I have 2 distinct food memories from my first trip to Cyprus.  The first was of Crêpe Suzette – not a Cypriot dish obviously, but it seemed to be the chosen dessert in the restaurants of Ayia Napa in 1990!  I’ve loved it ever since.  The second was a little more authentic, a simple barbecued chicken in a restaurant with no menu, in the heart of the Troodos mountains – it had such an amazing flavour.

I found a number of recipes, namely Tavas (lamb stew), Kaloirka (tortellini) and Loukoumades (doughnuts). I came across a fair few Turkish and Greek originated dishes but I wanted to select something authentically Cypriot, so I decided on Afelia (pork with red wine and spices).  I served it with red peppers stuffed with cherry tomatoes & fried potatoes.  I used pork fillet, but I’d like to try pork shoulder next time.

My rating 8/10

This is the really easy recipe I followed:

Ingredients

500g pork

200ml red wine

1 tbs coriander, crushed

2 tbsps olive oil

salt, pepper

roughly chopped parsley to garnish

Method

Cut the meat into small pieces and marinate in the red wine and coriander overnight.

Drain and reserve the marinade.

Heat the oil and fry the meat in batches on a medium heat until slightly brown.

Add salt, pepper and the remaining marinade

Add some water, enough to reach the top of the meat.

Cover the pan and simmer until the meat is tender (approx 30-40 mins)

Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley