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November

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November is the month when the weather in Cyprus breaks from warm autumn towards colder winter. Around the middle of November temperatures begin to drop noticeably and the rainy season starts. During this month it can rain from three to six days. November is the third rainiest month after December and January. On average maximum temperature gets up to 22°C on the west coast and inland and 23°C-24°C on the eastern-south coast. On the mountains it already gets noticeably cold with temperatures not going higher than 13°C. At night, temperature drops down to 13°C-14°C on the coast and 10°C inland. On the heights of Troodos, it already feels like winter at night with the temperature staying as low as 6°C. The sea water is about 21°C. I can’t dare the sea water temperature, though. Some people are braver than me and enjoy a swim in the sea.  The sea has its ups and downs in November. It’s sometimes calm and  tempting, but it’s often  rough and gloomy.  Yet, we never get huge waves or u
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Fava - Split Pea Purée

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Fava is a Greek appetizer, which must not be confused with fava beans because it's nor made from fava beans. It is a  yellow split pea purée and a delicious Greek veggie dish whose origins lie on the islands of Santorini and Skiros. Here's a recipe of the authentic Greek fava by one of Greece's greatest chefs - Akis Petretzikis.  INGREDIENTS 200g split peas 4 tbsp olive oil 50g onion 50g carrots 1 clove garlic 2 bay leaves 4 tbsp olive oil juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper spring onions for serving DIRECTIONS Cover the peas with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and strain. Chop the onion, garlic and carrot Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sautée the onion, garlic , carrot and bay leaves. Add the split peas, sautée and add some hot water to cover the split peas in the pot. Leave until the split peas are softened and water adsorbed, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Strain the remaining water and remove the bay le
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August

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August in Cyprus is not only the hottest month of the year but also the month when almost everyone goes on holiday. A few years ago, I used to enjoy spending time in my hometown Nicosia which is a ...ghost town in August since most people are away. I used to enjoy the empty streets, the quiet cafés despite the heat which would often flirt with 40°C / 104°  F.  That was back in the 90s when I still missed hometown Nicosia a lot. Not any more. I love Larnaca so much now ! In the morning, between 6 - 7 am, the beach is quiet, not  really crowded, it's not too hot to walk in the sun as the temperature hardly rises above 24°C  / 75°F. August is a .... lazy moth filled with the beauty and the relaxing scents of the Mediterranean Sea.
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Location: Cyprus Larnaca, Cyprus
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Marinated Chicken in Arabic Pita Bread

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This is not really a traditional Greek recipe. It's a delicious blend of  Greek and Middle East cooking slightly adapted from Argiro Barbarigou's recipe. It's very easy to make, it's healthy and, most importantly, it's so tasty! We can find colour bell peppers all year round at the supermarket but summer is the season when these sweet peppers are the best. Ingredients For the marinade 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tsp paprica 2 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp oregano 2 tbsp mild mustard salt and pepper For the Souvlaki 2 boneless chicken breasts approx. 500 gr / 18 ounces 3 colour bell peppers (green , yellow, red) 1 onion, sliced 1 tbsp extra virgin oil. Directions Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl with all the marinade ingredients. Use your hands to mix really well, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour. Warm the olive oil in a pan and sweat the onions. Cook until t
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Φιλετάκια Χοιρινά με Βαλσάμικο και Αρωματικά

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Scroll down for English Υλικά (για 8 – 10 άτομα) 4 φιλετάκια χοιρινά (ψαρονέφρι), σύνολο 1 ½ κιλά 4 κουταλιές βαλσάμικο ξίδι ¼ φλιτζάνι ελαιόλαδο 4 σκελίδες σκόρδο Τα φυλλαράκια από 2 κλωναράκια δεντρολίβανο 2 κουταλιές ξεφυλλισμένο φρέσκο θυμάρι 1 κουταλιά χοντρό, θαλασσινό αλάτι μαύρο πιπέρι Εκτέλεση Προθερμαίνετε το φούρνο στους 200° C. Με τη μύτη ενός μαχαιριού κάνετε μικρές βαθιές χαρακιές σε διάφορα σημεία του φιλέτου και μπήγετε μέσα μικρές σκελίδες σκόρδου. Απλώνετε τα φιλετάκια σε ταψί στο οποίο έχετε βάλει αντικολλητικό χαρτί, ελαφρά λαδωμένο Ραντίζετε τα φιλετάκια με το βαλσάμικο ξίδι και μετά με το ελαιόλαδο και τα τρίβετε με τα χέρια για να πιάσουν βαλσάμικο και λάδι παντού. Βάζετε το αλάτι και το πιπέρι σε ένα μπολάκι, προσθέτετε το δεντρολίβανο και το θυμάρι και τα ανακατεύετε. Πασπαλίζετε με το μίγμα αυτό τα φιλετάκια. Ψήνετε σε φούρνο με αέρα στους 170°C για 20 – 30 λεπτά. Τα βγάζετε πάνω σε σανίδα κοπής και τα αφήνετε να ξεκουραστούν για 10 – 1
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How I Got Lost in Larnaca

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What an adventurous morning! I got up at 5:47 am as per usual, had breakfast, went walking for 74 minutes, got back home and had espressos with Alkis w hile my wonderful cleaning lady Mrs Giorgoula was doing the housework.  I had my car washed at Splish Splash while enjoying my free Cyprus or Greek or Turkish coffee - it's the same anyway. OK end of digression!Then I went to the supermarket, did my shopping and then started driving happily back home. I was so taken with Neil Diamond's songs - a double CD my friend Faith had offered me that I forgot to turn left and drove straight ahead to the Cineplex area.  Believe it or not, I got lost in Larnaca where I've been living for the last 30 years. I don't have a GPS in the car, so I turned on my mobile GPS. How sad! My mobile phone had just run out of battery! I was so frustrated that I lost all sense of orientation.Fortunately enough, I found my way back home quite by chance!
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Home Sweet Home

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I sometimes take for granted the beauty of the town I've been living in for the last 30 years. When Alkis and I first moved to Larnaca back in November 1984, I could hardly call it home.. We both missed our hometowns - Nicosia and Serres.  Living in Larnaca wasn't easy for either of us, but very soon we both fell in love with the beautiful city of Zenon to such an extent that we no longer miss our hometowns as much as we did when we first came to live here. Having spent my childhood and adolescence in capital city Nicosia and five years in Geneva, Switzerland, as a student, I really felt miserable when Alkis and I had to move to Larnaca  because of Alkis’ work back in 1984.  Back then, Larnaca was a small, quiet town where nothing happened!  There was only one cinema, where we used to go at the weekend, a couple of shops and a few tavernas. I used to hate Larnaca and would often travel to hometown Nicosia  to see my family, shop or simply go out  on my days off work.
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