Eating at the Mistral Hotel

Is it really homemade fresh food?

knowing precisely what they are eating and having first hand information on the origins of their food.

The Cretan diet is without doubt amongst the healthiest in the world and when

people visit Crete they want to taste this famous cuisine and enjoy traditional Cretan products such as olive oil, Cretan greens and herbs, oranges, cheeses, rusk, thyme honey, and the fresh local fish.

There are great restaurants and hotels where one can really get a taste of the

Cretan traditional cuisine but these are in the minority. Most restaurants

choose to cater for more international tastes and have diluted their cuisine

thinking that this way they meet the needs of their clients. Others do it

simply to cut costs and so compete better. They think they 'go with the flow'

of cheap, low cost food that the mass tourists want. They all advertise

traditional cuisine and genuine Cretan food, causing great confusion to both locals and tourists.

In my opinion, very few restaurateurs have realised the real quality of Cretan

traditional cooking and the high position that it deserves in relation to other

national cuisines. We are blessed to have in our tradition the Cretan diet

which is, sheer gold. Instead of keeping with what we grew up with, we adopt or dilute our cuisine with new foods from the western world simply because everyone recognizes it and it is just "easy".

Meat nearly in everything, vegetable oil instead of olive oil, semi-processed products,

because they are easier, cheaper and faster to use. Long life, frozen, or unbranded cheap caned foods everywhere, or branded products, but full of preservatives, and totally foreign to Greek cuisine. Certainly not healthy!

A quote from a famous Greek chef which I read somewhere comes to mind:-

"You can find the highest cuisine in the world in a simple dish in a mountain

village of Crete".

It could be Five-star food served in a very simple,basic village atmosphere. But why is it so good?   Because it is homemade......it is what the people eat every day.......  it  is from the land around so it is teh best it can possibly get.  It incorporates the land's history, culture, traditions, and the sweat and  blood  of the local people!  

 I often go to the south of Crete, at an arid place called Loutro and the greens there have so much more taste than in the fertile north. My friend, Pavlos, a local Taverna owner explains that it is a combination of the struggle for survival that  the plant has to go through in that arid land and the semi salted irrigation water.

Local products are also relatively reasonably priced because they are not branded so you are not paying franchising rights, advertising costs or middle men. This way you are helping with the issues of fair trade and sustainability of local societies.But where does one find the right thing and how does one know what one is eating when one is foreign?

I feel strongly that there is much confusion and definitely not enough  information and knowledge on the Cretan diet. Many people simply do not know much about  it. Even when this special cuisine is provided, is simply not appreciated because it is not recognised.  Even foreign visitors well-travelled to Greece and Crete very rarely can identify really pure Cretan cuisine.......

 I will never forget one particular night when we made a divine Galactoboureko

(fyllo pastry with milk custard and syrup) for dessert and some half of our guests

 did not touch it with the comment that it is too sweet and slimy for their liking.

They go with the stereotypes of the past......... Greek cuisine is Mousaka, 

Tzatziki and Souvlaki............

The huge responsibility of most Greek restaurant owners, in and out of Greece

for giving out to the world, in the past, the wrong message on Greek cuisine

must be stressed here. Fortunately, this has now changed a lot for the better.              

Another problem is that nearly all tourists are based in the  large resorts

and  therefore are likely to have most of their meals there -  not in remote village restaurants. This begs the question "Are out of the way restaurants, guaranteed pure Cretan diet?   Definitely not!

 This was what led me to write this piece and tell you what we do at our Mistral restaurant.

Many of our guests stress that one of the main beauties of the Mistral experience is the homemade food. They also say that the vegetable garden and the Cretan cuisine we advertise sound a bit too good to be true. They do not really believe it

all simply because there are too many out there all saying the same thing: Our food is homemade, pure and fresh. If they say so is that really the case?

Here, I would like to give more information about what our guests really eat:

We believe in the principles of the slow food movement and we are members of it.

Our philosophy has two main components.

We stick to traditional dishes, as much as possible, and we use as many fresh vegetables and raw foods as we can.

You have to realize that all Cretans know what we mean by the words 'traditional cuisine'. It is the cuisine we grew up with. Having said that,it is definitely not the cuisine of every Cretan family today.

