Authentic Greek Recipes

Greek Stuffed Squid (Kalamarakia Gemista)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:21:00 +0000

I think that Greek kalamari (squid) is well-known all over the world. So, for the seafood lovers amongst you, this is a recipe for stuffed kalamari with sauce.

Ingredients

1½ kg squid (kalamari)
1 bunch spring onions
120g risotto rice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
60 ml olive oil
50 ml white wine
Salt & pepper

For the sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in 2 tablespoons water
1 onion grated
2 cloves garlic chopped
400 ml chopped tomatoes
60 ml olive oil
50 ml white wine
Juice from half a lemon
Pinch of sugar
Salt & pepper

Preparation

Sauce
In a pan, fry the onion in the olive oil for 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and fry for another 1 minute.
Add the wine, allowing it to evaporate and then add the lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and sugar.
Simmer for 20 minutes.

Squid
Remove the head with the tentacles from the body and with a sharp knife remove the ink, eye and mouth and discard them.
Empty the body completely and discard the contents.
Rub the tentacles and empty tubes with salt in order to remove the outer membrane completely.
Rinse very well in water.
Chop the tentacles and the spring onions.
In a pan, gently fry the onions in the olive oil for 2 minutes.
Add the tentacles and fry them until all the juices have evaporated.
Add the rice, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated.
Add 100 ml of the previously prepared sauce (see above) to this mixture.
Let it slow cook for 5 minutes.

Stuff the kalamari with this mixture and secure the tube with a toothpick.
Put the stuffed kalamari in an oven dish and spread the sauce over them.
Cover the oven dish with a lid or tin foil.
Bake in a pre heated moderate oven at 160 degrees Celsius for approx. 1 hour.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithia)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:56:00 +0000

This is a lovely warm, nutritious dish - just the thing on cold winter days! Although it's not a 'last-minute' dish - you have to soak the chickpeas overnight - it's a very simple and cheap recipe. Very popular, especially in the villages.

Ingredients

½ kg chickpeas
1 onion grated
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon baking soda
100 ml olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas overnight.

Drain them the following morning, add the baking soda and leave for 1 hour.

Put your hands in the bowl of chickpeas and rub them well.

Rinse the chickpeas very well 4 or 5 times.

Put them in a pan and add enough water to cover them.

Bring to the boil, removing the froth at the top with a wooden spoon just before they come to the boil.

Boil for 15 minutes.

Drain the chickpeas and then put them back in the pan and add enough warm water to cover them again.

Bring to the boil, add the onion and rosemary and simmer for about 1½ hours or until they are really tender – don’t let them get dry and add water if necessary.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice and add to the chickpeas.

Simmer for about another 5 minutes and then serve.

Eat and Enjoy!

5 Greek Recipes With Eggplants

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Eggplants are both common and popular in Greek cooking. I know that they are a favourite vegetable with a lot of people, so I've put together some Greek dishes with eggplants in them. As well as three main dishes, I've also included a delicious dip and and a side dish.

Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata)

This is a side dish which can be served with any meat, fish or vegetable dish. Traditionally it is made with Greek strained yoghurt but can also be made with mayonnaise instead. A delicious, rich accompaniment to any meal!

Eggplant Rolls (Boorekakia)

These are delicious little rolls that you can have as a side dish or as part of a buffet. Ideally, the Greek cheese anthotiro is used (see post on Anthotiro Cheese), but if this is unavailable, riccota can be used.

Eggplant Papoutsakia

A light but delicious main dish that can be accompanied by Greek salad. The name 'papoutsakia' means 'little shoes' in Greek and refers to the shape of the eggplants when they are served.

Vegetarian Moussaka

A firm favourite! This is probably starting to become more popular than the 'classic' moussaka which is made with meat.

Briam

Very popular in Greece, but perhaps not quite so well known outside the country. A delicious and healthy meal, ideally accompanied by a large slice of Feta cheese.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Anthotiro Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Continuing the series of posts about Greek cheeses (see Greek Feta), Anthotiro is a traditional farmhouse, whey cheese made from unpasteurised sheep's and goat's milk and often eaten for breakfast with honey or fruit. It looks similar to feta in the photo, but is much softer. It is basically a salted and matured Mizithra - which I will write about in a later post.

Dry and white with no rind, it is smooth, hard and moist, with a fine, crumbly texture. As well as being eaten with honey and fruit, it can also be eaten in savoury dishes with oil, tomato and wild herbs. It is also traditionally used in a lot of pies. Anthotiro has been made for centuries and its name (anthos = "flower, tiri = cheese") comes from the aroma and flavour, carrying the hint of wild herbs.

Some recipes using Anthotiro:

Greek Cheese Pie
Artichoke Pie
Tirokafteri

Greek Roast Lamb With Potatoes And Feta Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:24:00 +0000

Roast lamb with potatoes is rather a common dish, but this is a way that it is prepared often in the villages here. The difference being the inclusion of feta cheese and also the fact that the whole potatoes are crushed (but not split) before they are put in the oven. Try it!

Ingredients

1 leg baby lamb cut in portions
1 kg potatoes (preferably small to medium size)
100g feta cheese
6 cloves garlic chopped
½ teaspoon oregano
100ml olive oil
500ml water
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Rinse the lamb portions and peel the potatoes.

On a hard surface place a cloth over the potatoes and beat them with a flat stone or similar implement to crush them, but not completely.

Place the lamb in the centre of an oven dish with the potatoes around it.

Spread the crushed garlic, oregano, salt and pepper evenly over them.

Add the olive oil.

Add the 500ml water and stir slightly.

Cover just the lamb loosely with aluminium foil.

Place in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, turn the lamb and potatoes over and remove the foil.

Crumble the feta cheese and spread evenly over the potatoes.

Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes until it colours nicely.

Eat and Enjoy!

Follow These Foodies On Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:26:00 +0000

I've just made up a list of Foodies that I follow on Twitter at TweepML. The first of these is called Tweaters (a bit corny, I know!). You can see them by clicking on this button and follow as many of them as you want, or even all of them - there about 150.

The other list is called International Food, which is a lot smaller but is still in progress - you can click here.

I'll be regularly tweeting these links on Twitter, which is much better than posting a series of individual links. If you want to be included in the list(s) you can do so - please feel free.

Lamb Ribs On Vine Stalks

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:46:00 +0000

This is a traditional way of preparing lamb ribs using the stalks from vines as a kind of grill. The ribs take the aroma and flavour from the vine stalks. Also, instead of using normal brushes to apply the juice, bunches of dried oregano are used, which again adds another subtle flavour to the ribs. They can be eaten with pilau rice or salad.

Ingredients

2 kg lamb ribs
Bunch of vine stalks
Juice from 1 lemon
150 ml olive oil
2 bunches of dried oregano to be used as brushes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Cut the vine stalks into lengths that can fit across a shallow oven dish, balancing on the edges.

Wash them well.

Add salt and pepper to the ribs and 50 ml of olive oil.

Beat the remaining 100 ml of oil well with the lemon juice.

Place the vine stalks across the oven dish.

Place the ribs on top of them.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush them with the oil / lemon mixture using the oregano ‘brushes’.

Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes in order to get a nice colour.

Remove, brush again, turn over, brush on the other side and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Remove, brush and put back in the oven for 15 minutes to get a nice colour.

Remove from the oven and place the ribs on a platter, brushing with any remaining oil / lemon mixture.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Octopus With Eggplants (Htapodi me Melitzanes)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Octopus is a polular seafood dish in Greece, though it is an acquired taste. I previously posted the recipe for Octopus With Pasta and this is another popular recipe, where the octopus is prepared with eggplants and potatoes.

Ingredients

1 ½ kilos octopus
4 eggplants
4 medium potatoes cut into cubes
1 large onion grated
3 cloves chopped garlic
4 fresh, ripe tomatoes with skin removed and grated
100 ml olive oil
100 ml red wine
400 ml water
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Remove the stems from the eggplants and peel in stripes – peel one length of skin, leave one length, peel another length etc.

Cut the eggplants into cubes approx. 2-3 cm

Put in a bowl of water with 1 tablespoon salt.

Cover with a plate to keep the cubes under water.

Clean the ink from the octopus and remove the eye.

Cut the tentacles into 5cm lengths.

In a heavy bottom pan heat the oil and then add the octopus.

Fry until all the liquid from the octopus has gone, but the oil remains.

Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes.

Ad the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the red wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and bay leaves and simmer for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, add 400 ml water, drain the eggplants well and add them along with the potatoes, salt and pepper to the mixture.

