 May 2003 | ||||||||||||
| Welcome to the Nabeel's Newsletter, a little bit of the Mediterranean! | ||||||||||||
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We're pleased to provide this monthly Newsletter so that so many of our valued customers can be informed of the latest trends and tastes of Mediterranean diet.
Here you'll also find interesting facts about Greece, history, recipes, health issues,
and learn more about the Mediterranean Diet, etc.
We sincerely hope you enjoy it! If you have a suggestion, an idea or a request, you can ask me, John Krontiras, by simply clicking here. Periodically we will have a drawing from the email addresses in our system and we will offer various gifts, i.e. free dinner, items from Nabeel's® Market, and from our new Café Capri. | ||||||||||||
| Monthly Newsletter Winner! | ||||||||||||
| The winner of the May drawing is bro@bro.net.
The winner will receive a Nabeel's Gift Certificate.
Congratulations to bro@bro.net! Note: In most cases we have not kept the actual name/address of an individual to mail the winning Gift Certificate and as a result we mail the winner, the Certificate to their e-mail address. When you receive the e-mail, it will have a subject: Nabeel's Gift Certificate You need to open the file and save it in Microsoft Word under "My Documents". Print the document, tear the Gift Certificate out, and bring to Nabeel's to redeem it. If you live outside of the Birmingham area, please forward this e-mail (gift certificate) to nabeels@nabeels.com and a gift will be mailed to you. | ||||||||||||
| Send Us Your Comments | ||||||||||||
| Send us your comments or suggestions. Your comments or requests may be beneficial to other recipients, and we will selectively publish some of your requests, suggestions or comments with an answer. Your question can be about food, recipes, ingredients, Greece, etc. | ||||||||||||
| News from Nabeel's® | ||||||||||||
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What a beautiful gift we received April 1, at around 1:40 P.M., a beautiful
Grand-daughter, (the first one, by the way). My son Anthony and his wife Monica had a beautiful girl, Mary Madelena. We are so excited, and can't wait till she starts running around at Nabeel's!
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| What Do They Say? | ||||||||||||
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This is a new section and will include comments or suggestions customers have made.
"John, Ottavia, Anthony, Maria and all the rest of the people at Nabeel's have made us feel like their family. Eating at Nabeel's is like going home for dinner."
"We love your restaurant, thanks for doing your part in making Homewood a great place to live!"
"We couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect rehearsal dinner! The food was OUTSTANDING! CAFÉ CAPRI was perfect, classy and intimate."
"The food is always excellent and the prices are very reasonable."
"..Maria made our rehearsal dinner an experience we will never
forget. It was perfect from the homemade meal to the yellow
flowers on our table, the special touches and attention were
superb. It was one of the happiest nights of our lives!"
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| Greek Orthodox Easter | ||||||||||||
The red eggs signify the blood of Christ. The eggs are passed around during Easter Sunday. Each person selects an egg. Then, people take turns tapping their egg against the egg of others and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck. The traditional Orthodox greeting is Christo's Ane'sti = Christ has Risen and the other person answers "Alitho's Ane'sti = Indeed He is risen. These greetings are exchanged during the tapping of the eggs.
Christians all over the world celebrate Easter every year, Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Anglicans, etc. However, the date that Easter is celebrated each year is different. For example this year (2003), the Orthodox Easter (celebrated by over 300 million people around the world) was on April the 27th. Why? First, let's find out how Easter got its name? The name "Easter" is usually attributed to Eostre (also spelled Eastre) the great mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Her name derives from the ancient word for spring "eastre". The reason why this name was used is that, during the second century, Christian missionaries eager to convert the Tutonic tribes north of Rome to Christianity realized that interfering with the pagan tribes' customs would have made it impossible to convert them. Easter is determined by the lunar calendar system which places it on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or following the Vernal Spring Equinox. Originally the Romans numbered years ab urbe condita meaning "from the founding of the city", of Rome of course. Julius Caesar devised a calendar, with the help of a Greek astronomer (who else?) Sosigenes. This was done in 709 a.u.c (what we now call 46 BC. Had this old calendar remained in use, 01-14-2003 would have been New Years Day in the year 2755 a.u.c. (ab urbe condita) The system of numbering years A.D. (for "Anno Domini") was instituted in 527A.D. This calendar is called the Julian calendar. In 1582 A.D. Pope Gregorius XIII issued a papal decree for the adaptation of this calendar, called after his name Gregorian calendar. Something that is very interesting when the two calendars are compared is that the Vernal Equinox year during the last 2000 years is 365.2424 where the Julian length of the year is 365.25 a difference of 0.0076 days, so 1582*0.0076=12.02 days. Anyway it gets more complicated. The Greek government adopted the Gregorian calendar for all non-moving Christian dates, except, no one knows why, for Easter they adopted the Julian calendar. Although the Orthodox and Catholics are discussing using the same formula to determine Easter, no agreement has been reached yet.
The table bellow is self explanatory and shows the dates that Easter will fall in the next 8 years. Please note that sometimes Easter is celebrated by both Catholics and Orthodox at the same date:
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| Important facts | ||||||||||||
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Nature's Best Medicine
Herbs
Borage: It is hairy with blue flowers. Use the flowers and young leaves to give a cucumber flavor to soups and salads.
Cilantro: To Americans, the leaves are known as cilantro and the seeds are called coriander.
Chervil: A very fine herb of classic French cooking.
Basil: One of the best herbs used for Greek and Italian cuisine.
Perilla: It looks like the coleus flower, and known as shiso in Japanese cooking.
Dill: Used very frequently in Greek cooking, especially in Lamb Fricassee.
Mint: It spreads vigorously in most spots. There are many different varieties of mint. Used exclusively in Greek cooking especially making Keftedakia (meat balls).
