A taste of summer: Cyprus recipes with Loulla Astin

Kritharaki with Drunken Prawns

A quick and easy weeknight supper made with simple ingredients. If you have orzo and prawns, please make it!

It’s very delicious, a marriage of kritharaki and prawns that come together to create a mouthwatering Greek dish. Serve on its own or with a green salad!

1 tbsp plus 2 tbsp olive oil

20g butter

500g raw peeled prawns

I small onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

300g orzo or kritharaki

3 medium tomatoes, grated

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 glass white wine

½ tsp chilli flakes

Salt and pepper

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp ground cinnamon

500ml chicken or vegetable stock

125-150 frozen peas

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Place a large sauté pan or a wok on a medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter and fry the prawns quickly to seal them, remove them from the pan and keep on the side.

Add 2 more tbsp of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions and celery until transparent, mix in the garlic. Add the pasta, mix well to coat with oil and cook until golden. Add the grated tomatoes, tomato purée and cook for a minute or two, then pour the wine and allow to come to the boil.

Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes, oregano, ground cinnamon and sugar. Pour in the warm stock, mix and cover with a lid, simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring a few times so the pasta doesn’t stick. If too dry add a little hot water, cook until pasta is just cooked.

Remove the lid and stir in the fried prawns and chopped parsley, remove from the heat, cover and let it rest for 4-5 minutes (the heat of the pasta will warm the prawns). Serve with a rocket or lettuce salad and grated kefalotyri or Parmesan.

Enjoy!

Cyprus delights, Pistachio & Rose Petal Cheesecake

Everybody thinks cheesecake is American or French, but the truth is, it was invented by the ancient Greeks for the first Olympics and this one by ME! My version of a non-baked cheesecake, the filling is creamy, similar to a mousse with exotic flavours and it sets in the refrigerator. This recipe is for a large cake for a lot of people, you could always half the recipe.

Serves 10 -12

Ingredients for the base

300g digestive biscuits, chopped

1 tbsp cocoa powder

130g unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp caster sugar

For the filling

4 tsp powder gelatine, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water

600g double cream

600g Philadelphia cheese, room temperature

200g caster sugar

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp Cypriot rosewater

180g Cypriot or Turkish delights, rose and green in colour, cubed

40g pistachios, coarsely chopped

For decoration

Dried rose petals

30g pistachio slivers

Grease a 24cm springform tin with butter and line base with parchment paper.

Place biscuits, cocoa powder and sugar in a food processer and process for a few seconds. Add the butter and process again until it forms soft crumbs.

Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin and pack tightly on the bottom of the tin and use the bottom of a cup to press the mixture firm. Refrigerate or freeze for 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Place gelatine powder in half a cup of boiling water, and stir until dissolved.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream into stiff peaks, keep aside.

Once again, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on medium speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. Add the diluted gelatine, lemon zest and juice, and rosewater, beat until smooth.

Using a spatula, fold the whipped cream gently into the cheesecake, filling until combined and fold in the chopped delights and chopped pistachios.

Remove cheesecake base from the fridge/freezer and spread filling on top of the biscuit base, smooth the top and cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.

Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove from the tin and place in a serving dish.

Decorate with slivers of pistachio and dried rose petals.

Using a sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice.

Loulla’s book My Kosmos My Kitchen can be ordered from www.amazon.com or www.austinmacauley.com/book/my-kosmos-my-kitchen. For more traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes and inspiration, join Loulla’s Facebook group Loulla’s Recipe Share