We always look forward to Tuesdays (or rather I do). The brood have described the market as boring, windy with the stall owners wrestling with their canopy to stop them from blowing away. A big gust of wind blows dust into your eyes and it is very very hot.
When it is hot, distances seem so much greater and the heat is such a drain on energy levels. You have to pace yourself, walk slower, start the day earlier when it is still cool enough to operate / function normally. It's best to take a drink with you or at least stop off on the way back. The energy seems to evaporate away through every pore as you walk.
In the winter time it is just a quick stroll to the market, but once the summer comes in Greece, it seems at least twice as far.
The stalls are full of fresh fruit and vegetables, salads, herbs, all that much sweeter than in the UK, due to the fact the sun has been shining on them, kissing them with sweetness. No need to go to the supermarkets, the markets have every thing you need in daily life. Before the Euro, the markets seemed cheaper than the supermarket, now I am not so sure. But one thing I do know, the fruit is at its best - often picked that morning or at worst the night before.
Our favourite summer time recipe - fresh lemonade.
Always refreshing, and really easy to prepare. Just put it in an insulated bottle and take it in your lunchbox.
This recipe makes a litre.
You need:
4 lemons, each lemon cut into 8 wedges
175g sugar
1 litre cold water
ice cubes
You also need some kind of blender, whether a hand held one (Multi practic or similar) to blitz the lemons into pulp or a food processor (Kenwood Chef or other).
What to do:
Blitz the lemons with half of the sugar, ice cubes, and 500ml water. Strain the juice in a sieve and set this juice aside. Tip the lemons and pulp back into the processor. Add the rest of the sugar, water and ice cubes and blitz again.
Strain the juice into the jug containing the reserved juice. Discard the pulp.
Add extra ice cubes, and serve.
It takes us 15 minutes tops to prepare this.
An extra tip is to try it with oranges instead, or for extra "zing!" add some lime juice!
Go on, have a go, it is that easy and in this amazing weather you are currently having in the UK, it will bring the mediterranean that much closer to you!
End of day score at the beach: 17 crabs, 5 fish and 2 casualties.Labels: fresh lemonade, markets