My mother Katerina, a housewife of that old era when everything was pure, is the quality assurance of the original recipes. My input is mainly to explain to people what is on their plates and occasionally, to add that little modern touch so as to appeal more to our guests and to match a wide range of foods tastes.

Example of such "compromise" would be the use of less olive oil in foods. Traditionally  in Crete, food "floats" in it.

We also, strongly believe, that we should use less meat and more vegetables in our menus.

The supply of fresh raw food every day is the hardest part of the equation. The vegetable garden is hard work, costly, and it provides part of what is needed. We have tomatoes, cherry tomatoes,

courgettes, aubergines, garden greens, beans, dill, mint, some sweet corn, some eggs, some chicken meat, some rabbit meat, water cress in the hot months, some lettuce,  celery and some parsley.

To get additional much needed, fresh supplies, we have linked to a couple of local farmers who provide some things we do not produce. We buy from Eugenia Angelaki

Home made soft goat's cheese. Her husband Fragios also produces potatoes

and broad beans. We buy onions from Mesogia and thyme honey from our friend Nektarios, a shephard from Menies. Goat meat also comes from Nektarios and from Yianis Baladakis at Sfinari.

Our fresh bread comes from the baker of Maleme who is of great reputation

 They supply us with white bread with sesame seeds, rye bread and bread rolls.

Our Olive oil and olives are of course home produced from our own olive groves in the winter months

Below are some of the dishes that can be found every fortnight at the Mistral:

Yiouvetsi. This is mainly goat or veal meat cooked in the oven with a little tomato sauce and olive oil.

Just 10 minutes before serving we add Kritharaki (kind of pasta called Orzo) and that cooks in the sauce of the meat. Simply nostimo!

Arni me stamnagathi augolemono. Lamb with radish (spine chicory) in an egg and lemon sauce. Only a real Cretan can tell the value of this dish!

Stamnagathi is close o common radish which is abundant in Crete only in high Mountains and some remote beaches.

Today, it has become very fashionable in the Athenian "upper class" gastronomic circles.

Artichokes with broad beans in lemon sauce. Simple, light and traditional.

Various horta and vegetable dishes. These can be just boiled summer garden greens (called Vlita) served with olive oil and lemon or a mixture of different greens (mostly the tender shoots) with green beans, fresh bean seeds, potatoes, courgettes, aubergines                 cooked in tomato sauce and olive oil. These dishes sometimes called "the gossip"make up a huge proportion of the Cretan diet.

Broad beans in tomato sauce.

Fava: yellow lentils boiled and mashed served with onion, lemon and olive oil.

Papoutsakia (shoes: Oven roast aubergines in olive oil and tomato sauce stuffed with various vegetables which have been precooked.

Fresh greens salad: With rocket, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, capers, olives, Cretan gruyere, sesame seeds

Garidopilafo: This is a shrimp risotto traditional in seaside places.

Courgettes and Scrambled eggs with cheese and tomato sauce.

Octopus with green olives casserole.

Stuffed tomatoes and vegetables (of course!)

Cuttle fish with dill and green olives.

Pitta bread with exili keftedes: This is a dish from Constantinople. Meat    balls partially fried and finished in the oven with a garlic yogurt sauce.

Lamb Stigariasto: Lamb cooked by simmering very slowly in olive oil.

Dakos: Cretan rusk grated fresh tomato, goats cheese, olive oil, oregano and olives.

Boureki from Chania: A dish unique to western Crete. Layers of potatoes, courgettes, soft goats cheese, olive oil, oregano and pastry on top.

Spanakopita: Spinach pie with pastry goats cheese olive oil and dill.

Various kalitsounia: This is a group of different small pies filled mainly with season's greens and cheese. They can be fried or baked.

There is an onion version and a 'just cheese' version for dessert served with thyme honey.

Marathopites: Dill pies. They are a rare delicacy.

Snails with dill casserole or snails fried with vinegar and rosemary

Vegetable Briam: This is a mix of various vegetables cooked in the oven in a rich tomato sauce

Fresh vegetable soup with tomato and orzo

Rooster casserole with fresh fried potatoes

Gamopilafo: Typical in Weddings. Pilaf rice boiled in the juice derived from a mixture of meats - usually lamb or goat

Mushroom crepes with cheese sauce

Oven baked Feta with slices of tomatoes, peppers and oregano.