Cook for approx. 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Eat and Enjoy!

V - Z Are For ....

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Completing the series of posts with Greek food and drink glossary - I hope it's been useful. Again, the bold italics show where the accent goes.

veal - moscharee

vegetable - lahaniko

venison - kreas elafioo

vinegar - xeedee

walnut - kareedee

water - nerro

wheat - starri

whiting - merloongios

wine - krassee

yeast - maya

yoghurt - yaoortee

zucchini - kolokeethaki

Greek Meatballs In Avgolemono Sauce (Keftedes me Avgolemono)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:50:00 +0000

This is another way of preparing meatballs and is especially popular in the Agrinion area (NW Greece). We have already seen the recipe for Avgolemono soup (Avgo means egg and Lemoni is lemon) and in this recipe, we are using it as a sauce for the meatballs or keftedes.

Ingredients

For the meatballs
1kg minced beef
1 large onion very finely chopped
Bunch of chopped parsley
A few leaves chopped mint
2 slices dry, white bread soaked in milk and well drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole egg
1 cup plain flour
1 ½ cup vegetable oil for frying
Salt & pepper to taste

For the sauce
2 tablespoons flour
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 2 medium lemons
Yolk from 1 large egg
1 litre water

Preparation

Meatballs
Apart from the flour and the vegetable oil, mix all the other ingredients together well.

Make medium-size balls from the mixture.

Roll the balls in flour and then deep fry them for 15 minutes.

Sauce
In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil, then add the flour and stir well for 3 minutes.

Add 1 litre water and mix well.

Add the meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thick.

Beat the egg yolk thoroughly.

Add the lemon juice to the egg and keep beating.

Add 5-6 tablespoons of the sauce to the egg & lemon mixture and stir well.

Add this mixture to the meatballs in the sauce, shake the pan and remove from the heat.

Serve with a sprinkling of pepper and fresh mint on top.

Eat and Enjoy!

Other Meatball recipes:

Youvaralakia

Keftedakia

Greek Cookery Classes Corfu 2010

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:33:00 +0000

I know this summer is hardly over, but we have started some initial planning for next year, when we would like to have Greek Cookery Classes in Corfu. This would be for small, friendly groups combining a holiday on this lovely island with hands-on lessons in authentic, local Greek cooking.

You may have noticed the simple poll at the top left of the blog. I would like to ask you to take a few seconds to answer it, so that we can get an initial indication of the interest - or lack of it - from readers of this blog. We will of course be coming back later with more details.

For those of you who are reading this as a subscriber, I would like to ask if you could visit the blog and just quickly answer the poll.

And please do feel free to add your comments on this post.

Many thanks and, who knows, perhaps I'll be seeing some of you next year!

10 Favourite Greek Vegetarian Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:12:00 +0000

I previously posted a list of 10 Favourite Greek Recipes, which was based on the most visited recipes on this blog. This is a list of the 10 most popular vegetarian recipes on this blog.

There are many traditional and easy Greek recipes which are vegetarian - Greek cuisine is not all meat as some people seem to think! You can also take a look at a suggested Greek Vegetarian Meal, which has suggestions for main courses, side dishes and dessert.

Vegetarian Moussaka

The favourite. Say no more!

Cheese Pie - Tiropita

A cheese pie which is incredibly easy to prepare and is unbelievably light.

Tirokafteri - Spicy Cheese Dip

This is a traditional spicy cheese dish, which can be served as a meze with ouzo or beer, or as a dip.

Tzatziki

A classic, easy to make Greek side dish.

Eggplant Dip - Melitzanosalata

Another traditional and delicious side dish.

Dolmades

Dolmades can be eaten as a meze with ouzo or as a side dish.

Stuffed Vegetables - Gemista

This is a very popular dish in the summer. Stuffed peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini.

Spinach Pie (Spanakopita) with Homemade Filo Pastry

Another type of spinach pie with instructions on how to make the filo pastry.

Zucchini Fritters

These tasty fritters are very easy to prepare and can be served as one of several side dishes - they go nicely with tzatziki or as a light snack on their own.

Spinach Pie - Spanakopita

A traditional pie which can be eaten as a side dish or is a very tasty and nutritious snack by itself.

Eat and Enjoy!

