Are you craving a healthy, flavour-packed Greek prawn recipe for dinner tonight? The Greek Herald has the answer for you and it can be prepared in 30 minutes or less!
Here’s our recipe for Greek prawns with tasty tomato sauce, feta and a splash of lemon juice.
Prawns with Tomato and Feta Recipe:
Serves: Up to 6 people.
Time: 10 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook.
Ingredients:
Recipe ingredients. Photo: The Mediterranean Dish.
1 ½ lb large prawns (21/25), fully thawed, peeled and de-veined.
Kosher salt.
Black pepper.
1 ½ tsp dry oregano, divided.
1 ½ tsp dry dill weed, divided.
Pinch red pepper flakes.
6 garlic cloves, minced, divided.
Greek extra virgin olive oil.
1 large red onion, chopped.
1 26-oz/737.088 g canned diced tomato, drain only some of the liquid.
Juice of ½ lemon, more for later if you like.
Chopped fresh mint leaves, a generous handful.
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, a generous handful.
2 to 3-oz/56 g crumbled Greek feta cheese, more if you like.
6 or more pitted Kalamata olives, chopped (optional).
Directions:
1. Pat prawns dry and place in a large bowl. Season with kosher salt, pepper, ½ tsp dry oregano, ½ tsp dry dill weed, pinch red pepper flakes, and about ½ tsp of minced garlic. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and toss to combine. Set aside for now.
Greek shrimp with tasty tomato sauce, feta and a splash of lemon juice. Photo: The Mediterranean Dish.
2. In a large heavy skillet, heat about 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chopped onion and remaining minced garlic, cook briefly until fragrant (stir regularly). Add tomatoes and lemon juice, and season with pinch of salt, pepper, and remaining dry oregano and dill. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Now add the marinated prawns. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until pink, do a little stirring if needed (do not over-cook shrimp).
4. Stir in fresh mint and parsley leaves. Finish with sprinkle of feta and black olives. If you like, add a splash more lemon juice or more red pepper flakes to your taste.
5. Serve over plain orzo, your favorite grain, or your favorite crusty bread to sop up the delicious sauce. Enjoy!
Even today, most Greeks believe that China is covered by a magical haze… An ancient civilization, developed in harmony with today’s all-powerful “dragon country,” which seems like an elusive dream for most.
But not for the twin sisters Marianna and Sofia Erotokritos, who made an unusual decision six years ago: To study in China in the field of international trade and economics.
“China is the cradle of Eastern civilization and that is what attracted us to discover this beautiful country. We admired from a very young age its vast culture and history,” they both say in their exclusive interview with the Greek Herald.
“So we decided to go a step further and study in China. Of course China’s enormous economic achievements have increased our curiosity.”
Twin sisters Marianna and Sofia Erotokritos. Photos supplied.
The reason: their recent award by the Minister of Tourism, Charis Theocharis, who declared them ambassadors of Greek tourism in China.
“When we started to deal with the promotion of Greece in China it did not occur to us that we could be awarded such a title,” they say.
“It’s a huge honour, but at the same time a huge responsibility to carry such a title. We will continue with greater zeal and now officially promote our beloved country, Greece, to Asia’s largest country, China.
“After all, in the modern world of social media that we live in, we as @greek_twins with hundreds of thousands of followers on the social media of China, have a big role, with the creation in Chinese of authentic videos with moments of everyday life in Greece, the culture of our country, as well as thematic videos from leading Greek destinations.
“For those of your readers who want to see our business, they can visit our www.greektwins.gr.
“By the way, we would like to thank from the bottom of our heart the Minister of Tourism, Mr Charis Theocharis, for the tremendous recognition of our work.”
Pandemic, China and Greece:
The “Greek Twins,” the Erotokritos sisters, create excitement among their Chinese followers when they post a new video on their page. At the time of the pandemic, with the restrictive measures, ties were further strengthened, although Mariana and Sophia spent those difficult days in Greece and not in China.
“The truth is that we found ourselves lucky in our misfortune! We returned to Greece in January 2020 in order to stay a month and finally while we were here a year, we do not yet know when we will return to China,” they say.
“Greece and China took action against the virus quite early compared to other countries. We can see, however, that there were a number of different ways of dealing with the pandemic.
The “Greek Twins,” the Erotokritos sisters, create excitement among their Chinese followers when they post a new video on social media. Photos supplied.