Cretan meat pie: Made of a mixture of goat's cheese and Malaka (soft immature cheese used only in pies).

Patates Voutixtes: Oven Roast potatoes in olive oil

Fillet of sole fried with boiled vegetables

Peas in a dill and tomato sauce

Mama's Recipes

The secrets of Cretan diet

Introduction

This booklet aims to be only a small guide to some of my mother's recipes. But why would they be important to anyone?

Merely because they are all part of the world's famous Cretan diet for today's Cretans.

It is very difficult to discribe in a few lines what Cretan cuisine is, although it is considered today the healthiest in the world!

One of the main characteristics of Cretan cooking as in many cuisines is that of simplicity. Why is that important? Cretan food is what Archestratos in 350 BC describes as the principles of a great cuisine: Simple, pure ingredients (direct from nature - not today's semi processed things), mixed harmoniously, so the different tastes reveal themselves. Sauces should not be too strong and spicy, but rather mild, allowing the food to be in touch with the pallet to maximize the taste. Spices should me mild helping but not covering tastes.

Cretan people, mostly farmers, just had to use what they produced. There were no imports available to them. Mostly self sufficient, they could not afford to waste anything and that is greatly reflected in the preparation methods of their traditional dishes. Every family had their Olive trees, vegetable garden, vineyard, bee hives and animals like goats, sheep, chickens and turkeys. They would normally raise 2 pigs each year for the needs of the family in pork and sausages. One would be consumed at Christmas and one at Easter.  There were hardly any Cattle in Crete, so beef is almost non existent in Cretan recipes.

Food in Crete, like in most places, is closely related to the culture of the local people.

Many dishes or foods are only consumed seasonally, simply because the resources available, fruits, vegetables, herbs or wild greens were seasonal. Others, on certain dates of the year, like saints name days, were all related with religious rules, such as lent and fasting. Everything was very special. Everything had the right season. Many times there was a lack of quantity of foods but the quality, the pureness, was not an issue. People simply produced their own food by working the land.

Today, things are reversed. We have vast quantities but quality is an issue. Consumers do not know what is on their plate. There is a trend to come back to the old traditions and rediscover the quality in raw and cooked foods.

A great number of past recipes have returned now and prove to be popular and many restaurants advertise, focusing on traditional homemade Cretan cooking.

Finally, I hope that this book will help you remember your time with us in Crete and the tastes, smells and colours of Crete.

Kali Orexi

Cretan cuisine and the myth about Mediterranean Diet

Cretan cuisine was one of the most significant discoveries of the last century. The study of the 7 countries and many more, like the one of professor Renaud conducted, has proved that Cretan diet is the key to health and longevity.

The study of the 7 countries started by professor Anzel Keys in the 50's. It monitored a sample of population of men (12.763) age 40 to 59 years old, divided into 16 subgroups. 2 of these subgroups were from Greece (one from Crete and one from Corfu), 3 from Italy, 5 from Yugoslavia, 2 from Japan, 2 from Finland, 1 from Holland, 1 from USA. They studied survival rates, cardiovascular diseases and  cancer.

10 and 15 years later, the results of the study were published. Cretans had, by far, lower death rates from all others, including other Mediterranean people, from both cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Scientist said that the reason for these results was the eating habits of the Cretans. The second healthiest people were the Japanese, not other Mediterranean people, which shows that there is a myth about the healthy Mediterranean cuisine as a general idea.

Cretans use very much more olive oil, fruits and pulses than others, 33% of all their fat comes from olive oil.

Some disputed these results and suggested that factors, like stress levels, social and financial status, climate, and habits, such as the midday siesta, should be taken into account, even genetic characteristics. The final answer to these disputes came by the study of professor Renaud in 1995. Based in the study of Keys, he started his own work in 1988 in Lyon, France. He studied 600 patients who had suffered their first heart attack 6 weeks before. Half of them were give instructions to follow a Cretan diet together with their medication. The other half, were instructed to use the diet suggested by the American Cardiological society. The study lasted 6 years but was interrupted after just 27 months! The reason being, that there had been 16 deaths from heart diseases in the group following the American Cardiological society instructions but only 3 from the Cretan diet group. There was a 77% decrease of cardiovascular diseases by those following the Cretan diet!

