Showing posts with label Greek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greek. Show all posts

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole raw octopus
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 4 whole lemons, squeezed
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • Pepper and salt to taste
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp ouzo

Preparation:

1. Tenderise the octopus with a meat hammer or by bashing it against the concrete (as they do in Greece) to soften it up. This may take 15 minutes or more, depending on how strong you are. My Yia yia (Grandmother) had strong forearms, so she was quick.
2. Cut and clean the octopus into pieces about twice the size of a serving because the meat will shrink when cooked.
3. Combine the vinegar, ouzo, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, garlic, some oregano, salt and pepper.
4. Place marinade in large resealable plastic bag and add octopus.
5. Marinate overnight for best results but 3 hours in the fridge will do.
6. To cook, warm the barbecue to a low to medium heat and lay the meat on the grill. Baste with a mixture of the remaining olive oil, juice from the lemons and the oregano, being careful not to cause a flame to erupt in the barbecue.
7. When the octopus is done (about 15 minutes), plate it and serve.

Greek marinated Octopus

Added on 8:02 PM

Ingredients:
½ kg potatoes
½ kg courgettes
½ eggplants
2 green peppers
1 medium onion sliced
2 large ripe tomatoes pureed
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
100 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
500 ml water


Preparation:

Cut all the vegetables into round slices approx. ½ cm thick.

Place all the ingredients in a large shallow oven dish, making sure they are well mixed and evenly spread.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour or until no water remains, only the oil.

Greek Briam

Added on 10:58 PM

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs
1 medium orange
5 medium potatoes, cubed

For the marinade:

1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of paprika
2 tbspn of lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tspn of orange juice
1 tbspn of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a ziploc bag, place chicken thighs and all ingredients of the marinade and mush it around until chicken is coated with the marinade. Set aside for an hour.
2. Place cubed potatoes in a baking pan and drizzle some olive oil to coat while sprinkling salt and pepper. Toss lightly.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on top of cubed potatoes and drizzle remaining marinade over over chicken and potatoes.
4. Slice two rounds of the orange and cut each in half. Place on top of the chicken.
4. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender. Serve warm.

Lemon and Orange Garlic Chicken

Added on 5:39 PM

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound of eggplant, trimmed, cut in chunks (do not peel)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
  • 3-4 rounded tablespoons of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
  • 1 large carrot, cut in 1/2 to 3/4 inch rounds
  • 10 ounces of zucchini or Italian squash, cut in wide slices
  • 2 bull's horn peppers, seeded, cut in chunks (or 1 green bell pepper)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, cut in chunks
  • 1/2 pound of fresh green beans, trimmed
  • 1 1/2 cups of chopped roma or cherry tomatoes (or canned chopped tomatoes*)
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of dried crushed oregano leaves (optional)
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • about 2 cups of water

Preparation:

* If using canned chopped tomatoes, drain liquid before measuring.
Place the eggplant chunks in a bowl with plenty of cold salted water to cover. Put a plate on top to keep the eggplant submerged, and allow to soak for 30 to 45 minutes (this helps remove any bitterness). Drain well.
Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C).
Combine all vegetables in a large bowl or pan. Add parsley, salt, pepper, and oregano (if using). Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to make sure all ingredients are coated with oil.
Transfer to a covered casserole, add water, and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes at 355°F (180°C).
Do not stir or uncover while cooking, except to check for dryness (see note below).

Oven-Stewed Mixed Vegetables

Added on 7:55 PM

Ingredients:


  • One barley rusk
  • 1 fresh tomato, peeled and crushed
  • oregano for seasoning
  • Small piece of soft mitzithra cheese or feta cheese
  • olive oil


Preparation:


Soak the rusk in water. Some people avoid this step and let the rusk soak with the tomato juice, which is poured over it. Pour the crushed tomato with its juice over the rusk. If the juice is too much add as much as you like and waste the rest of the tomato. Pour some olive oil and as a topping add some grated mitzithra cheese or crumbled feta cheese. Season with oregano and serve.

