November's Recipe:
Kota Kapama
(Chicken Stewed in Wine,
Garlic, and Cinnamon)
|
|
Ingredients: |
|
1 chicken (2
1/2 - 3 lbs) |
|
1 tsp. ground cinnamon |
|
2
tsp. kosher salt |
|
1
tsp. fresh ground black pepper |
|
5
cloves garlic |
|
2 Tbs/ extra-virgin
olive oil |
|
4 c. coarse-chopped yellow onion |
|
1/2
c. dry white wine |
|
2
c. water |
|
One 6-ounce tomato paste |
|
1/2 c. grated Myzithra
cheese |
| |
1. Pat the
chicken pieces dry with paper towels so they don't
spatter in the pan. Mix the cinnamon, salt, and
pepper together in a small bowl and rub the chicken
pieces on all sides with the mixture. Mince 3 of the
garlic cloves and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep,
nonaluminum skillet over high heat. A 12-inch
skillet with sides about 3 inches high will allow
you to brown all the chicken pieces at once. If you
don't have a skillet large enough, brown the chicken
in 2 batches, using I tablespoon of oil for each
batch. Don't crowd the pieces in the pan or the
chicken will steam rather than brown.
3. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown
for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, shifting the pieces
with a metal spatula so the chicken doesn't stick to
the skillet. When the pieces are nicely browned on
all sides, remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the onions
and minced garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes,
stirring constantly, until the onions have softened
and are a rich golden brown. Add the wine and scrape
the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to
deglaze, loosening any browned bits.
5. When the wine has evaporated, add the water,
tomato paste, and remaining 2 whole garlic cloves.
Return the chicken to the pan. The liquid should
cover about three quarters of the chicken. Reduce the
heat to low, cover skillet with a lid, and simmer
for about I hour, or until the chicken is tender and
thoroughly cooked. (If the sauce becomes too thick,
thin it with a little more water.) Taste and adjust
the seasoning.
*Goes
great over homemade buttered noodles or rice! |
|
|
|
Excerpts from:
"Cat
Cora's Kitchen", by Cat Cora |
|
 |
|
 The
Turkish cavalry
presented a magnificent spectacle as it cantered along the
waterfront. The horsemen sat high in their saddles, their
scimitars unsheathed and glinting in the sun. On their heads
they wore black Circassian fezzes adorned with the crescent and
star. As they rode, they cried out Korkma! Korkma! "Fear not!
Fear not!" There were dark predictions of a return to the days
of old, when conquering Islamic armies were sanctioned three
days of pillage following the capture of a resisting city. Yet
there had been no resistance to the Turkish army and few
inhabitants could really believe that their city would meet with
such a fate. Smyrna had long been celebrated as a beacon of
tolerance—home to scores of nationalities with a shared outlook
and intertwined lives. Little wonder that the Americans living
here had named their colony Paradise; life here was remarkably
free from prejudice and many found it ironic that they had to
come to the Islamic world to find a city that had none of the
bigotry so omnipresent at home. What happened over the two
weeks that followed must surely rank as one of the most
compelling human dramas of the twentieth century. Innocent
civilians—men, women, and children from scores of different
nationalities—were caught in a humanitarian disaster on a
scale that the world had never before seen. |
English
Paradise Lost:
Smyrna 1922, by Giles Milton (in English)
|
|
Greek
Paradise Lost:
Smyrna 1922, by Giles Milton (in Greek)
|
"Milton draws on eyewitness
accounts to render these events in all their horror, and ends
with an almost incredible rescue led by an unlikely hero. Milton
powerfully renders this tragic tale of an army that came to
liberate Smyrna and instead massacred its citizens and burned
their prize to the ground in a vengeful frenzy."
