Cyprus style Meze
 

I'm planning to cook a meze (Cyprus style) for some friends next week. Anyone who has experienced the tavernas might like to let me know what their favourite meze dish is? Not strictly aviation, I know, but there are a lot of military air and ground crew out there who will remember the Randevous and Peppes.

Stuffed vine leaves, hummus, olives and lamb kleftiko do it for me!!

Finn

Kokinelli and lots of it - food doesn't really matter after that!

Never was terribly keen on a Meze after some horribly crunchy bits of unknown beast were included in one mezze course in Limasol. Even the bondhu cats wouldn't eat whatever it was; perhaps they were related to it?

A proper Akrotiri kebab, though.....:ok:

For those unfamiliar, I offer this old thread http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...ens-stool.html .

. . . oh, and I nearly forgot . . . have some Kokinelli :D

Grilled haloumi cheese and lamb chops was always my favorite at Chris's. And kokinelli of course.

Y_G

Taramosalata, kalamari, keftedes, loukanika and sheftalia. Watch out for the Kokinelli!

Not forgetting 'Nose-warmers' that can be filled with the shredded lettuce and Tsatsiki or Hummus and then be thrown up into the ceiling fan (if you have one in your house) to allow every diner to enjoy a bit!!! :}

Sheftalia kebabs! From the little shack next to the Naafi. Those never ending Kebabs at Chris'
What the hell was Kokinelli? Apart from plentiful and cheap. Would any of us drink it by choice anywhere else?

If you want the total Chris experience, don't forget to have the toilets back up before the yoghurt throwing. Forget Kokinelli, Pandemonium gave the greatest hangover!

oh the memories...............:ok:

talking about Chris Kebebs anyone remember the "Lightning Strike on Radar" incident?

Ensure you cover the walls of your abode with tacky tea towels from around the UK for that Chris' Kebab authenticity.

Lamb-based meat products, nosewarmers, beer in bottles (Carlsberg of course) and lots of hummus etc.

Don't forget...
 

...the piece of god-knows-what liver fried until it's a good substitute for a flip-flop. (I may, inadvertantly, have eaten a flip-flop at Chris Kebab thinking it was a piece of liver that had fallen off the table). Kokinelli is just "village wine" although there was that dreadful invention "kok-in-a-box" in an attempt to bring it into the 20th century; but it just wasn't the same as getting red screech out of a Liebfraumilch bottle - be honest. Is it still around? It didn't deserve to be.

The Ancient Mariner

Funny - tried to re-create a brandy sour back home. Didn't taste the same without local Cyrus ingredients!

Didn't taste the same without local Cyrus ingredients!
 

Was that Miley or Billy Ray?? :} Mind you after a kebab and eleventeen pints of Kokinelli i couldn't speak never mind spell!! ;)

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...andy-sour.html


As mentioned many times, the key ingredient is the local lemon juice (squash? cordial?) It is different to stuff in UK, has more natural ingredients and will go orf quicker than the stuff we're used to. So if you go to the trouble of importing the proper stuff, use it before it goes manky. My recommendation would be Kean, but I have seen Lex & Lanitis mentioned. Ascoteers, of course, can request it from Flt Catering on the way home and nick it.

Secondly, Cyprus Bitters is a local version of Angostura Bitters, and is added as a squirt rather than a few drops.

Soda water is the correct mixer, if you use lemonade, it is a 'Brandy Sweet'

Therefore:-

50/50 Keo Brandy and Kean Lemon Juice
then 50/50 again with Soda water
Squirt of Cyprus Bitters

Add ice, bendy straw, stir well, drink, and reminice....

...which is exactly what I am doing now, as I am kebab critical to the tune of 2 years, hoping to regain my currency in a couple of months

(Sylvana's by a mile)

I suspect a few of the older hands will remember Niazis in Limassol which was a favourite RAF haunt. After the 1974 war he disappeared and I suspected he'd ended up in one of his own kebabs, but Ive just Googled him and find out after all these years that he simply re-located to Kyrenia, in Northern Cyprus, where the business is still going strong :ok:

Have a look at his website Niazi's Restaurants - North Cyprus. Look at the photo gallery - there's lots of pics of RAF types eating there in the pre '74 period. Didnt we look smart in our long sleeved shirts and ties!

Never heard of Chris's btw, but I suspect I'm far too old!

My first trip to Akrotiri was in the mighty Tin Triangle and, as one does, we went out for a kebab. That was in 1977, just 3 years after the Turkish invasion...

We went to Mahmoud's in Limassol which was highly recommended and was rather good. But one of the waiters took rather a shine to the AEO (lord knows why...). "You been here before", he queried. "Yes", said the AEO. "I no remember you?" was the reply.

"Quite probably. Because when I was last here, this place was run by a Turkish chap and was known as Niazi's...."

At which the waiter flounced off in a huff....:ooh:

Not sure whether it's true - was Mahmoud's originally Niazi's? Older readers may know the answer.

If memory serves, Chris's was set up well after the pull out - was that Op Ablaut or something? I did some auxiliary crew stuff just before starting the Herc OCU at Thorney. We sat down the back with all the holiday-makers who got pulled out in short order - some still in their beachware.

. . . er did I mention Kokinelli?

Brandy Sours were big trouble, apparently I told the British Ambassador's daughter she had a better moustache than our Navigator after one or three Brandy Sours.

Self control is, of course, soluble in alcohol.

Had a few good Sqdn bashes there. Also there was Big Ariffs and Little Ariffs
Little Ariffs was in the the forecourt of a Shell garage in the Turkish quarter.The garage closed at 6pm and out came the tables and chairs. Food was cooked across the road. Very nimble waiters.
Kokinelli was free and served cold. I've seen it fell hard drinking Paras.