“China, when it was in a strict “lockdown,” did not allow people’s movement. Only one person from each family was allowed to leave the house and only to go to the supermarket or get packages from courier companies. Similarly in Greece, even in the strict “lockdown” we see a more relaxed treatment. The truth is we really want to go back to China because we left quite suddenly.”
Of course the positive impact that has been created in China – on Greece – has a name: «Greek Twins»!
“In every video we upload to social media, in most of their comments our followers tell us “I want to go to Greece.” In general they ask us to learn about tourist destinations, especially our islands. Of course we don’t spoil them! It goes without saying that the most popular destination is Santorini,” they explain.
Greek language courses in Chinese:
With International Greek Language Day celebrated on February 9th, it is of great interest that the Erotokritos twin sisters aim to spread it to China as well.
“There is a lot of interest from the Chinese in the Greek language, especially in recent years where many invest in Greece, buy real estate and many choose to live permanently in our country,” they say.
The Erotokritos twin sisters aim to spread the Greek language to China as well. Photos supplied.
“That’s why we decided to fill this gap with videos/lessons, which we do online to about 2,000 Chinese. In Greece when someone speaks and they can’t understand him they say “he speaks Chinese.
“For a Chinese man whose mother tongue is completely different from ours, they are certainly having a hard time learning it. We personally believe that Greek is a more difficult foreign language than Chinese because of its grammar.”
The two girls have felt the excitement of the Chinese with various incidents having taken place.
“What we will never forget is the first time we took a taxi in China, in Nanjing City. The guide asked us where we were from and we replied with great enthusiasm “Sila” (xila) which means Greece. Our guide looked at us with a strange face and asked us: Is “Sila” in Africa?”
“Also, when we hosted friends from China to Greece, they asked us to go to a pharmacy because they wanted to buy… olive oil.
The Erotokritos twin sisters. Photo supplied.
“Of course in recent years olive oil has become quite well known in China and many Chinese know that in addition to medicine is also used for … food!”
Food and future plans:
The Erotokritos sisters also introduce us to their culinary habits in China.
“The truth is that in our first year in China we only chose Chinese food,” the say.
“We wanted to try as many dishes as we could. But in recent years we cook Greek food at home, because Greek gastronomy is the best in the world!”
However, they plan to return to Greece in the near future.
“This year is the year of Culture – Tourism Greece – China and our program in China will definitely be full. Then we intend to return permanently to Greece, to offer as much as we can in our country.”
The first Greek Australian Dialogue Series for 2021 is kicking off via Zoom on Tuesday, March 2, with Social Entrepreneur and Founder of Wise Greece, Ms Melina Taprantzi.
During the conference, organised by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Melina will present “Wise Greece” and its social entrepreneurship business model aiming to inspire young people to create their own social enterprise.
Melina will also talk about social entrepreneurship as an alternative way of doing business and giving back to society.
Following her presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask Melina a question in the Q&A session.
What is ‘Wise Greece’?
“Wise Greece” is a social enterprise that supports small Greek food producers to promote their products through its network and converts its profits into food supplies for people living in poverty.
To date, it cooperates with 100+ small food producers, promoting 2,500+ products and has distributed 50+ tons of food to Orphanages and Soup Kitchens across the country.
“Wise Greece” is a highly decorated organisation that has received important awards, including the prestigious award from the President of the Greek Republic “Models of Excellence,” as well as the Start Up award for sustainability and social contribution, the European Social Challenge Award 2018, the Innovative Fundraising Award by the British Council and the BeMed Award by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
A live military hand grenade found under a bed in a Para Hills home, in Adelaide had to be deactivated by the Australian Defence Force, a court has heard.
The occupants and live-in couple of more than three years, Christopher John Radomanski, 34, and Bianca Despine Anne Mouhalos, 31, appeared in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court by video link on Wednesday charged with taking steps in manufacturing an explosive.
They were also charged with two counts of dishonestly receiving, and one count of dishonestly dealing, with property without consent.
Christopher John Radomanski was arrested after police raided the Para Hills home. Picture: Ten News First
A third person arrested at the property, Crystal Simone Agius, 34, also appeared and is facing two counts of dishonestly receiving, and one count of dishonestly dealing, with property without consent and failing to answer questions or identify the driver or owner of a vehicle.
On Wednesday, police prosecutor Brevet Sergeant Jennifer Switala said the grenade, a “very dangerous device”, was “capable of causing death or serious harm”.
Magistrate Terence Forrest granted both women bail but Radomanski did not apply for early release.
All three will next appear in Adelaide’s Elizabeth Magistrates Court in April.
