Recipes From Crete

Live Longer and Stay Healthy by Eating Like a Cretan
By Graham Yates

If you want to live longer you should follow the diet of the people on the Greek Island of Crete.

The Cretan Diet is famous -- and some say miraculous! It is highly nutritious and has been shown to extend life and prevent many of the modern western diseases related to unhealthy eating habits, which shorten the lives of millions of people every year.

It is now increasingly important to find a diet, or away of eating, that helps people reduce weight and improve overall health -- without actually dieting, or diminishing the pleasure we get from eating food.

Fortunately, there is a way of eating that is healthy, natural, tasty - and proven to prolong life!

The traditional Cretan Diet

The Cretan diet is both simple and wholesome. It features:

• Fresh local fruits and vegetables (plenty!)



• Beans, pulses and grains



• Olive oil as the principal fat



• A little wine!



• Herbal teas like Greek mountain tea



• Honey and yoghurt



• Occasional lean red meat



• Occasional fish and poultry.



• moderate dairy

What's the secret?

Natural, local produce are key features of the Cretan Diet. Some things might surprise you though!

In the traditional Crete Diet almost three times more fat is consumed than what the average American eats! However, the Cretan consumes only olive oil, most neither boiled nor fried.

Olive oil is a very special food, and is a key factor in maintaining good health and preventing illnesses. Unlike other oils and fats, olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, highly resistant to oxidation. Olive oil is uniquely packed with anti-oxidative agents, which bond with toxic free radicals creating a natural defense against many cancers.

Now is the time to throw away all your other types of cooking oils!

Another surprise is bread. A Cretan will eat three times more bread than their American counterpart. But they mainly eat wholemeal unprocessed bread.

Meat and fish play only a small part in the traditional Cretan diet, grilled not fried. The main staples of the diet are fruit, beans, pulses and vegetables.

This is slow food, prepared with fresh, local ingredients. Recipes are kept simple, with wild herbs adding flavour.

Last but not least is the liquid accompaniment -- wine. The benefits of red wine in moderation are well documented, and the Cretan diet gives a thumbs-up to this! At least one (but more often two!) glasses of wine will accompany the meal.

All in all it sounds like a wonderful diet, plenty of bread, olive oil with everything -- and a glass of wine or two with every meal!

How to eat like a Cretan

These are the basic rules for the Cretan Diet:

• Replace your fats and oils with olive oil for frying and dressings



• Drink only a moderate amount of alcohol (preferably wine)



• Eat plenty of fresh fruit and limit sugar and saturated fat



• Include lots of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds



• Eat low to moderate amounts of cheese and yoghurt daily



• Consume low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry weekly



• Include red meat rarely, perhaps just once a week

Simple fresh food locally produced

A major feature of the Cretan Diet is its simplicity. There are no difficult combinations or strange exotic ingredients. All you need is a basic store cupboard of ingredients and then simply get in what you need for each individual recipe.

Always try to get local produce, in season. This is the tastiest and the healthiest of foods. Produce that has travelled round the world in refrigerated containers always loses some of its nutrition and taste.

It's not natural to eat non-local food.

Graham Yates is a writer and traveller from the UK. He now lives with his wife Alison on the Greek Island of Crete. Both like to share their insider knowledge and experience about Greece and her islands with others, by publishing articles and websites.

To learn more about the Cretan Diet and how it can help you live a longer, healthier life, together with recipes you can try, visit http://www.completely-crete.com/.

An independent insider's guide to Greek island life.

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How to Make an Authentic Greek Salad
By Graham Yates

The Greek salad is the quintessential Greek lunch enjoyed sitting in the sun at gingham laid tables overlooking the turquoise waters of the warm Mediterranean Sea. It evokes the senses: pleasant memories of warm sunshine, fresh herbs, tasty tomatoes and cheeky but handsome waiters.

Greek food is renowned for its simplicity, and the authentic Greek salad is no exception. It is simple to prepare, using simple fresh ingredients. But how can you recreate the authentic Greek salad when you are back home? It's worth doing, because this simple dish is tasty, healthy, and evokes those memories of vacations by the sea. But it's important to get it right.

So let's do it!

To be as authentic as possible, it is important to try and use the freshest, tastiest ingredients just like the Greeks would do. The problem is, many of the ingredients we have available are forced-grown, and often inorganically grown. This affects the quality and also the taste. Many restaurant owners in the resorts in Greece are farmers too (or their cousin Kostas is.) The ingredients they use would often be picked that day from their own farms, organically grown and nurtured by Nature.

The best we can do in our home country, is try and get fresh local ingredients from local shops who advertise local produce, or genuine farmers' markets -- or grow our own! However, the one thing we must accept is that the prime ingredient, Feta cheese, must come from Greece itself -- because if it doesn't, it isn't Feta.

