A Culinary Voyage Around the Greek Islands
Plaki means a dish, normally fish or beans, baked in the oven, with tomatoes, garlic, parsley and onions. Evia, or Euboia, is a very tricky island to navigate - even the intrepid corsairs found it so - as it has few lighthouses and is subject to very strong northerly winds and difficult currents. Having sailed these waters, you might reach one of the oldest towns on Evia, Kymi, built high above the sea. Here, during late August and September, you will find the best figs.
(serves 4-6)
2 live lobsters, each about 1kg
200g manouri cheese (if not available, use mascarpone)
For the tomato sauce
200ml extra virgin olive oil
150g shallots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150g leeks, trimmed, well rinsed and finely chopped
300g tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped
100g plump, moist ready-to-eat sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
50ml white wine
juice of 2 oranges
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, picked and finely chopped
½ bunch of mint, picked and finely shredded
juice of 1-2 lemons
For the grilled fig and manouri salad
6 figs
2 tablespoons aged red wine or balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons thyme honey
sprinkling of ground cinnamon
50ml extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
Cut the lobster in half lengthwise with a sharp knife or cleaver, remove and discard the gritty stomach sac. If there is any coral, put it, together with the green stuff (the tomalley or liver - a great delicacy), into a strainer over a bowl, sprinkle with salt and reserve.
Make a tomato sauce: in a heavy-based pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the shallots, garlic and leek gently until translucent. Add the chopped fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, the wine and the orange juice. Season, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, start preparing the salad: snip the tiny stem end off each fig and cut in half lengthwise. Mix the vinegar, honey and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl. Add the figs and gently toss to coat. Let sit while you preheat a medium grill and the oven to 220˚C/gas 7.
When ready, grill the figs (reserving the marinade in the bowl), for a minute or so per side, or until grill marks appear. Do not over-cook or the figs will become too mushy. Transfer the figs to a plate.
To the reserved marinade, add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, whisking well to completely incorporate. Add the manouri to the plate of fig and pour over the marinade.
Finish the tomato sauce by adding the parsley and mint, adjust the seasoning, stir and remove from the heat.
Put the lobster halves in a roasting tray. Spread sauce liberally over the flesh and roast for 10 minutes or just until the flesh turns white.
While the lobsters are roasting, push the lobster’s coral and liver through the strainer and beat the purée with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice. When the lobsters are cooked, drizzle the liver and coral vinaigrette over their flesh.
Serve immediately with the salad.
From A Culinary Voyage Around the Greek Islands, Theodore Kyriakou.
Date: 16 June 2009
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