Since then, all later studies just confirm these findings.

Another recent study found that the consumption of only extra virgin olive oil is so beneficial to health. Not any olive oil, but pure olive oil, not mixtures of olive oil with refined olive oil, which is misleading consumers. So, if you want to know how to buy your olive oil, to ensure you have the strongest and best, look for ‘Extra Virgin' on the label. Be aware that the word "pure" is still used by some, but it can mean mixed. It is the words "extra olive oil" or "extra virgin olive oil" that you should be looking for.

What were the components of Cretan diet?

In a few words Cretans consume:

Loads of Vegetables, both fresh and cooked with olive oil

Loads of fruits, eaten everyday four times more than other Mediterranean diets

Loads of pulses, greens. Cereals and bread

Huge amounts of Cretan olive oil

A glass of wine only with food

Medium consumption of milk and dairy

Very little consumption of meat , maybe, once per week and more fish, especially in the seaside areas.

But, there is catch regarding the above, like in most things. A detail for most modern people, who have no memory and no understanding of the past.

Cretans ate pure foods direct from Mother Nature, without all the intermediate processes which are in place today.

An example is bread. The bread Cretans used to eat was mostly whole grain barley, not what we eat today. Even the flour that we use today has very little to do with flour produced then.

Cretans eat incredibly great large amounts of greens and what many people see today as weeds which were abundant in the Cretan countryside all year round. All dairy was from animals, which fed on these flora and it was all home produced.

Cretans consumed more fat than others but it was mostly from pure olive oil. They consumed no animal fat and no vegetable oil. This is nearly impossible today.

Today, we can only try to emulate that Cretan cuisine.

Today's gastronomical renaissance

In the modern world people, who now travel extensively, have the opportunity to try different ethnic cuisines and taste the goods of each land they visit.

Today, when we talk about Greek gastronomy, we are mostly talking about Cretan cuisine. This was one of the results of the 2^nd world symposium of Greek gastronomy.

Today, people realize Cretan diet's great value. It is the healthiest cuisine in the world and organizations, like the Greek Academy of Taste try to promote it and set recognizable standards. They try to persuade more restaurateurs to follow it and promote the genuine Cretan diet in restaurants. This is the most serious and promising effort to set the genuine values of the Cretan diet and establish the ‘limits' of the changes allowed in Cretan local cuisine.

The Cretan diet is not just a cuisine but an integrated eating experience. The  emphasis is on quality, not quantity and the authenticity of the food.

A recent very successful marketing campaign, called Kerasma made an effort to tell the world about Cretan products and cooking, highlighting Cretan cuisine and establishing it in the place it deserves, amongst the world's ethnic cuisines.

Recipes

Here are only some of the recipes that we cook at the Mistral every week.

We hope to place more in the future for our guests to be able to refer to them when they want to prepare the dishes they have loved with us, at home.

Fish Stew (Psari plaki)

1 kg of big fish (grouper, or monkfish, sea bass)

1 bunch of parsley

2 onions of medium size roughly chopped (and 1 tbsp concentrated tomato pulp)

3 cloves of garlic

2 large ripe tomatoes crushed

1 cup of olive oil

1 spoon of sea salt, pepper

½ kg of potatoes

1 glass of wine

Wash, gut the fish and cut into thick slices. Wash and chop the parsley and onions, then put them in the saucepan along with the garlic, the oil to simmer until brown.

Add some water and we let them simmer for about 20 minutes. Then we pour over the wine and the tomatoes. After 15 minutes we add 1 glass of water and the potatoes slightly salted. Allow cooking for about ten more minutes and then we add the fish. In about half an hour our fish is ready.

Bergamot spoon sweet

Bergamot preserve

6 nice large bergamots

1.5 kilos of sugar

3 cups of water

2 cinnamon sticks

The juice of one lemon

Wash the bergamots and grate slightly the zest.

Boil them whole for 20 minutes in water. Drain and cut the peel in thick slices.

Prepare the syrup with water and sugar and when hot and plunge the bergamots in together with the cinnamon sticks. Continue boiling until the syrup binds again the bergamots are soft. Serve cold. This is excellent served on Greek yoghurt, or with ice cream.

