Alexander Chalkidis

Month: April 2011

  • Fried mussels with lemon and ouzo sauce

    Fried mussels and ouzo

    INGREDIENTS

    • 1/5kgr mussels in shells
    • 3 cloves garlic (whole)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2/3 cup of ouzo or tsipouro
    • 2 lemons (juice)
    • Salt and pepper
    METHOD
    1. Wash the mussels with a brush to remove the fluff parts.
    2. In a saucepan sauté the garlic in the olive oil.
    3. Once the garlic begins to golden brown, remove it from the saucepan.
    4. Add the mussels to saucepan, the lemon juice and cover the pan for 2′.
    5. Check if there is any mussels that have not opened and discard them.
    6. Add the ouzo and let it boil over medium heat until evaporates the alcohol.
    7. Serve as long as they are warm.

    Recipe from FoodBuzz – original article and photo link here.

     

  • Ouzo and alcohol abuse

    Ouzo has rather unfairly been associated with alcohol abuse despite the fact that it has not got the highest alcohol content in its category.  It is also (see drinking etiquette) quite well known that this is a “social” drink, to be consumed with food and friends.   Here is what happens however when it is done the “wrong” way as reported by the BBC:

    “Cocktail puts woman in hospital

    A teenager from Teesside has vowed never to drink again after a holiday cocktail caused her head to swell to the size of a football.

    Corinne Coyle (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)

    Corinne Coyle reacted to the 10 euro mixture of Baileys, chilli, tequila, absinthe, ouzo, vodka, cider and gin.

    The 19-year-old spent two days in a hospital in the Greek resort of Malia.

    Since returning home she has been treated at hospital in Middlesbrough where doctors said they did not know if her face would return to normal.

    Doctors in Greece said the swelling was caused by a chemical reaction and they had seen a similar incident within the past couple of weeks.

    She was allowed to fly home on Tuesday and has spent the last two days being examined at the James Cook University Hospital and by her GP. Doctors are still waiting for the results.

    She has vowed never to touch alcohol again.”



     

  • What rhymes with the word “ouzo”?

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDr0S1X3jo0]

    (Traditional song entitled “ouzo” by Babis Gkoles and his orchestra as shown on Greek national television.)

    Even before drinking the stuff you will be hard pressed to find anything to rhyme with this word!   Making a song about it in any other language other than Greek will be a challenge unless you are from Japan.  The special rhyming website offers the following, not very useful options:

    Suzo Suzo International was founded in 1955 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and supplies components and solutions for the amusement, gaming, casino, and vending industries.n. Wikipedia suggests Suzo.

    Kyuzo Seven Samurai Definition: is a 1954 Japanese film co-written, edited and directed by Akira Kurosawa..

    Nguzo

    Douzo

    Yuzo

    Buzo

    Shuzo

     

  • Study Of ‘Ouzo Effect’ May Lead To Design Of Improved Drugs, Cosmetics

    Scientists studying the cloudy emulsions produced by anise-flavored liquors such as Ouzo have discovered new molecular insights into their formation, findings that could lead to the design of better commercial emulsions used in making pharmaceuticals, food products, cosmetics and other materials.

    Although transparent when bottled, Ouzo, Pastis, Pernod, and other popular anise-flavored alcoholic beverages form milky-white emulsions when diluted with water prior to drinking, a phenomenon commonly known as the “Ouzo effect.” These emulsions occur spontaneously and are stable for weeks and even months, a feature that is attractive to industry. However, scientists are unclear how these mixtures form and stabilize.

    In the new study, Erik van der Linden and colleagues measured the stability of various emulsions prepared from commercial Pernod and compared the results to theoretical predictions of their formation. The scientists found that their experimental observations were often opposite the predicted behavior of the emulsions in the presence of various concentrations of oil, water, and alcohol components.

    “More knowledge of the parameters that determine the stability of these emulsions, besides interfacial tension, solubility, and density difference, might lead to better control of theemulsification process,” the study states.

    Note that when adding water and ice to ouzo, it is customary to add the water first.

    Click here for the source of the original article.

     

  • Recipe: Ouzo sausage patties with mushrooms

    Ouzo, a Greek spirit, lends its distinctive licorice flavour to these sausages. To make life easier in the kitchen, they are cooked in patties rather than being stuffed into casings. But you can go that route if you wish.