Authentic Greek Recipes On Amazon Kindle

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:25:00 +0000

This blog is now available on Amazon Kindle - so you can keep up with all the recipes wherever you are. You can subscribe for just $0.99 a month and you get a 14-day free trial to start. To check it out go here - Authentic Greek Recipes

If you don't know what Kindle is (and it isn't something you light fires with :)), then you can find out here -

Greek Sfougato

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:19:00 +0000

This is a type of pie especially associated with the island of Rhodes. You may not be able to get the Greek cheeses listed in the recipe where you live, so I have included suitable alternatives.

Ingredients

500g beef mincemeat
2 onions grated
6 eggs
1 kg courgettes / zucchini grated
1 bunch spring onions chopped
1 boiled potato grated
200g graviera Mytilinis cheese thickly grated
200g ladotiri Mytilinis cheese thickly grated
(If you cannot get these cheeses, then you can use 400g hard cheese such as Regatto)
100g kefalograviera Amfilohias cheese finely grated
(If you cannot get this, then you can use 100g parmesan)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped
100 ml olive oil
3 tablespoons olive oil (separate from the 100 ml)
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Spread salt on the zucchini, drain them well in a colander to remove all the juices and set them aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pan gently fry the onions in the 100ml of olive oil for 2 minutes.

Add the spring onions and fry for another 2 minutes, stirring well.

Add the mincemeat and stir well until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Add the potato, mint and parsley and stir for another 10 minutes.

Add salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Spread the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow oven dish and heat it in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes.

While the oil is heating up, beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and add the cheeses apart from the kefalograviera / parmesan.

Transfer this mixture to the cold mincemeat mixture and mix well.

Transfer the whole mixture to the oven dish on top of the hot olive oil.

Spread the kefalograviera / parmesan on top.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Feta Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:03:00 +0000

The Greeks eat the most cheese in Europe - figures show that 25kg per person is eaten every year here - so I decided that it would be appropriate to start a series of posts on Greek cheeses. I am a great lover of cheese and the variety and quality of cheeses in Greece is terrific.

I'm going to start with the best-known - Feta.

This traditionally dates back to the Homeric ages and Aristaeus has been credited with its discovery. In Homer's Odyssey the Cyclops is described as making and storing sheep's and goat's milk cheese. The following is from Samuel Butler's translation -

"We soon reached his cave, but he was out shepherding, so we went inside and took stock of all that we could see. His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold...

When he had so done he sat down and milked his ewes and goats, all in due course, and then let each of them have her own young. He curdled half the milk and set it aside in wicker strainers."

Of the 25kg cheese eaten per person per year in Greece, 12kg is Feta! It is a white soft to semi-hard cheese, ripened and kept in brine for at least three months. Manufactured mainly in mountainous and semi-mountainous regions of Greece where the use of any harmful substances (fertilisers, pesticides etc.) is very scarce, it is distributed to the market in barrels, tin boxes or in the form of plastic-wrapped pieces.

Greek feta production is restricted to primarily sheep milk and some goat milk, while other countries use cow milk in the process. These countries also use coloring agents to change the yellowish tint produced from cow’s milk to a pure whiter form of goat and sheep milk. The subsistence of these goat and sheep is specific to the dry climatic conditions of certain regions in Greece, where there is a particular type of grazing. The methods of production are also unique to Greece.

It is used as a table cheese (see photo below, served with olive oil and oregano), as well as in salads, pastries and in baking.

Some recipes with Feta

Spinach Pie (Spanakopita)

Spinach Pie (Spanakopita) - a different recipe

Tirokafteri (Spicy Cheese Dip)

Cheese Pies with Yoghurt Dough (Tiropitakia)

Stuffed Green Peppers with Feta

Greek Cheese Pie (Tiropita)

Greek Milk Pie (Galatopita)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:46:00 +0000

This is a delicious, healthy and refreshing pie. Personally, I prefer to eat it after it has been kept in the fridge. Lovely for breakfast .... or any other time of the day!

Ingredients

For the filo pastry
300g all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon ouzo
½ teaspoon salt
Enough tepid water to make a pliable but not sticky dough.

For the filling
2 litres milk
120g corn flour
100g all-purpose flour
80g fine semolina
2 vanilla essences
320g sugar
50g butter
2 eggs
50 ml extra virgin olive oil to brush on the filo

For the finish
50 ml olive oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated cinnamon

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients for the filo pastry well and add enough tepid water to make a pliable but not sticky dough.