Cretan rusk with tomato, oregano and cheese

Added on 7:25 PM

Ingredients:

6 large cuttlefish cleaned well and cut into pieces
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 cups spinach, cut by hand into thick pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preparation:

Place a pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add the cuttlefish and fry for 5-6 minutes. Add the wine and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for 3 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
Add tomato, tomato paste, salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Add the spinach and cover the pot. Simmer it on low heat until the sauce thickens up (about 20-25 minutes).
Serve with boiled rice.

Cuttlefish with Spinach in Red Sauce

Added on 12:42 PM

Ingredients:

For the filling

8 medium-sized artichokes
6 spring onions
250g roughly grated regatto cheese
100g ricotta cheese or anthotiro
1 free range egg
1 tablespoon butter
100ml olive oil
100ml milk
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
A few leaves of mint
Salt and pepper

For the filo pastry
300g wheat flour
100g all-purpose flour
120ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml ouzo
Salt

50g all-purpose flour kept separate in a bowl to be used when you roll out the dough.

Preparation:

Filling

Peel the artichokes, discarding the outer leaves, until the soft inner leaves remain along with the heart.
Finely slice the artichokes.
Lightly fry the chopped onions and sliced artichokes in a spoonful of butter for a few seconds.
Add 3 tablespoons of water and simmer for 5 minutes.
Put in a bowl and add the grated regatto cheese with the ricotta or anthotiro along with salt, pepper and chopped mint.
Gently mix.

Filo Pastry

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with enough water to make a pliable dough.
Knead well and make a pliable dough.
Divide the dough into 6 balls.
Cover with clingfilm and set aside to rest for 1 hour.
Roll out each ball to the size of a medium oven dish, making it as thin as possible.


Place 3 layers of the filo pastry in an oven dish brushed with olive oil and brush in between each layer with olive oil.

Add the filling.

Place the other 3 layers of filo pastry on top, again brushing olive oil in between each layer and on top of the final layer.

Lightly score the final layer in squares.

Beat the egg and milk well and spread over the top of the pie.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes until the pie is a lovely golden colour and well-baked underneath.

Greek Artichoke Pie

Added on 3:26 PM

Ingredients:

One 6 pound chicken (organic chicken preferred)
1/4 cup melted butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons oregano*
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
5 medium potatoes, cut into wedges
1 cup organic chicken broth or stock

Preparation:

Remove giblets from cavity and save for another use.
Rinse chicken thoroughly and pat dry.
Place chicken on a rack in a 9 x 13 pan.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon oregano.
Place potatoes in the pan.
Pour the melted butter and lemon juice over the chicken.
Sprinkle potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and remaining teaspoon of oregano.
Pour chicken broth in to the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until browned and the juices run clear.

Greek Roasted Chicken With Potatoes

Added on 10:53 PM

Ingredients:

1 kg fresh green beans
3 medium potatoes sliced
1 large onion grated
½ kg ripe fresh tomatoes pureed
1 clove garlic chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
100 ml olive oil
100 ml water
Salt and pepper


Preparation :

Cur off the two ends on the beans and remove the thread(s) along the side(s) if there are any.

Gently fry the grated onion in the olive oil in a pan for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped garlic and fry for another minute.

Add the green beans and potatoes and stir for another minute.

Add the tomato puree, water and seasoning, cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour.

If the liquid hasn’t been absorbed by this time, uncover the pan and bring to the boil for a short time.

Add the parsley and boil for 2 – 3 minutes.

Greek Fresh Green Beans

Added on 10:47 PM

Ingredients:

100g walnuts very roughly chopped
400g grated walnuts
400g all purpose flour
400g sugar
125g butter
8 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons cognac
1 tablespoon crumbled rusks
For the Syrup:
 
320g sugar
400ml water
Preparation:
 
Beat the butter, sugar, cinnamon the yolks of the eggs in a mixer for 10 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Clean the mixer bowl and beat the whites of the eggs in the mixer until it becomes a meringue.
Add half of the meringue to the yolk mixture.
Mix the baking powder with the 400g grated walnuts, gradually adding the flour.
Add this mixture to the egg yolk mixture along with the remaining meringue, stirring gently.
Transfer the whole mixture to a 30cm oven dish, 6cm deep, which has been well buttered, and the crumbled rusks sprinkled over the bottom.
Spread the 100g roughly chopped walnuts on top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the sugar and water in a pan and boil for 15 minutes.
Remove the cake and cut into pieces with a bread knife and spread the syrup over the top, followed by the cognac.

