Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Sweetcorn Polenta with Tomato Aubergine Sauce

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I bought Ottolenghi’s book Plenty  couple of months ago. When I found out I would go to London, to Food Blogger Connect I knew I wanted to visit one of his restaurants. Thanks to my food lover food blogger friends they agreed to come with me.
One day before the conference we did a foodie tour around London. Our first stop was at Borough Market. It is one of the largest food markets in London, and sells a large variety of foods from all over the world. The market, which has focused historically on fruits and vegetables, has in recent years added stalls dealing with the fine food retail market. Stallholders come to trade at the market from different parts of the UK and traditional European products are also shipped over and sold. Amongst the produce on sale are fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, meat, game and freshly baked bread and pastries. There is also a wide variety of cooked and snack food on sale for the many tourists who flock to the market. I was in heaven! I loved the market so much and I couldn’t stop taking photos!

Then we had a nice coffee at Monmouth Cafe – apparently they sell the best coffee in London which I can prove! OK, I didn’t taste all the coffees in London but Monmouth was definitely the best one I tried.

The next stop was at Neal’s Yard. It is a small alley in Covent Garden between Shorts Gardens and Monmouth Street which opens into a courtyard. It is named after the 17th century developer, Thomas Neale. It now contains several health food cafes and new age retailers such as Neal’s Yard Dairy. It is easy to find the shop because you can smell the cheese from distance. The company buys cheese from about seventy cheesemakers on farms around Britain and Ireland and they sell the cheese in their two shops in London and to shops and restaurants all over the world.

We ended the day in Nopi at Ottolenghi’s newest fancy restaurant in Soho. Seven food bloggers  (Nando, Giulia, Beth, Sarka, Mowie, Mayssam and myself) plus Bruce got together and shared the delicious but small meals. According to the menu the dishes are designed for sharing. That was what we exactly did. And we laughed. A lot.

By the way… the recipe I’m sharing with you is from the book, Plenty. 

Sweetcorn Polenta with Tomato Aubergine Sauce

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the polenta
– 3 corn cobs
– 300 ml water
– 20 g butter
– 150 g feta, crumbled
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– pepper

For the aubergine sauce
– 1 medium aubergine, cut into 2 cm dice
– 1 canned tomatoes (peeled)
– 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
– 30 ml dry white wine
– 50 ml water
– 1 onion, chopped
– 3 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
– salt, pepper
– pinch of cane sugar
– olive oil

To make the polenta, remove the leaves from each corn cob, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Stand each cob upright on its base and use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels.

Place kernels in a saucepan and cover them with water. Cook for 10-12 minutes on low simmer. With a hand blender puree the kernels with water (break as much of the kernel case as possible).

Return the corn paste pan to the stove and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Fold in the butter, feta cheese, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Meanwhile heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and saute the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add the aubergine and 2 more tablespoons olive oil and fry on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. Add the tomatoes (can + fresh) and stir with the aubergin. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the white wine and water. Season with salt and pepper, add the pinch of cane sugar and oregano. Cook for another 10 minutes to get a deep flavoured sauce.

Divide the polenta among bowls and spoon some warm aubergine sauce on the top.

Athens Day Trip to Aegina Island

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Before we went to Athens I only knew about Aegina because I had watched one of Jamie Oliver’s TV shows, Jamie does Athens. He visited the Greek island, explored it and cooked all sorts of delicious, yummy food. Then and there I decided that we needed to see this island ourselves.
Infinite

When we found out we would travel to Athens, we knew Aegina would be our day trip. It was so nice to get out of the noisy city full of dust and breathe fresh, salty air within only 30 kms away from Athens.

To make the Greek mythology short, Zeus, who was the father of gods, fell in love with the god Asopo’s daughter (he had 20 daughters!), who was of course very beautiful and her name was Aegina. Zeus kidnapped her and took her to the island of Oinoi. There, they had a son called Aiakos and the island was named after her. Aegina was also Achileas and Aiada’s hometown and they were both two of the most important heroes in the war of Troy. In historical terms, there is evidence that the island was inhabited from as early as 3500 B.C.

