Oil of the Gods

You all know the feeling. You come back from abroad and want to recreate, say, the lovely Greek Salad you had whilst staring at the blue Aegean or Ionian Sea from your harbour side perch. So you get it all together and the end result looks OK but tastes nothing like the original. Partly that’s because in Greece the veggies etc.; have grown in wonderful sunshine and been freshly picked that day. But partly it is the artisan quality of the very good olive oil and the feta cheese which has been waiting in its barrel of brine just for this moment of glory.

In Greece as Homer attests you find really good olive oil, particularly from Crete and the Northern Peloponnese. Olive oil plays an extremely important role in the Greek economy, as it represents 11 percent of the total agriculture production in terms of value. In 2009, a total volume of 370,000 tons counted for 0.3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), whereas in Spain was 0.2 percent and in Italy 0.1 percent. Greece excels in terms of quality, since approximately 75 percent of the Greek olive oil is extra virgin, in contrast with 45 percent in Italy and 30 percent in Spain (mainly due to the special morphology of the country). Greece has been producing and trading premium quality olive oil for more than 3,000 years. Ever since, the Greeks have treasured olive oil's culinary and health values. Today, Greece is the world's largest producer of premium quality extra virgin olive oil – this is basically olive oil which should be tasted, in dips, salads and signature dishes, not used for frying.

However this really good Greek olive oil has been hard to get here which is why I was delighted to meet Christos Oikonomou, the founder & owner of Narrow Leaf Organic Olive Oil at a recent London Bloggers meeting. His vision is to introduce an exclusive and rare Greek olive oil to the wider market. Narrow Leaf is a single variety premium olive oil from the rare Patrinia tree, found only in a small corner of the Greek mainland. A group of small olive oil farmers who are members of the Local Agricultural Cooperative of Aigio have joined forces to provide this sustainably farmed, single variety organic olive oil.

The Patrinia breed can be found in blended olive oils but because of the demanding cultivation and care the tree requires, limited amounts means it has never been used on its own, until now. Patrinia is a rare olive tree which is only found in the Achaia region in northern Peloponnese. The Patrinia olive ripens in November and December and produces rich, premium quality olive oil. The tree's defining characteristic is its small, narrow leaf.

Narrow Leaf bottling plant. This artisan oil is cold pressed,
organic and with no additives

The area's microclimate and rocky, limestone soil, defines Narrow Leaf's aroma. Handpicked olives and cold extraction are vital for locking in the luscious flavours, ensuring low acidity. The low acidity of 0.2%, its fruity flavour with notes of freshly cut grass make it ideal for dressing salads, grilled and boiled fish, shellfish, vegetables and pasta. For an Olive Oil with real flavour and made the traditional way with love give Narrow Leaf a try and say goodbye to the bland and hello to real Greek flavour.

Narrow Leaf is £10.99 and comes in an elegant 500ml glass bottle. Buy online now at 

www.thenarrowleaf.com

UK and Northern Ireland deliveries only.

Narrow Leaf are also on Facebook;

www.facebook.com/narrowleaf

GREEK SALAD

So now you want to see the difference real olive oil makes to Greek Salad, here is the recipe. Greek salad, or horiatiki, is a rough country salad of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, sliced red onion, green pepper, crumbly feta cheese and plump kalamata olives. Serve this delightful combination as a side dish or as a light meal with some crusty bread. Tomatoes, red onion and cucumbers are dressed with good olive oil and finished with feta cheese.

Ingredients

3 large ripe tomatoes cut into medium pieces or wedges

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 tablespoons Narrow Leaf premium organic Extra Virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

3/4 (200g) pack feta cheese

A handful of black Greek olives, pitted if desired

Preparation method

In a shallow salad bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Sprinkle with salt to taste and let sit for a few minutes so that the salt can draw out the natural juices from the tomato and cucumber. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with oregano, and pepper to taste. Place a generous slice of feta cheese and olives over salad. Serve.

Tips:

Letting the salted tomatoes and cucumbers sit for a while before adding any oil is essential to a good Greek salad. The natural acidic juices from the tomato combine with the olive oil to make a delicious dressing, with no need for vinegar or lemon juice. Crusty bread is also a must so you can mop up every last bit of juice!

Whereas most recipes seem to suggest crumbled feta cheese on the Greek islands they generally put a slab of cheese on top and leave you to break it up, it is a better visual presentation. Avoid the bland “Danish” feta’s in the supermarkets and try to get proper Greek or Cypriot Feta. In Greece a Large feta was bought in the autumn and kept in a barrel of brine over the winter for use in the spring / summer. As the year goes on the cheese gets stronger and better!

