Eating at Orexi...

Sadly we have had to say goodbye to Missie (Mum and Dad's cat).  I wasn't going to post anything but know that quite a few of you will have been familiar with her.  Mum and Dad gave her a wonderful home when probably nobody else would have looked at her - hence I nicknamed her Ugly Betty.  They had to make a painful decision yesterday, which I know will have devastated them, but it was most definitely the right one, she had been through so much and was quite a poorly cat.


Having had a late night last night we stayed over at Mum and Dad's.  The weather turned quite wild last night even though it was warm and muggy - there was heavy rain during the night not that John heard anything of course - he was away with the fairies!

We returned home and could see that rain was going to stop play in terms of John's outside DIY.  I was going to my monthly 'Ladies wot Lunch' Lunch and even that was affected by the weather because we had been scheduled to eat outside.

Today's venue was Orexi up in the village.  Their website http://orexicyprus.com/ shows that fundamentally Elena and Bassam run an outside catering company but do, on occasions, hold more private intimate events at their house in Droushia where food is normally taken outside in the garden or up on the terrace or on days like today sat around their large kitchen table.

Whilst it was a shame not to be sat outside under the trees there was something quite charming about squeezing in round the rose-petal strewn table to enjoy a Lebanese Mezze which included:

Hoummous – the popular Middle Eastern chickpea and tahini dip

Baba Ghanoush – a creamy dip of roasted organic aubergine and garlic

Green Olives marinated in lemon and garlic

Lebanese Pitta Bread

Tabbouleh – the Lebanese salad of parsley, tomato, onions and couscous

Foule – Organic broad beans dressed with cumin and lemon

Fatayer-bil-Spanag – savoury pastries filled with organic spinach and pine-nuts

Snoobar-bil-Riz – a light rice dish with sultanas, pine-nuts and cumin

Patata Harra – potatoes sautéed with fresh coriander, garlic and chilli

Slata Jibne – feta cheese marinated in herbs and olive oil, on a bed of organic rocket

Shish Tawouk – meltingly tender chicken kebabs marinated in garlic, tomato and spices

Kofte – minced lamb and beef patties flavoured with parsley, onion and herbs

rounded off with cinnamon oranges and dates and banana with halva (and if you don't know what halva is check it out here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halva) and coffee.

I am so lucky to be able to be experiencing all sorts of different foods.  My horizons have been well and truly widened and I am eating and enjoying all sorts of foods which I would never have imagined. The biggest revelation has been vegetarian dishes and John is even embracing meat-less dishes.  Last night he amazed me by tucking into the aubergine dip having seconds and thirds when in the past aubergine would have been given a stiff ignoring.

Elena prepared some of the food as we were watching - I take my hat off to that - now there is a person who is comfortable in her capabilities!!

If the noise level in the room and the empty plates were anything to go by then it confirmed that our group had a great time and a good meal.  I know that quite a lot of the ladies have known each other for some time but for those of us who are new to the village the lunch club is a good opportunity to meet new people and enjoy their company.  I am still having a nightmare remembering everybody's names but am getting there slowly - siga siga as they say in Cyprus.  Today did, however, give me the opportunity of meeting Jan Fox who is one of my faithful followers and who had a home here in Droushia near Irene.  It was lovely to put a face to a name.

Periodically we were joined by Elena's youngest child - I believe she is called Lola and is four going on forty-four. 

Children can really put you in your place can't they?  Lola speaks English, Greek, Lebanese and Finnish I suspect and asked me what my name was.  I decided to answer her in my bestest Greek 'me lene Jill' and she said 'oh you are posh you have two names Melanie Jill!' So I was dissed by a four year old!!

Elena asked me if I could let her have any photographs that I took today and I remembered that I had also taken a couple on Easter Monday which she would have been interested in.  There were quite a few and so I investigated a better way of letting her see them than clogging up her email and now I am using 'Drop Box' which enables me to upload files to the internet and share them - it was quick and easy to do and they are located here:  https://www.dropbox.com/home/Photos/Orexi - if any of you out there need a similar facility you can get it here http://db.tt/DGTw3YtW

The weather has deteriorated - Marian and I were lucky to walk home in the dry because from the minute I got in the heavens have opened and the rolling mist has been rolling - it looks like the middle of winter although it is a toasty 21 degrees inside the house.

John was in danger of fainting from lack of food - I took pity on him and rustled up a jacket potato filled with onion, sweet pepper, lounza, apple and chili in a creamy black pepper and cheese sauce.  He had enough strength to give me a thumbs up!