Zeus was a notorious womanizer, having in his conquest list many women known and unknown in ancient years. Even his sister Dimitra wasn’t able to escape his attention. One day he turned into a bull and seduced the otherwise difficult and distant Dimitra. From this union a girl was born and they gave her the name Persephone.
Dimitra was very fond of her daughter and she was returning that love equally. As Persephone was growing, her beauty became more and more astonishing. Her uncle Pluto, the god of underworld, was the victim of god Eros who stuck him with his arrow straight in the heart. One day Persephone along with Athena, Artemis and the Oceanic Nymphs was picking flowers in a vast plain. At one moment, she strayed from the other company trying to find the most beautiful one. Pluto, grasped the opportunity, opened the land in two and with his chariot abducted the beautiful Persephone. Since the other girls were far away from her, nobody could hear her screams.
Dimitra, not knowing where her daughter was, started mourning her loss. Day and night she was trying to find her daughter or find whatever happened to her. Since she was the goddess of the earth, she let everything to wither. The earth stopped producing food for people and nature had fallen into sleep. In one of her travels, she found shelter in the court of king of Eleusis. They gave her shelter and the myth says that in order to compensate them for their hospitality allowed one tree to grow, the Fig tree. She not only did that, but she showed them how to cultivate it and enjoy its fruits.
When Zeus saw that, the situation could lead to starvation and consequently to the extinction of human race, ordered his brother Pluto to release Persephone, so as to go back to her mother. Pluto did one trick. He gave Persephone to eat a pomegranate knowing that, if the girl ate something from the underworld she would have bonded and had to return. She ate six seeds. When Dimitra found out, she became really angry and Zeus to calm her down offered a compromise. For every seed Persephone ate, she had to live with Pluto. For every month she stayed with Pluto she had another one with her mother.
Thus, the deal was six months with her husband and six months with her mother. Dimitra had no choice than to accept it. Nevertheless, when Persephone was away, the earth was mourning. The trees lost their leaves and the ground was unfriendly to cultivation. Those six months represented fall and winter. When Persephone was with her mother, nature was celebrating and those six months were spring and summer.
Fig is an ancient tree almost as old as olive tree in Greece and its fruits were sacred. Ancient Athenians gained a lot of money from its export. It is said that one of the reasons Xerxes, king of Persia, attacked Athens was just to be able to get his hands on the fig trees.
Anthotiro is a traditional Greek cheese made from the combination of sheep or goat’s whey with sheep or goat milk. It has low calories and can be found in fresh or dried form. It is similar to Italian ricotta and if you cannot find it, you can substitute with the latter.
I was feeling really gourmet the past weekend and came up with these delicious stuffed mushrooms. The combination of savory cheese stuffing to the sweet winey sauce was simply irresistible.
- 14 medium sized mushrooms, stems removed
- 6 dried apricots, cut in small cubes
- 4 dried figs, cut in small cubes
- 1 cup sweet red wine
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped mushroom stems
- A small bunch of parsley
- 150 gr. anthotiro or ricotta
- 100 gr. light cream cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
- In a small pyrex or any oven proof vessel put the dried fruits along with the wine.
- Bake for about 30 minutes.
- Remove and set aside.
- In a rack place the mushrooms with their hat facing up.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove and set aside.
- While baking, go ahead and make the stuffing.
- In a skillet, pour the olive oil and in medium heat sauté the onion along with the mushroom stems until they are all soft.
- Add the anthotiro/ricotta and the cream cheese and stir to make a cream.
- Add the parsley, salt, pepper and incorporate.
- When it has become a smooth cream it is ready.
- Take a mushroom and add about 2 tsp of the stuffing.
- Repeat with the rest.
- Place them in a pan and bake for about 30 minutes.
- Take out of the oven.
- Pour some of the fig/apricot sauce on top and return to the oven.
- Bake for another 5 minutes.
- Remove, let them stay for 5 minutes and then serve.
- 14 μεσαίου μεγέθους μανιτάρια, βγάλτε τους μίσχους τους και βάλτε τους στην άκρη
- 6 ξερά βερύκοκα, κομμένα σε μικρούς κύβους
- 4 ξερά σύκα, κομμένα σε μικρούς κύβους
- 1 φλ. Μαυροδάφνη ή όποιο άλλο γλυκό κόκκινο κρασί
- 1 κρεμμύδι, ψιλοκομμένο
- 1 φλ. ψιλοκομμένους μίσχους μανιταριών
- Ένα μικρό μάτσο μαϊντανό
- 150 γρ. ανθότυρο φρέσκο
- 100 γρ. Τυρί κρέμα light
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- Ελαιόλαδο
- Προθερμαίνετε το φούρνο στους 175° C.
- Σε ένα μικρό πυρέξ βάλτε τα αποξηραμένα φρούτα μαζί με το κρασί.
- Ψήστε για 30 λεπτά περίπου.
- Βγάλτε τα από το φούρνο και αφήστε τα στην άκρη.
- Σε ένα ταψί τοποθετήστε τα μανιτάρια με το καπέλο τους στραμμένο προς τα επάνω.
- Ψήστε για 15 λεπτά.
- Βγάλτε τα από το φούρνο και αφήστε τα στην άκρη.
- Όσο ψήνονται, προχωρήστε και κάντε τη γέμιση.
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα, ρίξτε το ελαιόλαδο και σε μέτρια φωτιά σοτάρετε το κρεμμύδι μαζί με τους ψιλικομμένους μίσχους μανιταριών ώσπου να μαλακώσουν.
- Προσθέστε το ανθότυρο και το τυρί κρέμα και ανακατέψτε για να γίνει μια κρέμα.
- Προσθέστε το μαϊντανό, αλάτι, πιπέρι και ενσωματώστε.
- Όταν έχει γίνει μια λεία κρέμα είναι έτοιμο.
- Πάρτε ένα μανιτάρι και προσθέστε περίπου 2 κουταλάκια από τη γέμιση.
- Επαναλάβετε με τα υπόλοιπα.
- Τοποθετείστε σε ένα ταψί και ψήστε για 30 λεπτά περίπου.
- Βγάλτε από το φούρνο.
- Ρίξτε μία δύο κουταλιές από τη σάλτσα σύκου/βερίκοκου στην κορυφή και επιστρέψτε τα στο φούρνο.
- Ψήστε για ακόμα 5 λεπτά.
- Βγάλτε από το φούρνο, αφήστε τα να μείνουν για 5 λεπτά και στη συνέχεια σερβίρετε.
