Making traditional gogges in Kyparissi.
Whenever I'm hungry, I think about how nice it would be to eat something handmade and homemade, especially pasta, which is my favourite. However, whenever I'm hungry, I don't eat something handmade. Homemade, maybe, because I like to cook, but still.
One afternoon, when I was in Kyparissi, Laconia, I was hungry and ate something special. Dimitris and I had spoken on the phone. He was waiting for us at the entrance of the village.
We made a short stop in the settlement of Mitropolis and left for Mrs Maria Gianniou, who was waiting for us in her shop "Beautiful Cypress" to make and, of course, then eat a traditional food of the Peloponnese region - gogges.
The traditional pasta of Zarakas
Mrs. Maria comes out of a vibrant red door. We say hello, and her smile makes you feel at ease. We moved some tables so that we could enjoy the ideal natural lighting.
"We will make the traditional pasta of Zarakas, the gogges, following the traditional recipe," she tells us, and she has already started kneading. "Because the truth is that it is a very tasty pasta but quite heavy, I have found the balance and made it with two types of flour. I use wheat and dinkel."
She adds a little olive oil and water, and the dough is ready very soon.
Special pasta-making technique
Then, she divides it into 6-7 equal parts, forming something like a thick macaroni and cutting it into small cubes. So far, so good. From now on, however, she will develop a process that will transform this into something really delicious and special.
Mrs. Maria, on a wooden vessel with vertical grooves, will drag the dough with pressure with her two fingers. This will create a hollow in the pasta and ridges on the outside.
"That way, the pasta will cook better and be ready for the grated cheese to stick to it."
The mastery with which she makes the movement is unique. I tried a few times and failed to succeed. The secret to seeing if has succeeded is if it returns to its original position without getting stuck in the middle of the wooden vessel when you pull it with your two fingers.
Mine were all left in the middle. Everything went back for Mrs. Maria.
The pot of water is already boiling. These take about 35 to 40 minutes to make. While they are boiling, she stirs them here and there. When they are ready, she puts melted butter on them and grate cheese on top.
"It's goat cheese. I'm curdling it here, and it's what will give this recipe that extra something," she said.
We sat in the courtyard and ate the most delicious pasta. We combined eating with stories, and it was a perfect afternoon.
Dimitri Stathopoulos is a columnist for Olive Magazine. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
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