    Ouzo Sausage Patties With Mushrooms

    Adapted from New Greek Cuisine: Fresh and Modern Recipes From Aristedes’ Kitchen, by Aristedes Pasparakis and Byron Ayanoglu. Tzatziki is a Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce. It is sold in supermarkets.

    3/4 lb each: ground lamb, ground beef

    1/4 cup ouzo

    1 tbsp ground coriander

    1 tsp ground anise

    1/2 tsp chili flakes

    3/4 tsp sea salt + more to taste

    Freshly ground pepper to taste

    3/4 lb (350 g) mixed mushrooms (button, oyster, stemmed shiitakes), thinly sliced

    2 tbsp each: extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice

    Homemade or store-bought tzatziki to taste

    Chopped parsley to taste

    Chopped chives to taste

    In large bowl, blend meat, ouzo, coriander, anise, chili flakes, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Shape into 16 oval patties, each about 3/8-inch thick. Lay in one layer on cutting board. Cover with clean kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature 30 minutes.

    Heat medium skillet on medium-high heat 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sear, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes, until withered and starting to brown. Add oil and lemon juice, plus salt and pepper to taste. Cook, tossing, until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Place on heatproof dish in preheated 200F oven to keep warm.

    Heat large non-stick pan on medium-high 1 minute. Cook patties in batches, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium if necessary. Drain on paper towels. Place on heatproof dish in oven to keep warm.

    To serve, plate mushrooms and tzatziki alongside patties. Sprinkle parsley and chives on top.

    Makes 6 servings.

    Star-tested by Susan Sampson. ssampson@thestar.ca – Click here for original article source

  • Google can destroy you. “You” being anyone and anything. Scary?

    I remember the debate in some English Literature class: will the future be like George Orwell’s “1984” or Aldus Huxley’s “Brave New World”?  I am a social media scientist by nature it seems because Huxley was always where I would put my money.  But the “soma” of our time isn’t a drug, it is information.   And one company seems to be controlling it all.

    I was chuckling to myself while watching the hilarious “Google autocompleter” video.   I almost posted it on Facebook.  But I have worried too long about this to fall into the trap.  Google is not evil as per se.   Google is wielding the biggest weapon ever to exist in human history.  Let’s hope it doesn’t get too evil with it.  But what harm is there in April fool day’s pranks like Gmail motion?

    It is getting worse than free.   When Google decides to put all companies related to GPS, mapping and anything related to pasture it is one thing.   Spending gazillions creating Google Maps, navigation software, and even promoting services around this ecosystem is worrying for competitors, annoying for lawmakers (since they don’t seem to have a profit making reason to do it) but useful for end users.  OK, it disrupted a major developing industry in ways we can’t even decipher yet.   Losing money on video serving via YouTube on a scale unimaginable to any corporation for years however is quite another thing.  It looks crazy and I wonder why other corporations aren’t emulating the “free” model.   Give away something really enormous in order to hook customers on something seemingly unrelated.

    The silly little spoof video just puts it a step further in my mind.   Google can buy or create content to disrupt the world even more! Why stop at making all books available online for free? (Whether their authors want to or not…)  In a way, they are lucky Steve Jobs is almost dead because he is the only person with the cash and the will to do something similar.   They can just buy the rights to anything they like and use it to gain eyeballs.   It would be the equivelant of BP buying distribution rights to a popular sitcom or Pampers to the next “Cars” movie and then using the publicity or forcing consumers to do something in order to enjoy their favorite show/film.   It would be like Nike buying out FIFA and stopping the final of the World Cup to say “we want you all to ‘like’ our page on facebook or we will stop the game!”

    Except Google is smarter than that.   Google has managed to keep looking like the underdog in everything it does. Google makes every evil step it takes towards an unimaginable monopoly in the search for information look like a legitimate one.   For the common good even.   It is Big Brother wearing a Tshirt and sneakers.   It is the equivelant of “soma” in Huxley’s brave new world, like a drug that keeps everyone happy, a glut of information that keeps us sedate and unable to act.

    If you aren’t too scared of getting on Google’s black list, use the comment box below to leave a response…  But the Thought Police will know instantly!

