Monday Menu from the Village

Monday - Our evening menu today will be Beetroots with a Garlic Sauce some chips and a salad.

(Greek being Pantzaria Skordalia).

3 weeks today and prior to Easter (Paska in Greek) this year falling on Sunday May 1st - and in fairness we should all be eating a Lenten diet........

So we have beetroots including the leaves, the left over bread from Sunday made into a garlic sauce and some potatoes chipped......

I am sure each region has their own way of preparing this meal so I am recording how it was taught to me many years ago when I was a winter visitor in Ioannina in the Epirus Area of Greece and until this day this is the way we eat it.......

I never knew before I lived in Greece, 35 years ago that beetroots actually had leaves attached and maybe the best part of this vegetable. And my father from London whom was a Greengrocer - never sold the leaves just the bulb itself and really apart from a few Continental shops even around London today I still have only seen it sold as the roots/bulbs and not with the leaves and what a shame that is.........

So how to make this wonderful meal. This is healthy and a cleansing meal for your body.

Wash and top and bottom the beetroot bulbs

Put a large pan of boiling water and add vinegar and salt to stop the beetroot bleeding and this will help to hold it's colour.

Boil for around 40 minutes to almost al dente and then add the leaves (in Greek known as Horta) to roots in the pan.

Reduce heat and continue on a mild heat for around another 30 minutes.

Drain and separate leaves and roots.

Before too cold so at hand hot, peel beetroot and slice.  Add salt and pepper and vinegar.

With leaves drained add a lemon, oil sauce.

Place on a large platter, first the leaves and then the bulbs sliced and add your garlic sauce.

Serve with chips or maybe a potato salad, sliced bread and if cheating the feta cheese too........

And how to make garlic sauce.........see previous menu..........

Kalo Orexi from the village the evening........