Tip: you can do the same with nearly any fruit. To get rid of the bitterness of the fruit peels you can leave them in cold water for a couple of days after boiling them making sure the water is changed often.

Arni stamnagathi (spine chicory) augolemono Lamb or goat in egg and lemon sauce (the Greek answer to cream sauce)

1 kg meat cut in think pieces

3 onions

I cup dill or fennel, finely chopped

Half cup of olive oil

1 egg and 2 lemons

1 kg of chicory (spinach or coarsely chopped lettuce is also possible)

Boil the chicory in salted water for 10 minutes drain off and leave aside.

Heat your Cretan olive oil and brown the meat. Add the chopped onion and fennel, salt and pepper and 2 cups of water and let simmer. When the meat is cooked, take off some of the hot juice and keep it aside.

In a bowl beat the egg, the lemon juice and then very slowly pour over the hot meat juice, making sure you keep whisking the mixture. Then put it back to the pot with the meat stir gently and remove from the fire immediately to prevent the egg from curdling.

Artichokes with fresh broad beans

1 kilo of artichokes or artichoke hearts

1 kilo of fresh beans

Half glass of olive oil

2 fresh garlic leaves

1 cup of fresh chopped fennel or dill

Salt and pepper

A bit of flour-2 tbsp

The juice of 1 large fresh lemon

Take off the artichoke leaves and cut the outer leaves and put in water with lemon juice. Heat the olive oil in a pot, add the garlic and fennel and leave them to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the beans and half litre of water, and continue simmering for another 15 minutes.

Then add the artichokes, salt and pepper and add water if needed to cover them.

When the food is nearly cooked, take a bit of juice out and whisk it, adding the 2 tbsps of flour and lemon juice. Pour this back to the pot and shake it a bit to mix well. You can remove it off the heat in a couple of minutes and serve hot.

Dakos

A lovely Cretan starter fresh and quick

1 Rusk preferably from wholegrain barley

1 finely chopped tomato

200 grams  Myzithra (Cretan goats Cheese)

5 spoons of Cretan olive oil

Salt oregano

Cretan black olives (optional)

Sprinkle the Rusk with some drops of water so it will dampen a bit

Place Rusk on a plate and put the olive oil on and then the tomato, salt and oregano, then, the myzithra and olives.

Courgettes with Scrambled eggs

Half kilo of courgettes cut in small cubes

Half kilo finely chopped tomatoes

Half cup of olive oil

One onion finely chopped

Salt pepper

5 eggs

Heat the olive oil in a pot and brown the onion and courgettes. Then add the tomatoes salt pepper and allow simmering. When it is cooked, and before the courgettes start to soften, add the beaten eggs, stir and let the eggs cook.

Tip: You can sprinkle grated cheese on top at the end to add more flavour.

Boureki from Chania

1 kilo of courgettes

1 kilo potatoes

1 cup mint, finely chopped

1 cup fennel, finely chopped

Salt, pepper, sesame seeds

Half litre olive oil

1 cup of milk

1 kilo Myzithra (the famous Cretan goat's cheese)

Cut the potato and courgettes in fine round slices. Then oil a baking pan and place first a layer of potato, then cheese then courgettes and the chopped mint and fennel. Then, add another layer of them all, until you use up all your ingredients.

Pour over the olive oil and milk, then brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with white sesame seeds. Bake in the oven at 220C for approximately one hour; it is cooked when a potato is soft when pierced with a skewer.

Tips: You can do the same dish with or without dough (Short pastry) on top and/or bottom of the pan.

If your potatoes do not cook well or you think the whole food is too dry to cook well then you need to add more olive oil or/and a bit of milk.

Tzatziki

Thick strained Yoghurt

Thinly grated, lengthways strips of a whole unpeeled Cucumber - with the water squeezed out

Dash of Ouzo, or white Vinegar or any spirit

Salt

White Pepper (to your taste)

Fresh Garlic finely chopped (or powder)

3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Mix all the ingredients together & serve with fresh bread as a starter or use as a dip.

Accompanies all grilled meats.  Keep in the fridge & mix well before serving.

