It's all Greek to me!

The Peking to Paris rally officially left Istanbul this morning, destined for Thessaloniki, Greece! By Saturday, the rally will have officially concluded in Paris, awards will have been distributed and the first participants will begin packing up and heading home. With only 2,630km/1,634 miles separating the rally participants from the Parisian finish line, the last week is being met with mixed feelings: while everyone is excited to arrive in Paris and head home, there is also a feeling of disappointment that the adventure is already coming to a close. Here are some of the most recent and unbelievable photographs from Glutenfreeda's (#60) journey from Peking to Istanbul:


More of the Central Asian highlands


Anastasia and the mother of a goat herder in their home


At the Uzbek border with the lovely gentleman who helped repair our car!


From our brief detour to Moscow en route to Istanbul last week...


Greek-style Sausages

More like oblong meatballs than sausages, these have been a long-time favorite. One reader reported that his Greek fiance made this recipe for her family and it passed the test of tradition!

Ingredients

12 oz. (3/4 lb) ground pork
4 oz. (1/4 lb) ground beef
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried savory
Rind of 1 small orange, grated
1 teaspoon salt
8 black peppercorns, crushed
1/3 cup dry red wine
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Allow meat to marinade in the refrigerator at least 4 hours (ideally, overnight) to allow all of the flavors to blend and meld.

Preheat a broiler. Form the meat mixture into about 24 cylinder sausage shapes, about 2-1/2" long and place on broiler pan. Broil for a total of 15 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.

Alternately, cook the sausages in batches using a heavy skillet (we like our cast-iron cookware) over medium-high heat, turning frequently until browned on all sides and cooked through.

Serve with Tzatziki or a Greek Salad