Calling all desperate housewives!
Rediscover your Cypriot roots on the web
Are you desperate to cook perfect Greek recipes, eager to impress others with a wide repertoire of traditional home baked dishes, or do you simply want to become more creative in the kitchen? If so, look no further than Anasia Angeli’s cookery website www.desperategreekhousewives.co.uk.
Fine tuning your perfect housewife skills might not rank high on most modern ladies’ agenda. However London born Anasia is eminently proud of her Cypriot heritage and the idea for her website stems from an ardent desire to keep the very best of the island’s authentic culture alive.
She remembers a childhood infused with her mother’s authentic Cypriot cooking, and whilst Anasia is currently working in the London banking world, the culinary passion of her Cypriot born parents remains as strong as ever thanks to her on-line cookery venture. For beginners to real pros in the kitchen, the website offers a tantalising mix of traditional dishes that will have you running for your pinny!
“As I tried to think up an ideal dish to epitomise Cyprus in its most simple, delicious form, the smell of freshly baked olive bread came wafting up the stairs. I was having a manicure at the time, and since making olive bread is also a perfect way to soften your hands, the following recipe leapt into my thoughts, my beauty regime and the awaiting taste buds of everyone in the house!” she says.
Simple, quick and sure to impress, Anasia loves this recipe for a multitude of reasons.
“Nothing can beat freshly baked bread – I love everything about it from the blend of aromas, soft texture and homely warm comfort. The combination of olives and mint is to die for, and the onions give the dish an extra flavour dimension that ordinary bread can’t compete with.”
Anasia is keen to point out that olive bread makes a wonderful addition to any meal, or even as a starter. It also goes down really well with guests popping in for coffee, as it makes a great a change to cakes and biscuits.
As for the health element, olive oil and olives are some of the best Mediterranean produce in terms of a nourishing diet. Use pure olive oil and nutritious black matured olives, which are full of flavour as they have been left on the trees for longer to ripen. “The actual making of the dish is very therapeutic too. Whilst you’re kneading away, the skin on your hands is moisturised with all the goodness from the olive oil, giving a helpful beauty boost when slaving away in the kitchen!” Anasia says.
Inspiration for this dish comes from Anasia’s mother and sister, who not only love making it, but do so on almost a daily basis. “We always bake our own bread at home rather than buying ready made and wrapped, though I’m sure that buying at least 4-6 packets of flour every week from the supermarket raises a few eyebrows from the check-out staff! In our modern busy lives, most people simply don’t have the time to bake fresh bread every day, but once you try this delicious recipe, you might just find a way!”
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Elyiodi (Olive Bread)
Preparation time – around 10 mins
Baking time – around 30 mins
This is soft bread embedded with black jewel-like olives and enriched with olive oil, with added flavourings of mint and onion. The dough can be made into small buns or a large round traditional shape, or even rolled out and filled with chopped olives then re-rolled into a cigar shape.
To make the elyiodi filling you need:
1 kg of black olives
2 large onions
2-3 spring onions
½ bunch fresh coriander leaves
½ bunch fresh mint (or 4 tsp dried mint)
½ cup Olive Oil
To make the dough you need:
1 large packet self-raising flour
2 sachets of yeast
2-3 tsp baking powder
½ pint of luke-warm water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
Start by preparing the dough.
In a large bowl add the flour, yeast, baking powder, salt, sugar, vegetable oil and the water. Knead until it forms into a sticky soft dough consistency.
Then add all the olives and the olive oil, put to one side and prepare the filling.
You may pit the olives or leave them as they are (make sure you warn everyone if you decide to leave the stones in please!)
Chop the onions into medium chunks, wash and chop the fresh mint and coriander also. Mix all together to create a squidgy mixture.
Get your baking tray ready by putting a generous amount of olive oil on the bottom.
Set the oven at Gas Mark 7/220°C/425°F.
Place the dough mixture into the baking tray and push dough into shape – don’t worry about making it look neat – the lumps and bumps give it that rustic look.
Push the olives in so they don’t fall out and any loose ones left in the bowl may be added as decoration on top. Push in deep where required.
Bake for 30 minutes until nicely browned.
Best served and eaten on the day.