Stuffed Vegetables tomatoes/peppers/courgettes etc

Juice from tomatoes and vegetables- scooped out & blended (use big beef tomatoes, peppers, courgettes & cut off top for lids)

Uncooked White Rice - allow rice to soak in the mixture

Finely chopped Onion

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Dill

Parsley - loads

Mint

Meat Stock (optional)

Breadcrumbs to finish

Mix all the ingredients together & fill vegetables cases to 1cm below the top.  Replace lids, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  Put remaining mixture in bottom of tray, together with tomato juice, water & olive oil.  Cook for 45 minutes at 220C.

Cretan small cheese pies Kalitsounia me meli

Cretan Myzithra (Soft Goats Cheese) & Fresh Mint mixed together

Filo Pastry cut into 3" wide strips

Thyme Honey

Put ½ soupspoon of the mixture in every strip & fold over into triangle shapes.  Shallow fry them & serve hot with honey as a dessert, or without honey (as a starter).

You can dry the extra oil by placing on a paper before putting the honey on.

Tip: You can brush them with olive oil and put them in a preheated oven to avoid frying.

When you make many, place on grease proof paper so the do not stick to with each other and keep in cool place covered with a cloth.

Make sure you do not allow the filo pastry out long as it dries very quickly.

Green beans in tomato sauce

1 Kilo of Green Beans

5 cups of Olive Oil

3 Onions whole

2 grated tomatoes

1 Kilo of potatoes cut in large pieces

Place the beans in the pot and add the olive oil, tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Then place the potatoes and onions in the middle of pot.  Add the rest of the green beans and add water until nearly covered.

Bring to the boil and cook without stirring. 

Chestnut Casserole

1 kilo chestnuts

1 1/2 kilos onions

1 1/2 kilos potatoes

3 tomatoes, grated

1 cup of olive oil

Salt, pepper and oregano

Peel the onions and potatoes, cut onions in half and potatoes into large pieces.

Cut the chestnuts in half and place in the oven on a tray for 10 minutes to just heat up so they peel easily.

In a pot put the potatoes, onions, olive oil, salt, oregano and pepper and cover with water. Let it boil for 10 minutes and then add the chestnuts. Add water if required.

Fava

Half kilo of fava beans (yellow lentils)

One onion, thickly chopped

Half glass olive oil

Place the beans in a pot, add the olive oil and the onion and cover with water.

Bring to the boil and let it cook without stirring.

When water is absorbed and onion soft, remove and pass through a sieve or mash it. Put back on the heat for a few minutes to finish cooking and stir regularly.

Serve cooled or cold with fresh or dried onion with loads of olive oil, lemon and some more salt.

It is an ideal dip or starter with bread.

Mousaka

1 kilo of each:

Courgettes cut into thin slices

Potatoes cut into thin slices

Aubergines cut in thin slices

Cooked and seasoned mince meat

2 handfuls grated cheese

1 pint béchamel sauce

1 bay leaf

Red wine

Tomato sauce or tomato puree

First cook the minced meat separately.

Fry the vegetables lightly and place in a strainer to drain off any excess oil,

or bake in the oven to make a lighter version.

Remember to season the courgettes and aubergines to get some of the juices out.

Chop 1 onion and sizzle in a pot with olive oil, add the meat and season

with salt, pepper, bay leaf, some wine and a little tomato sauce or puree until meat is brown.

Preparation:

On a tray put one layer of potato then courgettes then aubergines and then one layer of minced meat.

Sprinkle with some grated cheddar cheese and then lay another layer of courgettes, aubergines and potatos on top.

Prepare a béchamel sauce and let it cool off slightly for 5 minutes before putting it on top on the tray.

Cook the Mousaka in the oven until the surface is gold in colour and cut and serve warm but not very hot.

The famous Kakavia fish soup of the Lybian Sea.

This wonderful fish dish seems to be the evolution of an ancient Greek dish which was prepared in a special pot called "Kakavi", hence its name Kakavia.
It is the most famous dish of the fishermen on the Greek Islands and traditionally extremely popular famous amongst coastal Cretans.
It is cooked traditionally on Saint Nicolas' (protector of the seamen) day on 6th December.

