb cut into portions – red wine – thinly-cut dill – salt – pepper – aluminum foil for baking in the oven – thin wooden sticks from grape tree.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse meat with red wine. Add salt, pepper and dill all over. Lay the thin wooden sticks from grape tree on the special cooking pot that does not have a top. Place over the sticks the lamb portions. Pour 1 ½ - 2 glasses of red wine over the meat. Cover the cooking pot with aluminum foil and before placing in a traditional wood stove make several small holes on the foil with the use of a fork or a knife. Bake in a low temperature for at least 4 ½ to 5 hours!
TIP: For baking in an electric oven, an hour will suffice at 200 degrees Celsius and then at 120 degrees until ready. In this case we use greaseproof paper instead of foil and we do not have to make holes.
Chickpea soup the Sifnos way
INGREDIENTS: 1 kg of chickpeas – 1 spoonfull of cooking soda – ¾ of a kg thin sliced onions – ¾ of a drinking glass olive oil – salt – pepper – water – fresh lemon (just before serving the soup)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Leave the chickpeas in water overnight. Add the cooking soda in the morning and leave them for a further half hour. Rinse very well and place them in a clay cooking pot. Add the thin sliced onions, the olive oil, salt, pepper and water until it covers the chickpeas. Cover pot with its top and place it in a wooden stove in low heat for as many as 6 hours!
TIP: Use bottled water in rinsing and in cooking the chickpeas. You can also bake your mixture in an electric oven, again for 6 hours and at 150 degrees Celsius.
