Gordon Ramsay
I rediscovered an old friend tonight when snowbound at -8 in Bucks and with 20 cm of snow predicted I happened on the “F Word” on Channel 4. The F stands for Food and this is a programme hosted by the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to find Britain’s best neighbourhood restaurant. The new series celebrates the very best of Britain’s independent local restaurants with the help of nominations from thousands of restaurant goers across the country. So I was astonished to see one of the semi-finalists was Retsina my favourite Greek Restaurant for many years which I thought had closed down!
Retsina is a classic family run Greek restaurant owned by Minas Mina. The restaurant was passed down to him from his parents 12 years ago who thought it was 'about time he did some work'. Mina’s mother, 63 year old Zeta, is still going strong in the kitchen cooking traditional Greek food she learnt from her mother in Crete. You'll find on the menu very old style, classic, Greek food. The ingredients are sourced from Greek suppliers and everything, except for the kebabs, is made in advance including a Souvlaki that takes three hours to cook. The restaurant has been open for three and a half years. Prior to this Retsina was in Primrose Hill for 25 years but it only seated 45 and they wished to expand so had to move.
Owner Minas Mina, left, with his mother Zeta Mina and head waiter Vassos Koutri
I knew Harry & Zeta for many years when they were in Primrose Hill and had many a lovely evening in their original restaurant where we always relaxed and felt it was great value. It got an eclectic mix of customers and was a real neighbourhood treasure with the famous and the lumpen proletariat sharing the space and atmosphere in the small shoulder to shoulder taverna. I remember seeing David Bailey and Kingsley Amis there amongst other well known faces on occasion.
After we moved neighbourhood we visited after a gap and were devastated to see it closed - we felt like we had lost an old friend. I'm sorry they didn't go further in the "F Word" but now we know they have reopened we'll make a beeline to 48-50 Belsize Lane and renew the friendship. It is family business's like Retsina that give the neighbourhoods of London the village feel which makes them worth having and helps to neutralises the awful effects of "Clone Town Britain" which has greatly contributed to the decline of the UK's High Streets and the character of neighbourhoods.
That's why I delighted the F Word has concentrated on Independents, that and the fact it has reawakened an old friendship! I’m sure renewing our acquaintance with Retsina will be like drinking the namesake wine which is aged in barrels coated with pine resin which gives it its distinctive taste – the first bottle is an acquired taste but by the time you get onto the second bottle it is Nectar!
Yammas Retsina! See you soon!
Here are Retsina’s recipes from the F Word semi-final;
Retsina grilled sardines in a herb and tomato sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the sardines:
4 large sardines, gutted and scaled
2 tbsp dried oregano
For the tomato sauce:
1 garlic, clove
30g bunch coriander
60g bunch parsley
Salt to taste
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sweet paprika
200g chopped tomatoes
For the basting oil:
1 tbsp dried oregano
100ml olive oil
1 lemon, juice
To garnish:
150g watercress, washed
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Method: How to make grilled sardines in a herb and tomato sauce
1. For the herb and tomato sauce, heat a large frying with a little olive oil and add all the spices, herbs and garlic over a medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, cook on a medium heat for 6 – 7 minutes and reserve in the pan to keep the sauce warm.
2. Sprinkle each sardine with salt, black pepper, a little olive oil and dried oregano. Place directly onto a griddle pan for 6-8 minutes, basting frequently with the oregano and lemon infused basting oil.
3. Serve the griddled fish with a spoonful of the herb and tomato sauce, watercress and a wedge of lemon.
Grilled meats with tzatziki and tabbouleh
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 lamb cutlets
4 x 35g thin slices of calves’ liver
For the lamb kebabs:
200g cubed lamb leg
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp red pepper puree
1 lemon, juiced
For the chicken kebabs:
200g cubed chicken breast
1 tbsp dried oregano
75g Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp red pepper puree
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 lemon, juiced
For the kebab garnish:
1 red pepper, deseeded, cut into 8 pieces
1 onion, peeled, quartered
4 tomatoes, quartered
For the tabbouleh:
100g bulgur wheat
225ml boiling water
100g bunch flat leaf parsley, picked and coarsely chopped
30g bunch of mint, picked and coarsely chopped
1 medium red onion, finely diced
5 tomatoes, finely diced
For the tzatziki:
1 whole cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and finely diced
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp malt vinegar
2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
25g dried mint
200g Greek yogurt
For garnish:
80g rocket leaves
1 lemon cut into wedges
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Dried oregano
Equipment needed:8 metal skewers
Method: How to make a selection of grilled meats with tzatziki and tabbouleh.
1. For the lamb kebab, place the diced leg meat in a bowl; coat the meat in the red pepper puree, lemon juice and oregano, season with salt and pepper. Place in a clean airtight container and leave to marinate overnight.
2. For the chicken kebabs, place the diced chicken in a bowl and coat with the oregano, Greek yogurt, pepper puree, crushed garlic, lemon juice and a little olive oil, place in clean airtight container and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. Cut the pepper, onion and tomato ready to garnish the marinated chicken and lamb kebab skewers.
4. For the tabbouleh, place the bulgur wheat in a pan and pour on the boiling water, simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on stirring occasionally and, when tender, drain any excess water. Chop the parsley, mint, red onion and tomatoes and add to a large bowl. Once the bulgur wheat has cooled, add to the bowl and mix. Add a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. For the tzatziki, peel the cucumber, cut lengthways and remove seeds, dice the cucumber and sprinkle with the salt and drain in a colander for 15 minutes to allow all the excess juice to be drawn out. Combine the drained cucumber with all the tzatziki ingredients apart from the yogurt and mix in a large bowl; finally add the yogurt and mix, season with salt and black pepper to taste then leave in the fridge until needed.
6. Skewer the chicken and lamb pieces, integrating with the chopped pepper, tomato and onion. Heat a large griddle plate or frying pan with some olive oil and cook the kebabs on one side for a couple of minutes. Baste with a mixture of two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice, a pinch of oregano, salt and pepper before turning and adding the lamb cutlets and cooking for 3-4 minutes, basting again if the meat starts to colour too much.
7. Finally grill the calves liver for about 30 seconds on each side. Check that all the meat is cooked through and serve with a spoon of tzatziki and tabbouleh, some rocket leaves and a wedge of lemon.
Now check out the F Word’s website;
http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/f-word/series-5/index.html
Retsina
Address: 48-50 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5AR Tel: 020 7431 5855
Lunch: Tues-Sat 12-3pm Dinner: Mon-Sat 6-11pm Sunday: all day 12N-11pm
Nearby Tube/Rail stations:
Belsize Park Tube Station, Finchley Road Tube Station, Finchley Road and Frognal Station
http://www.retsina-london.com/
Retsina
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