Lifestyle

Ian is back from his travels and we are able to announce the winner of the ‘strange but useful household equipment’ competition. Anna Capernaros won the prize, but as she was in Athens last week the award ceremony had to be postponed. Ian set the challenge of identifying the function of the objects in the photos below. Most people got the first one right: a pie funnel, but no-one managed to work out what the second one was: a salt cellar. We’ll bring you details of the prize giving and Anna’s unusual spin on the objects in next month’s issue!

Recipe: Pork in Cider

Chop the onions and sweat the onions in a little oil. Be careful not to use too much oil, as you’ll get quite a bit of fat coming off the pork. Roll the pork chops in the seasoned flour and shake the excess off. Turn the heat up and brown the meat on all sides. Turn the heat back down again in a hurry and then frantically peel and chop the apples. Add them to the pan. Open the cider, pour yourself a glass and check that it’s drinkable. Demonstrate restraint and pour some of the remaining cider into the pan before pouring yourself another glass. If this is your first time, you may be surprised by the fizzing and bubbling that is now going on in your cooking pot. Do not be alarmed. This is all part of the process, and it will all calm down soon. Have some more cider. Add a bit of stock to the pan. Let the whole lot cook slowly until the pork is tender. To finish off, add mustard, jam and additional seasoning as required. The mustard helps with thickening and gives the thing a bit of a zing, the jam complements the fruity dimension.

This dish goes well with mashed potato. Now some of you who read last month’s Bugle might think that to make mashed potato on Crete, you might want to start out as if you were going to make potato salad and just overcook the potatoes. No, no, no. Cretan potatoes are far sneakier than this. They will know what you’re up to and the potatoes will stay firm and unmashable for eternity. For mashed potato, you have to start out as if you really mean it. There are several schools of thought—some like a really smooth puree, others like it to be more rough and ready. Partly depends on the quality of your masher and your pulping power. Whatever your choice may be, you’ll need butter, milk, a bit of salt and loads of black pepper. ON NO ACCOUNT USE READY-MADE PACKET MASH TO ACCOMPANY THIS DISH.

Buying Dry Cider on Crete
You won’t find it in the standard supermarkets like Champion or Halkiadakis. During the season you may be able to find it in some of the mini-markets along the beach road, it is available in some Cavas year-round, but be prepared for a bit of a hunt. Some bars stock Strongbow, and if you ask nicely you might be able to buy some as a carry-out (I recommend three bottles — at least one of which should go in the dish). If you are Heraklion way, then Carrefour is worth a try — being a French chain they sometimes have Normandy Cider which is very good indeed….

Cocktails of the Month: ‘Corpse Reviver’ and ‘Mediterranean’

This month we bring you two cocktails!

Corpse Reviver: in our view, having seen the ingredients, this is an oxymoron, being more likely to put you six feet under than to bring you back from the dead! And finding the Calvados is going to be a real challenge in Rethymnon. As with the Normandy Cider, you might strike lucky in Carrefour in Heraklion, and, you never know, you may spot it on the back of a shelf somewhere when you’re least expecting it in Rethymnon. Possibly your best bet is to make friends with a lot of French tourists and ask them to bring some over duty-free (remember the no liquids and hand-luggage restriction) when they come back to Crete. Anyway, here’s the recipe: 1/2 Brandy, 1/4 Calvados, 1/4 Sweet Vermouth. Stir together and add a twist of lemon.

Mediterranean: This one seems more sensible: 2/3 gin, 1/3 blue curaçao, and lemonade. Mix the gin and blue curaçao together in a tall glass. Top up with lemonade and ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a green cherry.