Ingredients

½ red onion
½ a long cucumber
1 red and 1 green pepper (capsicums)
1-2 big soft red tomatoes
A big rectangular slab of Feta Cheese
Extra Virgin olive oil
Oregano
Salt and Pepper
Lemon juice (if desired)

Some local variations include capers (Santorini), and a softer, less salty cream cheese instead of feta (Crete).

Method

This is a salad remember, so it's not complicated. But here a few tips.

Take the ingredients (except the feta) out of the fridge about 1 hour before you make up the salad. Salad vegetables always taste better when not fridge cold, especially tomatoes.

Use local, organic produce for the best taste.

Use extra virgin olive oil, again for the taste.

The Greeks generally peel the cucumber, so why not do the same?

Chop the vegetables into fairly decent-sized chunks and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with plenty of olive oil, and a little lemon juice if you want to.

Pop the slab of feta on the top and drizzle with more oil, then sprinkle with oregano.

Have a good chunk of granary bread handy, because there'll be some lovely olive-oily juice at the bottom when you finish.

A soft, light white wine goes well with this authentic Greek Salad!

Graham Yates wrote this article.

To learn more about Greek and Cretan food visit http://www.completely-crete.com/

If you want to lose weight and still eat lovely food like the Greeks, visit: http://www.the-cretan-bowl-diet.com/

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Autumn - Time to Dust Off Your Clay Baker
By Marjorie Cross

This information is for anyone pondering whether or not to purchase a Romertoph Clay Baker or who already has a Clay Baker. When my mom died several years ago, myself being one of four girls we had the pleasure of going through my mothers well equipped kitchen. My mother was a wonderful chef and baker so to say the least she did not skimp when it came to her passion. Two of my beautiful sisters did not inherit the same passion for cooking that my mother had, but two of us did. My mothers first born and myself love to be in our kitchens, so being able to pick and choose through the array of items was quite a treat. Long story short that is how I came about my Romertoph Clay Baker. Aside from the baker being decorated beautifully I could tell it was well used by my mother.

From my personal experience these vessels are a cooks magic pot they always guarantee your results for a delicious meal. This single casserole dish can be used as a soup kettle, poultry and beef roaster, a stew pot, a vegetable steamer, a deep dish pie baker or cobbler maker. This magical vessel is even your own little brick oven to make the crustiest bread you have ever eaten.

The big difference between lets say our Cast Iron Casserole and a Clay baker, is that the clay baker is unglazed therefore making it very porous. That brings us to the reason for soaking the Clay Baker before use. Soaking the baker lets the clay draw up as much moisture as possible and then distribute it over the cooking time of the dish. I place my Clay Baker in a clean kitchen sink and fill with room temperature water until it is completely covering the vessel. Let it soak for 15 minutes, Now you are ready to work some magic.

You always start with a cold oven this is very important, because if you place the Clay Baker in a preheated oven the sudden temperature change could possibly crack it. Most of the recipes you will find use a very hot oven of 400 degrees, this heats the water the baker has absorbed and starts the steaming process. The clay baker is covered throughout most of the baking times keeping all the moisture and flavor inside the baker.

Unlike using some roasting pans or dutch ovens you do not have to seer or brown your meat before placing it in the clay baker. The browning capabilities of your clay baker will amaze you. It can be used either in a conventional oven or in your microwave, but never place on top of the stove burner.

After using your clay baker let it come back to room temperature before washing it. Never place it in your dishwasher as harsh dishwasher detergents can be absorbed and affect the flavor of your food. Wash your clay baker in warm water using only a few drops of dish washing liquid. Let is soak a few minutes to loosen the dirt, if you have tough food particles still too stubborn let the baker soak overnight with one to two teaspoons of baking soda. Never use a soap filled scouring pad or sharp object to clean your baker. When I inherited my clay baker it was already discolored from use but I knew this only adds to the attractiveness. If unlike me you don't like the discoloring effect you can line your baker with parchment paper this also will help if you are cooking something with a very pungent odor such as Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic, and then you want to make a blueberry pie in it. Over time these odors will fade and will not effect the taste of your food unless you make one savory pungent dish and then the next day make something sweet...then the flavors may blend. My favorite recipe is Wedding Chicken from Crete, it has come out delicious every time I make it.

The last information I have for you is to store your baker with the top inside the bottom I put a piece of paper towel between. Store it in a cool dry place as if it is kept where there is any moisture you may have some mold growth. Don't worry this is washable and will not harm your baker at all. Also, if you do happen to get a crack or small broken piece you can repair it with some heat resistant silicone glue.

I highly recommend you trying one of these wonderful Romertoph bakers for yourself, and experience the magic of the Clay Pot!

Marjorie Cross

Owner

Small Town Kitchen

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