When we go to the farmers market I always end up with tons of vegetables, herbs, fruit etc. My husband and I usually go together, pass by most of the stalls and see and compare prices and on our way back I buy from those I have spotted, who have the best quality and price. I usually end up with tons of things but I try and make good use of them, while they are still fresh, so coming back home from the market I have a lot of work to do and I can’t complain, my husband always helps me. In Greece, they also sell fish at the farmers’ market, so if I buy fish, I ask the fish monger to scale and gut the fish and I usually cook the fish on that same day as it should be eaten fresh.
Yesterday, gavros (anchovies) was quite cheap 5 Euro a kilo so I bought a kilo but they do not clean the small fish so coming back from the market before cleaning the fish, I washed and put the red sweet peppers in the oven to grill them and by the time they were ready I had the fish prepared.
Just to give you an idea here is what else had to be done. Cherries were quite expensive last week but this week they were around 4 Euros a kilo, so when I found a good quality at 2.50 Euros a kilo it was a good opportunity to make some spoon sweet, as the cherry season is not long and in case the forecast for bad weather proves to be true, the prices will go up again, so I bought 2 kilos cherries. Cherries are very delicate, so they couldn’t wait until the next day, so I washed them, removed the stems and left it in lime for two hours and then it had to be washed again and be pitted. My husband took over the green beans, which again was cheap, so I bought 2 kilos again. He did the peeling and washing. Half of it went into the refrigerator for today’s lunch and half in the deep freezer for another meal. Apart from the watermelon and cherries I bought apricots and some plumbs called ‘vanilies’. I bought a bunch of silverbeet, black-eyed peas from Evros, (these will be cooked on Friday), green onions, parsley, dill, fennel, parsley. I think that’s all!!!
Why am I writing all this? Well to begin with, the same thing happens every Tuesday, perhaps with different products. It’s probably the worse day of the week, as there are so many things to be done. I make a lot of new recipes which however, cannot be posted and when I post the recipes two or three weeks later, it’s impossible to remember details. However, all the recipes I post are recipes which we like and of course there are recipes with which if I am not pleased, these will never be posted until I get it right.
I have recipes from 2007 which I have not posted and will probably not post unless I cook them again and take new pictures. For this reason I am going to try and post whatever I make each day and see how this works out.
Gavros Sto Fourno (Baked Anchovies) – Greek Recipe
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
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Ingredients: |
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1 |
kilo |
Anchovies |
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2 |
Large |
Ripe Tomatoes |
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1 |
Cup |
Parsley, finely chopped |
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1 |
Clove |
Garlic, finely chopped |
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2 |
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Spring onions, white and part of green, finely chopped |
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2 |
Tbsp |
Fennel fronds, finely chopped |
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2 |
Tbsp |
Fresh mint, finely chopped |
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¼ |
Cup |
Olive oil |
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¼ |
Cup |
Lemon juice |
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
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Directions: |
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1. |
Wash and cut the head pulling out the guts. With a filleting knife cut it in the middle and remove spine and tail and any remaining guts. Wash again and strain. |
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2. |
Place in a baking tin. |
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3. |
Peel and cut tomatoes in cubes. Wash and finely cut the spring onions, garlic and parsley. Add to the fish, season with salt and pepper and add the olive oil and lemon juice. |
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4. |
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 25 minutes, mixing once. |
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Gavros sto fourno is a classic Greek dish and my twist to this recipe was the fresh mint, fennel and spring onions which gave a lovely taste to the dish.
Piperies Florinis (Greek sweet red peppers)
The roasted peppers were supposed to be made and preserved but they were so sweet and delicious that half of them disappeared from the very first day. You may find the recipe for the Greek Roasted Peppers here.
Awards
I have some Awards I would like to acknowledge. Thank you very much Janet and Konstantina. I would like to pass these Awards to all of you but that’s impossible so I will randomly pass them on to the first 10 who will be commenting on this post.
Janet, of GourmetTraveller 88, has passed on to me the Sisterhood Award.
Konstantina, of Ehei Gousto, has passed the Award Este Blog e una Joia.
Tags: Fish, Gavros, Piperies Florinis, Vegetables
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Wow, that’s cheap! Your anchovy dish looks so delicious! Holiday food…
Cheers,
Rosa
June 4th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Ivy you sure are busy on the day uou go to the farmers market! I love the roasted peppers!
Bunny’s last blog post..Your Invited To Spring Brunch!
June 4th, 2009 at 12:58 am
You’re a very busy shopper Ivy….as I imagine you would be with a family to feed etc… The anchovies sound interesting. I’ve never had them baked in the oven before. As for the piperies…well these never last long enough when I’m around. In regards to posting…just do whatever you feel comfortable with. I always find your cooking and recipes very informative.
Peter G’s last blog post..Baked Apples “Baklava”
June 4th, 2009 at 4:10 am
MMm. if you serve them in garlic-flavored crostini, it’d make wonderful tapas.
Jackie @ PhamFatale.com’s last blog post..Goat Ricotta Cheese and Pine Nut Stuffed Baby Zucchini
June 4th, 2009 at 5:34 am
I have to say that I don’t really like anchovies on their own (usually just in things, to give some flavor) but with the tomatoes and fennel, these sound great.
June 4th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Ciao ! wonderful anchovies recipe !! I’ll visit the market trying not to buy too much !
natalia’s last blog post..BBA Artos Greek Celebration Bread
June 4th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Gosshhhh… the anchovies are so freshhhhh!!! I haven’t try my hands on this tiny fish. I read a lot about this small fishes and I’d seen in fresh markets in Belgium and Southern France selling them with variety of pickles and condiments. So far, I only tried fresh sardines… I will sure to try out the anchovies when I find them..
June 4th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Here to me and my hubby goes to the market togehter and we have on wenesday and saturday, eventhough we dont go every week.
Cleaning those small fish would have been eally a lot of work.
Here the cheries are geting less too, still i had to pay 6 euros for a kilo.
June 4th, 2009 at 10:27 am
I always got anchovies in cans, and I use them for making dressings and sauces.
If I could get them fresh, I possibly just cook them with ginger, onions and soya sauce…..
Angie’s Recipes’s last blog post..Peanut Butter Bread Rolls
June 4th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Ivy, I do the same “laiki” ritual when in Greece…up and down, then comparing prices, sampling before I buy. I look forward to fresh fish in Greece and gavrakia are a fave. Love it in the fourno.
Peter’s last blog post..Grilled Halloumi With a Fig-Ouzo Sauce
June 4th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Hello Ivy, thanks for comments on my blog.
Your fish and veg/fruit seem much cheaper than here, suppose that’s the problem with living on an island..
Now, a question, please tell whether there is a different name for kafkalithres and myronia?? We don’t recognise them here in Crete and I want to make spanakopita.
Thank you
Jude
x
June 4th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Thanks everybody for your comments.
Jude, kaflakithres and Myronia are two different things. You can see the translation and photos in my last post on spanakopita here http://kopiaste.org/2009/05/ho.....m-scratch/
June 4th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Your anchovies look delicious! Your market day does sound busy. I bought cherries last week too, but I actually didn’t mind cleaning and pitting them–it was kind of fun.
lisaiscooking’s last blog post..Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Ring
June 4th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Farmers markets are so much fun! The baked achovies sound excellent with the tomatoes and fresh herbs!
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie’s last blog post..Liquid Mango "Ravioli"
June 4th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I like anchovies a lot. I love going to the market and letting what’s available suggest what to make. And I like sweet bell peppers too!