The trip was planned for three months beforehand and now we were smack dab in the reality of it. As our four white conversion vans rolled along the narrow, loosely graveled road, weaving in and out Psiloritis’s deep mountain curves, a waterfall slowly flowed 10 meters below us and the Amari Valley of ancient Crete came into view. Sweat drenched shirts clung to our bodies and the flies that entered through the window as we passed a herd of goats couldn’t help but get stuck in our slicked down arm hairs not yet dry from the previous nights cold shower. We made our way between the north and south coastline of Greece’s most independent island and began heading inland towards the family run bed and breakfast of Irene and Lampros Papultsolkis. Taverna Aravanes, as they fondly refer to it, was said to offer travelers a rustic place to sleep with all the quaint understated appeal of an isolated countryside villa-with one catch. You see, we were not the typical tourists but ‘food culture hunters’ and Aravanes was a special place that gave visitors the chance to experience belonging to a typical Cretan family. It is not uncommon for the women of Crete to spend all day in the kitchen preparing dinner when there were holidays and festivals or, as in our case, visiting guests. For us, this meant rolling up our sleeves and getting into the kitchen with Irene. We were about to discover want it meant to cook like a true Cretan.
The Papultsolkis named Aravanes 35 years ago after their eldest son. Now with three children grown up and out of the house Irene can often be found in the kitchen preparing the traditional types of Cretan foods she grew up eating in her youth. The menu we were to help in preparing was simple but showcased this. The first item was a roasted lamb on a spit followed by a fava bean puree’ with onions, a wild green salad, and Loukoumia, a typical fried sweet bread for dessert. Many of the ingredients overlapped into the various dishes, also common in Cretan cuisine. The lemons used in the lamb on the spit (Ofto in Greek) would also be used in the beautiful salad prepared using wild greens Lampros had collected earlier in the day and the orange zest from the amazingly rich but simple table breads would go into the lightly fried dessert balls soaked in thyme honey taken from neighbor’s beehives.
When we reached Aravanes, the sun was high above us and Irene had already set a plan in motion. We met at four o’clock on the terrace for a cup of coffee and to take in the view of Fourfouras, discussed what we would prepare for dinner and began immediately. As we worked, Irene moved effortlessly around the kitchen which, by American standards, was fairly sparse. No fancy contraptions or gadgets to shred, fillet, or microwave a meal just some knives and a few large pots for stew. Grabbing cumin, cinnamon and a handful of lemons she spoke of the simple ingredients she used, how she was able to turn them into a delightful medley of textures rich in Mediterranean flavors and how the traditional method of preparing meat usually involved an open fire and heartier types of animals such as goat or lamb. “It is very rare to use parts of a cow for eating. Instead,” she said as she began peeling the lemons, “the few cows on the island are reserved for making fresh cheeses and dairy products.” Cretans, it seems, consumed dairy less than daily but more than twice a week. Seafood is abundant along the coastline and the general fair includes squid, octopus, or salted cod set in a light sauce with citrus fruit, onions, or tomatoes. For our meal in the countryside Irene decided to stay true to the local style and no seafood was included. Other vegetables like artichokes and olives as well as the edible greens in our salad came with every meal and tended to take up the vast majority of space on the dinner table. Most of what the outside world knew about Crete was this identifying characteristic of all the Mediterranean islands. The landscape is rocky and mountainous with little available grazing pastures but sunny enough for natural vegetation and citrus fruits, which require a lot of sun, to grow plentifully with little help from farmers or chemicals fertilizers.
Lampros stood planted in the doorway but only for a few minutes before it was back to the fire and turning the lamb. A small man in jeans and an oversized workman’s shirt, his body was characteristic of someone who has spent most of his life working outside in the fields. Somehow the deep face wrinkles and tiny harden hand muscles could not betray the calming demeanor he exuded during the entire four hours we went about working in Irene’s unfamiliar kitchen. He manually turned the spit every 10 minutes a quarter of a full rotation and ladled a mixture of local thyme honey and spices onto its surface. The spices were a darkly colored mixture of cumin, salt, pepper, and red wine. The technique was to lightly rub the lamb with the spices and than ladle the honey over the entire piece of meat. Within the first hour, a perfume began to enter the house from the open door leading outside to the fire pit but it wasn’t until the third hour that a nice bronzed hue appeared on the lamb’s increasingly shiny surface. The entirety was for eating but because of it being a special occasion only the main torso and body was put on the spit.
