Poseidonion Food Book by FAIRYLAND

THE POSEIDONION GRAND HOTEL SHORTLISTED CULINARY EXCELLENCE BOUTIQUE HOTEL AWARDS

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

Contents 09 Introduction

15 The Organic Vegetable Garden

35 The Menu 57 The Recipes 79 The “Cookbook”

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

Introduction Being shortlisted for the Culinary Excellence award is a very proud moment for all of us at the Poseidonion Grand Hotel. The concept of food, food sourcing, ingredients and producers remains at the forefront of our ongoing effort to be pioneers in issues of socio-ecological sustainability, while at the same time upholding the culinary excellence and service befitting of a five star hotel. In this presentation, we hope to give your judges a more in-depth view of our menus and of our philosophy behind them. Christophoros Peskias, an award winning Michelin star chef, who has been credited with changing the face of the greek gastronomical scene with his re-interpretation of classic dishes with a contemporary twist, has played an integral role in this success with his development of the new menus for the 2013 season. We hope you enjoy the presentation and look forward to welcoming you any time at the Poseidonion Grand Hotel to share a signature cocktail or dish on the legendary hotel verandah!

The Organic Vegetable Garden

The Organic Vegetable Garden was created three years ago and since then supplies not only the fruit and vegetable for the hotel, but also local Spetses restaurants, leading the way forward for all of the island towards a more sustainable food sourcing. We encourage guests to visit and pick their own vegetables, which they can then bring back to our executive chef and enjoy at dinner. Moreover, this year, more than 600 aloe vera plants were planted used mainly in detox juices and cocktails at breakfast as well as our signature Poseidonion Garden cocktail at sunset! Another innovative addition of this year was the building of a cob cooking unit in the vegetable garden. Cob is an earthen building material which is made of clay, sand, stray and water. It has been used for thousands of years to construct homes. During a seminar on this building techniques volunteers were treated to free lessons by a master cob builder and created a cooking unit which has since been used for al fresco cooking classes.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

The Menu

At the Poseidonion Grand Hotel we are firm believers in local, organic produce and homemade delicacies, as well as the Mediterranean diet. Since the re-opening of the hotel in 2009 we have worked hard to produce our own fruits, vegetables and herbs, grown locally in our organic garden, which this year features hens as well ensuring same day eggs for our guests. We urge you to experiment with our Mediterranean breakfast, rich in spices, seeds, nuts, fresh fruits, honey and aromas of Spetses, Greece and the Mediterranean. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on rusks from kythira, or indulge in our moist, homemade cakes with fragrant thyme honey on the side. Finally, be sure to try the spicy Propyra bread, a local Spetses recipe made with black pepper and rye wheat and our homemade rice pudding, flavored with vanilla. On the breakfast buffet you will also find time honored Greek utensils used for example for sieving frumenty in the villages of Traheia or Koliaki, or as part of the ritual of the delivery of the Greek coffee in traditional coffee shops. You may also admire the intricate handwork of the wooden serving spoons, lovingly made in the mountains of the Peloponnese by shepherds while they are tending their flock, or the carved bread stamp- a staple in all traditional households.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

The Recipes

In this section we invite you to try some of our dishes at home! Happy Cooking!

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

Marinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spaghetti, with courgettes, spearmint and fresh green peas

Ingredients (serves 2-3) 500 gr spaghetti 80 ml olive oil 2 garlic cloves peeled & minced 300 gr bread cut into small cubes 300 gr courgettes finely sliced 300 gr fresh green peas, blanched for 1 minute 100 gr grated Parmesan cheese 2 bunches of Spearmint (leafs only) 2 lemons: juice and grated lemon peel Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method In a bowl put the bread cubes with the lemon juice. In a frying pan heat half of the oil and stir in the bread for one minute. Bake in a preheated oven to 200oC for 2-3 minutes. In the frying pan heat the rest of the oil and stir in the courgettes and the garlic clove for a few seconds. Remove from heat and add the fresh green peas. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water cook the spaghetti. When ready, drain and put in the frying pan. Add the spearmint leaves, the grated lemon peel and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

Spetses Almond Sweets (Amygdalota)

These small, pear shaped almond sweets are a local speciality and our welcome gift to all our guests at the Poseidonion Grand Hotel.

