Volume 2, Issue 4, April 2008 Journalism as never before  

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Lifestyle

Tourists and Gardening!

Tourists and GardeningWe have already spotted the first tourists of 2008 wandering around town. How can we tell the difference between tourists and local residents? Well, those sporting shorts, sandals and sunburn (we kid you not!) at this time of year are likely candidates. Anyway, a warm welcome to all our foreign visitors, and let’s hope that Rethymnon has a good summer season. The restaurants and shops that have been closed over the winter are now starting to open up — roll on those long lunches by the sea! April is a good month to start sorting out that summer wardrobe (check out the latest flip-flop fashions!) and to browse through gift shops before the heat sets in and the masses descend.

Here at Bugle Manor we are currently experiencing a gardening crisis (so what’s new?) Definitely time to get those seedlings on the go before it’s too late and to dust off the barbecue. For those of you who don’t already know, there are a number of very good garden centres in the Rethymnon area where English is spoken. (This really helps the linguistically challenged Brits amongst us. Whereas a petunia in English is also a petunia in Greek, a carnation isn’t, if you see what I mean.) These include Garden Art and Design (by the Spili junction on the National Highway), and Agro in Missiria. For help with garden planning, maintenance and advice on pruning etc. Antonis Psathakis is recommended (see advertisement in our classified section). And remember, should you find that you have surplus plants, these can be donated to the Friends of Animals Spring Bazaar — details to be found on our Community Page.

Recipe from Bavarian Boris: Sauerkraut ‘Rethymnon’ Style

There is a more traditional way of making this, but as Boris points out, this involves pickling cabbage and sticking it in a barrel in a cellar for a year which makes the house smell terrible. Here is a more pragmatic way to enjoy this dish in Rethymnon:
Ingredients
1 can of sauerkraut (try Lidl up the hill!)
1 medium sized onion
A generous helping of smoked bacon
10 dried allspice berries
2 bay leaves
2 glasses dry white wine (according to Boris, a good Riesling should be dry, but decent dry Cretan white should be fine) or if you’re being very fancy, you can use champagne….
Decent stock

Sauerkraut 'Rethymnon' styleMethod: Chop the onions, and the bacon and fry in a little oil along with the allspice and the bay leaves. Boris says: ‘Don’t let the onions go brown’ (i.e. don’t burn them). Add the wine, add the sauerkraut and pour in enough stock to cover the mixture. Cook the sauerkraut for at least one and a half hours on a low heat, check from time to time that there is enough liquid, and top up with stock and wine as required. To make a more substantial meal you can also add a large piece of smoked meat to the finished dish.
This makes a really nice late night snack — especially good if you happen to have been out drinking Cretan gin and tonics (for example). If you manage to show restraint it will keep in the fridge for several days.

Maria Hoffmeister: Rethymnon Embroidery Classes

Maria Hoffmeister: Rethymnon Embroidery ClassesIn March, Maria Hoffmeister, who has worked for many years as a lace making teacher and designer, ran the first of her workshops on the traditional Rethymnon Embroidery Stitch. As the Workshop was such a success, she is going to continue running courses until September with a monthly Open Class: no advance booking required, no obligation to attend regularly. She will be at the Hotel Tavern Profilio www.profilio.gr in Exopoli/Georgioupoli every second Saturday of each month, starting 12.04.2008, from 10.00 to 13.00. During the sessions you can learn the traditional Rethymnon Embroidery Stitch, get help with creating your own designs, planning your own projects or reconstructing original pieces – or of course simply enjoy doing needlework in company.

If you are interested in attending or require any further information, please contact Maria by e-mail: hemahoff@web.de or by phone, 28250 22331 (14.00—17.00 and 20.00-22.00).

Drink of the Month: ‘Lemon Raki’

Drink of the Month: Lemon RakiThis space on our lifestyle page is generally reserved for a ‘cocktail of the month’. However, we promised in our March issue that we would give you the recipe for lemon raki that some of us sampled when we visited the Dourakis winery at Alikambos (and once again, we would like to thank the Dourakis family for their hospitality).

The recipe is relatively straightforward: You will need: Your own lemon tree (this is the best way to guarantee that the fruit is free from pesticides etc.), reasonably good raki, and some sugar syrup.

Add fresh lemon peel to the raki, top up to taste with sugar syrup. Leave in sealed bottles for a week. It is then ready to drink!

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