Mostly Greek to me,exploring a Year in Alice's Kitchen: Bridge

I am transfixed by the 2004 bridge that would have connected my grandparents world so well, so easily. Her father had to travel from light house to lighthouse as did his father before him to "man" the lights. Ha, Ha now the bridge lights the whole area aat night but the light house still keep sentry.

I wonder of any of the lemon trees that once grew near the Antirion light house stil grow there; Yiayia claimed they were big and much sweeter than any lemons she could buy in the US and changed the taste of so many Greek dishes she would prepare.

Today I plan to make a chicken dish with minestra (menestra or orso cooked in tomato sauce called Kritaraki in Greek) ( μανέστρα I think.)

First, salt and pepper cut up whole chicken or use 1/2 chicken breasts pieces (4) and add to a pot with whole onion all cut up in tiny pieces. Then add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat until water evaporates, turning chicken somewhere half way through.

after evaporation, add 1/2 cup butter or olive oil (your call but Yiayia loved 1 stick of butter here) and 2 T. of tomato paste, 16 oz. of tomato sauce, 1 t. salt, and water to cover the chicken. Cover at a high simmer after bringing to a slow boil for about an hour. (I'll do the olive oil instead of butter and toss in a cinnamon stick which I'll remove before serving.)

Then remove a cup of the liquid and reserve it.

Remove chicken too, and separately place covered in a dish and keep warm.

Next take 1 or 2 cups of orzo or even rice will be OK but we prefer orzo, pasta that is rice shaped, and add to tomato sauce mixture and stir several times over next 20 minutes as it cooks because it sticks. It may need some more water, too, as it cooks. As rice/pasta continues to thicken at the end of the 20 minutes, add 1/2 of the the sauce reserved and 1/2 cup of melted butter! Yes, for butter her.

Arrange chicken with all of the remaining sauce with the rice on a platter. I have Yiaya's platter. I also have her oil and vinegar set. (pictures soon)

I will probably serve some leftover large butter beans and some Greek cabbage slaw, too.

Castine Morning by Dan Graziano which I own

Picture taken last summer by Caeli, my daughter, from town dock

Caeli took of Matt and their dog, a shiba innu, right after Christmas last year, This light house functions and is 1/2 mile from our house

Here is a link I do about our town, Castine, one of the earliest white settlements (French) in the USA. https://www.facebook.com/castinecalendar?ref=hl

chicken oieces in sauce