Guards who saw Dimitrios ‘Jim’ Mavris in the hours before he was found dead in his jail cell thought he seemed fine and was even in positive spirits.
But an inquest into his 2018 death has revealed the alleged cocaine importer actually spent his final hours openly making arrangements to kill himself, even getting his cellmate to help him, while unsuspecting corrections officers watched TV, The Sydney Morning Herald report.
The mechanic turned millionaire property developer and alleged drug importer had been arrested at Sydney airport just 48 hours earlier. He’d just returned from a wild South American escapade that saw him kidnapped in rural Colombia, where he is thought to have spent a week in captivity before being rescued by local police.
According to federal police, Mavris had hightailed it to Colombia to find out what happened to 59 kilograms of cocaine he was expecting to arrive in a shipment of frozen Peruvian fish in March.
What he didn’t realise after finding the drugs missing from the shipping containers was that they had been seized by Australian Border Force officers. On his arrival home, he was met by Australian Federal Police officers who charged him with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine. He was facing a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.
The recent inquest heard that as early as 12pm on the day of his death, CCTV from inside his cell showed Mavris attempting to make preparations for his death. Footage also revealed Mavris was choked by his cellmate, who told the inquest Mavris asked him to do so.
The cellmate, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the inquest he stopped because he didn’t want to be charged with murder. However, he didn’t notify guards of Mavris’ intentions until it was too late.
Many Greek associations have buildings lying empty or underused. Others rent out their buildings and have amassed wealth and continue to add properties to their portfolio.
In some strange way it seems they want to leave a legacy that is equated to buildings.
However, an empty building or a rented one that does not offer anything to the culture is not a real asset. I understand. Many associations are made up of good people, who worked hard to create the club they have.
Some however, are not so transparent, they promote nepotism within their committees. It is all about control and the unfortunate consequences is the deciphering of funds from the association’s coffers whether it is for bad business decisions or outright corruption.
The elderly members may have lost faith in the younger generation and want to protect their assets.
The younger generation may not be that dedicated to the continuation of their culture and language or their interests vary greatly to the original goals of their association’s constitution.
In any case there is a lack of vision for the future of many of these associations.
A simple solution may be to amalgamate, but most will not consider this option for the simple reason of mistrust and with good cause, I am sad to say.
There is plenty of money and assets around to save the Greek language and support many Greek schools and universities and even to support initiatives such as the publication of bilingual educational resources, but those who hold the keys to making this a reality lack the vision or trust to enable it to occur.
What do you think is the problem with Greek language learning in Australia and do you have a solution?
I will quote respondents’ answers in a future column. Email your answers to eleni@elenielefterias.com.au
On this day in 1911, little-known Greek heroine of the resistance, Ilektra Apostolou, was born. To mark the occasion of her birth, we take a look back at her incredible life.
Early Life:
Ilektra Apostolou was born in 1911 in Iraklion-Attikis, a suburb of Athens. She received her secondary education in a German-language school in Athens.
At age 13, she became a passionate Communist and joined the Greek Communist Youth League, a decision that shocked her middle-class parents.
Revolutionary sentiments were strong in her generation, and her brother Lefteris Apostolou (1903–1981) became an important Communist leader at the same time.
Ilektra formed a small group that sent financial assistance to exiled Communists and their families.
Greek Communist Leader:
From 1931 to 1933, Ilektra gained organisational experience as director of a factory workers’ club. Remaining a Communist, she devoted virtually all her time to revolutionary political activity.
Ilektra Apostolou was born in 1911 in Iraklion-Attikis, Athens.
In 1935, she represented the Greek Communist movement as a delegate for Greek women at the International Conference against Fascism held in Paris. She traveled to several European countries to meet with Communists and other anti-Fascist youth leaders.
Back in Greece, she spread the message that the growing threat of Fascism was an enemy all working men and women must fight.
In 1936, General Metaxas established a Fascist dictatorship in Greece, promising its conservative supporters to crack down hard on the Marxist menace. The anti-Communist intelligence office in Athens regarded Ilektra one of the most potentially dangerous leaders of the younger generation of Communists.
Shortly after Metaxas came to power, she was arrested and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for disseminating subversive “anti-Greek” literature.
Unbroken in captivity, she gave lectures to her fellow inmates. Ilektra had newspapers smuggled into her cell so that she could remain informed of the worsening political situation in Greece and the world at large.
After a short period of freedom, she was arrested again in 1939 and sent to the distant town of Anaphi. She had been married briefly to a doctor who renounced his Communist beliefs after arrest, ending their marriage.