— Publishers Weekly |
| |
 |
The
process of making olive oil soap has remained almost unchanged for
thousands of years. Millstone wheels
grind the olive and their stones
into a pulp, which is then piled
onto filters in thin layers and
pressed with increasing pressure,
then the oil is separated from
the water. Visitors to the Cretan
Olive Museum at Kapsaliana can still
admire the historical devices
from the 19th century, but mechanical mills have dispensed with
the horses and donkeys; hydraulics
has replaced manpower at the screw
press, and is being superseded in
its turn by centrifugal force.People were aware of the value of
the olive tree from very early on. According
to mythology, when both Athena and Poseidon
wanted to assume the patronage of Athens,
the Olympian gods were swayed by an olive
branch. When both candidates were asked to
present the city with a gift representing
something most useful, the divine jurors
found Athena's olive tree won hands down
over Poseidon's saltwater spring.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What's
New! |
|
CDs |
Trio Bel
Canto, Ta Tragoudia Tou Topou Mas (Songs of Our Land)
2CD
|
Pashalis Terzis, Mia Nihta Zoriki
|
Mihali
Hatziyiannis, 7 (Seven)
|
Giorgos
Lianos, Krataei Gia Panta (4-track CD single)
|
Grigoris Petrakos, Kenourgia Mera |
Stelios
Kazantzidis, Ena Glenti Me To Stelara |
Zoi
Papadopoulou, Tatouaz |
Nikos
Vertis, Oniro Alithino - CD Single
|
Antonis Remos, Antonis Remos in Concert (Live) |
Triantafillos, Sto Diko Mou Stathmo |
Yiannis
Kotsiras, Ke Pali Pedi |
Mihalis Hatziyiannis, Emeis Oi Dio San Ena - CD Single
|
Kostas
Karafotis, Irthes Esi |
Paola, Perasame Me
Kokkino |
Katerina Kouka, Fones Tis Nihtes
|
Glykeria, Mikis Theodorakis : Ta Thamelia Mou Sta Vouna
(2CD)
|
Pix
Lax, Gia Tous Prigipes Tis Ditikis Ohois
|
Pix Lax, Pexe Paliatso Ta Tragoudia Sou Telionoun |
Pyx
Lax, Zorikoi Kairoi
|
Yiannis Tassios, Glossa Epikinonias
|
Stamatis Spanoudakis, Kath' Odon |
Rallia
Hristidou, Mono Mia Nihta Live + Bonus DVD
|
Ston P - Tribute to Pavlo Sidiropoulo
|
Mykonos
8 |
Fresca 2 : The Chart Hits of 2007 and 2008 (2CD)
|
Katerina Stanisi, Na Kaoune Ta Krevatia |
Filippos
Nikolaou, Mia Laiki Vradia Me Ton (2CD) - 95 Live Dance
Hits
|
Prodromos Tsaousakis, Apo Tis 78 Strofes (2CD)
|
Sotiria
Bellou, Apo Tis 78 Strofes (2CD) |
Apostolos Hadjihristos, Apo Tis 78 Strofes (2CD)
|
Antonis
Kalogiannis, Kratisame Ti Zoi Mou Taxidevontas (4CD) 81
Classics
|
Manolis Lidakis, Apo Ti Siopi Tou Hronou
|
Maria
Faradouri, Anthology (4CD) |
Tha Pio
Apopse To Feggari LIVE - Tribute to Lefteris
Papadopoulos (2CD)
|
Maniatika - Traditional Folk Songs |
Marios
Tokas, Anthology 1954-2008 (4CD) - 80 Classic Hits
|
Nana
Mouskouri, H Istoria Mias Fonis - 3CD Set
|
Ta
Tragoudia Tou Gamou (2CD) 29 Traditional Wedding Songs
|
Stelios
Kazantzidis, H Zoi Mou Oli (5CD) - 71 Greatest Hits
|
|
|
|
DVDs |
|
|
|
Books |
|
Literature & Fiction |
Gia na
dei tin Thalassa, by Efgenia Fakinou (in Greek)
|
Tyflomiga,
by Efgenia Fakinou (in Greek)
|
Proina
Ksipnimata, by Veggelis Farofallou (in Greek)
|
To
Spiti Dipla Sto Potami, Lena Manta (in Greek)
|
I
agapimeni tou kiriou Lin, by Philippe Claudel (in Greek)
|
Siopili
Petra, by Evrydiki Amanatidou (in Greek)
|
Apo tin
