Dimitra

After the war years, the most beautiful Greek magazine, I Gynaika (The Woman) came in to our home. My mother regularly used the recipes of Chryssa Paradisis and many other chefs of that era, which were featured in the magazine. As a young woman, with the magazine as my guide, I learned knitting and embroidery. I also read many of its recipes, which often used ingredients that could not be found in the provincial city we lived in. When I first arrived in Australia, and I entered a supermarket, I thought I had reached the ‘paradise of flavours’ that the magazine described, and I was able to find the spices and unusual ingredients the recipes called for.

As a young girl, my mother had discouraged me from involving myself in cooking and any work needing hard labour, as she wanted me to get a good education. Whenever I begged her to let me into the kitchen to help, she said, “You have years ahead of you to learn this… when you get married. Now pay attention to your lessons and bring me good grades.” So, as a result, when I came to Australia I did not have any cooking skills. As a starting point, I turned to the cookbooks of Chryssa Paradisis, of which I had two, and then later to the women in my friendship group. At gatherings and celebrations, I was never too shy to offer a compliment on a dish that had been brought along to share and that I enjoyed. Nor was I too shy to ask for a recipe, and then try to make it myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about cooking and many friends in this way; recipes and friendships that endure to this day.

Although my cooking is usually simple, I continue to make some more involved traditional Greek dishes, such as stifado – stewed rabbit with onions (only I use a little vinegar instead of wine to make the dish lighter); baked gigantes – giant beans; dolmades with avgolemono (stuffed vine leaves with an egg-lemon sauce); and so many of the oil based dishes, which everyone in my family loves.

For young women and men beginning their cooking journey, I give this advice. Try new recipes and do not despair if the recipes fail. Try and try again until you get the result you want, because cooking, like the arts, is based on knowledge and experience gained over many years.

Now I will tell you something that I recently discovered. One day while kneading dough for koulourakia – Greek Easter cookies – I was called to the phone. I quickly finished preparing the dough and placed it in a bowl, covering it with a tea towel. I took the phone call and when I returned to the kitchen, 40 to 45 minutes later, I found my cookie dough was light and so easy to work, forming braids without effort. When they baked, the koulourakia, were the finest, lightest koulourakia I had ever made. So I discovered, completely by accident, that allowing my dough to rest for 40-45 minutes, made for the best eating koulourakia. This chance discovery gave rise to a new cooking method for me and reinforced in me the understanding that cooking is not only a set of traditions but also skills gained in small steps along the way. Cooking always means testing new ingredients and new techniques, and above all, love for those that we prepare it for; our family and friends.

In regards to my kourabiedes, I recommend you take care when adding the flour. Add a little at a time, incorporating it slowly, to make the dough achieve the right texture (a little dry, but it holds together nicely when pressed and formed into circles). As for the baking, the kourabiedes need to take some colour to be delicious when eaten.

That is all from me. Good luck with my kourabiedes and whatever else you cook!