Meanwhile back in the kitchen, Irene divided our group in four. Some of us cleaned and trimming the greens to go into the salad while the other two groups began work on chopping onions and stirring the fava beans cooking in a pot of ash water. The last group, under Irene’s instructions, made the dough for the table bread and the Loukoumia dessert. Everything was simple to prepare and the atmosphere enjoyable. Although Irene knew the recipes for many years, having cooked them many times for herself and her family, it was surprising to guests like us her excitement in instruction. One could only assume she looked just the same as the day when she discovered the best way to prepare each dish. Most of us finished our duties quite early and began to wander in and out of the house seeing how Lampros’ lamb was cooking. Drinks were poured and no one seemed to exude tension in feeling the burden of an unknown space and cooking for 20 some odd people.
The salad consisted of baby asparagus, dill, green onion, and purslane. After a check for dirt and any remaining bugs the different greens were dipped into a water bath in the sink and to left soak for 10 minutes. Draining into a sieve removed excess water and afterwards, everything was put into a large bowl and tossed with lemon juice and bright green olive oil. The fava beans were left on the stove to absorb all the cooking water and after becoming mushy were placed in a bowl with olive oil, the chopped onions, and dried olives for garnish. The breads for dinner and dessert were the most fun to prepare and by the time the dough was consistent enough to put into the frying pan and oven, every hand had been covered in sticky dough and all our faces streaked with flour across our foreheads.
Four hours had flown by in the kitchen with Irene and our experience of Cretan cooking began to take shape. The bread came out hot, fresh out of the oven, steam wafting in the cold night air. We all gathered around Lampros’ fire to watch the sun set putting an end to an exciting day filled with jovial conversation, contagious laughter, creativity, and lots of teamwork. The balcony overlooking the luscious scenery and the wind was the carrier of all smells good. Along with our traditional Cretan meal, Irene and Lampros had filled us with humor and the hard earned hunger pains one would expect from a family of farmers. The decadent but uncomplicated lamb, the hearty greens, the intensely rich dessert bread- all of it was inextricably linked to Crete and whether it was in spite of or because we helped in cooking it, I am sure none of us will ever forget it. After all....we ate every bite.
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A CRETAN MEAL TO REMEMBER
Ofto with Honey
Split Pea Puree
Irene’s Olive Rolls
Wild Green Salad
Loukoumia
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Easter Lamb on a Spit (Ofto) with Local Thyme Honey
This is a stunning main course to any meal. If you do not happen to have a spit in your backyard or find yourself cooking instead for two or four rather than a large group of people, you can always turn the oven to 120 Fahrenheit and slowly roast a smaller amount of lamb. In the same way as Lampros, coat it with the honey and spices but instead of every10 minutes, you only need do it every 30. If you prefer a crispier version then the one at Aravanes than towards the end of the fourth hour change the oven to broil and cook until crispy on the outside. We’ve chosen to keep the thyme honey in the recipe because it contributes a considerable amount of overall flavor to the dish. After all, the recipe is as simple as the ingredients but full of wonderfully complementing flavors with each one being that much more important.
For Marinade
Honey and water mixture of 2 parts honey to 1 part water
For Spices
5 tablespoons cumin
8 tablespoons pepper
3 tablespoons salt
8 tablespoons of any red table wine to help hold the spices on the lamb
1 tablespoon olive oil
Marinate and Roast Lamb: Stir together cumin, pepper, salt, olive oil and red wine. Separately mix honey and water. Once the fire is hot enough for the embers to sustain themselves, begin turning the lamb a quarter of a full rotation. Do this once every 10 minutes. If you are using an oven preheat to 120 Fahrenheit and baste every 30 minutes placing the lamb in an oven safe container with enough room to collect the liquids until they can be soaked up by the lamb. Remove after 4 hours and transfer to cutting board to let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice how you like and serve with a side of lemon and some good wheat bread.
Split Pea Puree with olive oil and olives (serves 4)
This is a well known fava dish which can also be served with capers and parsley for garnish. The olive oil you use on top is very important because the flavors are prominent over the sturdy texture of the beans.
