Day 2 - Feb 24, 2015 - Our Clean Monday Meal: The Koulouma - Τα Κούλουμα: Γεύμα Καθαράς Δευτέρας

A selection of items from our Koulouma family meal

48 more days until Pascha!  Who is really counting?  We had a lovely Koulouma last night.  It is a cherished tradition in our family to invite loved ones to share in the "Feast to start the Fast."  We look forward to having different people come together to share in something very special.

Why would we call the dinner of Clean Monday special?  Well, first of all, it is one time when we can celebrate going into a fasting period.  It is a chance to share our love for God, our love for food, and our love for each other.  We often show our love for each other through the food.  And, last night, we had some special selections for some special guests.

Along with the traditional Lagana, we served Fava (see Day 6: Fava Fever, March 23, 2013), Marinated Seafood, Toursi, Calamari, Shrimp, Boiled Potatoes, Horta (see Day 7 - Horta: Red Dandelions; Χόρτα - Κόκκινες Πικραλίδες / Ραδίκια - March 9, 2014),  and a variety of toursi.  Overall, we had pikilia (variety).  Some of these recipes will appear over the next few weeks, so keep checking back!  Others, we have made in the past.  Either way, the table was plentiful, colourful, and Lenten!

One surprise, and a nice addition to this year's Koulouma was fried calamari.  Typically, this is something you order in a restaurant, and you get the little ringlets perfectly coated and fried to a very light colour.  When calamari is fried at home … "Po Po!" ("My, My!") it is really something else.  When we walked into the family house, the smell hits you at the front door, and you may tell yourself, "Hmm, what's frying?"  But, when you see those small creatures, full body and tentacles together, the thought arises that says, "Mmmm, calamari!"

With 10 of us at the table this year, it gets difficult to have everyone stop talking at the same time to have a group prayer; what is the purpose of starting Lent without a prayer?  So, we say our prayer, giving thanks for the food, the family, health, and togetherness, and asking for strength and patience and good health.  Then, we all take a moment to discuss or announce what some of the dishes are.  We point out the taramasalata (see Day 25: Ready Made Taramosalata (Greek Fish Roe Salad) 2012), the lagana, the fava, and then, everyone clamours over the fried calamari (we recognize that many people will avoid any oil in any Clean Monday dish altogether; however, one of our family members prepared a simply prepared, but delicious, fried calamari (lightly coated in flour and salt and fried in a pan with canola oil).  If you need a way to get everyone's attention at once, have whole fried calamarakia on the table.  We will visit this recipe in the near future, be patient.

Our 2015 Koulouma dinner at the home of a family member

A variety of fruit and stragalia (roasted salted chick-peas)

Home-made marinated seafood salad 

Fava puree dip (split yellow peas)

Lagana from Kostas' Bakery (Scarborough, Ontario)

Various types of olives

Store-bought taramosalata (Greek fish-roe dip)

Home-made marinated shrimp

Home-made Greek giant white bean salad (gigantes)

Two varieties of Krinos brand Greek halva

Home-made calamari (squid) salad

Home-made pickled asparagus spears

Yukon gold potatoes boiled in salted water 

Variety of toursi (pickled vegetables, left to right): traditional Greek vegetable pickles, roasted charred red pepper, Iranian pickled garlic from a jar, home-made pickled green tomatoes

Melitzanosalata (store-purchased eggplant dip)

Spicy shredded eggplant (Italian style)

We hope you had a lovely Kathara Defthera.  If you went out to fly a kite, send us a picture!  Otherwise, Kali Sarakosti (Happy Great Lent).



The official character of Clean Monday is set by the first twenty verses of Isaiah read at the vespers:

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool (Is 1:16–8 RSV)”.