A taste of Greece in Nelson

Nelson

Tracy Neal meets a Nelson family who keep their ties to a distant land strong through meal times.

Food from a land far away anchors the Louverdis family of Nelson to a place they hold dear in their hearts.

"Cooking is an integral part of keeping a culture alive," says Nicolette Louverdis, who remains true to her Greek roots.

She and her husband, Alec, plus daughter Elena, 12, are South African born, while seven-year-old John-Luca is a Kiwi boy raised on the home-grown spinach used in a family favourite, spanakopita, and the sweet, light Greek delicacy kourambedes – home-baked shortbread so fine that it almost melts in the hand.

Alec Louverdis would be best known to most Nelsonians for his work overseeing Nelson's water supply and sewerage systems, as the Nelson City Council's technical services senior executive.

To hear him talk, he sounds undeniably South African, but the surname is a strong clue to his Greek origins.

"I regard myself first and foremost Greek. I was brought up in the Greek faith and we keep the tradition alive. Nic speaks to the kids in Greek," Mr Louverdis says.

The couple grew up surrounded by a huge Greek community in a town just outside Johannesburg.

Mrs Louverdis admits the only thing truly South African about her husband is his allegiance to rugby, and the Springboks in particular.

"If someone says to me, if we are talking heritage, I will always say I'm a Greek Kiwi with South African roots," she says.

"All my life, I have regarded myself as Greek. It's so much a part of my life."

Mrs Louverdis' family hails from the arid and stony island of Ithaca, while Mr Louverdis' grandparents were from Cephalonia, an island just west of Ithaca in the Ionian Islands group.

Last year, a family trip to Greece provided a chance to immerse the children in daily life there. For Mr and Mrs Louverdis, it was a catch-up time since their last trip in 2001.

Among all the special events in the 10 weeks they were there, one in particular stood out for the meal enjoyed and the people who helped it happen.

Greek pasticio, best described as Greece's version of lasagne, was the central dish shared by the Louverdis family and long-lost relatives of Nicolette, Pano and Aliki Drakopoulos.

They were born on Ithaca, but had emigrated to South Africa, Mrs Louverdis explains.

"He and my father were cousins. Just before we came to New Zealand 12 years ago, Pano and Aliki left South Africa and went back to Ithaca to live."

Mrs Louverdis, who has since lost both her parents, said the meeting in June last year with them was all the more special because of her loss.

The pasticio they ate made with goat meat (a revered animal on the island) was served with a traditional Greek salad of cucumber, tomato, red onion and a whole slab of feta with some herbs and pure olive-oil dressing (the dressing varies from region to region, Mrs Louverdis says).

"Goats are indigenous to the island. It's quite a rocky island, and goats thrive there. That's the only animal you really ever see there, and they are special for their milk, which is used to make cheese," she says.

She says Greek food is actually very basic, and is traditionally neither aromatic nor spicy. Any spice is usually Turkish influenced.

Mrs Louverdis says a lot of Greek dishes are vegetable based, and feature a lot of bitter greens with rice and things such as stuffed tomatoes, peppers and cabbage leaves.

Another favourite is souvla – a huge kebab with big chunks of goat meat on a skewer and seasoned with salt and pepper. Taking that concept a step further is the Easter specialty kokoretsi, which is goat entrails wound around the meat and cooked on a big skewer.

According to Mr Louverdis, it is unbelievably good.

Food is a big part of Greek family life and an important part of the family's daily life in Nelson.

When The Nelson Mail made a visit to the Louverdis' home, we were greeted by spanakopita – traditional Greek spinach and feta cheese pie – made with home-grown spinach – olives picked during a family outing to the Frogs End grove near Richmond and marinated at home, sliced cucumber, crumbly feta, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and warmed Turkish bread, followed by coffee and kourambedes.

It was a Greek meze meal typical of the sort served at the Louverdis' table on a Sunday night.

Christmas in their household features the "whole catastrophe" if extended family are visiting. Otherwise, it is a simple barbecue, with berries for dessert.

"We go Kiwi and we love it," they say.

KOURAMBEDES (GREEK SHORTBREAD)

250g unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup icing sugar (plus 2 cups extra for dusting after baking)
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 to 2 1/2 cups plain flour
Optional 100 to 200g almonds toasted and chopped

Beat the soft butter with the quarter cup of icing sugar until the colour has lightened and the mixture is light and fluffy.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and add slowly to the butter mix, beating to combine between additions.

Add the flour until the mixture is just at the point where it is no longer sticky and you can roll it between your hands into a ball the size of a large grape. Too much flour is undesirable, so take care as you reach the point where you have added two cups.

Lastly, add the nuts if you choose, mixing in these by hand.

Roll the kourambedes between your palms and place onto baking trays covered in baking paper for best results. Space out slightly, as they will expand. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes. They should be slightly golden all over and fairly dark on the bottom.

Once they are baked, they should be placed in a flat container, which has a layer of sifted icing sugar at the bottom and then a generous layer of icing sugar should be sifted on top.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place (not the fridge) and they will last for two to three weeks.

This recipe can be doubled.

BOUGATSA (WARM CUSTARD PIES)

Filo pastry (about 10 to 15 sheets)
50 to 100g melted butter
1 cup fine semolina
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 cups milk
1/2cup sugar
3 eggs beaten
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
A little melted butter for basting
Icing sugar and cinnamon to dust after baking

Pour the milk into a heavy-based pot and heat on low to medium heat. Sprinkle the semolina over and whisk well, ensuring no lumps.

Whisk in beaten eggs, sugar and vanilla and continue to stir with the whisk over a low heat until the mixture thickens to a light porridge consistency.

Add lemon rind and remove from the heat, and allow to cool. Place the glad-wrap directly onto the custard to seal completely, reaching up the sides of the pot, to prevent a skin from forming.

Once the custard is completely cool, cut the filo sheets in half and drop large tablespoons of the mix onto the short end. Roll once then fold in the sides and roll to the end.

Once complete, baste with melted butter and bake slightly spaced on a baking tray covered in baking paper in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 20 to 25 minutes or until slightly golden and crisp.

Important: sprinkle or splash drops of water over the rolls before baking, to prevent the pastry from cracking.

Serve warm, sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon. (These can also be served at room temperature.) Makes about 20 to 30.