Chamomile: Greek chamomile is lower growing, but spreads very fast. While we're on the subject of cooking and good food, why not take a look at our menu! | ||||||||||||
| Did You Know? | ||||||||||||
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Folk Remedies
If you are concerned about harmful E. coli turning up in your food, you can do better than worry. Besides cooking meat thoroughly and avoiding unpasteurized juice, you can mix many foods with natural bacteria killers. Adding one tablespoon of pureed prunes to each pound of hamburger meat can kill more than 90 percent of any E coli .present. Two to five teaspoons of garlic will do the same thing. Other spices known to kill E. coli are cinnamon, oregano, cloves, and sage. Season your meats with these for extra flavor and protection, but do not forget to cook meat until the juice runs clear. .
Vinegar works wonders. One alternative to washing vegetables with water, that might work better is vinegar. A specialist at Cornell University says that a vinegar bath can kill many of the bacteria on produce, and it is inexpensive and safe to use. To get the best results, soak your produce in vinegar for about 10 minutes. However think twice before soaking fruit with little pores, like strawberries and peaches. They will absorb the vinegar which will affect their taste.
If you are having second thoughts about something you have eaten in foreign country--like a salad or a drink with ice in it-- just do not wait around for the food poisoning to kick in. Pour yourself a tall a glass of mineral water and stir in 4 teaspoons of apple cider. The vinegar could kill the bacteria before it's too late. | ||||||||||||
| Food Thoughts | ||||||||||||
Historically, the 5th century Chinese were the first to write about eggplants. Its mild flavor adds a harmonious accent to spicy overtones of Asian cooking. When eggplants eventually found their way to the Mediterranean, they fit in well with the equally zesty cuisines of Greece, Italy and Spain and were cooked into many recipes we are familiar with today. The most popular; the Greek Moussaka and the Italian Eggplant Parmesan, are both served at Nabeel's. Although classified as a vegetable, eggplant is technically a fruit. Eggplants have nothing to do with eggs, unless you count the baby white, which gave the fruit its name. Even eggplant's British name, aubergine, traces its root to an Arabic word meaning "eggplant." The following are the best known varieties of eggplant: Chinese eggplant: resembles a small zucchini. This version has a thin, pleasant skin, so there is no need to peel it. Thai eggplant: It has the shape of a golf ball. Very natural for grilling, Stir-fry or tempura. Baby white eggplant: Small, firm, and with a sweet flesh, but its thick skin should be peeled before use. Western eggplant: This large one is the one most of us are familiar with. Look for a smooth, glossy surface and a heavy-in-the hand weight. Japanese eggplant: Long, slender, and a deep purple color. Its flesh is tender and slightly sweet. | ||||||||||||
| Greek Diet May Help You live Longer | ||||||||||||
Greeks consume more olive oil per person than anyone else on earth. Greeks consume more olive oil per person than anyone else on earth. The Crete and Peloponnese are not only the largest oil producers but also produce the best olive oil in the world! That is where TSITALIA extra virgin olive oil comes from. From the olive tree groves of the island of Crete. Consumers, particularly those of us in the U.S.A, are in difficult position, in selecting the correct extra virgin olive oil. What you want is an oil that gives you pleasure, that you can use with abandon, instead of an expensive luxury that you are afraid to dispense each drop. Olive oil is a commodity meant to be generously poured over salads, cooking meats, fish, poultry, etc. Therefore, you need an oil that is reasonably priced and that is excellent in taste and aroma. TSITALIA® Oil gives you all of that; the aroma, the taste and a price that you can't beat. It is a product you can trust because it is brought to you by George Sarris of the Fish Market Restaurant and is available at Nabeel's International Market. George Sarris imports this oil directly from Greece and specifically from the island of Crete, where the first olive tree was planted some 4,500 years ago. George named the oil TSITALIA to honor his birthplace, a town in the eastern part of Peloponnese, called Tsitalia. Click here to order now! | ||||||||||||
| Nabeel's Featured Product of the month | ||||||||||||
You can savor the difference with Nabeel's® GLORIA Classic Greek Dressing. GLORIA a household name for over 30 years was my father's business name in Patras, Greece. GLORIA™ Chocolatier. We use the GLORIA™ name, to honor my father, and also the person, my father, that gave this recipe to my wife, even before I got myself involved in the restaurant business and I was still in the corporate world. It came very handy we believe! A Birmingham prominent artist, Suzan Oliver, designed the label which depicts freshness, simplicity, and taste. It is still made by hand, just like the first time, using only the finest and freshest ingredients. Just one taste and you will experience the difference. Excellent for salads and any type of grilling, whether it is meat, fish or chicken. Try the recipe, which appears on the bottle, for the Peasant Greek Salad, dip the bread in the salad juices and enjoy a meal on its own that has been enjoyed for centuries in Greece, and is beautiful in its simplicity and wholesomeness! Gloria Classic Greek Dressing is available at Nabeel's® Market and also at Western Supermarkets, Piggly Wiggly, V. Richards Market, and The Fish Market Restaurant (downtown). Price $3.59 per bottle. Click here to order now! Visit the recipes section of our website for ideas! If you'd prefer that we do the cooking, take a look at our menu. | ||||||||||||
| Recipe of the month! | ||||||||||||
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Grilled Polenta with Fontina Serves 6 This easy side dish (takes about 8 minutes to prepare) begins with slices of precooked polenta from the supermarket. We add melted cheese and diced tomatoes for a tasty topping.
Ingredients:
[ * these items are available at Nabeel's® International Market ]
Preparation Enjoy many other fine Nabeel's recipes here! | ||||||||||||
| *** Gifts & Prizes *** | ||||||||||||
Congratulations!
No warranty is expressed or implied about the beneficial qualities of a Mediterranean diet. | ||||||||||||
