Hidden Culinary Gems of Cyprus: Anari Cheese

In the heat of the summer, who wants to do much cooking?  Its more about finding some shade and maybe jumping into a pool surrounded by flowers; like here at a friend’s garden.  I recently finished this semi abstract painting…

A Cypriot friend, a self confessed ‘foodie’,  suggests that I try a local Cypriot whey cheese renowned in the Paphos area.  At the next Paphos Saturday morning fruit and vegetable market I enquire about this cheese from my usual vendor and discover she makes both fresh halloumi and anari cheese!    Not only does she make this cheese but she and her daughter recommend how to serve it!   Perfect!

With the anari cheese and recipe in hand, off we go for a coffee and then I prepare the cheese for a salad lunch – perfect for hot summer days.

Anari is made in a large round – similar to how some soft goat cheese is made in France and elsewhere.  The idea is to slice the cheese into rounds for serving.   In the local presentation, the round of anari  is then covered with a combination of carob syrup and honey and served in this way.    We generally eat very few sweet things but I did have pomegranate syrup in the kitchen for cooking as well as honey.  So on went the pomegranate and honey covering for the slice of anari cheese.      The response!    Absolutely delicious and surprisingly not sweet.

if I were to recommend a wine, I would choose an unoaked Chardonnay or a Viognier to complement the creamy,  honeyed flavours of the Anari cheese prepared in this way.

Fresh anari will keep in the fridge for up to a week, so we enjoy a slice of cheese presented in this honeyed way several times!
Ricotta is a similar cheese so this will be an alternative when I can’t buy fresh anari and it will be interesting to make a comparison.

Simplifying meals is important on hot summer days!

Kali Orexi! / Bob Appétit!

Hidden culinary gems of Cyprus: Zucchini flowers

These edible Zucchini flowers now in season and for sale at the weekly Paphos market catch my eye a couple of weeks before I decide to experiment with stuffed Zucchini flowers.

I enjoy these delicacies in restaurants.   When you buy the flowers you realize how fragile they are.  The flowers need to be prepared and cooked quickly before they spoil.

Here is the approach I take,  based on looking at various preparation references and combining different recipe ideas..

First,  it’s important to remove the stamen or pistil from within the flowers. I also gently rinse each flower to check there are no insects hiding there!

Second, I make up a recipe from the fridge with bacon and mushrooms, chopped and sautéed.   Add this to a soft French goat cheese with lots of chopped mint.

Third,  I carefully stuff the flowers with the mixture and cook on a cookie sheet in a hot oven for about 15 minutes.

Fourth,  the great tasting!

Success!   The stuffed zucchini flowers taste good.   The cooked flowers add a subtle sweetness to the dish and the mint is delicious and typical of Cypriot food.       Only eat the flower petals not the stems or the green leaves.

For a wine pairing, I suggest a Tsangarides organic Chardonnay, which complements the creaminess of the stuffing well or perhaps a Viognier.

What would I do differently next time?   From the recommendation of a Cypriot friend who knows about local dishes,  instead of using a French goat cream cheese, (which is what I had in the fridge when I decided to make this dish!j or perhaps an Italian Ricotta as an alternative, I would use fresh Anari, which is a fresh mild whey cheese produced in Cyprus and made from goat or sheep milk.   The authentic recipe!

Kali Orexi! // Bon Appétit!

References:  Tsangarides Winery   Tsangarideswinery.com

Various on line references about the preparation of stuffed zucchini flowers

Christmas Clementines send Season’s Greetings!

There’s something about oranges, clementines, and mandarins that always me think of winter and the Christmas holidays.

Perhaps it’s remembering mediterranean holidays and city streets lined with fruit trees covered with oranges that resemble vibrant holiday decorations.    Sweet memories in lockdown times.

All these thoughts of clementines inspire me to consider an orange cake to start the holiday celebrations.   When a friend sends a recipe for Nigella Lawson’s Clementine Cake the culinary decision is easy!  It’s a great recipe for anyone watching their gluten intake, as it calls for almond flour.    I limit the amount of sugar in any cooking I do and so substitute stevia for the sugar in the recipe.    (A quick google check suggests the ratio of 8:1 sugar to stevia.)       Another adjustment is to make mini cakes rather than a loaf cake.   This makes it so easy to have a just a small taste of something sweet to finish a meal.

These mini cakes are moist and have the flavour of orange.   I still want more orange flavour and decide an orange syrup is essential!    I combine a couple of recipes to make this syrup which is essentially:  juice of 4 oranges and 1 lemon,  Agave syrup to taste instead of sugar.   I simmer that combination and allow it to reduce in volume and add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier –  the aromatic cognac and orange liqueur combination – and some candied orange peel.  Result: yummy combination of mini clementine cake and orange syrup!

In wine and food pairing terms, a glass of Sauternes or another late harvest wine would be excellent or to start the celebrations, maybe continue with the taste of Grand Marnier Liqueur!

Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings to all.

elizabethsvines

References:   Clementine Cake – Nigella Lawson   http://www.nigella.com