Separate the dough into 4 equal-sized balls.

Cover them with cling film and set them aside for 1 hour while you prepare the filling.

Put 1½ litre of the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and heat it, without bringing it to the boil.

Beat the 2 eggs, and set them aside.

In a bowl, mix the remaining 500ml of milk with the corn flour, semolina, sugar, flour and vanilla essences.

Transfer this mixture to the warm milk, lower the heat and stir for a few minutes.

Add the eggs to the mixture and beat well and quickly with a metal whisk.

Add the butter and keep beating until you see the first bubbles and you have a nice, rather thick cream.

Cover this with cling film which is touching the cream - not to allow it to form a skin or lumps.

Set it aside, while you roll open the filo pastry.

Roll open the first ball of dough and place it in an oven dish, 38cm diameter and 5cm deep, which has been greased with olive oil.

Allow some of the dough to go over the edges and leave the rest in the dish, even if it is slightly folded.

Brush this with olive oil and repeat the process with each of the balls of dough that you have put aside, brushing with olive oil between each layer.

Remove the cling film from the cream and pour it on top of the filo layers in the oven dish.

Fold in the excess filo from the edges and shape it with the help of a knife.

Brush this edge with olive oil.

For the finish, beat 1 egg well with the 50 ml of olive oil and spread over the cream.

Sprinkle the grated cinnamon on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

Make sure the filo is well baked in the centre – to do this, for the last 5 minutes transfer it to the lowest shelf in your oven.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Fanouropita

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Yesterday, August 27th, was the name day of Saint Fanourios, the patron saint of things lost. His name is invoked when prayers are asked for the recovery of things lost items. The recipe below is for Fanouropita, a cake traditionally eaten on his name day.

Ingredients

750g self-raising flour
600 ml orange juice
150 ml must (juice from fresh grapes)
300 ml olive oil
500g sugar
200g grated walnuts
50g sesame seeds
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon grated cloves
Pinch of salt
Icing sugar to sprinkle on top

Preparation

Put the orange juice, olive oil and sugar in a bowl and stir well.

Dissolve the baking soda in the must and add to the mixture.

Separately, mix together the flour, walnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and fold it in.

Grease an oven dish 30cm diameter and 6cm deep and put the mixture in it.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes.

After you remove the cake, lightly sprinkle icing sugar on top.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Halva (Halva Tis Rinas)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:02:00 +0000

There are many types of halva, especially in the middle eastern countries. My own particular favourite is from Constantinople in Turkey, but obviously I can't put the recipe for that in a blog with authentic Greek recipes! In Greece we have Macedonian Halva from northern Greece - a hard halva - but the manufacturers keep the recipe a secret. We also have Halva tis Rinas (Rina's Halva) and that is the recipe that follows. Ideally it is served with some whipped cream on top, but that is optional.

Ingredients

400g fine semolina
6 medium eggs
120g grated almonds (with skin removed)
220g fresh butter at room temperature
150g sugar
100 ml milk
Grated rind from 1 lemon
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
2 teaspoons baking powder
250 ml double cream whipped (optional)

For the syrup

450g sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Peel from 3 – 4 lemons
600 ml water

Preparation

Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

Put the yolks and the sugar in a mixer and beat well.

Add the lemon rind and the milk and continue beating for a short time.

In another bowl mix the semolina, vanilla essence, baking powder and grated almonds and then add them to the yolk and sugar mixture.

Stir slowly.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and rinse and dry the mixer bowl well.

Put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and with the appropriate mixer head beat them into a loose meringue in the mixer.

Gradually transfer this to the first mixture and fold it in.

Grease a 30cm oven dish, 6cm deep and pour all the mixture into it.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until it is a golden brown.

While the halva is in the oven, prepare the syrup - Put all the syrup ingredients in a pan and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the lemon peel.

When you remove the halva from the oven, allow it to cool a little and then cut it into portions in the dish.

Pour the syrup all over it.

Cover it and allow it to rise while it is cooling.

When it has cooled completely, serve the portions with a little whipped cream on top.

Eat and Enjoy!

10 Favourite Greek Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:57:00 +0000

I've put a list together here of the 10 most popular recipes on this blog - in other words, those most visited.

Lamb Kleftiko

This lamb dish - roasted in greaseproof paper - has proved to be the most popular on the site.

