5/15/10 -Saturday - Preparations - Cappari tasting

5/15/10 - Saturday - Preparations - Cappari tasting

So, today we did all the prep work for the Memorial service for tomorrow. Had the house cleaned and mopped - it's dusty. The washing done, etc. Apparently there's a whole process to getting ready to host a Mnimosino - memorial service.
Let me see if I remember it all.

• Make sure there are enough Artos for each of the deceased - That's 3 for Sunday's service (Dad, Gradma and Uncle Teddy) and a LARGE one for the esperino (couldn't find an appropriate link here, but it's a Saturday night service).
• Deliver said Artos to church and ensure everyone's name is written down so it will be mentioned on Sunday. Pay for each one of the deceased mentioned (a la carte)
  
• Make or order Koliva for all. I remember these covered with powdered sugar and crushed roasted chickpeas (kouame - no appropriate link). Now they're served with sesame seeds, almonds, raisins and pomegranate kernels.
• Order or make snacks for the visitors after the service. We picked up some Spanakopita, Tyropita, Koupes, and some pourekia.

We got all that done, picked up, ordered, delivered and it was time to get some lunch. Which meant it was time to taste the cappari from a few days before - it was finally finished.

And here it is in all its glory as part of a complete meal. Fresh fava beans with fresh tomato, two keftedes and a few sprigs or cappari.


Close up money shot.
I think it was some of the best cappari I have tasted, but I could be biased.

For dinner we went to a local steak house called Rancho. I was surprised at how good the steak was and that it was cooked correctly. Cypriots tended to overcook their meats. Glad to see a positive improvement in this area. I wanted to go to a traditional cypriot restaurant, but it was not to be. Will try to go there over the next few days and report back.

That's all for now... Stay tuned...