Anatoli sti Dysi, by Giannis & Marina Alexandrou (in
Greek) |
Palatia tou Vosporou, by Giannis & Marina Alexandrou (in
Greek) |
Gennithika Ellinas..., by Nikos Aliagas (in Greek)
|
Ithela Mono Ena Antio, by Paschalia Travlou
(in Greek)
|
Smyrni,
by Tony Maniatis
(in Greek)
|
Oi
Gennaioi tis Samothrakis, by Stamatis Tsarouhas (in
Greek)
|
Ftera
Apo Metaxi, by Paschalia Travlou
(in Greek)
|
Efta
Feggaria, by Panagiota Smyrli-Stratopoulou (in Greek)
|
Agapimeno
Mou Aivali, by Ntinos Koumpatis
(in Greek)
|
|
|
|
History & Culture |
Apo to
Spilaio tou Platona sto Spilaio tou Nizze kai O Theos
apo ton Adi, by Zinon Tsikrikas
|
Heirs
Of The Greek Catastrophe... Asia Minor Refugees... by
Renee Hirschon (in English)
|
En
Thessaloniki, by Eleftheria Drosaki (in Greek)
|
Enas Aionas Dyo Patrides, by Giorgos Katramopoulos (in
Greek)
|
Pyramida 67. To Vivlio tou Emfyliou, by Renos
Apostolidis (in Greek) |
In Sfakia, by Peter Trudgill (in English) |
Pos na se Xehaso, Smyrni Agapimeni, by Giorgos
Katramopoulos (in Greek) |
Ston
Iskio tou Leukou Pyrgou, by Roula Papadimitriou (in
Greek) |
Taxideuontas Sta Kymata Tou Omirou, by H. N. Turteltaub
(in Greek) |
O
Ellinismos tis Konstantinoupolis, by Soula Mpozi (in
Greek)
|
To
Aristero Cheri tis Afroditis, by Takis Théodoropoulos
(in Greek)
|
Theano, I
Lykaina tis Polis, by Lena Manta (in Greek)
|
|
Photography
Stin
Palia Lefkosia... Me tin Matia Enos Fantarou (in Greek)
|
|
|
Children's Books |
Fthinopwro
(Fall), Seasons by Evgenia Fakinou (in Greek)
|
Chimonas
(Winter), Seasons by Evgenia Fakinou (in Greek)
|
Anoiksi
(Spring), Seasons by Evgenia Fakinou (in Greek)
|
Kalokairi
(Summer), Seasons by Evgenia Fakinou (in Greek)
|
To Asteri
ton Christougennon, by Evgenia Fakinou (in Greek)
|
I
parastasi arxizei... (School Plays) in Greek |
To
Klama tou Potamou, by Freda Kritsotaki - An Enviromental
Awareness Story (in Greek)
|
Keramidogatos, by Erini Kamaratou-Gialousi, In Greek
|
I
Hionati Kai Oi Epta Nanoi (Snow White), in Greek
|
To
Stichiomeno Navagio (Spirulina and the Haunted
Shipwreck), by Kelly McKain (in Greek)
|
Taksidevo me ta Paramithia, by Dina Hatzinikolaou (in
Greek)
|
Keramidogatos, by Erini Kamaratou-Gialousi (in Greek)
|
Proti
Mera sto Scholeio, by Nikoleta Kosta (in Greek)
|
Perimeno Aderfaki, by Nikoleta Kosta (in Greek) |
Mia
Parakseni Mera, by Aggeliki Varelaki (in Greek)
|
O
Kalikatzaros pou Fovotan to Skotadi (Children's Play) w/
CD, by Maro Theodoraki (in Greek)
|
Christougenna sto Dasos (Children's Play) w/ CD, by
Sgouri Georgiadou (in Greek) |
O Polemos
Stin Troia, by Eleni Dikaiou (in Greek)
|
To
Proto mou Vivlio Gia to Perivallon, by Elena Eleni (in
Greek) |
To Proto
Mou Vivlio Gia
Ta Hristougenna, by Dawn Sirett (in
Greek)
|
Oi
Magikes Maskes tou Koutsoflevarou, by Filippos
Mandilaras (in Greek)
|
Epistrofi Sto Scholeio, by Maria Papagianni (in Greek)
|
Christougenniatikes Istories tou Dasous, by Eleni
Dikaiou (in Greek)
|
Oi
Peripeteies tou Odyssea, by Hugh Lupton (in Greek)
|
Enas
Deinosavros Sto Balkoni Mou, by Sakis Serefas (in Greek)
|
|
Food & Wine |
|
|
|
Entertainment (Mature) |
|
Travel
Guides |
|
|
|
|
|
Latest Arrivals |
|
Games
and Toys! |
|
|
|
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Collectors' Pins |
|
| | |
