August in Corfu

Hot, too hot! The island is in a blaze of heat and sunshine, but the sea breeze is soothing on the beaches. A lot of tourists have come and wander around the alley ways of the town or rent a car or a bike and drive to the beaches. Today is a special day for the local people: The celebration of Pandokrator (like the mountain). All those whose name is Sotiris celebrate too.

The monastery at the top of Pandokrator mount celebrates God the Saviour (Sotiras in Greek). The feast (paniyiri in Greek) starts on the eve of the 6th August.

What can you do there?

See the monastery and the ancient icons

light a candle and pray

enjoy the magnificent view

eat souvlaki

buy trinkets


Today Corfiots cook a special dish, fish and garlic paste (bakalaos skordalia in Greek).
Here's the recipe:

Skordalia (garlic paste)

2 or more cloves of garlic (the stronger the better)
2-3 boiled potatoes
olive oil
salt
lemon juice
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crush the garlic and mix with crushed potatoes. Add slowly olive oil and lemon juice till the taste is good and the texture firm enough.

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Fry some cod fillets (frozen or fresh) previously dipped in a mixture of flour and water, in ample olive oil and serve immediately.

Or use salty dry cod fillets, previously soaked in water (overnight) and fry them the same way.

Accompany with a fresh Greek salad and red wine.

Bon appetit!

Wine!

Do you drink wine?

Learn about it.

Just a little bit of everything you need to know about wine, how they taste it and how you can tell the wine you drink is good!

Myths and Truth

Don’t drink wine on an empty stomach. You get drunk fast!

---Did you know that olive oil helps? You don't get drunk that fast if you eat a nice salad with olive oil dressing.

---Take care! Too much wine causes dehydration.

The wine ‘over the counter’ is never as good as the bottled one.

---No one controls unbottled wine. There is no product name and no responsibility!

---Bottled wine is safer.

If you mix different kinds of wine you get drunk.

---Not true. It depends on the amount of the alcohol you drink. But if you mix different products such as wine (grapes) and vodka (potato), you get drunk.

TIPS

How to choose the right wine

When does a bottle of wine is not drinkable?

1. Examine the cork: problems at the cork result in a characteristic bad smell. That is not dangerous for your health though.

2. Acidosis: If air penetrates inside, the wine gets spoilt.

Some wines become better when they are left to mature in barrels or in their bottles. Most wines need 2 to 4 years to mature.

TASTING WINE

Get a glass of wine. Follow the 3 steps below:

Look at it.

Smell it.

Taste it.

Ask yourself:

1. Is it clear enough to see through it?
2. Is the aroma pleasant?
3. Is the taste sweet, bitter or dry?

RETSINA

This Greek traditional wine, dates back to 3000 years, to Ancient Greeks!

This is a unique Greek product. To make it, they add to the white wine retina from pine trees.

WINE SELECTION

www.oinotrapeza.gr

South Greece

Petritis Chysohoou, Naousa

Simeonidis Wines

www.simeonidiswines.gr

Kavala-olive grove village

Email: simwines@otenet.gr