Cyprus

Well Cyprus should have been straight forward one would imagine.  An Island with a long history must have quite a bit of cuisine to showcase.   A mixture between Greek and Turkish Cuisine with its own individual twist.

Thats why a hunk of fat must have cost me at least $ 150.   No, not the coveted Duck fat but Caul fat. This fat is the fat around the organs of sheep, pigs and cows.  This fat has a net like texture and is used to incase Seftalia and I have also seen chefs wrap this fat around roasts.   Apparently it keeps the roasts or kabobs tender while roasting.  We shall find out soon enough.

So why the big price tag ?  Well its not that expensive about $6 a pound but finding it is what took effort and determination.  I took a trip to Toronto and visited the world famous St. Lawrence market hailed as the #1 foodie market in the world by National Geographic.   Well I beg to disagree but would agree that it is a well overpriced touristy, yuppie, and foodie trap.   There is better selection and prices available all over Toronto its just a matter of knowing where to go.   While at the St. Lawrence I spoke with several butchers but none of them having any caul fat.   I decided to brave the weather of a chilly, rainy spring/winter day and walk across town to Kensington Market.   On my way there a quick google said a place by the name of the Healthy Butcher might carry this.  I dropped in and low and behold they had a tiny piece.   Not enough for what I wanted but took it anyway.   I continued onto Kensington Market to another butcher in hopes of finding caul fat in adequate quantity for my Seftalia.   Well they usually carry it but did not have any that day.   My last resort was a local butcher I had called earlier in the week.

While at Kensington Market I decided to have a quick lunch at Rasta Pasta.   Magnus at Rasta Pasta is a foodie and committed to serving generous delicious portions of Jerk Chicken, Pork and other Jamaican specialties like oxtail, rice & peas, dumplings etc.   But for $5 you get a 1/4 Jerk Chicken, rice and peas, and a hearty serving of veggies.   I chose to skip the rice and peas this time and they were happy to substitute with some healthy coleslaw.   Instead of the Jerk Chicken this time I opted for the Jerk Pork.   Having had Jerk Pork at many different places all I can say is that this was the ultimate,  it raises the bar to a new level.   Succulent, tender with a harmony of spice this Jerk Pork was a sublime pleasure.   So much so that I ordered a platter to take home.  It just goes to show when you cook with love, passion and truly enjoy what you are doing the end product will always shine through.

So the day was not a complete waste I had the best Jerk Pork to date and a tiny piece of caul fat for my efforts.  Not bad for the 14km I walked that day in the wind, rain and cold.   I ran back to the train and caught it just in time for my journey back home.

A couple days go by and I get a call from Mike at Aurora Meats and Cheese.  My last resort came through with 5 pounds of caul fat.   5 pounds !!!!   well we do have the world to travel still I am sure Cyprus is not the only country that uses caul fat.   But the lesson is once again learnt on why its so important to form lasting relationships with your local butcher, farmer or produce supplier.   Their interest is in you, their customer and with that keen understanding they will go out of their way to find or source something for you.   I will say though I was shocked with how many butcher shops had no clue what caul fat was.   Forget about asking your local supermarket meat counter,  they simply point you to a steak and say see fat !

Enough fat to go around the world twice over.  These will be vacuum packed and frozen tomorrow.










Our Menu

Helium with Oregano and Roasted Garlic Olive Oil


I was able to find this cheese straight from Cyprus.  I dusted the cheese with a little bit of dried oregano about 1 hour before grilling.   Yes I did burn 1 piece, and decided I would be the one to endure it.  However the Olive oil that I earlier infused with fresh oregano and roasted garlic really took on the flavour and worked delightfully with the cheese.  This is a keeper for sure.   Just goes to show that sometimes a little bit of extra effort like roasting some garlic can really bring out a dish with its subtle notes.

 I

Tzatziki

A refreshing dip I thought would work with the Sheftalia and was bang on right.  However next time I think instead of fresh lemon I might try a few bits of preserved lemon.

 Sheftalia

My wife decided to get into the action and here we see her lovely hands wrapping the lamb and pork Sheftalia in the caul fat.


 This dish turned out exceptional for my first time making it and the only thing I would do more carefully is use less caul fat as it did flare up quite a bit on the BGE.  However I did baste these with a white wine to limit the flare ups.   The caul fat did make a difference of keeping the meat moist and tender while naturally basting it.

Afelia

I did potatoes roasted with Caul fat that was left over.  I put red wine I found from Greece with some crushed Coriander seeds.   Quite honestly would not use the caul fat to roast potatoes again and will stick with the traditional olive oil.  I ended up taking out more then half the fat seen in the pictures below.  Common sense kicked in.  The wine did showcase through quite nicely.

Dinner was wonderful,  and once again we learned about a new culture.   Listened to music from Cyprus and really got into the mood.

Yiaourti me Meli

I went non-traditional here with whipping up some whipped cream with some orange oil and combining that with home made greek yogurt.   Topped with pistachios, tangerines and drizzled with Tasmanian honey.  Simple but really good.

Being close to Greece and from rumours on the net we had a traditional plate breaking.  However in the interest of keeping my well being and sanity,  from what my wife would do to me if I was to dare use our real plates.   Victoria printed up some small paper plates with a Cyprus flag on them, crumpled up and thrown at the end of the meal.   Cleanup was a cinch.

Next week we are off to Belize and I am on a spice hunt.