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Mary Politis’ Baked Soutzoukakia with Potatoes

Mary Politis from Mary’s Kouzina gives us the scoop. That is, a huge scoop of her incredible Baked Soutzoukakia and Potatoes. This recipe is the perfect combination of flavour and good old fashioned warmth food.

Prep time: 45 mins | Cook time: 60 mins | Serves 4

Soutzoukakia mixture:

  • 500g Beef mince
  • 1 whole grated onion
  • 2 grated cloves of garlic
  • handful of chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup of breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 tsp All spice
  • ½ tsp on cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • salt and pepper

Potatoes:

  • 5-6 potatoes peeled and cut into wedges
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Sauce:

  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 whole grated onion
  • 2 grated crushed garlic
  • 400ml tomato passata
  • ½ cup of water
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp all spice

1. To prepare dish, preheat the oven at 180°C. Begin by combining all potato ingredients in your baking tray. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 30 mins.

2. While potatoes are in the oven, begin the sauce. Over a medium heat, combine olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for approximately 3 minutes or until soft. Add tomato passata and water, bring to the boil. Then add oregano, cinnamon, all spice, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the sauce to cook (stirring occasionally) for approximately 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Turn off the heat and allow to cool to some extent while you prepare the soutzoukakia. By now the potatoes should be soft enough to remove from the oven. Check to ensure they have softened enough, then set aside.

3. To prepare the soutzoukakia, combine all listed ingredients into a bowl. Using clean hands combine all the ingredients until they are well incorporated (if you feel the mixture is not coming together or holding well enough, keep working it with your hands. The more you work it the better it holds).

4. Once you are happy with the consistency, form the soutzoukakia into oval sausages, about the size of your palm. Once you have formed all the mix, it is time to arrange on the tray with the potatoes. You may need to move the potatoes around to fit the soutzoukakia. When this is completed, spoon the tomato sauce over the soutzoukakia and potatoes. Return the tray to the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes ensuring soutzoukakia have cooked through and the potatoes have developed a little colour.

Check out Mary’s Kouzina for more incredible recipes.

Photo: Lucy Leonardi

Anthony Locascio shares his top 5 favourite personalities of Greek and Italian heritage

By Anthony Locascio

From Joe Avati to The Veronicas, these are comedian Anthony Locascio’s top five favourite personalities of Greek and Italian heritage.

The Veronicas:

The Veronicas

I’m not sure how well known it is that one of our greatest musical exports is a pair of Calabresi.

When I first started uni, I wanted to seem cool to some older guys I met so I told them the Veronicas were my cousins. I’m Italian, they’re Italian, who’s going to check? 

The problem with lies like these are, you have to remember them. One of these uni mates recently asked me “how my cousins’ career is going” and I had no idea what they were on about.

Joe Avati:

Joe Avati

My teenage comedy hero, when my parents got divorced watching Joe’s videos and live shows were the only things putting a smile on my face. Every Italo-Australian knows this man.

I’m now friends with Joe. I’ve opened for him/worked with him numerous times and we’ve recently been writing together. This is so crazy to me.

This man was somehow selling out theaters in the US and Canada in the early 2000s without the help of social media or Youtube. Simply astonishing.

A real mentor and the best ‘ethnic’ comedian in Australia.

Gia Carides:

Gia Carides, as Nicky in My Big Fat Greek Wedding

I loved Gia in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and on TV when I was younger, she randomly started following me on Instagram in 2020 and said she was a fan which totally blew my mind!

She also has a private IG with only like 500 followers so I genuinely didn’t believe it was her for a while, but she passed my test! We’re now regular likers of each other’s posts and I do find myself screaming “that’s my friend!” whenever she pops up in movies and on TV.

Mark Bresciano:

Mark Bresciano

My favourite Socceroo growing up. Very Italian surname, played the same position as me and played for Palermo, my Nonno’s home town club. 

The greatest ever Socceroos team was the 2006 World Cup squad and the likes of Bresc, Grella, Lazaridis, Viduka, Popovic, etc made for a very woggy team indeed. I think it really made kids like me (I was 14 at the time), feel truly represented.

Bresc was the last Aussie to score in Italy’s Series A until literally days ago, when 18-year-old Christian Volpato scored for Roma. The cycle continues!

Hugh Jackman:

Hugh Jackman

Oh you didn’t know Wolverine was a secret Greek? Well now you know!

I really don’t think I need to go into why Hugh Jackman should be your favourite everything, but if you need any proof, go watch The Prestige. He also met my mum and sister once at Fox Studios and was apparently very nice. 

 

Athens ‘lights up’ in honour of Foreign Heroes of the Greek Revolution

Athens’ streets are known to be rich in history and wherever you look around you there is a piece of the past that is yearning to be unlocked.

The city has quite literally ‘illuminated’ history with the addition of 62 new smart signs around the streets of Athens depicting 29 key personalities of the Philhellenic Movement.

