Lately, I have been to Crete. Heaven on Earth. Hot country-Island with fertile wine-producing soils and abundant nature. Crete has got even greater history. Local people are tough-minded, strong individuals. If you look back into the history they were fighting a lot, struggling for independence and autonomy. Country of warriors. I guess past events and severe invasions made them so rough and ready. After all they are generally kind and share a great sense of humour. Talking about staple food and beverages. Frappe is worth mentioning. They drink it all the time, everywhere, 24/7. In shops, hotels, outside, office. Especially young and adult. It’s a simple Nescafe instant coffee but served cold with additional ice cream inside high glass. Another is Ouzo. Hard liquor made of grape and anise. It is really strong and gives burning hot feeling to throat. Similar to that is Raki, their kind of vodka but comes in higher volume. Cretan wine has a long, deep traditions since ancient Cretan times. Of course it is made locally, while it is cheap comes in great taste and flavors. It is famous for it’s crispness and overall balance. Goes very well with all kinds of food. It’s not to heavy and not to strong. As for food, you probably know, one of the dominant staples is pork meat, lamb, breads, vegetables, fresh fruits and of course – feta cheese. There are plenty recipes and sauces based on it. As for „sentimental reminder” I made myself oriental shakshuka with feta. I thought I am experimental and innovative here but as I searched the Internet I found a lot of shakshuka with feta recipes. My inner sense of taste guided me that saltness and creaminess of feta will go pretty well with acidity, spicyness and thickness of tomatoe base. You get well-balanced, although spicy and hot meal. Great to set up good mood especially in a cold, rainy day like today here in Cracow.
Ingredients:
3 whole eggs,
canned sliced tomatoes with juices,
1 big tomatoe,
1 big onion,
2 Garlic cloves,
100g of light feta cheese
Method:
Heat oven to 250 degrees C, heat oil in a deep frying pan, add thinly sliced onion. Fry on a medium heat untill smooth. Add crushed Garlic. Turn down the heat low. Fry for about 1-2 minutes. Add spices – chili, sweet paprika, some black pepper. Mix. Add whole can of tomatoes, pour out all the juices. Stir well to form a good mixture. Heat for about 5 minutes. Crumble some feta cheese into the sauce. Fry for a while, then make some hollow spots in the tomatoe base. You want three eggs, make three spots. Cover with lid, and put pan inside the oven for 10 minutes, until egg whites are pretty solid but yolk still runny. Serve hot with some extra feta on top and your favorite bread.
Caucasian homemade recipes 