You can read my article about Aegina Island on the site of The Travel Belles here.

Port of Aegina

Aegina is famous of the export of pistachio

Temple of Aphaia

View from Temple of Aphaia

Picnic lunch

Agios Nectarios Temple

Chilled frappé coffee

More posts about Athens:
Athens Basics
Athens: Lycabettus Hill and Acropolis
Athens Central Market

Easter in Börzsöny Mountain

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We spent Easter long weekend (4 days) on a hiking trip in the Börzsöny mountain in Hungary with friends. Börzsöny is a beautiful place with gorgeous nature and great hiking opportunities, throughout the mountain is the right place for a weekend getaway. The weather was warm and sunny, the air was fresh and “crunchy”. We heard the birds chirping all day. Actually it was very relaxing to spend a couple of days outside the city.

Börzsöny is a mountain range in Northern Hungary and about 70 km away from Budapest, near the Slovakian border. Its tallest peak is the Csóványos with 938 metres (followed by the Nagy-Hideg-hegy – meaning Great Cold Mountain -). It is the westernmost member of the Northern Range. The varied landscape offers good hiking opportunities. A large part of the Börzsöny is national park. From the Csóványos we can see one of the country’s most beautiful panorama with the Dunakanyar (Danube Bend).

We visited a traditional vintage museum in Drégelypalánk and learnt the history of Drégely Castle. The small castle was probably built by the Bozók branch of the Hunt-Poznan family in the second half of the 13th century, during the Árpád dynasty, by order of Béla IV.

A large part of the Börzsöny is covered with oak and beech. The mountains are still registered 16 species of mammals. The 117 species of birds occur each year in the mountains, of whom 90 are regularly spend. Best-known songbirds are the nightingale, the thrush and the skylark. Among the amphibians the most spectacular is the spotted salamander.

Visiting a little farm was also a great experience itself. City dwellers like us wandered around and looked at the animals with amazement, especially a 2 weeks old baby horse. She was so cute.

Listening to the silence of the nature calmed us down. Our bodies filled up with energy. The landscape was so romantic everywhere in the Börzsöny. 
We saw many trees blossoming… pink petals created pink carpets in the streets of every village. I couldn’t help but take many photos of it.

We spent our last day in Esztergom. The town lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there. Esztergom was the capital of Hungary from the 10th till the mid-13th century when King Béla IV of Hungary moved the royal seat to Buda.

Esztergom is the seat of the prímás (primate/bishop) of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. It’s also the official seat of the Constitutional Court of Hungary. The town has the largest ecclesiastical collection in Hungary. Its cathedral, Esztergom Basilica is the largest church in Hungary and it is dedicated to the Saint Mary of the Assumption and Saint Adalbert.

Our beautiful trip was celebrated with a cup of creamy, dark hot chocolate. We couldn’t find a better end to say good-bye to this wonderful weekend filled with lots of laugh, friends, energy and beautiful nature. What a fantastic weekend it was! Actually it was everything we could have wished for!

Athens Central Market

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The hectic, colourful Athens agora is the highlight of the vibrant Athinas market district in Omonia. It is a sensory and gastronomic delight, with an amazing range of olives, spices, cheeses, deli treats. Even if I’m vegetarian and I write a vegetarian food blog I think I should show you the historic meat market too, with hanging carcasses illuminated by swinging light bulbs, is a surreal highlight. The place is so noisy (the vendors /butchers know how to shout) and a bit scary for a vegetarian but it is worth looking around.

The fish market (next to the meat market) is also a must see. The ground is always fishy and wet so if you go there, make sure you wear shoes and not flip-flops or sandals. Wander around, listen to the vendors as they call out their prices, look at the fish, the sea food (some frozen, some fresh). You will be surprised at the variety and the noise.