Ilektra with her daughter Agni in exile in Anafi.
Her daughter Agni was born in Anaphi during the end of that relationship. The harsh conditions of her imprisonment exacerbated her deteriorating health, and Electra was eventually transported to a prison hospital in Athens. In 1941, she made a bold escape from this hospital.
Actions during the Greek Revolution and Death:
By this time, German forces occupied Greece, and it was difficult for Ilektra to evade capture. In the spring of 1941, patriotic Greeks—incensed by their harsh treatment at the Nazis’ hands—began to actively resist.
From June 1942 to February 1943, Ilektra led a resistance organisation of young Greek anti-Fascists who called themselves the “New Freedom” group. A militant Marxist revolutionary, one of her tasks was to weed out individuals likely to succumb to Fascist blandishments or torture.
In 1943, Ilektra was instrumental in founding EPON, the youth movement of EAM or National Liberation Front. The Communist Party created this liberation organisation to lead Greeks of all political sides in a broad-based struggle against Nazi occupiers and their Greek stooges.
In 1944, Ilektra’s luck ran out and she was arrested by the Greek version of the Gestapo. Despite horrendous torture, she revealed nothing about her organisation or its members.
When it became obvious that she would never provide intelligence of any value, Ilektra was executed on July 26, 1944.
Her brother Lefteris, himself a leader in the Communist resistance movement, was also arrested by the Germans. He escaped and was never recaptured, living until his death in Athens in November 1981 at the age of 78. In honour of his martyred sister, Lefteris Apostolou named his daughter Electra.
Greece on Friday extended lockdown restrictions to more areas of the country to stem the spread of COVID-19 infections but lifted it in others where infections receded, its deputy civil protection minister said.
Effective on Saturday the islands of Kalymnos, Cephalonia and Thassos, the city of Heraklion in Crete, Corinth, Nemea and Argos in the Peloponnese and the municipality of Evosmos in the north will be in lockdown until March 1, authorities said.
This means schools, hair salons and non-essential retail shops will close.
“The epidemiological load in the community remains stable. The British variant shows wide dispersion with more than 760 infections,” said Vana Papaevangelou, a member of the committee of infectious disease experts advising the government.
She said health authorities were quite concerned with the spread of the South African variant of the virus in Evosmos, a suburb of the Thessaloniki urban area in northern Greece.
COVID-19 related hospital admissions had risen to an average of 218 daily and the occupancy rate at COVID-19 intensive care units in Athens hospitals stood at 83%.
But the picture in other areas of the country had improved with infections receding and authorities lifted lockdown restrictions in the islands of Santorini and Zakynthos, in Sparta and the town of Agios Nikolaos in Crete.
Greece, which has fared relatively better than others in Europe during the pandemic, was forced to impose a partial lockdown in November after infections began climbing, threatening to overwhelm a health system weakened by a decade-long financial crisis.
Earlier this month the government announced a full lockdown in metropolitan Athens to curb a resurgence in coronavirus cases until Feb. 28.
On Friday, health authorities reported 1,460 new coronavirus cases and 28 deaths, bringing total infections to 177,494 since the first case was detected in February last year and COVID-related deaths to 6,249.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has bowed of the Australian Open after suffering a disappointing three-set loss to Daniil Medvedev, losing 6-4 6-2 7-5.
Stefanos Tsitsipas entered the match looking for his first-ever Grand Slam grand final participation. His incredible display of tennis in his match against Rafael Nadal, where he came back from two sets down, showed that the Greek was finally ready to go all the way in this year’s tournament.
Tsitsipas was lucky to have a one way ticket to the quarter-finals from a walkover, yet still holds more time on the court by 1 hour and 32 minutes. Much of this would surely be from his five-set matches against Greek Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal.
“I got the opportunity to play longer, feel the court, understand the environment that I’m in, so that could probably be seen as something positive,” Tsitsipas said after his win over Nadal.
Photo: Getty Images.
Tsitsipas was down by a game midway through the first set. Tsitsipas occasionally went for bolder hits in an effort to throw his opponent off, yet Medvedev’s court positioning was in peak performance.
The Russian was clearly the more dominant player in the first set, rarely giving Tsitsipas room to breathe let alone challenge a break point. The set finished in Medvedev’s way, 6-4.
Entering the second set, Tsitsipas continued to struggle against the Russian. Holding back from conceding a break point in his first service game, Medvedev eventually got his wish in the following two games, pushing Tsitsipas to an eventual deuce and game lead.