For more on Greece and Greek Cuisine see “REAL GREEK” in the Blog sidebar >>>>>>>>>

For more on food and cuisine see “FOOD BLOGS” in the Blog sidebar >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

For real food in Greece see; “A lunch in Kalymnos”

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/lunch-in-kalymnos.html

The Greek olive harvest takes place in November and December

Kos; a Tale of two restaurants

Kos Town

Seasoned travellers know that to get under the skin of a place you need to seek out true local restaurants for food and produce are always integral to culture. This is especially true on the ancient and storied Island of Kos which like many other Greek Islands originally went for mass tourism as a catalyst to alleviate the poverty and stagnation which blighted Greece in the 1960’s. So in Kos Town avoid the strip of restaurants by the harbour with multi-lingual tourist menus. There is nothing too wrong with them but they are a form of culinary wallpaper which you can hardly describe as “Real Greek”. Instead follow me to two exceptional restaurants which give an insight into the diversity and culture of this special place which was the crossroads of the Greek, Roman and Crusader world.


Platani - 4 km outside Kos Town

To do this we first go 4 km outside Kos Town where we find ourselves (and you may be surprised by this) in a Turkish village. Kos at one time had a large Turkish minority but with the tensions over Cyprus, many have left the island. About 50 Muslim families remain on Kos and they mostly reside in Platani along with a Greek minority. Everyone seems to get along just fine but the good news is the Turkish restaurants that await visitors.



At Platani on the way to the Asklepion of Kos there are still Turkish villages with the restaurants reputed to have the best food on the island. Also on the way to Platani you can see the old Jewish and Muslim cemeteries side by side. Platani’s older domestic architecture is similar to styles in Crete from where some of the village’s inhabitants came between 1898 and 1913. There is a working Ottoman fountain near the crossroads and several excellent Turkish tavernas; Arap, Asklipios, Sherif and Gin’s Palace. This is a good place just 3 miles outside Kos Town to come in the evening to enjoy the cooler air, savour the village atmosphere and enjoy Turkish food in Greece.



They all offer Anatolian-style mezedhes and kebabs and enjoy a reputation, including among the Greeks, as the best eateries on the island. We dined at Arap where all the vegetables are grown on the owners land and the meats sourced on the island. We enjoyed an excellent meal with our Greek friends who are regulars here. I expressed my surprise to Yasar, the owner that the menu included a pork chop but he said there was not necessarily a strict interpretation on this before saying he had to earn a living! Yasar Memis, the owner, is always there and in the Greek and Ottoman tradition you are welcome to go into the open and scrupulously clean kitchen to inspect the produce.



The food here is a mix of Greek and Turkish and the spirit of this unpretentious family restaurant is contagious. Whatever you order from the extensive menu, it's impossible for you to choose wrongly. Although there are many meat dishes, vegetarians will have a feast. The roasted red peppers stuffed with feta and the zucchini flowers stuffed with rice are splendid, as is the bourekakia (a kind of fried pastry roll stuffed with cheese). Afterward, you can walk across the street for the best homemade ice cream on Kos.

All of the restaurants here are good with the patrons’ mainly Greek locals who appreciate the quality of the Turkish cuisine as well as the distinct atmosphere of this place which until 1964 was most commonly known as Kermetes (Germe in Turkish). The Turkish community had its own primary school but in the wake of the Cyprus crises of that year the village was given a Greek name and education provided in Greek only. Now things are more relaxed and I can only hope this special part of the world continues to embrace diversity.



The next choice as you might expect is a Greek restaurant but it is in Kos “Old Town” which in reality is the Ottoman Old Town of Halluvazia which survived the devastating earthquake of 1933. Olive (Elia in Greek) at 27. Apelou Ifestou, is a traditional Greek Restaurant affiliated to the Slow Food movement which specialises in authentic local dishes and local produce and which I cannot recommend too highly.


Elia's sweet olives marinated in honey

At the end of the meal you will be presented with their coup de theatre, a saucer of Olives! When you eat them you will react strangely for these are sweet olives marinated in honey and taste surprisingly delicious. Indeed they are so popular and unique that Elia now sells them in jars to take away. The menu is best described as Greek home cooking with many Dodecanese specialities and a quixotic menu which features headings such as “Barley Juices” (Beers), Vineyard Juices (Wines), Boiler extracts (Teas & Coffees).



The emphasis is on quality fresh ingredients with exceptional artisan wines and cheeses in particular. A great place for lunch or dinner and the antidotes to the tourist “bolognaise and cheeps” include specialities such as "pastourma", "gardoumpa" , "frygadelia", "tsigarides" , "spetsofai" and "kavoyrdisto." Don’t worry if this means nothing, just ask the helpful staff. As well as the cool stone restaurant there is a lovely and restful canopied garden at the rear.



So on a Greek Island these are two of the best, one Turkish in Greece and the other traditionally Greek in the Turkish Old Town! Both excellent, both producing the food of memory deeply rooted in the produce and tradition of this special place.

Details;

ARAP Restaurant in Platani

Platani Village Square Kos island 85300, Greece
Tel. +30 - 22420 28442

Elia Traditional Restaurant - Tel. +30-2242022133
Apellou 27 - 85300 Kos, Greece

http://www.elia-kos.gr/en/

See also;

Around Kos Town

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/09/around-kos-town.html

Muslim Kos

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/07/muslim-kos.html

Jewish Kos

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/06/jewish-kos.html


The Greek God of Healing, Asclepia arriving in Kos greeted by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, (seated) and a Coan (in the hat). Roman mural, 1st Century A.D.