Ingredients (makes 36) 600 g ground blanched almonds 1/3 cup semolina 3 cups icing sugar (allow a little more for dusting) 3 egg whites Â˝ teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2-3 tablespoons rose water, for brushing

Method Preheat the oven to 180 degrees oC. Using an electric mixer, beat the ground almonds with 2Â˝ cups of the icing sugar, the semolina, the lemon juice and the vanilla extract. After a compact mixture has been formed, add the egg whites, mixing thoroughly. Wet your fingers with rose water and taking teaspoons of the mixture, shape the dough to form small pears. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes and then (while still hot) brush with the remaining rose water and dust with icing sugar.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

Ryzogalo (Rice-Pudding)

A breakfast staple at the hotel, evoking childhood memories and enjoyed by all!

Ingredients (makes 6 individual ramekins) 1/3 cup uncooked short grain rice 2 cups water 3 Â˝ cups full fat milk Zest of one large orange Â˝ cup light brown sugar 2 tablespoons corn flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, to sprinkle

Method In a medium saucepan, boil the rice with the water until the water has evaporated (approximately 10 minutes). Add the 3 cups milk and simmer for another 15 minutes, while stirring continuously. Add the sugar and zest, while continuing to stir. In the meantime, dilute the cornflour with the remaining milk and add this to the saucepan as well. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and pour into the individual ramekins. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

The “Cookbook”

As a testament to our love of food and wanting to give our guests the chance to sample the recipes back home we created in 2012 a cook book. “Sweets and Treats from the kitchen of the Poseidonion Grand Hotel”, highlighted traditional recipes such as the famous Spetses amygdalota (almond treats) which are offered as a welcome treat to our guests and the famous Poseidonion rice puddings (ryzogala). The book won the Gourmand Cookbook Award for new entries in 2013.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

White Chocolate Cookies with Dried Cranberries Ingredients (makes 24) ½ cup unsalted butter ½ cup light brown sugar ½ cup caster sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 shot brandy 1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted ½ teaspoon baking soda 200 g white chocolate cut into pieces 1 cup dried cranberries

Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees oC. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar until smooth. Add the egg and brandy and beat well. Mix in the flour and baking soda. Add the white chocolate pieces and dried cranberries. Shape teaspoons of the mixture into small balls (do not flatten) and place on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until firm to the touch. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

Poseidonion Tips For Traditional Sweets Sweets of the spoon (Glyka tou koutaliou) are a traditional greek sweet used to welcome guests in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home.

The name derives from the fact that one spoonful of the sweet is placed on a small saucer and served with a glass of chilled water. To make our favorite grape sweet of the spoon (glyko tou koutaliou stafyli) place 1 kilo of caster sugar with 1 kilo of seedless grapes over a medium heat and simmer for approximately 25 minutes (skim foam off)- add the juice of one lemon. Store in sterilized jars.

As Greek desserts are richly sweet - they can be cut into bite sized pieces and piled onto a platter with cups of espresso (or even better Greek coffee) to be served at the end of a meal.

Halva or semolina is known as the 1-2-3-4 dessert in Greece.

The basic recipe calls for 1 cup of sunflower oil, 2 cups of coarse semolina, 3 cups caster sugar and 4 cups water. In a medium saucepan place the sugar and water with 2 cinnamon sticks and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for approximately five minutes. In another larger saucepan, over medium high heat, add the oil and heat until simmering. Add the coarse semolina and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Cook the semolina in the oil until the grains begin to toast and turn a deep golden color. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully add the hot syrup to the semolina mixture. The semolina is going to sizzle and spatter so be careful not to burn yourself. Cover the pot tightly and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a cake tin and allow to set (at least for 2 hours) - serve sprinkled with cinnamon and caster sugar.

Greek yoghurt Îšs a wonderfully light substitute for whipped cream. If you like you may sweeten the yoghurt with some brown or caster sugar.

The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Shortlisted Culinary Excellence Boutique Hotel Awards

Poseidonion Grand Hotel, Dapia, Spetses Tel.: +30 22980 74553 Fax.: +30 22980 74248 www.poseidonion.com www.facebook.com/poseidonion twitter @poseidonion