The Sun's Out - Shall We Go To Greece?

After what seems like years of wet and cold weekends, the sun is finally out!  And the forecast suggests it is here to stay... for the week at least.  I felt we better take advantage of the warm weather and try out a new salad recipe.

I picked up a book which I must have bought about 10 years ago and, to my shame, I have never cooked from.  And there is literally no reason why I shouldn't have.  The dishes are not complicated to cook and the beautiful pictures add to their appeal.  I suppose the only thing stopping me was where to start.

Tessa Kiros' "Falling Cloudberries" is half autobiography and half cook book.  The eclectic nature of the collection is summed up by the opening words across from the title page: "My mother's name is Sirepa Suula Kerttu Peiponen.  My father's name is George."  It is a book that I relate to - a compilation of food memories from all of the many places she has lived.  Tessa's recipes from family and friends are interspersed with family photographs and recollections, making it an interesting read as well as a resource.

Arranged by country (Finland, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, Italy and World), I find it easiest not to go into it looking for something in particular.  Rather, I prefer to flick through it and become captivated by the familiar feelings of tradition, friendship and nostalgia that her food evokes.

The recipe that I picked to enjoy with our very welcome good weather was a Greek Chickpea, Feta & Coriander salad.  Simple to assemble, it was packed full of fresh, zingy flavours, bringing the chickpeas alive with clean herbs, salty feta and aromatic garlic and lemon.  Tessa suggested that the salad would be nice served with lamb chops marinated in cumin and yoghurt and then grilled.  So I took her advice and we were not disappointed!

Incidentally, I love my butcher!  Kelvin's on East Street, Bristol, has all of the usual butcher's fare, presented with that plastic grass that is the sign of a quality local butcher!  The blackboard outside often advertises one-off stock, such as "goat here today".  And the deeper you move into the shop, the more adventurous the produce gets: pig tails, ox liver, tongue...  This is where I got my four lamb leg steaks for dinner and a ham hock that I shall be slow cooking at some point this week!  All for under £10.  Bargain.