Greek Walnut Cake

Added on 10:40 PM

Ingredients:

1 kg potatoes suitable for frying
4 large courgettes
8 medium eggplants
½ litre frying oil

For the Sauce

1kg button mushrooms
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 onions finely sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 bay leaves
½ cup olive oil

For the Béchamel

1 litre fresh milk
250g butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
200g grated parmesan cheese (2/3 for the béchamel and 1/3 to sprinkle on top of the béchamel)


Preparation :

Slice the potatoes, courgettes and eggplants lengthwise into ½cm slices.

Deep fry them – first the potatoes, then add the eggplants and finally add the courgettes.

Remove them and place them on absorbent kitchen paper to drain off as much oil as possible.



The Sauce

Gently fry the onions in a large pan.

Add the crushed garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms and continue stirring.

Add the tomatoes and bay leaves.

Add the parsley.

Continue heating until all the juice has been absorbed and you have a thick sauce.

Béchamel

In a heavy-bottomed pan gently heat the butter until it melts.

Add the flour and stir continuously.

Add half of the milk and continue to stir with a whisk.

When the mixture starts to thicken, add the rest of the milk whilst stirring continuously.

When it starts to thicken again, lower the temperature to the minimum and add the grated cheese and then turn off.

In a deep oven dish place a layer with half of the potatoes at the bottom.

Add a layer with the courgettes on top and then a layer with the eggplants.

Spread the sauce on top.

Add a final layer with the remaining potatoes on top of the sauce.

Add the béchamel on top and sprinkle the remaining cheese over it.

Bake in a pre-heated moderate oven for approx. 40 minutes or until it has turned a golden colour on top.

Vegetarian Moussaka

Added on 10:38 PM

Ingredients:
  • 60 gram canned lentils drained
  • 75 grams vegetarian mince (I use Sanitarium but TVP could be used instead)
  • 200 grams passata
  • 1 tsp garlic
  • 60 grams onion, diced
  • 1 tsp oregano flakes
  • 1/2 tsp parsley
  • pinch white pepper
  • 1 vegetarian beef style stock cube (I use Massel)
  • 1/2 small carrot grated
  • 1 tbs dry sherry
  • 1/2 tsp fennel powder
  • 2 tbs water
  • 70 grams corn & rice pasta (or your prefence for pasta)
  • (optional) fetta for garnish
Preparation:
  1. Cook the pasta seperately and cool with cold water.
  2. Place the onions and garlic in a pan and pour in the passata.
  3. Crumble the stock through the passata, stirring to mix into the liquid.
  4. Place in the spices and the mince, cooking for about 5 minutes.
  5. Pour in the lentils, sherry and the carrot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
  6. Add a little water before mixing the pasta through.
  7. Serve with the optional crumbled fetta on top.

Greek-style Lentil & Vegetarian Mince Penne

Added on 10:33 PM

Ingredients:

Some zucchinis
Salt
Oil
Flour
Preparation:

Wash the zucchinis and cut them into thin slices. Salt them and dip them in the flour. Fry them in hot oil. Let them drain afterwards (use a absorbing piece of paper for the purpose).

Fried zucchini

Added on 9:20 PM

Ingredients:

1 lb leeks
2 carrots
1 bunch celery
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
**Egg and lemon sauce

Preparation:

Peel and wash the vegetables. Cut the leeks and carrots into small pieces and chop the celery fine. Heat the oil in a pot, saute the vegetables lightly, cover them with water and add the salt and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Prepare the egg and lemon sauce and serve the soup hot.

