Carter’s Kitchen No. 14
Amy Crowther, Andros, Greece
Amy Crowther, Andros, Greece
My sister-in-law Amy is currently living my dream on Andros in Greece. She’s a talented artist and recently finished her studies to become a teacher. A few years ago, her partner bought an old house on the island with a friend and they visit and renovate it together. I hope to own my own humble home somewhere in Greece too one day, with a some citrus trees in the yard and a donkey close by.
Where is your kitchen, and what does it look out onto?
At the moment, we are cooking at the Andros house while we work on painting and patching it up. The original kitchen of the house is downstairs and is pretty much completely the same as the previous owner left it. We’re very lucky she had great taste and decorated her house so well. We’re cooking with gas by candle light as the electricity hasn’t been connected yet haha.
Although we are actually using her kitchen as a bathroom and moved the gas cooker and esky upstairs so we can cook on the balcony (depending on the wind) and look over the ocean and terraced mountains.
What’s the first thing you do when you walk into it?
Depending on the time of day I’ll grab a piece of fruit, make a coffee or crack a Mythos
What’s usually left out on the bench or always within reach?
Salt/pepper/olive oil/ doilies/ a lighter for the cooker and candles.
What’s your earliest food memory?
It would probably be sitting up at the kitchen bench watching my mum cook with the news playing on the box telly we kept in the pantry. Eating meat and three veg and getting in trouble for leaving my cutlery skewiff on the plate.
What do you make when you don’t feel like cooking at all?
At home I’ll make jam and cheese or peanut butter and banana on English muffins. Or for dinner I’ll have an egg instead. I love English muffins and crumpets.
What’s something you cook on repeat?
At the Andros house we’ve been doing lots of pastas with cherry tomatoes, Louza, summer basil, wild thyme, anchovy’s or whatever we have in the esky.
Who or what taught you how to cook?
My mum is a great cook, so was my poppy, my brother Jack, and my sister-in-law is actually a really good cook too ;)! Although I think I take after my dad’s cooking a fair bit more.
Describe a meal that felt really good recently.
My friend Elisabeth cooked for Nathan and I last night (she is an amazing cook) and we sat on the balcony and watched the clouds change and then a crazy red full moon appeared. We had to move the cooker into the living room because the wind changed while we were cooking.
It always feels so nice to eat with friends. Although I could eat out at tavernas after a long swim every day, little salty fish and icy white wine taste so good when youre slightly sunburnt.
Who do you most like cooking for (or eating with)?
Friends and Family - probably you guys. I love how the kids save me a seat at the table hahaha.
What’s a small food ritual or habit you have?
When I’m at home in Sydney I love going to the Kings Cross markets on a Saturday and stocking up for the weekend with fruit, veg and flowers, setting it all up neatly then cooking a roast for myself on a Sunday that will last almost the week.
In town the closest thing would be hailing down the fruit vendors who drive past in their vans selling fruit. The little apricots are my favourite. We also found a mulberry tree
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What is something you love making?
At home I love a low maintnance meal like a stew, bolognaise or a roast - something I can put on a few hours before and almost forget about while I potter around the house or meet some friends across the road for a beer. I usually do a beef or chicken and veggie stew. I love how it makes everything feel so put together and cozy.
Where do you eat your meals most of the time?
In Greece we eat out on the balcony or at the tavernas closest to the beach.
What do you like listening to in your kitchen?
I really rinsed poor Dorothy Ashby but usually her or Tex Crick, we’ve been listening to Molly Lewis a bit her stuff soundtracks a good view perfectly. We have a little radio too and it’s nice to tune into the Greek stations, seems to pair perfectly with the donkey brays from our neighbours yard a few houses down.
What’s something slightly imperfect in your kitchen that you still use?
We found this funny storage rack from next to a big bin behind a high school in Chora - complete with graph from the school boys. We put some timber on and it’s the perfect height for her old gas cooker. She originally had it downstairs on a tiny table on the floor
.What’s always in your fridge?
Keffir!!!!! Mythos and when we realised the health food shop in town sells pet nat we make sure to keep that in the esky too.
A meal or food moment that stays with you:
There is a restaurant in Andros town called Ta Skalakia which is for sure my favourite. The lady who runs it is such a great hostess and the interiors are so beautiful too. She serves lots of local produce but the lemony mushrooms with rice is my favourite. Her place feels like how I imagine our place would have felt when the previous owner was hosting parties.
Follow Amy and her artwork here.
Amy likes to make stews to make it feel cosy and I love them too, in summer or in winter. I have been making a Greek beef stew called Stifado which has onions and aromatic spices that make the stew sweet and not too rich. Here’s how I make it:
