Lifestyle

Back to School in the Rainy Season?

Hard to believe as we were going to press (especially with the wild fires raging around Athens and the mainland) but, all things being equal, in September we will start to see a change in the weather. Whilst we will have plenty of sunbathing days this month, the nights will start to get noticeably cooler (much to the relief of many of us). And, as we pointed out this time last year, although October is the month for the start of the ‘big rains’, you should expect a downpour at some point in the next few weeks. So here is our annual safety reminder for all you drivers out there. Because of the prolonged spell of hot weather, the first rainfall of the season turns the roads into glass. They are absolutely treacherous, and, unfortunately, every year as a result there are fatalities on the island. Please be careful! On another note, as the holiday season draws to a close, and it’s back to school time across Europe, the island begins to calm down. This is a good thing for those of us who like to explore the real Crete (but obviously less so for local business owners who haven’t had the greatest of seasons - and we do sympathise). Time to get those walking boots back on!

Recipe: Mexican Night

This is the Bugle extended version of the ‘Taco Party Pack’. It may take a little more work, but we think it’s worth it. The history of this goes back twenty years or more, when the sudden arrival of an El Paso consignment in a Rethymnon supermarket was a major event to be celebrated with friends. Now we know that many people have their own recipe for chilli, and we make no claims for ours being better than any other, but it works for us, and the cinnamon is important!

Ingredients

For the Chilli
Decent minced beef or pork, onions, garlic, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, thyme, tomatoes (tinned will do), hot peppers, chilli powder, hot sauce, stock, vegetable or tomato purée, sweet peppers, kidney beans, a bit of oil, and salt and pepper if needs be. You can jazz up the sauce with a bit of red wine, and some people like to sprinkle on some grated cheese on the top.

For the Rest of the Evening
Beer, tequila, and all the things you’ll need to make your favourite Margarita mix. Limes, obviously. Tortilla chips, tacos, rice / jacket potatoes. Dips including guacamole, salsa, and here in Rethymnon you can use plain yoghurt as a substitute for sour cream. The guacamole should be homemade, (the stuff you can buy in jars here really isn’t very nice), but you can probably get away with shop bought salsa as long as it isn’t too sweet. Plenty of lively music.

Method:

Start by putting the beers in the fridge and the tequila in the freezer. Just as a precautionary measure, it might be a good idea to go easy on the frozen Margaritas until you have made the chilli. The main reason we give this advice is not so much to do with hazards associated with cooking under the influence (though these obviously shouldn’t be taken lightly), but more to do with the numbing effect that Margaritas can have on the taste buds and subsequent problems this leads to when judging chilli strength.
Sweat the onions and garlic in a little oil. Add the ground spices, thyme and hot peppers and brown the meat. Then juice up the mix with tomatoes and stock and let the whole lot simmer for a while. Cautiously adjust the seasoning with chilli powder / hot sauce as and when, and if necessary thicken the sauce with the vegetable / tomato puree. We tend to leave adding the sweet peppers and kidney beans until we’ve put the water on for the rice, mainly because we don’t like them to go mushy, but also Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle because a friend of ours likes the chilli but not the beans. Somewhere along the way, set out the chips and dips and get a friend to sort out the drinks for everyone. Bring on the mariachis!

Cocktails of the Month: ‘Fallen Angel’ and ‘Canada Cocktail’

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Cocktail of the Month Though you might not think so, there is method in our madness and our choice of cocktails for this month are not entirely random. As we mentioned earlier, we are gently moving from the height of summer towards autumn, which explains the ‘Fallen Angel’. For your Fallen Angel you will need: A bent halo (only kidding), two shots of gin, one teaspoon of crème de menthe, a dash of angostura bitters, a splash of lime juice and some ice. For those of you who are balking at the prospect of trying to get hold of angostura bitters here on Crete, it can be done. Initiative test time again! Mix the whole lot together, and drink whilst attempting to remain upright. Our suggestions of songs to drink this by include: ’Falling in Love Again’ and ‘Angels with Dirty Faces’ (the Sham 69 version, preferably). If you absolutely must have a Robbie Williams moment, there’s not really a great deal we can do to help.

Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Cocktail of the Month Our second drink - Canada Cocktail is equally appropriate for the Bugle this September. Kate and Luc will be flying to a family wedding in British Columbia at the beginning of the month (back here on Crete on the 10th by the way, if we make all the flight connections!). We’re very excited about the trip, and here we take the opportunity to say “Congratulations” to Angela and Mark and to wish them and son Finnegan all love, health and happiness for the future. On a slightly less romantic note, the ingredients for the Canada Cocktail also include angostura bitters, which some of you will have already spent considerable time and effort tracking down to make your Fallen Angel…. Aside from three drops of angostura bitters, for your Canada Cocktail you will need: 1½ oz Canadian whisky, ½ oz Cointreau, ice and the usual garnishes. Swizzle and fly the flag. Suggested songs to drink this by? ‘Oh……….’ Come on, think about it!

Contents

Back to School in the Rainy Season?

Recipe: Mexican Night

Cocktails of the Month: ‘Fallen Angel’ and ‘Canada Cocktail’