Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - Melt in your mouth｜又中又英

When I lived in London, Washington DC, and Seattle I often went to Greek restaurants. Greek cuisine has been influenced by Middle Eastern, Turkish, and Italian cultures. Hong Kong doesn’t have many Greek restaurants. Most Hong Kong people prefer Chinese food. When they eat Western food they usually choose French or Italian cuisines or steak restaurants. They should try Greek cuisine or cook Greek dishes themselves! I sometimes cooked Greek dishes when I lived in Washington DC. One of the dishes I used to cook was beef stifado. It is a traditional Greek beef stew. Beef stifado is made with cubed beef, pearl onions or shallots (type of small onion), tomato paste, red wine vinegar, beef broth, garlic, olive oil, bay leaves, and seasonings including oregano, salt, and pepper.

The ingredients are separately stir-fried with olive oil. Tomato paste, red wine vinegar, beef broth, seasonings, and the beef are then all put into a skillet and cooked for about an hour in low heat. The beef becomes so soft it melts in your mouth! If food melts in your mouth it means it is soft, tender and delicious. This dish can be served with rice, pasta, or potatoes. One of the most popular Greek dishes is souvlaki. This dish is usually made with pork but beef or lamb can be used. The small pieces of meat are put in a marinade, then grilled on a skewer.

The word “marinade”, as I explained before, means a sauce usually made with olive oil, vinegar, spices and herbs. A skewer is a long and thin stick of metal or wood used for holding pieces of food. Souvlaki can be eaten with vegetables or in a pita bread. Tzatziki is a classic Greek dip eaten as an appetizer with bread or pita bread. It is made with Greek yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, and fresh dill, which is a kind of herb. I can’t get enough of tzatziki. If you can’t get enough of something it means you like it a lot and want more.
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  我在伦敦、华盛顿特区和西雅图居住的时候，常去希腊餐厅用餐。希腊菜受到中东、土耳其及意大利文化影响。香港并不多希腊餐厅，香港人大多爱吃中菜，而当他们吃西餐时，往往选法国菜、意大利菜或扒房。他们好应试试希腊菜，又或自己煮希腊菜！我住在华盛顿特区时，有时也会煮希腊菜式。其中一款我以前常煮的菜式就是番茄红酒炖牛肉（beef stifado）。那是一样传统的希腊式炖牛肉。Beef stifado是以牛肉粒、珍珠洋葱或红葱头（shallots）、番茄酱、红酒醋、牛肉汤、蒜头、橄榄油、月桂叶，以及包括牛至、盐和黑胡椒粉等的调味料所制成。

这些食材会分别用橄榄油炒起。及后，番茄酱、红酒醋、牛肉汤、调味料和牛肉会统统放进长柄平底煎锅内，用细火煮一小时。牛肉就会变得非常软腍，简直会在你口中融化掉（melts in your mouth）！当食物 melts in your mouth，意即它非常软熟、柔腍和美味。这道菜可以配饭、意大利粉食又或薯仔来吃。其中一款最受欢迎的希腊菜是souvlaki，这道菜通常是用猪肉，但也可以用牛肉或羊肉。小块小块的肉会用 marinade腌泡，再以串肉扦（skewer）烤炙。

正如我之前所解释的，marinade是指腌泡汁，通常用橄榄油、醋、香料和香草混合而成。A skewer就是金属或木制、又长又幼的扦，用来串起食物。这种希腊烤肉卷（souvlaki）可以伴着蔬菜吃，又或卷在比得包里吃。Tzatziki是经典的希腊蘸酱，伴面包或比得包可以作前菜。它是用希腊乳酪、青瓜、橄榄油和新鲜莳萝草（dill）制成，莳萝草又称刁草，是一种香草。对于这个希腊青瓜乳酪酱，我真是欲求不满（can’t get enough of tzatziki）啊。若你 can’t get enough of something，意即你非常喜欢某事物，再多也不够，总想要更多。
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