BRANDY SOUR

POURGOURI PILAF

2 tablespoons oil (olive, ground nut or sunflower)
1 medium onion, finely sliced 1oz (25g) vermicelli
8oz (250g) pourgouri or boulgouri (cracked wheat)
1 1/2 glasses (300ml) chicken stock
salt and black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole and saute the onion for a couple of minutes until it softens but doesn't brown.
2. Stir in the vermicelli, breaking it with your hands. Continue to fry with the onion for a couple of minutes until it begins to absorb the oil.
3. Rinse the pourgouri under the cold tap, then add to the casserole.
4. Add the stock and seasoning. Cover and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes or until all the stock is absorbed.
5. Leave the pilafi to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

For the white sauce 3oz (75g) Butter
4 level tablespoons flour
1 pint warm milk
ground nutmeg
2 eggs
I1glass (2oz) grated cheese - hallotimi, kefalotiri or cheddar

1. Immerse the aubergine slices in lightly salted water for 30 minutes, then rinse and, squeezing them gently, pat dry with kitchen towel. The courgettes need no attention.
2. Fry the aubergine or courgette slices in the oil, turning the slices, so that they brown but don't cook through. Leave, them to drain on kitchen paper.
3. In another- pan fry the, onions in the, rest of the, oil till soft then add the meat and stir to break it up. Add the tomatoes, herbs, spices, seasoning and the wine and continue to cook for about 25 minutes when the liquid should have been absorbed.

4. For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and then add the warm milk gradually, whisking hard to remove any lumps. Take the saucepan away from the heat and stir in the seasoning, spices and cheese. Make sure that the sauce has cooled before adding the eggs.

To assemble the moussakas

Either use a 10- x 10- (25cm x 25cm) baking dish or 6 individual pots and line the base with slices of cooked aubergine or- courgette (Add a layer of cooked potato if you are using it).
Nqw spread the meat in a layer over the aubergine and cover with the remainder of the aubergine and potato.
Cover the top of the Moussakas, with white sauce and bake in a moderate oven Gas Mark 4, 350'F for about 50 minutes until the top is a good crusty brown.

AFELIA

I. Marinate the meat in the wine and spices for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible.
2. Lift the meat out of the marinade and dry on kitchen paper. Keep the marinade for later.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole and brow the cubes of meat a few at a-time, until all are crisp and brown. Add more oil if necessary.
4. Wipe any excess oil from the pan and return all the meat. Pour over the marinade and enough cold water to just cover the meat. Cover the casserole with a lid and cook gently, either in the oven or on top for about 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.
5. Almost all of the liquid should have evaporated to leave a thick sauce. If necessary cook the afelia uncovered for a further 10 minutes to reduce excess liquid.

TAHINI DIP

BOOKS ON CYPRIOT COOKING

New Flavours - C.Christodoulidou (Greek)
Modem Practical Cooking - G.Christodoulidou (Greek)
A Cook's Collection - Anonymous (English)
Tavema Meze of Cyprus - Th-loannou (English)
A Cyprus Cook's Calendar - S.Lennane (English)
The Cypriots at Table - M. Mourtzis (English)
Cooking from Cyprus - N.Nicolaou (English)

Kopiastel Cyprus Food, Customs and Traditions - A.Sitas (English)
Let's Cook Something - V.York (English)
Cuisine de Z hypre - N.Nicolaou (French)
Geriebte aus Zypern, der Insel der Aphrodite - N. Nicolaou (German)

Die Zyprioten bei Tisch - M.Mourtzis (German)
Matiagning from Zypern, Apbrodites-O.N.Nikolaou (Swedish)
Our cooking and its sauces, the perfunie makers of Myceneans, the workshops of sauces in Byzantium and the housewives of Cyprus - Th.loannou (Greek)

Modern Practical Cooking - Gianoulla Christodotilidou (Greek) Your own Pastries (Greek)
Food and Ilealtb - Cbildren's Nutrition - liygieiiie Nutrition Savvides (Greek)

A Taste of Cyprus, a Seasonal Look at Cypriot Cooking - Cilli Davies (English)

GLOSSARY