Vegetarian Moussaka

Many people who are not vegetarian have said that they actually prefer it to the "normal" moussaka, which is made with meat and not mushrooms.

Pastichio

This dish is one of a lot of people's favourites. It's certainly a favourite recipe with the kids - young and old!

Baclava

Probably one of the best-known sweets from this area of the world and quite rightly so, in my opinion!

Tirokafteri (Spicy Cheese Dip)

A traditional spicy cheese dish, which can be served as a meze with ouzo or beer, or as a dip. It is quick and easy to make.

Cheese Pie (Tiropita)

A cheese pie which is incredibly easy to prepare and is unbelievably light - you almost need weights to keep it on the plate!

Tzatziki

This is a classic Greek side dish, which can be served with meat and vegetable dishes, as well as accompanying souvlaki or gyros.

Eggplant Dip (melitzanosalata)

One of my favourites! Smooth and tangy. This is a side dish which can be served with any meat, fish or vegetable dish.

Dolmades

Another "classic" Greek dish. Dolmades can be eaten as a meze with ouzo or as a side dish. This recipe is with rice, but they can also be stuffed with meat.

Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes (Gemista)

This is a very popular dish in the summer. Although stuffed peppers and tomatoes are well enough known, usually we also have stuffed eggplant and zucchini. They are accompanied by potatoes and can also be accompanied by Feta cheese.

Greek Eggplant Rolls (Boorekakia)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:56:00 +0000

These are delicious little rolls that you can have as a side dish or as part of a buffet. Ideally, the Greek cheese anthotiro is used, but if this is unavailable, riccota can be used. Likewise, the Greek hard cheese kefalograviera is used ideally, but if this is unavailable, parmesan can be used (the Italians have a few nice cheeses as well :) ) As stated in the recipe, you should get sun-dried tomatoes that have been preserved in olive oil.

Ingredients

1 kg long aubergines
500g anthotiro (soft cheese like ricotta)
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, that have been preserved in a jar of olive oil.
2 tablespoons of the olive oil that the tomatoes were preserved in
250g kefalograviera cheese (or parmesan) grated
250 ml sunflower oil
1 tablespoon chopped basil leaves

For the sauce
1 fresh, long green chilli pepper, chopped
1 litre puree from fresh, ripe tomatoes
1 whole garlic (small) chopped
1 tablespoon basil leaves, chopped
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Sauce

Saute the garlic for 2 minutes in the olive oil.

Add the chilli pepper and sauté for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add the tomato puree, salt and pepper and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the sauce is ready.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chopped basil on top and stir well.

Eggplants

Remove strips of the eggplant skin, so that the eggplants have alternate ‘stripes’ of skin and no-skin.

Slice the eggplants lengthwise into strips of approx. ½ cm thickness.

Place them in salty water for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove from the water and drain well.

Fry the eggplant strips in the sunflower oil in a heavy bottomed pan.

Remove and place them on kitchen paper to drain the oil.

Mix together the anthotiro, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, half of the grated cheese, 1 tablespoon basil and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil from the tomatoes.

Mix them together well with your hands.

Place 1 teaspoonful of the mixture on top of the narrow end of one of the eggplant strips.

Roll up the eggplant strip, starting at the narrow end with the mixture.

Repeat this for all the eggplant strips.

Cover the bottom of a shallow oven dish with some of the sauce you prepared earlier and place the eggplant rolls in the dish next to each other.

Spread the remaining sauce on top.

Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

Eat and Enjoy!

T Is For ...

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:01:00 +0000

Continuing the Greek food and drink glossary. The letters in bold italics show where the accent goes.

tarragon - trahoori

tea - tsaee

thyme - theemaree

tomato - domata

tripe - patsas

trout - pestrofo

truffle - troofa

tuna - tonno

turkey - gallopoola (soft g)

turnip - gogilli (soft g)

Greek Sweet Orange Pie (Portokalopita)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:56:00 +0000

A delicious, refreshing pie for the hot summer months! It can also be served warm, but I much prefer it cold. It can also be served with ice cream. Mmmm!

Ingredients

1 packet filo pastry (12 sheets)
250g Greek strained yoghurt
4 eggs
2 tablespoons baking powder
250 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the syrup
600 ml water
250g sugar
Grated rind from 2 oranges

Preparation

Leave the sheets of filo pastry out, separated and uncovered, to dry for a few hours.