**Egg and Lemon Sauce Preparation:

1-2 cups soup broth
2 eggs
Juices of 1 lemon
A little flour
Mix the flour with the lemon juice. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the flour and lemon juice. Add the broth, beating continually. Pour the egg and lemon sauce into the pot of soup or food and stir.
Note – Remove the pot from the heat before adding the egg and lemon sauce. If a thinner sauce is desired, you may omit the flour.

Greek Leek Soup

Added on 8:59 PM

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 kg salt cod
* 500 gr spinach, finely chopped
* 1 large lettuce, finely chopped
* 1 bunch dill, finely chopped
* 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
* 2 spoons oregano
* 2 onions
* 1 cup olive oil
* 2 spoons tomato paste

Preparation:

Soak the cod in water overnight to remove salt. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and roast the onions. Add dill, parsley, spinach and lettuce and roast them for a while. Dredge oregano over them and add the cod. Dissolve the tomato paste into a glass of water and pour it over the cod. Let the cod simmer for 30 minutes. Do not stir during these period.

Cod with aromatic herbs

Added on 8:55 PM

Ingredients:

1 kg round eggplants
1 medium tomato with skin & seeds removed and grated
1 large onion grated
2 cloves garlic grated
2 tbsp hard cheese grated
4 tbsp flour
3 tbsp rusks crumbled
2 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
300 ml cooking oil

Preparation:

Wash the eggplants and pierce each one lightly 2-3 times with a knife (so they don’t explode!).

Bake them in a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius on a grill with an oven pan below (to catch any dripping juices). Bake for approx. 45 min. or until the skin cracks if you tap it. The skin should be burnt.

Cut the eggplants in half, remove the flesh and put it in a colander to drain.

Sprinkle salt on top of them and add the lemon juice, so that the flesh doesn’t blacken.

Leave to drain for 1 hour.

Put the olive oil in a frying pan gently fry the grated onion for approx. 3 min. and then add the garlic and continue frying for another 2 min.

Put the eggplant flesh in a bowl and add the tomato, onion & garlic mixture, grated cheese, rusks, parsley and flour.

Mix well – it should be a thick mixture. If it isn’t thick, add some more flour.

Heat the cooking oil well in a frying pan.

Wet the palms of your hands and start to form balls from the mixture (see size in phot).

Place them in the hot oil and fry, turning them over, until they are a golden brown colour.

Remove and place on absorbent kitchen paper.

Greek Eggplant Fritters

Added on 8:23 PM

Ingredients:


For the pastry:

250g Greek strained yoghurt
1 egg
250g butter at room temperature
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk for the finish
Enough soft flour to make a pliable but non-sticky dough.

For the filling :

½ kg beef mincemeat
750 g onions
3 eggs
250g kefalograviera cheese grated – otherwise another hard cheese such as regato
3 tbsp béchamel sauce
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp crumbled rusks
2 tbsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation :

Filling :

Slice the onions and place them in a colander.
Pour salted boiled water over them, rinse and drain well.
Melt the 2 tbsp butter in a pan, add the onions and gently fry for 2 minutes.
Add the mincemeat, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir well.
Add 100 ml of water and let it boil until just the mixture is left.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and let it cool.
Add the 3 eggs, cheese, rusks and béchamel sauce and set aside while you prepare the pastry.

Pastry :

Combine all the pastry ingredients in a mixing bowl, except for the egg yolk/milk mixture which is for the finishing.
Knead it well into a pliable but non-sticky dough.
Separate the dough into 2 balls, with the one being slightly larger than the other.
Take the larger ball and roll it out on a floured working surface – enough to more than cover your oven dish.
Place it in a buttered oven dish, covering the bottom, sides and going slightly over the edge at the top.

o
Now place the filling mixture on top of the pastry in the oven dish and level it.
Roll out the second (smaller) dough ball and cover the filling.
Butter the edge of the first pastry and fold it over inwards to cover the edge of the second pastry and make a nice border, pressing around the edge with your fingertips.
Brush the surface with the egg yolk/milk mixture.
Make a hole in the centre to allow the steam to escape and prick the rest of the pastry with a fork.
You can make some leaves with the dough and place them around the central hole for decoration.
Place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for approx. 45 minutes until it has turned a nice golden brown.

