Now I wend a long way east, taking inspiration from a very interesting recipe in Serious Eats.

“There’s a lot going on in the marinade, but one of the standouts—arguably even the key ingredient—is anchovy-based Vietnamese fish sauce, or nuoc mam,” write Emily and Matt Clifton. “Lime, ginger, and fish sauce add bold, bright, deep flavor to chicken,” they point out.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the particular fish sauce they mention, so I used the standard Thai fish sauce (nam pla) available at the Asian food stores in Greece. Limes are, again, an imported fruit that we can only get on Kea in the summer, when bars and the more sophisticated restaurants use it. I only had the local fragrant lemons, which, I must admit, are quite different in flavor; I decided to combine lemon and orange in my recipe.

I didn’t discard the very flavorful Vietnamese-inspired marinade but used it as the sauce to bake both the chicken as well as the accompanying vegetables, potatoes, some of our last garden peppers, and squash, drizzling with olive oil, as I usually do.

I think you will like this deep-flavored, easy chickenand vegetable dish as much as Costas and I did…

Serves 4 

About 2 1/2 pounds (1 kilo 250 grams) chicken, spatchcocked

The MARINADE

1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce

1/4 cup (60ml) Asian fish sauce

1/4 (60ml) sunflower oil

2 packed tablespoons (7g) fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped (optional)

¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice

¼ cup (60ml) fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon (5g) finely grated zest from 1 orange

3 tablespoon (30g) minced peeled fresh ginger

2 tablespoons smoked hot pepper, or Aleppo pepper flakes

4 medium cloves garlic, minced or grated (about 4 teaspoons)

The VEGETABLES etc. 

3 medium baking potatoes peeled and cut into about 1 ½-inch pieces

1 pound peeled and seeded butternut squash cut into about 1 ½ -inch pieces

1 large red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced

2 small, sliced oranges, plus 1 orange peeled, quartered and sliced

About 1/3 cup olive oil

Cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Lay the chicken on a parchment-lined plate or pan, or place in a large zipper-lock bag, if you plan to refrigerate it with the marinade.

In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, fish sauce, oil, cilantro, if using, lemon and orange juice and zest, ginger, smoked or hot pepper, and garlic. Pour half the marinade over the chicken, and massage to make sure it coats well the entire front and back. Cover with kitchen film, or seal the bag and let the chicken marinate for at least 45 minutes, and up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F (200°C) and set the oven rack in the middle position.

Line a rimmed baking dish with parchment paper and spread the potatoes, squash, and pepper pieces pouring the rest of the marinade over, and tossing well to make sure all vegetables are coated. Add the quartered orange slices and toss again.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the bag, and arrange over the vegetables, skin-side up, pouring any marinade drippings over, arrange the orange slices over the breast and thighs and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for about 45 min. then cover loosely with parchment paper and bake another 20 minutes or more, until done –the center of the thickest part of the thighs should register 155 to 160°F (68 to 71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.

If the chicken skin is not brown enough by the time the thighs are cooked through, set broiler to high and broil for 1 minute or until browned and crisp, but be very careful, because the skin can burn fast.  

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving, transfering chicken and vegetables to a platter, if you like, and garnished with orange slices and cilantro.

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Besides olive oil I sprinkled the new, scrubbed potatoes with salt and pepper—I love to use Maras pepper flakes that add deep, fruity flavor not just heat. I scattered a few sprigs of thyme, savory, rosemary or some sage leaves, whatever I could grab from the garden; I also added one or two onions, quartered, and two whole heads of garlic halved horizontally, tossing everything in a bowl with olive oil. Onion and garlic add their flavor to the new potatoes as they roast together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This detail is very important: cleaning the pan afterwards is a breeze; otherwise the roasting vegetables caramelize and stick to the metal so it needs soaking and quite a bit of scrubbing…

Pick enough vegetables to fill the baking dish in one layer. Sometimes I include a few carrots, or one sweet potato, cut into big chunks; I may even add one or two quince—depending on their size. I halve, quarter and seed the quince but never peel them; then I halve each piece again, as the quince are quite tough and need longer roasting than the new potatoes. Cut into smaller pieces they all cook together. I love the tartness the quince adds to the sweet root vegetables.

Roast in a preheated 375ºF (200ºC) oven; they need about 30 minutes or a bit more, until they become tender—not mushy—and their corners start to char.

Serve them hot, warm or at room temperature. Roasted root vegetables are considered a side dish but in our home we usually eat them as a main course, accompanied by boiled or fried eggs –from our neighbor’s coop– plus feta, or slices of grilled hallumi cheese!

