Sean Hillen: Surreal Dislocations

       Sandycove viewed from the Theatre of Delos, Dublin, 1997.

The birthplace of Aphrodite at Slemish Mountain, Co.Antrim, 2005.

The Pallestra of Sliabh Gullion, Co.Armagh, 1994.

       The Four Courts form the Temple of Apollo, Dublin, 1994.

Since 1992, Irish artist Sean Hillen has created a variety of funny, startling and often disturbingly apocalyptic images by transposing ancient monuments into John Hinde postcards of a bucolic or urban Ireland.

In his insightful article on Hillen's art, Fintan O'Toole best describes the impact of Hillen's photo-montage technique in the IRELANTIS collage series  (a compound word-play between Ireland and ancient ATLANTIS) as a visual "culture shock." Instantly eliminating physically as well as culturally the distance between Greek antiquity -in this instance- and modern day Ireland, the visual trick Hillen employs nowadays "almost a cliche of Irish advertising" resonates with our "globalised, displaced sensibilities" as a postmodern bricolage of aesthetics and political reflection on modernity.

See more about IRELANTIS here.

www.seanhillen.com

Tiropita to console the Émigré (Cheese pie)

We have all been there: Greeks traveling, studying, or working abroad find themselves salivating in the mere recollection of the aromatic tiropita. This oh-so-simple and easy-to-find-everywhere-in Greece snack becomes a utopia when away from home. 

For all of you out there striving to find something tasty for lunch, I came up with this quick recipe that will more than do the job: the"tiropita to console the emigre"(and not only). 

for 8 cheese pies:

200-250 grams. feta cheese

200 grams. ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 sheets of puff pastry

olive oil

salt&pepper

In a bowl mix the cheeses, egg, salt and pepper to taste and mash. Cut the puff pastry sheets into long strips (5-6 cm. each) and fill one end with the mix sealing well with olive oil and pressing around with your thumb. 

Place cheese pies on a baking dish (brush it with a bit of olive oil) and bake for 20 minutes at 160 degrees C.

Let it cool down for 5 minutes

eat

and come round.

N.

My Big Fat Greek Easter Sunday

Καθαρώτατον ήλιο επρομηνούσε

της αυγής το δροσάτο ύστερο αστέρι,

σύγνεφο, καταχνιά δεν απερνούσε

τ' ουρανού σε κανένα από τα μέρη.

Και από κει κινημένο αργοφυσούσε

τόσο γλυκό στο πρόσωπο τ' αγέρι,

που λες και λέει μες στης καρδιάς τα φύλλα:

Γλυκειά η ζωή...

-Δ.Σολωμός

Enjoy visual material from the Easter Sunday celebrations at the Greek Orthodox church of the Annunciation in Dublin organized by the Parish Council and the Hellenic community of Ireland. The day had it all: a moving mass of the Vespers of Agapi, children still holding on to their precious lampades, Greeks, Irish, Palestinians, Russians, and Georgians announcing each in their own language the "resurrection of Christ," a very well orchestrated BBQ, complete with wine and an impressive buffet, happy people and rays of sunshine.

Χριστός Ανέστη,

Ν.

Real people's portraits.

It is only a matter of time before a brand new "soul-sister" website to the BabogMoro blog is launched: bearing a new title and featuring photos and interviews from the lives and work of creative people from Greece, Ireland and the world at large, readers will have the opportunity to get a glimpse into the private abodes of real people. 

In the inaugural portrait, a musician based in the west of Ireland talks about his bands, Athens, country living, his German roots, the Irish punk scene, forestry, hunting, and fine whiskey.

With you shortly.

Karagiozis in Ireland

Να ’χα δυο τσουβάλια μήλα
μια τηγανητή γκαμήλα
καναδυό ελεφαντάκια
να τα έκανα σουβλάκια

Ντρίγκι-ντράγκα ντρίγκι-ντράγκα
όλο δίφραγκα και φράγκα
ντρίγκι-ντράγκα ντρίγκι-ντράγκα
γεια σου, Καραγκιόζη μάγκα

- τραγουδάει ο Θέμης Ανδρεάδης 

Suspended in front of the window overlooking a vast green field crowded with cows and horses in the afternoon, shadowed by passing clouds traveling west, Karagiozis and his youngest son Bitsikokos adorn my daughter's room. A journey from Asia Minor to Ireland via Athens.

Have a great Easter!

We will celebrate it with the Hellenic community of Ireland in Dublin: the Vespers of Agapi, and a barbeque Greek-style. Stay tuned for photos from the celebrations.

Καλό Πάσχα!

Ν.

Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Phyllo Pie) from Eleni Livitsanou in Lefkada

500 gr. phyllo pastry

for the filling:

1 cup of semolina

1,5 cups sugar

700 ml. milk

300 ml fresh cream

4 eggs

3 tsp butter (kerrygold)

2 tsp vanilla extract

lemon peel

1 block of butter melted for brushing the phyllo

for the syrup:

700 gr sugar

400 gr water

2 sp glucose syrup

peel of 1 lemon

1 tsp lemon juice

put all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 4 minutes (4 minutes from the exact moment of boiling) and remove from the heat letting the syrup to cool down.

Brush butter on the base of the dish (22 to 30 cm approx.) and on the sides.

Place 5 sheets of phyllo brushing butter every time (brush it also around the sides of the dish).

Prepare the filling now: in a deep saucepan mix the milk, the fresh cream, the semolina, the sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon rind in low heat stirring continuously.

In a bowl separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the whites with the mixer until thick. In another bowl gently beat the egg yolks.

Then mix the whites with the egg yolks gently and pour slowly in the saucepan that is in low heat. Mix with a wooden spoon.

Add the 3 spoons of butter continuously stirring towards the centre of the saucepan and when the custard begins to thicken and become velvety, remove from the heat.

Pour the custard in the dish where you have placed the phyllo. Cover with the remaining phyllo pastry brushing every phyllo sheet with butter. The phyllos from the sides, fold them on the bottom. With a sharp knife mark the top of the phyllo gently in pieces (do not cut, just mark it with the edge of the knife).

On top pour the remaining butter and sprinkle plenty of water. Put the galaktoboureko in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for an hour until golden. When out of the oven and while still hot take spoons of the cooled syrup and gently pour them over the pie. 

Let it cool a bit and do not cover the dish.

serve with a glass of cold water.

mmmmmmmmmmmm

Lemon Pork chops with spring salad

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
-Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

for the grilled pork chops:

4-6 pork chops
clilli flakes
salt& pepper to taste
olive oil
lemon juice

for the spring salad:

lettuce
cherry tomatoes
radish
boiled beetroot
grated carrot
capers
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt&pepper
croutons

Yiaourtopita (Greek Yogurt Cake)

This cake reminds me of a schoolmate of mine who used to bring this every year to national school on her name-day (in Greece we celebrate birthdays as well as name-days). While everyone else bought ready-made cakes from the local patisseries, my friend persisted in bringing her mother's home-made delicious yiaourtopita:

180 grams. unsalted butter, room temperature

250 grams. sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

300 grams. plain all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

pinch of salt

250 grams. Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees while you butter and flour a 24 cm. tin. In a bown beat the butter and sugar together, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and beat well. Add the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt along with the yogurt. Beat until thick and smooth. Place mixture into the tin.

Bake the yiaourtopita for 45 minutes, insert a skewer/knife into the centre and make sure it comes out clean. Do not overbake the cake as it should be moist (due to the yogurt). 

Cool into the tine for 10-15 minutes before you cut it in slices and serve it.

Sprinkle icing sugar on top or make syrup (1 cup of water, 2 cups of sugar, a rind of lemon).