Not Quite Sussed

 All the family is working, long hours in summer heat.  We cook for them now and again. Just simple, traditional Greek summer food.  Dishes we know most of the family will eat.  Everyone has their likes and dislikes naturally enough

Stuffed tomatoes and peppers.

I try and leave a happy face on those one-use containers. A little of Mother's love

Macaroni 'pie' 

Sort of greek lasagne called Pastitsio

When it's hot it just collapses

Looks a mess after I transferred it for delivery 

Papou's famous meatballs, kefthethes

Full of garlic, parsley and mint

The aroma is irresistible

He fried 50 of them. I ate 1, he ate 3 so that left about 7 each for the rest of the family .  

 

Pastitsio and meatballs

Yum, yum eat 'em up

Now and again we make moussaka.  

That's it for the menu.  We do the prep the night before and put it all together next day.  K fries meatballs and I make bechamel for the pastitsio or moussaka. 

Delivery is to Danae' s workplace down on the waterfront. Driving through backstreet neighbourhoods to Ellis house is no longer an option. It's chaos up there.  Last time we went  Ks composure disappeared completely and he was yelling at a neighbour who wanted him to back up around a corner instead of backing up himself.  Quad bikes and motorbikes were squeezing past and it was almost impossible to manoeuvre so we could turn around and leave. This on a narrow road deserted during 10 months of the year

I was cooking in a large baking dish pan and then transferring the food to Tupperware bowls or smaller oven dishes for delivery

One-use baking trays

I finally sussed it out.  Tomorrow I'll be using these disposable baking dishes, one for each family.  I won't be scrambling to find one of my own dishes to use and they won't have a pile of them in their kitchens waiting for return

Well, it sounded like a good idea.  I've got 2 trays of stuffed vegetables in the oven now.  The timer went off after half an hour and I went to turn them around. Our oven is hotter on one side than the other.   I like to dunk the potatoes under the sauce too so they get a bit more taste.  Those aluminium containers were so heavy  they buckled and started to fold up into themselves.  There was boiling hot juice all over the oven door and a burnt finger for me.

I pushed them quickly to the back of the oven and cleaned up the mess .  When they're ready I'll open the oven door and let them cool off before I try and get the trays out.

And I'll go back to the big old non stick baking dish I was using before

Those flimsy aluminium things may be ok for brownies or biscuits but not for family meals

  Back to the drawing board