The exhibition, ‘Walking with the Philhellenes,’ showcases the honourable foreigners who helped secure Greece’s independence from the Ottoman rule. 

Bakoyannis at the sign launch.

The honoured foreign figures whose names adorn the street signs across downtown Athens are Hamilton, Santarosa, Webster, Treiber, Lord Byron, Lenormant, Heiden and Meyer.

The new smart signs include a portrait of the honoured, along with detailed historical references in both Greek and English. 

At the unveiling ceremony, Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, said that Greece “owed a great deal” to the Philhellenic movement.

“It is therefore very important for us to get to know them, to follow in their steps with our mind’s eye and to reacquaint ourselves with our past by exploring our city,” Mr Bakoyannis added.

Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis and guests at unveiling ceremony

South Australian Philippa Tsirgiotis details her path to a successful career in STEM

Back in April 2021, Philippa Tsirgiotis was given the best biomedical engineering project award by Adelaide’s Flinders University. Now she has her dream job at Lockheed Martin.

In a recent interview, Philippa shares how her higher education set her on a path to success in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics) as a female.

“[It] started when I was in high school and I had an amazing female physics teacher who really inspired me,” Philippa explained.

Philippa Tsirgiotis (left) and Adam Perryman received Playford Trust Honours Scholarships last year.

READ MORE: STEM student, Philippa Tsirgiotis, wins prestigious scholarship from Adelaide’s Flinders University.

“[There were] female role models at uni as well… Everyone in the teaching teams and everything was always extremely supportive.

“I never felt sort of put down or discriminated against or anything. I felt like Flinders was a really amazing place to be a woman in STEM.”

Philippa at the award ceremony with Senior Lecturer from Flinders University, David Hobbs. Photo: Twitter / David Hobbs.

In her time studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Honours) at the university, Philippa was offered an opportunity to be involved with the development of a medical device known as a shoulder mobiliser.

Later, she was asked to continue working on the project as part of her Master of Engineering (Biomed) and says it was a great opportunity “to have continuity work on something that could have a real-life impact to patients.”

Now, she encourages others to study at the university and get involved in a STEM career.

Source: Flinders University

Batemans Bay is set to welcome a new boutique motel in March

Yanna Dascarolis, along with a number of her friends, are looking forward to the launch of their new boutique motel in Bateman’s Bay in March.

The Isla motel was “designed by friends, for friends” and is aimed at meeting the needs of travellers looking for a holiday “rooted in mindfulness” as they explore Australia’s coastal towns.

Speaking with hotelmanagement.com, Dascarolis said many travellers have fond memories of Batemans Bay and her friends wanted to provide a stylish new environment from which to rediscover the area.

“I have fond memories of holidays in Batemans Bay as a kid…” Dascarolis said.

“It was important for us to keep in touch with the things we love about Batemans Bay and create something that was a fitting reflection of its charm.”

The boutique motel has been redesigned to feature 18 guest rooms, including three guest suits, with ocean views available and even a private pool.

Photo: Facebook.

Guests can also enjoy locally sourced artisan products, such as Dangerous Ales beer, cocktails from Poor Toms Gin and ST ALi espresso martinis via bespoke vending machine Cantina.

Located just minutes away from the beach, the motel is the perfect setting for a relaxing holiday on the South Coast.

Source: hotelmanagement.com.

Elias Chigros to star in controversial new Netflix series ‘Byron Baes’

The cast of Netflix’s new reality TV show, Byron Baes, has finally been unveiled ahead of the series launch next month.

Among the cast are familiar faces such as former Bachelorette star, Nathan Favro, and Elias Chigros, who has Greek and Irish heritage and starred in Love Island Australia 2018.

Chigros describes himself as a model and marketer who loves the great outdoors. He currently works as a Chief Marketing Officer at a social media marketing company.

Elias will star in Byron Baes.

Shot in northern NSW last year, Byron Baes will follow Chigros and others as they navigate life, love and career.

The reality TV show was the subject of controversy last year with Byron Bay locals pushing hard to boycott the show, fearing it would perpetuate stereotypes and attract the “wrong crowd” to the tourist hot spot.

Source: The Daily Telegraph.

James Dalamangas is still one of Australia’s most wanted criminals

Fugitive Graham Potter was known as Australia’s most wanted man after evading authorities for 12 years.

But now, following his arrest this week in a shack in Far North Queensland, other fugitives have moved up one position in the most wanted rankings.

According to The Daily Telegraph, this includes Greek Australian criminal, James Dalamangas, who is described as having a medium build at 180-185cm tall.

Dalamangas is still on the run.

Dalamangas is accused of the stabbing murder of Sydney man, George Giannopoulos, at a nightclub in Belmore in Sydney’s southwest in April 1999.

