Simply Potatoes

Potatoes are growing in my compost.  I threw in peelings from a kilo of sprouting potatoes with 'eyes' and they've come up all over the place.

This is my smaller compost pile which I dig into the small vegetable plot next to it.  I add all the kitchen waste, peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells, kitchen paper, dried grapevine leaves and old torn up brown bags till the middle of May.    It is too close to our terrace and sometimes just too wiffy in mid summer.  In May I cover it with a thin layer of soil and leave it till October when the resulting rich soil-like compost goes on the winter vegetable plot.  This May after adding a layer of earth I threw a handful of squash seeds on it and they are now growing nicely alongside the potatoes.  I had never thought of actually growing things on the compost heap before.

The last time I  planted potatoes we got a good crop but they all grew with a purple streak in the middle and we didn't eat them.  I wasn't sure why the purple colour was there and treated them like potatoes with green on them.  They were ordinary potatoes that were planted so where the purple came from is still a mystery.  It will be interesting to see how this years crop turns out.

Selino and celery

In the foreground is the celery that you all know.  Long light green stalks and darker leaves.  Behind it is a bunch of greek selino.  The same taste but it looks like parsley, hardly any stalk and very leafy.

Time for a simple dish that we eat as a main meal during Lent and also in the summer.  Stewed potatoes, with celery and carrots

I've posted this recipe  before but will give you a shorter version now.

Potatoes cut into chunks

garlic

onion

olive oil, the best greek of course, lots of it

grated fresh tomatoes

a bay leaf

chopped celery

diced carrots

Fry onion and garlic in the oil.  

Add tomatoes (from a tin if you have to)

and a cup or so of water

Then add potatoes, carrots, celery and the bay leaf.

Stew slowly till all the vegetables are tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened a little.

The more well known greek potato recipe is roast potatoes with lemon juice.  My traditional person always adds more lemon juice than I like and I find them a bit acidic.  When I make though...... yum.

To be traditional greek roast potatoes they must be cut into long slices and not chunks

Cut them into long slices and roast with lots of good olive oil, oregano, plenty of garlic, maybe some thyme, salt and a good cover of fresh grinded black pepper.

Kalo Orexi

Bon Appetit

Buon Appetito

Kia Makona

Have a Nice Meal