Across the street of the meat and fish market there are the vegetables, fruits, olives and cheeses. This is the place for the vegetarians. 🙂 You can sample the olives before buying. Taste them all and go back to the place where you loved it the most. There are really tasty, juicy, huge green ones – these are my favourites.

The tavernas, small shops, deli treats in and around the market are worth seeking out too. My favourite spice shop was Elixir where Jamie Oliver went, in his TV show, Jamie does Athens. Their range in the herbs and spices is very impressive and rarely obtainable tastes and flavors thus catering to the needs of the most demanding and exotic of cuisines. They also offer a selection of other products such us natural hand made herbal olive oil soaps, organic oils, and an exclusive melange of teas and honey using natural processing methods. So do not miss it!

Athens Central Market:
Between Sofokleous and Evripidou streets, at Omonia district. Metro station: Omonia.
Open: from Monday until Saturday, 7:00 am – 3:00 pm.

Elixir:
41, Evripidou street, at Omonia district. Metro station: Omonia.
Open: from Monday until Saturday.

Athens: Lycabettus Hill and Acropolis

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On our second day we hiked up to Lycabettus Hill – this is the highest point in the city that surrounds it. Pine trees cover its base, and at its peak are the 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, and a restaurant. The view from the top is so beautiful. 
View from Lycabettus Hill to the Acropolys

On the way up to the hill we met a friend who joined us for a two hour walking. 🙂 Actually he was leading us because he knew the way. If we stopped to take photos, he also stopped and waited for us.  During the whole walk we didn’t talk but we knew he liked us… we liked him too.

Look at this photo of him carefully to be sure of recognizing him, if you should travel to Athens someday. And if you happen to pass by there, I beg you not to hurry past. Wait a little, just under the star! Then if a black dog yelp to you, if he doesn’t answer your question, you will know who he is. If this should happen, be kind! Don’t let me go on being so sad: send word immediately that he’s come back…

View from Lycabettus Hill

We carried on walking to the Acropolis. On the way there we passed the Hadrian’s Arch. It is a monumental gateway resembling – in some respects – a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Why is it so important to see the Acropolis? It is because it was the most perfect building built by the world’s most advanced civilization and even though we have been studying it for centuries we are still not sure how they did it – from Matt Barrett. So Acropolis is the one historical site you can’t miss in Athens. The sacred rock on which the ancient Greek temples were built rises spectacularly above the centre of the city. The admission fee is 12 EUR, valid for 4 days and includes entrance to Ancient Agora, Theatre of Dionysos, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Library.

View from Acropolis to Lycabettus Hill

Our next stop was the Areopagus or Mars Hill which is a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis. According to Greek mythology, Ares (the god of war, known to the Romans as Mars) was tried here by the gods for the murder of Poseidon’s son Alirrothios. It is this legend that gives the hill its various names. Another legend says that the hill was the site of the trial of Orestes for killing his stepmother and her lover, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Ancient Agora

In the afternoon we spent some time walking amongst the ruins of Ancient Agora. By this time we were so hungry and we wanted to have a delicious Greek lunch at a lovely taverna. We opened our Lonely Planet guide and looked for a nice place in Psyrri district. We chose Nikitas Taverna (Agion Anargyron 19), an old style family taverna… it was a good decision. Locals swear by this old taverna that has been serving reasonably priced, refreshingly simple and tasty traditional Greek food since well before Psyrri became trendy. It is the only place packed during the day. Sofia, the waitress gave us the menu, which was surprisingly short. We were so hungry, we wanted to order everything. The dishes arrived in a matter of minute… Greek salad, tzatziki, dolmades (grape-leaves stuffed with rice, onions), patates tiganites (Greek french fries), boiled broccoli with lemon and soft cheese. Our table looked like a beautiful smörgåsbord, everything was so delicious.

At sunrise we took photos of the Acropolis. It was so beautiful. We ended our day in a gorgeous cafe-bistro, Yiasemi. We sat down next to the fireplace, drank hot chocolates and ate home made pies. It was a perfect ending of our day.

Stay tuned… more to come!