  • Ouzo drinking etiquette

    A few things you need to know about how to enjoy ouzo from this great article:

    “Here is some ouzo etiquette you may want to keep in mind if visiting the beautiful country of Greece:

    • Though you can have it neat, it is recommended that you dilute it with some cold water and ice. When water is mixed into the ouzo it will turn milk white or cloudy because of the presence of the oil of anise.
    • It is poor form to drink Ouzo ‘dry hammer’, or without eating anything, because this will get you tipsy quicker, and getting drunk may not be as well tolerated in Greece. Eating slows down the rate of intoxication so it is best to eat along with your ouzo.
    • It is also a terrible idea to mix ouzo with other alcoholic drinks; it could have disastrous results.
    • The idea with ouzo is to get into a good enough mood to relax and unwind and perhaps philosophize about life in general. And if you get into an argument about philosophy with a Greek person and they shout at you; it probably means they like you!
    • Don’t ask for double ouzo in Greece; their measures are far more generous than at other places.
    • It is an aperitif and is best had before a Greek meal; it will clear the palate without overpowering the subtle flavors of the food.
    • To avoid hangover and dehydration, make sure you drink water along with your ouzo. The alcohol can quickly dehydrate you; this is particularly important on a hot day.”

  • Greek food – greek ouzo: things you need to know

    A great article we found here summarises a lot of important main points about ouzo.

    “In Greece, ouzo is not just a drink but is way of life; an anise flavored alcoholic aperitif that all Greeks enjoy.

    As real scotch is made only in Scotland, as real champagne is the sparkling wine that comes only from certain regions of France, so ouzo is made only in Greece; and no drink made outside of Greece and Cyprus is permitted to be called ouzo.

    Though the word ouzo is derived from the Turkish ‘uzum’, which means grapes, this is not a grape based drink. The thing to watch out for with ouzo is that it has a kick like a mule, but one that is not instantly obvious.

    Its alcohol content is not all that high, but it is the sugar content of the drink that can be misleading. So at first you may think that the drink is not hitting you but it does later because the alcohol takes time to get absorbed into the blood stream.

    Photo Credit: sifis“

  • Ouzo de Plomari

    Ouzo de Plomari Francais
    Ouzo de Plomari

    Il est élaboré dans la capitale Grec de l’Ouzo, la ville de Plomari sur l’île de Lesbos.

    L’Ouzo est fait à partir de la combinaison précise de raisins pressés, d’herbes et de baies.

    Tout commence à partir d’alcool élaboré avec la peau du raisin, il est alors mélangé avec des herbes et d’autres ingrédients incluant des étoiles d’anis, coriandre, clou de girofle, racine d’angélique, licorice, menthe, gaulthérie, fenouil, noisette et même de la cannelle et des fleurs de citronnier.
    Le tout est ensuite bouilli dans un appareil de distillation en cuivre et est contrôlé par un dégustateur.

    eshop – http://www.crete-lepetitmarche.com/boutique/fiche_produit.cfm?ref=2045-65A&type=19&code_lg=lg_fr&num=

  • Ouzo in opium rumours: should the brands react?

    Does ouzo contain opium and if so, which brands have the most?  If you Google search “Coke Arab rumors” the top result you get is in fact from the Coca Cola company!  That’s how seriously they take the problem of misinformation.   It has often been quoted recently that this is in fact the wrong type of response, especially in this article from the Economist.   The gist of the argument is that repeating the rumor reinforces it and that companies should concentrate on putting out a steady stream of positive news instead.

    This of course, based on recent work by Derek Rucker and David Dubois, of the Kellogg School of Management, and Zakary Tormala, of Stanford business school, has an element of truth.  However it would also depend on the volume of interest and the reasons the rumors is circulating in the first place.  So the initial question of “does ouzo contain opium?” perhaps should be redefined as “why are you asking?”  It is more than possible that a number of people are looking for opium in ouzo as a positive thing!  Maybe ouzo brands should reinforce the rumors to increase sales!!

    The analogy with Coke is not a random one of course.   According to most sources, Coca Cola did in fact contain cocaine in earlier versions of the recipe.  So maybe Coke and ouzo brands should collaborate on the matter because just imagine what would happen if you mix the (supposed) cocaine in Coke with the (imagined) opium in ouzo!

    A more matter of fact analysis is in the page we dedicated to the matter of opium in ouzo here.