Crumble the sheets of filo.

Put the olive oil and eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk well with a metal whisker.

Add the yoghurt and baking powder and continue whisking until you have a smooth cream.

Add the crumbled filo pastry and mix in well with your hands.

Put in an oven dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes until it turns a golden colour.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup – boil the syrup ingredients in a pan for 5 minutes.

After removing the pie, once it is cold, cut into portions and spread the warm syrup on top.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Beef With Fresh Yellow Runner Beans

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:05:00 +0000

A traditional country dish, using the yellow-white runner beans (see photo below). Again, an easy to prepare and nutritious recipe.

Ingredients

1 kg beef – the soft part cut in portions
1 kg yellow-white runner beans
1 large onion grated
4 medium potatoes sliced
300g fresh ripe tomatoes pureed
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
130 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Cut off the ends of the runner beans and make sure to remove any threads along the sides of the beans.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, fry the portions of beef in the olive oil on both sides, just enough for them to colour.

Add the grated onion and garlic and fry for another 3 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and enough warm water to cover the beef.

Let it simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is cooked.

Add the beans and the potatoes and stir well.

Simmer for 30 minutes until the beans and the potatoes are tender.

Add the parsley, salt and pepper and boil for 5 minutes.

The mixture should remain with the oil and very little other liquid, if not, continue simmering without the lid on the pan for a little longer.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Courgette (Zucchini) Pie (Kolokithopita)

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:51:00 +0000

A light and tasty pie. This can be eaten hot or cold. You can save it in the fridge and have it as a light lunch with some salad.

Ingredients

For the filling
1 kg courgettes (zucchini / marrow) grated and well drained (usually 3-4 large fresh courgettes)
250g rice suitable for soups
3 potatoes grated and drained
2 tablespoons grated onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 tablespoons chopped fennel
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tin condensed milk
200 ml olive oil
500 ml water

For the dough
300g all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ouzo
1 level teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
Enough lukewarm water to make a pliable dough

Preparation

To make sure the courgettes are well drained, squeeze the grated courgettes with your hands, place in a plastic colander with 1 teaspoon salt and leave to drain. Then press it again with your hands to remove any remaining excess liquid.

Combine all the ingredients for the filo (dough) and make a pliable but not sticky dough (see photo above).

Let it rest for as long as you are preparing the filling.

Bring the rice to the boil in the 500 ml of water and then simmer for 5 minutes.

Combine all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the rice and water. Stir well with your hand.

Roll out the filo (pastry) on a floured surface.

Brush a shallow oven dish with oil and place the filo in it, making sure it completely covers the bottom of the dish. Don’t remove the extra filo at the edges as you’ll need this to fold over later.

Make sure there is no air trapped under the filo at the bottom of the dish.

Put the mixture from the mixing bowl on top of the filo in the dish.

Fold the extra dough from the edges in over the mixture and brush it with liquid from the mixture. The folds should be quite large (see photo at top).

Make sure none of the liquid goes down the edges and under the dough.

Place carefully in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 1 hour.

Eat and Enjoy!

Twitter Petition To British Museum To Return Parthenon Marbles To Greece

noreply@blogger.com (symposio) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:03:00 +0000

This post is a bit of a deviation from the normal posts, but is still of interest to anyone interested in Greece and anything Greek.

I have just started a Twitter petition for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. I have tweeted the petition directly to the British Museum and they will be updated regularly with the number of tweets and also have the opportunity to respond.

The Parthenon Marbles were removed by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century (which is why some people call them the Elgin Marbles) and then sold to the British Museum. Over the years, the British Museum claimed that there wasn't a suitable venue for them to be displayed, but that argument no longer holds since the opening of the much-acclaimed new Acropolis Museum, below the Acropolis, last month.

So now all we can say to the British Museum is - time to return the stolen goods to their rightful owner so that they can be displayed in their rightful setting - next to the Parthenon - for all the visitors to enjoy.

If you are on Twitter and agree that the Parthenon Marbles should now be returned to Greece and put on display in the new Acropolis Museum, then please just tweet below. It's set up so that I auto-follow anyone who tweets. You can also embed the code in your site, so that the petition can go viral.

For more information on the Marbles and their return to Greece, you can visit The British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles and you can also sign a web petition, if you so wish, at Return The Marbles.com