Thessalonian Fish &
Roasted Lemon Chicken

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Anna Welander seems to have an inexhaustible supply of food groaners.
Here's another:

A hungry lion was roaming through the jungle looking for something to
eat. He came across two men. One was sitting under a tree and reading a
book. The other was typing away on his typewriter. The lion quickly
pounced on the man reading the book and devoured him. Even the king of
the jungle knows that readers digest, and writers cramp.

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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Thessaly is a part of Eastern Greece bordering on the Aegean
Sea, and this is one of their favorite ways of cooking the seafood
that is plentiful there. For a truly authentic taste you'll need the
sweet red Greek wine called mavrodaphne, but a good ruby port
makes an excellent substitute.

Thessalonian Fish (Plaki Thessaloniki)

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
2 lbs (900 g) fillets of firm white fish such as halibut, sea bass, or cod
4 onions, thinly sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 15-oz (425 g) can chopped tomatoes with their liquid
1/2 cup (125 ml) Greek mavrodaphne wine or other sweet red wine
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped parsley
1 tsp (5 ml) chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Use half the oil to grease a baking dish and place the fish in the
dish in a single layer. Set aside. Heat the remaining oil in a large
skillet over moderate heat and saute the onions and garlic until
tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining
ingredients and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Pour the sauce
over the fish and bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven until the
fish is firm and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

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It really takes only two ingredients to conjure up the flavors of
Greece: lemon and oregano. This simple method of cooking
chicken is as old as the hills and can be used with fish and
shellfish as well.

Roasted Lemon Chicken (Psiti Kota meh Lemoni)

4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
4 Tbs (60 ml) olive oil
2 lbs (900 g) chicken pieces
1 Tbs (15 ml) dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
2 cups (500 ml) boiling water
2 Tbs (30 ml) cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with
1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water

Combine the butter and olive oil in a small pot and heat gently until
the butter is melted. Place half the mixture in a roasting pan. Season
the chicken pieces with the oregano, salt, and pepper, and place in the
pan. Combine the lemon juice with the remaining butter mixture and baste
the chicken with it. Bake the chicken in a 375F (190C) oven, basting
several times, until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked
through, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and add the
boiling water to the roasting pan, scraping the bottom to dissolve the
brown bits. Transfer the liquid to a small pot over moderate heat and
stir in the cornstarch mixture. Add any remaining basting liquid and
bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Adjust the seasoning with salt and
pepper and serve the gravy along with the chicken. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Feb 15 07:57:23 2007