Mackerel in the oven

Wine, as a blessed commodity, plays a predominant role in the life of the Athonite monasteries. The founder of the monastic state of Mount Athos, Saint Athanasius the Athonite, decreed that each monastery should have its own vineyards. Thus, since the 10th century, the founders of the monasteries, recognizing the value of wine, have numerous vineyards in their monastic properties. On Mount Athos, there were no large areas for grain, due to the geographical difficulty and the wildness of the place. However, the microclimate of Mount Athos as well as its special vineyards, are key factors for a distinct wine production, unique throughout the Balkan Peninsula and the Northern Aegean. Even today, a number of monks from each monastery are in charge of the cultivation of vineyards and the production of wine.

Prepare the sauce. Peel the onions and chop them in the blender. Boil the onions, with the tomato, the parsley and later add the spices. Boil it until it gets thick. Sauté the mushrooms in a cup of oil and a glass of white wine until they dry. Mix the sauce with the mushrooms. Boil them together for 5 – 10 minutes and sprinkle with some salt. To make the béchamel sauce, boil the water or the soya milk with the oil and salt and then add the flour, which has been well dissolved in a little cold water. Spread half of the spaghetti over a medium baking pan, on which you have sprinkled some oil. Then, pour the sauce. Spread the other half amount of the spaghetti over the sauce and lastly pour the béchamel on top, so that the entire surface will be well covered. Bake at 180 degrees in preheated oven, until it is brown.

In a pot, we put the oil and the semolina and mix them continuously in a medium temperature  until the mixture is curdy enough. As soon as this cream is cold, we beat the eggs and add them to the cream. Then we add the  grated cheese and the pepper. We fry the peppers for a while and then remove their seeds and cut them in small pieces. We sauté the butter and the sliced tomatoes.