He is currently on the run in Greece where as a dual Australian and Greek national, the Greek government has refused to extradite him. They have agreed to prosecute him in Greece if he is ever caught.

A $200,000 reward is available for information that may lead to Dalamangas’ arrest.

A $200,000 reward is available for information that may lead to his arrest.

In July 2021, an Anom operation codenamed Ironside handed 25 million messages to the FBI and the Australian Federal Police.

The operation saw a number of criminals overseas, including Dalamangas, relocate in the wake of learning that their encrypted chats had been monitored by cops.

READ MORE: James Dalamangas: Australia’s ‘most-wanted’ on the move overseas after Operation Ironside.

Source: The Daily Telegraph.

Andrea Tsalamandris appointed as a new Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria

County Court Judge Andrea Tsalamandris has been appointed as a new Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, the state government announced this week.

Justice Tsalamandris was one of two new appointments, with Her Honour Judge Meryl Sexton also being named the first-ever Deputy Chief Judge of the County Court.

County Court Judge Andrea Tsalamandris has been appointed as a new Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Justice Tsalamandris brings more than 20 years of legal experience to her new role, with the past six years serving as a Judge in the County Court, and most recently Head of the Common Law Division.

She began her career in law in 1994 as a Solicitor at Holding Redlich and Adviceline Injury Lawyers, before working her way up to a Senior Associate in 1997 and making partner in 2002.

Justice Tsalamandris will become only the third solicitor ever appointed to the Supreme Court in Victoria’s history.

Victoria’s Attorney-General, Jaclyn Symes, has welcomed the appointment.

“Justice Tsalamandris and Judge Sexton bring decades of experience to their roles, and I look forward to their ongoing contributions to Victoria’s justice system,” the Attorney-General said.

Source: Mirage News.

Israel’s President reassures Greece of strong ties ahead of Turkey visit

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Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, paid an official state visit to Greece on Thursday and met with the country’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens, Herzog held a working meeting with Sakellaropoulou at the Presidential Mansion.

At the start of the meeting, Herzog addressed recent developments in Ukraine, calling the crisis a “historic moment, and a very complicated one.”

READ MORE: Israel, Cyprus, Greece secure $736 million in EU funding for power cable link.

“Israel, as our government has communicated, supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Herzog stressed to the Greek President.

“We are, of course, concerned for the fate of the Jewish community in Ukraine, and we shall offer every possible humanitarian cooperation to the government of Ukraine in partnership with and together with other partners.”

The two leaders then went on to stress the strong bond between Greece and Israel.

Sakellaropoulou stressed how both countries “have a strategic relationship” and “common vision for security and stability in the region.”

READ MORE: Greek and Israeli Defence Ministers re-affirm close ties during meeting.

Herzog thanked Sakellaropoulou for welcoming him to Greece and extended an invitation to visit Israel, praising the “friendship and bold partnership” between the two Mediterranean countries.

Later, the Israeli President met with Greece’s Prime Minister and “discussed bilateral policy, defense and economic relations, the progress of tripartite cooperation schemes and the Russian attack on Ukraine.”

After wrapping up his state visit to Greece, Herzog is scheduled to head on March 2 to Cyprus, where he is to meet with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, followed by an “expanded bilateral meeting.”

Herzog is also expected to visit Turkey in early March.

READ MORE: Israel to build new surveillance system along Cyprus’ Green Line.

Source: Jewish News Syndicate.

Melbourne’s Creative Drama and Arts Theatre returns with innovative production

On Saturday February 26 the Adult group of the Melbourne Community Creative Drama and Arts Theatre is presenting the theatrical performance “Mόνοι” (Greek for alone).

Based on a compilation of monologues and poems from Greek and global authors and poets, “Mόνοι” is adapted for the stage by Australian born director of Greek heritage Jeremy Artis. 

Director Jeremy Artis is part of the cast

The play is centered around the idea of belonging and discusses how individuals can find themselves lonely, longing for social interaction during a lockdown or rediscovering themselves after moving to a new country.

“I want the spectators -event those who don’t speak Greek- to connect with what is happening on stage and to participate either by following the monologues or with their senses,” the director said.

This is the first time Artis has directed for the Community Theatre, but he has been involved with short films and documentaries and has worked in theatre in Greece, where he grew up and completed his studies. He moved back to Melbourne in 2018 to become a filmmaker and is currently studying a Bachelor in Film and Television.

This play has been in the works since last year, and most of the rehearsals were conducted virtually due to the rolling lockdowns in Victoria. 

“We didn’t have much time for rehearsals and it was hard at times but I was determined to go ahead and make it work. 

“My idea was to create a dynamic performance that would go ahead if need be with reduced cast, no lights and no stage and I believe we have achieved a great result considering the circumstances.” 

A pre presentation of “Mόνοι” will be running at Melbourne’s Fairfield Amphitreatre on Saturday February 26 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased here. An official premiere will be held on March 20 at the Greek Centre.