Tsitsipas at this point began to release some frustration, smashing a water bottle against the ground. The bottle exploded to thousands of tiny water droplets, with the ball kids forced to dry the court. Tsitsipas didn’t receive a warning, yet received a stern talking to by the umpire.
Photo: Reuters
“Stefanos… TSITSIPAS, Stefanos… TSITSIPAS”, began to echo in the Rod Laver Arena as Greek supporters rallied behind their favourite tennis player.
These cheers unfortunately couldn’t help the Greek, however, with Tsitsipas conceding another break point, eventually losing the second set 6-2.
Tsitsipas’ unlucky fortune moved into the third set, with Medvedev gaining another break point early on. Coming in surprise to Medvedev however, similar to Tsitsipas’ match against Nadal, the Greek switched the energy from the game to earn a break point and level the game again.
This positive energy continued through to his next few games, benefiting the Greek. However, the Russian came out in Tsitsipas’ final service game, defeating Tsitsipas 7-5 and completing his dominant victory.
Jane Elizabeth Harris (nee Still) was 10 years old when her family decided to emigrate to Sydney from London, in November 1962.
Almost six decades later, she reminisces parts of the six-week voyage aboard the English immigrant ship ‘Orion’ and remembers how her mother was tirelessly volunteering her time to teach English to Greeks who were migrating to Australia in search for a better life.
A story of love and migration
“Mum, Despina Kakitsis, was born and raised in Athens and during the war met dad, Donald Still, who was in the British Airforce. After the war, Dad returned to Greece and asked for her hand in marriage. They lived in Kent, England where my sister, Irene and I were born,” Jane Harris, 69, tells The Greek Herald.
“My mum did not like the cold weather and when advertisements came on TV about Australia, she convinced my father that we should go. At the time, Australia wanted females and tradespeople and as dad was an electric welder and they had two daughters, we had priority to travel.
PHOTO (L): Jane’s mother, Despina sunning herself on the deck, PHOTO (R): Jane on the left and a friend she met on the ship on the right
“We were part of the Australian Assisted Passage Migration Scheme -we were Ten Pound Poms. If we left the country earlier than two years, we would have to refund the cost for the passage,” says Mrs Harris.
The Migration Scheme, created in 1945 was intended to increase the population of Australia and to supply workers for the country’s booming industries.
In return for subsidising the cost of travelling to Australia the Government promised employment prospects, affordable housing and a generally more optimistic lifestyle.
From 1945 to 1972, over a million United Kingdom migrants travelled to their new Australian homeland.
The voyage to the land Down Under
The Still family was very excited and grateful for the opportunity afforded to travel to the new promised land and despite some challenges, the journey was mostly enjoyable for them all.
“We had two cabins on Deck C. There were two sittings for meals, one for children and one for adults. As I was the only young child, Mum requested that I eat with them,” Mrs Harris remembers.
Nearly two weeks after they departed from Tilbury Docks in London, the Still family stopped in the port of Pireaus in Athens and met with Despina’s family in Palaio Faliro.
The family in Athens Jane and her family said goodbye to, Photo Supplied
“We had some rough seas but overall, the sailing was smooth. We had school on the ship and we played lots of games like quoits and shuttlecock. There was also a swimming pool and it was like a holiday. Our parents met lots of other people.
“At our stop in Colombo we ate pineapples and coconuts. We saw the sights and a snake charmer. Next stop was Fremantle after a very long and rough journey. One of the first things we saw was kangaroos in a pen at the port-obviously put there for our benefit. It was very hot and dry”.
Next stop was Adelaide and then Melbourne, where Mrs Harris says that many Greeks disembarked.
“We made friends with George and Irene and mum kept in touch with them for many years,” she says
The immigration ship ‘Orion’ and a Ten Pound Pom ad
The arrival in Sydney and a legacy that lives on
Next stop was Sydney, where the Stills finally arrived almost a week before the Christmas of 1962.
“Mum’s first cousins, Katina and Fanis Pavlidis were there to meet us and took us home to their place in Petersham where we stayed for three months until our parents bought a house,” says Mrs Harris, talking about her Greek mother’s impact to the Greek passengers of one of Orion’s final immigration journeys before it decommissioned in 1963.
“Mum volunteered to teach English, daytime for children and night time for adults. We are very proud of her achievements. She was a mover and shaker anyway in her life.
“She wanted us to have a better life and we are so pleased that we came here,” Mrs Harris says.