Kakavia is known to have been prepared on the boat or on little rocky islands where the fishermen rested before dragging their nets out of the sea.
They used a mixture of little fish, shellfish and eel and utilised all the fish that was too small and had too many bones to be eaten or sold. They would eat only the soup and not the fish which were too small and just melted into the soup.

It can also be prepared with large fish like sea bass, cod, or scorpion fish. This is the version we have here.

Ingredients:

1 kilo of fresh big fish (grouper, scorpion fish)
1/2 kilo of potatoes
2 onions cut in large slices
a bit of celery
1 tomato grated
1 glass of Cretan olive oil
salt & pepper
the juice of 2 large lemons

Scrape, wash and gut the fish. Then cut into large thick slices.
Place the potatoes onions and celery in the pot and put fish on top. Build the ingredients in such a way as to allow as few gaps as possible so that not much water will be needed to cover everything.
Add salt and pepper and the olive oil then cover with water (it should take about 5 glasses of water to cover), put the lid on and place it on hot fire
or heat for 20 minutes. Halfway through the process add the grated tomato.
When the fish is very soft it is ready. Just before taking off the heat add the lemon juice and then turn the heat off.
Serve the soup immediately with the fish and vegetables separately.
This dish is traditionally served with Cretan rusk, not with bread because traditionally the boats were out at sea for a long time so the fishermen used rusk instead of bread which would not stay fresh.

Lobster & Scampi with Pasta (Astakomakaronada):
This is the most expensive dish you can possible have in Crete as the lobster and scampi are scarce and can only be found fresh in certain places mainly between January and September.
Often they are kept live in a cage in the sea and you can go and choose the one you would like to eat.
It is a very rich dish with a strong taste and requires skill to eat all the meat out of the shell.

Ingredients:

One or two Lobsters or crayfish approximately one kilo. (Make sure no legs are missing or shell is broken and that they are handled with care.)
Half a kilo of Spaghetti pasta
2 onions (finely chopped)
One pepper (finely chopped)
A couple of fresh large beef tomatoes (grated)

In a large pot simmer the chopped onions and pepper in olive oil then add the lobster to simmer a bit until it goes red. Then add a good dash of white wine or Ouzo. Add the grated tomatoes and about 1 litre of water and let it boil for about 20 minutes. If the lobster is large let it cook a little longer. During the process skim regularly any scum which comes to the surface. Then remove the lobster and put in the pasta to boil in the juices. Measure the amount of juice at this point so that when the pasta has cooked, (about 5 to 10 minutes), and cooled a little, it has absorbed most of the juices and sauce.

Using a large knife cut the lobster open lengthwise and carefully remove all the meat from the tail. Chop the meat up finely and put it back in the pan with the pasta. Remove from the fire and serve immediately placing the shell on top of the pasta.

This can be a main course or a starter.

Below there are two different cake recipes which although they are not traditional Cretan cuisine, they are so popular at the Mistral, that guests have asked for the recipes and you might find them useful.

Biscuit Cake

400 grams of biscuits

250 grams of soft margarine

2 eggs

1 cup of sugar

Dash of brandy

3 table spoons of cocoa powder

Beat the margarine with the eggs and add the sugar. Beat until the sugar dissolves and then add the brandy and cocoa powder.

Cut the biscuits into small bits and dip gently and quickly into the milk taking care not to let them dissolve.

Mix it all thoroughly by hand and place in a mould or cake tin lined with greaseproof paper. Alternatively, place mixture on a sheet of greaseproof paper and roll up tightly.

Place in the fridge and leave to cool and marinate. When it is cold, put on a plate sprinkled with nuts or coconut or cream.  Serve in slices and/or with ice cream.

Carrot Cake (by Dialechti Gialamarakis)

One and a half cups olive oil.

5 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

Two and a half cups wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Few drops of vanilla essence

3 cups grated carrot

1 cup raisins

Whisk the eggs separately and in a bowl whisk the oil with sugar until the sugar melts and add the flour, baking powder and vanilla then add the raisins and finally add the carrots.

Fold in the whisked eggs and put the mixture into a cake tin. Sprinkle the nuts over the top.

Preheat the oven to 180C and bake for 80 minutes.

Make sure it is cooked well as carrot takes a little longer to cook.

Happy Cooking