2 cups split peas
5 cups water
1 onion quartered
1 teaspoon salt
Olives for garnish
A high quality olive oil either locally produced or one that is nutty in flavor
Cooking the beans: Put split peas (fava beans) in salted water and let simmer with the lid covering the top loosely. Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions. When most of the water has been absorbed by the beans, stir them until becoming ‘mushy’. (Hint: if you’re short on time let the beans soak overnight, cook them in the morning and blend them in an automatic mixer before serving.) Serve the puree with thinly sliced onions, a couple of olives on top, and a generous amount of olive oil.
Irene’s Famous Olive Rolls
I’ve made this bread ever week since returning from Crete. It’s super simple and great for taking to work parties or eating as a light breakfast when you’re running late for work. Try it sometime and see how full you can get with a nice glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and 2 of these unforgettable and addictive rolls!
For the Dough
5 cups cake flour
1 cup olive oil
1 cup orange juice (fresh)
½ cup warm water
1 packet dry yeast
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon mastic
Sesame seeds
For the Filling
½ kilo olives, preferably dried and cleaned of their pits
1 onion, cut into small pieces
2 heaping tablespoons of fresh mint, dried is fine as well just make it 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Making the Rolls: Mix the pastry ingredients except for the sesame seeds and leave to rest covered in a cellophane wrap for 1 hour. After the dough has risen, take it and pulling pieces off the main mass, roll smaller amounts into the palm of your hand until becoming medium sized and cylindrical in shape. Open them up in the center and place a good sized dollop of the filling inside. If the dough sticks to your hands at any point in the process, put olive oil on them. Meanwhile boil sesame seeds in water and strain. Cover the rolls in them and bake in oven at 180 Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Traditional Wild Green Salad
Although this is a pretty self explanatory dish, I thought I would include it because the greens used go far beyond the traditional iceberg lettuce, romaine hearts, and endives. This is a great dish to experiment with different ingredients while all the while remembering to keep it simple. The goal is to let the vegetables hold the spotlight and their particular tastes remain separate but complimentary. Here are just a few suggestions.
Purslane- great for summer salads, similar to ‘micro-greens’ you might find on the market
Dill sprigs
Baby asparagus (still tender) - bitter
Mustard greens- bitter
Stivia (the derivative of natural sweeteners also known for its health benefits)
Courgettes
Spiny chicory (“stamnagathi”) - slightly bitter
Milk wort (“agalatsida”) - sweetish in taste
Vetchling (“papoules”) - slightly bitter
Fennel- sweet
Spring Onion- slightly sweet
Mix all these together. Drizzle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and some lemon juice.
“Loukoumia” or Spongy Dessert Fritters (serves 6)
This is a great easy dish for dessert. It is quite rich despite the few ingredients so be sure to keep the rest of the meal simple in flavors. I would recommend serving it plain during the winter months and with vanilla ice cream or strained yogurt and fresh pit fruits during the summer.
For the Dough
1 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice or lemon juice
3 tablespoons cognac or ‘Raki’
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mastic
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 kilo flour
Olive oil for frying
For the Syrup
2 ½ cups sugar
2 cups water
The juice of 1 lemon
Making the Bread: Dissolve the yeast in 3 tablespoons warm water and add the olive oil, sugar, orange juice, cognac, salt, mastic, and cinnamon powder. Gradually combine the flour until the dough is soft and silky. Let it stand for half an hour. After dough has risen, take pieces to form a rope 3-4 centimeters thick and cut slices every 3 centimeters. Meanwhile heat up the oil in a deep frying pan. Slowly and carefully slide the dough into the oil and deep fry until golden brown. After removing from the heat, dip them immediately into the syrup mixture prepared during the dough’s resting period. Make sure the syrup remains heated by using a small metal container over a fire and mixing the sugar, water and lemon together until the sugar is completely dissolved. If you want to make them spiffier, you can sprinkle powdered sugar over the top while they are still hot. Regardless what you choose, it’s essential that you take them out to your guests immediately and watch as their faces light up in pleasure as they take their first bite!
For an amazing vacation as far away from a Club Med experience as possible visit Irene and Lampros Papultsolkis at:
Taverna Aravanes
Thronos Village, Crete, Greece
Information about Taverna Aravanes located online at:
Send all questions to: info@arvanes.gr
Tel. +2833022760
Helpful Books for preparing these recipes are:
Cretan Cooking
OR
Herbs in Cooking
(Both books were written by Maria and Nikos Psilakis, Skoteino, Heraklion, Crete (GR))
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