By Sophia Klidi
Are you a Grecophile at heart, but this year your budget, or just plain bad judgment, has you planning a vacation in Turkey? Be warned: In Turkey the seafood is of “dubious” origin, at best, and then it’s served swimming in heavily spiced oils (not olive oil!) and heavy sauces indigenous to that country. Let your good “taste” guide you. Crete has Europe’s cleanest waters (Editor’s Note: see related article) so it stands to reason Crete also has the finest, sweetest seafood.
And, here’s a great seafood recipe to remind you of the glorious Greek islands. All the ingredients can be plucked right out of the beautiful – and clean! – Aegean Sea. Or, purchased from any of the many local fish markets. So, pour yourself a glass of Retsina, and cook on. It’s called Seafood Tagliatelle, and it’s for two.
Recipe for Seafood Tagliatelle
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cut calamari
- 1 cup cut octopus
- 8 large shrimps
- A handful of shelled mussels
- A handful of mussels in the shell
- 1 cup of Cretan white wine
- 1 large tomato cut coarsely
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup of olive oil, Cretan, of course
- Tagliatelle
- Salt, pepper
In a large, deep frying pan heat the olive oil over moderate heat, then sauté onion, garlic and tomato. Add the calamari and octopus and toss lightly. When they get a bit of colour, add the shrimp and half of the wine and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pot cook the tagliatelle until adente. Drain well and set aside.
n the frying pan with the seafood add the mussels in the shell first, then the rest of the wine. When mixture is hot, add the shelled mussels. Stir occasionally and leave on the fire until most of the liquid is absorbed. Then add the tagliatelle to the seafood mixture in the frying pan, toss well and serve, sprinkling the plates with parsley.
Kali orexi.