My Beloved Home Town - Lefkosia – Λευκωσια

 

Lefkosia  - Λευκωσια is where I lived most of my life. That’s where I was born and that’s where I spent some of the formative years of my life. I miss my city and the medieval walls that surround the old town. These distinctive walls offer a welcoming contrast to the modern and cosmopolitan character of the new part of the city. Lefkosia which has thousand years of history that date back to the bronze age is build around these 16^th century walls that were built by the Venetians.

The part of the town that’s the closest to my heart is the old part of town where most of the houses date back to the late 1800s or very early 1900s. There are beautiful churches in this part of the town that are from the Byzantine times. Some of the streets are so narrow that only one car can get through.

Even though I have been living abroad for quite sometime, friends and relatives  ask me for directions when I visit during the summer and we get to the old part of the town. I know all the streets and I can get around the old town without getting lost or more precisely I know all the street shortcuts.

I got to know them by exploring them either on foot, riding my bike or my car. I always loved this town so much that I wanted to get to know each street, each corner, each little antique shop – as if I wanted to have it engraved in my mind and I think I have succeeded!

If you ever visit the beautiful island of Cyprus you have to visit its capital – Lefkosia.

It’s in the old part of town that I went to have some traditional desserts with my sister while I was visiting this past summer.

We went to an old coffee shop tucked in the beautiful courtyard of an old elementary school – the one our mom attended – and next to a beautiful old church.

The elementary school my mom attended

Here is the recipe of my favorite Greek dessert – Galaktoboureko. Every time I eat it I am transported to happy times as a child ...

 

Galaktoboureko - Γαλακτομπουρεκο

1 pound phyllo

1 cup unsalted butter

Syrup:

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon orange juice

Orange rind

Custard:

4 cups milk

½ cup semolina

½ cup sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup unsalted butter

First, prepare the syrup. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, and the water with the cinnamon stick and orange rind. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let it continue boiling for an additional five minutes until it thickens a bit. A couple of minutes before you remove it from the heat, add the orange juice. Set aside to cool off.

Start the second step. Take two phyllo sheets at a time and place them in an 8 by 12 inch baking pan. Brush the top phyllo sheet with melted butter. Continue the same process with another two sheets until you have used half of the phyllo sheets in the package.

Next, prepare the custard. In a saucepan, heat the milk and let it cool off a little bit. While the milk is cooling off, in a bowl, mix together the sugar with the eggs. Use a blender to mix well until the mixture is fluffy. Add the semolina. Pour this mixture into the milk. Place on medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring to avoid the creation of any lumps. The mixture will slowly start to get thicker. It is thick enough when it can still drop from a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla.

Pour in the custard over the buttered layers of phyllo. Spread it out evenly. Start adding phyllo sheets over the cream. Place two at a time after brushing them with melted butter. Repeat these steps until you have used all the phyllo sheets. Lightly score the top layer with a sharp knife in order to create rhombus or square shapes.  (Do not cut all the way through the pastry.  Once the pastry is baked, it will be easy to cut in these shapes.) Brush the top layer with butter and then sprinkle with a little bit of warm water.

Place in a pre-heated oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Continue baking at 350 degrees for another 40 minutes. It is fully baked once it has a golden color on top. Once you take the pastry out of the oven, pour very slowly the cold syrup using a ladle. Try to spread the syrup over the entire surface of the dessert.

Do not cover the pan, because the phyllo will soften. Set aside for a couple of hours before serving. It needs time for the syrup to be absorbed.

Serve cold. Except in very hot climates or seasons, you can leave the pastry outside the refrigerator for a day.

Makes 10-15 servings depending how big the pieces are.

 

I hope you make it and you share it with love.

Every year when I go back home I spend a day going around the old town. I usually park far away from the city and I walk. I go through all the familiar streets, I visit the farmers market, I take pictures, I have coffee at the small traditional kafeneia, I talk with the locals and I just enjoy the city and its people. I stop and observe the different small shop owners trying to sell goods to the tourists, I visit antique shops and sometimes I cry when I see some parts of the town which are now run down. I take my time, I don’t rush as if I want to take part of the town with me to California; have it with me till the next time I visit. When I do my annual visit which is like a pilgrimage to me I like to do it on my own and with no time constraints. My family knows that it’s my day with Lefkosia. When they ask me what time I would be back I always say – I don’t know.

... and Lefkosia is indeed with me everywhere I go.

Τα λουτρα της Εμερκες - Old communal baths

Lefkosia remains the only divided capital in the world. After the Turkish invasion in 1974 the town was divided. I actually come from the area that’s under the Turkish occupation. During the war in 1974 we had to flee to another part of the town but then we couldn’t go back. For the last few years we are allowed to cross the divided line and go to that area but only as visitors. Greek and Turkish Cypriots cross the divided line every day.

I visited the part of Lefkosia where I grew up as a child three times. I stopped going because it hurts too much.