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Lifestyle
Question Time!
This month, as a result of several requests, we have decided to start a column along the lines of ‘Notes and Queries’. Our first question is one that a couple of people have raised recently: ‘Does anyone know what is happening to the car scrappage scheme that was due to have been implemented in Greece by now?’ In July, Public Works and Environment Minister Giorgos Souflias announced a series of measures designed to take heavily polluting cars off the roads. Briefly, key aspects of the new policy included providing cash bonuses for those prepared to scrap old cars and buy newer, more environmentally friendly models - coupled with a promise to reduce road tax for drivers of lower emission vehicles (to read more about this see e.g. the English version of Kathimerini online). In a spirit of optimism the Minister also said that ‘If all the paperwork is ready in time, the measure could start as early as next month’ (i.e. August). Since then, though, there has been a deafening silence. Our guess is that the up and coming elections may have helped to scupper the plan, but if anyone out there has up-to-date information, we’d love to hear from you. Here are our other questions for this month: 1) What is the name of the special cheese from the West that that is served in the Tammam restaurant in Hania? 2) If you are a guest at a Greek wedding, are you expected to tip the band? 3) And why exactly are those islands called Paximadia? Answers, please, to the usual address!
Recipe: Tortellini à la Christel
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Dominique writes: ‘This month’s recipe is as Cretan as can be, even though it was created years ago by a Belgian lady – Christel – and it is made with Italian specialties….. It’s Cretan in the way that you – as with so many things in Crete – can make it the ‘long way’ and the ‘lazy way’. Just like you can walk the Samaria George. Let us start with the lazy way – my favourite way - the method for the long way will come along the way when I don’t feel too lazy…. First make sure that you have some leftover Bolognaise sauce in the freezer, (homemade beforehand of course on one of your ‘not lazy days’). One kilo for 3 persons will do. If you don’t have any to hand, need to make some from scratch and are not feeling too lazy you should start by going to the butcher and buying half a kilo of minced meat. On your way home stop off somewhere and pick up a few carrots, an onion, some garlic, a tin of chopped tomatoes, a few fresh tomatoes, and the relevant herbs and spices. Once home, start making a classic Bolognaise sauce. The second thing you need to take out of the freezer is half a kilo of frozen spinach. If you are determined to go for the long way then you should have purchased 1 kilo of fresh spinach when you were buying the sauce ingredients. So make up your mind! |
The third step in the process involves going to either Lidl or Champion and buying a packet of semi-fresh ready made tortellini and no, no, no we are not going for the dried stuff as we are not so lazy that we don’t appreciate the good things in life. One packet for 3 persons is just fine. If you feel like being an Italian mama you are certainly not lazy and you will make your own tortellini. You can find a good recipe for homemade tortellini in any decent Italian cookery book. Sorry but I feel too lazy…. Last but not least – the fourth step – is to make a thick creamy béchamel sauce with cheese. And sorry folks, here we will not give you a quick and easy alternative, home made béchamel sauce it will have to be! Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
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The Bugle cookery team sends many heartfelt thanks to Dominique and Christel for supplying us with this great recipe idea.
Cocktails of the Month: ‘Vampire’ and ‘Witches Brew’
Bearing in mind that Halloween is at the end of October, we thought we’d give you a couple of horrifying cocktails to get you in the mood. Oh, and if you are wondering why the shark is here, that’s the only space we can find for it this month, and anyway it fits in with the vampire and teeth theme. For your vampire cocktail you will obviously need to dress up, so start by trying to find the cape and plastic fangs. Aside from that the ingredients are as follows: 1 ½ oz vodka, 1 oz crème de cassis, 2 oz cranberry juice. Add some ice and garnish with blackberries, or any edible berries you can find here. Music to drink this by? Pretty much anything from The Rocky Horror Show.
The Witches Brew recipe goes like this: 1 shot blue curaçao, 1 shot peach schnapps, 2 shots vodka and some ice. The recipe we consulted (on the www.cocktailmaking.co.uk website) recommended topping up the mix with tropical fruit juice and cherry coke. The juice we can live with, but we think that cherry coke as a concept is way too scary. Leave it out. Music to drink this by? It has to be ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’.