In my humble opinion, these roasted potatoes outshine any meat dish…

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Serves 6-8

3 pounds (1 ½ kilo) russet potatoes peeled and thinly sliced

One butternut squash, about 2 pounds (1 kilo) peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons dried mint, or about ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves

2 pounds (1 kilo) feta cheese, crumbled

½ cup fruity olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 F (200 C).

In a large bowl add the potato slices, squash, salt, pepper and flour and toss well.

Line a 9 X 13-inch (23 X 33 cm) baking dish with parchment paper and spread the vegetables in an even layer, pressing them so that no gaps remain, then sprinkle with the mint, pour over the olive oil and sprinkle with the cheese. You can also make boureki in 6 or 8 individual baking dishes.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes until the top browns and the vegetables are soft as you poke with a knife.

Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature before cutting to serve.

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On Kea life is tied to the land –tending to sheep and goats, cultivating small gardens, and in the old days making wine, harvesting, and exporting acorn-cups, and almonds. As I remember from my grandfather, the sea didn’t attract them at all, it felt scary and they dreaded the short crossing to the mainland in the winter. The waters around the island are deep, with strong currents most of the year, especially in the northern parts where most fish is supposed to be found, so during the busy summers the seafood sold by Eleni, Nikolaras’ wife, at their shop on the port, has been fished by mainland fishermen and brought in by the ferry from Lavrion.

And just as the fruits and vegetables in this land of blazing sun and scarce rains are small but intensely flavorful, so the fish of the Aegean are neither large nor plentiful but exceptionally delicious. Freshness definitely plays an important role in the incredible taste of even the most simply prepared fish, as anyone who has tasted the grilled fish of the island tavernas can testify.

Whenever we get fish Nikolaras has caught, usually as soon as he unloads his little boat, it is a real feast for us! In June and early July, before the vacationers flooded the island, I made this simple dish adapting it for the different kinds of fish. Bear in mind that after May, we are not permitted to light the barbeque so Costas’ fig-leaf-wrapped fish is out of the question.

I first made it with our small, Mediterranean striped bass –absolutely delicious— then with some small hake, and also with pelagisia tsipoura —wild gilt-head sea bream, called orata in Italy, and dorade in France– the exquisite, and most expensive Mediterranean fish. All three versions were great, especially with the thick-skinned, almost sweet lemons from the old lemon trees in our garden, which are of the vintage kind grown also  in Amalfi.

You basically need no recipe if you would like to make it. Bear in mind, though, that using head-on fish is really important as it flavors the sauce and the potatoes beautifully.

RECIPE: Baked Fish with Lemon and Thyme

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Serves 8-10

1 cup olive oil

4 tablespoons toasted whole-wheat breadcrumbs

5 pounds medium baking potatoes, thinly sliced (1/4 inch)

3-4 cups water or chicken stock

1 cup yogurt

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 pound feta cheese, crumbled

2-3 teaspoons Aleppo or plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Salt

3 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).

Oil a large 13 inch round (or equivalent square pan) and sprinkle with half the breadcrumbs.

In a large pot cook the potatoes in water or stock that just covers them, for 10 minutes and drain.

Lay half the potatoes in the pan.

In a bowl mix the oil with the yogurt and eggs –reserving 3 tablespoons of the eggs— the cheese and plenty of pepper. Taste and add salt if needed –usually feta is quite salty.

Pour a little less than half the egg and cheese mixture over the layer of potatoes. Arrange the remaining potatoes on top, and pour the rest of the egg-cheese mixture over them. In a bowl mix the remaining egg with the milk and pour over potatoes, sprinkling with the rest of the breadcrumbs.

Bake for 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 375 and continue baking for about 50 minutes, until golden brown and firm.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

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Adapted from Foods of the Greek Islands (Houghton Mifflin)

On the special days when a leg of lamb or a chicken is roasted, the potatoes may also be cooked in its juices. If you want to cook this dish using small potatoes there is no need to peel them, but I suggest that you halve them, because they taste best when they can absorb the sauce.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

2/3 cup olive oil

4-6 garlic cloves, minced (to taste)

1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano, crumbled

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper, or Aleppo pepper flakes to taste

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock, or white wine

1/4 -1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)

2–3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13-x-9-inch baking dish and pour the oil over them. Add the garlic, dried oregano, salt, cumin, mustard and pepper to taste and toss very well to coat with the oil.

Alternatively, you can work all the above ingredients in the blender and make a paste, then toss the potatoes to coat all over.

Bake the potatoes for 25 minutes. Add the stock, toss well and bake for 10 minutes more. Add the lemon juice, toss again and bake for 20 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

If you like, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with fresh oregano and serve at once.

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