Greek Meat Pie

Added on 8:20 PM

Ingredients:

8 marrows
250g beef or lamb mincemeat
200g rice
1 large onion grated
4 tbsp grated marrow (from the 8 marrows above)
2 tbsp dill
100 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the egg-lemon Sauce :
1 egg
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
30 ml lemon juice


Preparation :

Cut the marrows in half and keep the thick ends to use. You can keep the narrow halves to use for something else.
Scoop out the insides of the marrow halves and grate enough for 4 tablespoons.
Place the marrows in a pan (open end up) and set aside until the filling is ready.

Filling
Put the oil in another pan and gently fry the grated onion for 3 minutes.
Add the mincemeat and stir well for 5 minutes.
Add the rice and stir well for 3 minutes.
Add the grated marrow, dill, salt and pepper along with 1 cup water and stir well.
Simmer for 15 minutes.

Fill the marrows with the filling mixture and add enough water to the pan to come up to halfway up the marrows.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat but leave the pan on to keep it warm while you are making the Egg-lemon sauce.

Egg-lemon Sauce
Remove very carefully any remaining liquid from the pan with the marrows, put in a bowl and add the lemon juice.
In a separate bowl beat the egg white well and then add the yolk and continue beating.
Very gradually add the lemon juice and water mixture to the beaten egg, stirring very well as you do so.
Put the butter in a pan to heat, add the flour and stir well for 2 minutes.
Turn down the heat and add the egg and lemon juice mixture.
Stir well for 2 minutes to make a runny sauce. If the sauce isn’t runny, you can add some warm water.

Pour the egg-lemon sauce over the stuffed marrows in the pan.

Stuffed Marrows with egg lemon sause

Added on 8:15 PM

Ingredients:

  • 6 large ripe tomatoes
  • 4 bell peppers
  • 4 zucchinis
  • potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 150g long grain rice
  • 15g of dill finely shredded,
  • salt and pepper
  • a pinch of sugar
  • parsley and basil (optional)
 Preparation:

Cut a 2cm thick slice off the top of each tomato. Do the same with peppers and zucchinis. Scoop out their pulp with a teaspoon into a bowl and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a medium pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a medium heat, until soft but not browned.
Add the tomato pulp to the pan, increase the heat slightly, and simmer vigorously for almost 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the mixture is thickened. Make sure that there is some juice in the pan still.
Stir in the rice and the dill, cover and leave to cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, until the rice is only half-cooked. Add salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar (it always blends well with frest tomatoes).
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan.
Put the hollowed out tomatoes, peppers and zucchinis into a slightly oiled baking dish and fill with the rice mixture. Replace the tops.
Cut potatoes and arrange them between the stuffed veggies.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the tomatoes and veggies are tender and the rice is cooked through.
Garnish with basil or parsley leaves and serve with feta cheese and bread.

Greek Stuffed Vegetables

Added on 8:01 PM

       Ingredients: 

  • 500grams / 1 lb of ground beef
  • 250grams / 1/2 lb butter or margarine
  • 125grams / 1/4 lb rice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 onion, finely chopped, parsley, salt, pepper
    •  
    For the sauce:
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 lemons
Preparation:

Mix all the ingedients together, and mould into round 1 inch / 2.5cm balls. Put some water in a pot, place the butter and balls in it carefully. Let them cook for about 20 minutes and then let cool. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer and slowly, while beating, add the lemon juice ensuring that the sauce doesn't curdle. With a ladle, take some of the juice from the meatball pot, add to the sauce, all the time mixing. Keep doing this until all the juice has been mixed in the sauce. Empty all the sauce on top of the meatballs and serve with some sprinkled parsley.

Meatballs with egg and lemon sauce

Added on 5:24 PM

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)