LUNCH IN LARNACA WITH BITTER LEMONS

My all-time favourite book has got to be Bitter Lemons by Lawrence Durrell. Bitter Lemons is an autobiographical work that describes the three years (1953-1956) that he spent on the island of Cyprus, the very place that I am happily (oh so happily!) currently residing in.  Durrell bought a stone house in what is now the Turkish side of Cyprus and earned a living teaching English literature. During that time war broke out among the Cypriot Greeks who desired union with Greece, the British who were attempting to control Cyprus as a crown colony and the Turkish Cypriots who favoured partition. Durrell found himself caught between the warring factions and eventually had to flee.

The book is fabulous, the place even more so. I was last here fifteen years ago. Much has changed in that time but the feeling, the indefinable feeling, has not. I made this little video of the lunch I had on my first day on the island because (well, because I love making little videos about lunch) but also because I wanted to share that feeling with you. But be warned, this is a Greekalicious experience that will make you instantly hungry. For that reason I will also be very kind and share some of the recipes featured, below.

Lamb Kleftiko
The Lamb Kleftiko I ate on my first day back on Cyprus had been cooked for 8 hours in a traditional clay oven. Here's how to make a much tamer version at home. 

1,5 kgs potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 large tomato, sliced
1 leg of lamb
juice of 1 lemon
1 bulb of garlic, cut in half horizontally
salt and pepper
1 tsp oregano

Heat the oven to 190C. Place the potatoes, red pepper and tomatoes in an overproof dish and season. Put the leg of lamb on top and pour over the lemon juice, some olive oil. Now add the garlic and sprinkle with oregano. Pour over about 200 ml water and cover with foil. Cook for 2 to 3 hours until the meat is falling off the bone.

Greek Salad
OK, so the Greek Salad I had with my Lamb Kleftiko featured the crispiest cucumber and the juiciest tomatoes, grown in the restaurant owner's back yard, plus capers that grow wild on the island..but here's a version that you can still feel proud of. 

3 ripe, red tomatoes, sliced
1 crispy cucumber, cubed
a few dark green lettuce leaves, sliced
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
a handful of capers
1 round of feta cheese
1 tsp of oregano

Mix the tomato, cucumber and onion. Top with a wheel of feta cheese. Douse liberally with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano and sprinkle with capers.