CIC Times - May 2012 imes - May 2012

42May 2012Wordweavers•••••••••••••••A Memorable Meal - © ISTROWe looked at each other, somewhatdisappointed, where was the calamari,the octopus, the myriad of fish dishesso often served at the taverna. It wasthen we saw the fresh succulent chunksof lobster, nestling amongst the strandsof spaghetti, which seemed almostreluctant to reveal them. The smell wasamazing, warm, sweet and so redolentof the sea we felt the lobster surely musthave simply jumped out of the wavesand straight on to our plates. There waslittle suggestion of a sauce, but the aromaemanating from the strands of spaghetti suggested that they had absorbed all the flavoursand liquids which had been used in the cooking. On tasting it was sublime, the spaghetti notquite al dente, just soft enough to complement the generous chunks of lobster. We speculatedon the ingredients, on how it was cooked. All three of us could be described as “foodies”. Mariacame over to our table to enquire if we were pleased with our meal. We complemented her onsuch an amazing meal. It was, in the words of Michael Winner, “truly historic”. Maria told usthat the combination of spaghetti and lobster was a specialty of the region and that she hadtried several recipes over the years and this was the most successful. We had never tasted thisdish before as it is usually the most expensive on any menu and has to be pre-ordered. She hadcooked fresh lobster in local white wine and a few herbs until tender, removed the lobster andthen cooked the spaghetti in the remaining lobster stock, replacing the lobster at the end of thecooking process. She was justly proud of the result.Had we been presented with this meal in a Michelin starred restaurant we would have said, yes,this is the standard of cooking we would expect from such prestigious establishments, buthaving such a meal in a small local Greek taverna was so unexpected yet so fabulous. It waswithout doubt our best meal of 2011. It will, like all truly stupendous meals, never be forgotten.My family will be returning shortly to our Greek island to stay with us, and you can guess whatwe will have for our first meal of 2012. Good appetite, as the Greeks say, for the year to come.Copyright ©ISTROIf thats whetted your taste buds, check out this recipe and have a go at making asimilar dish yourself at home.http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spaghettiwithlobster_90289