cookmegreek

Homemade yogurt and poached quince

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 16:26:00 +0000

In Greece there are three different types of yogurt, depending on the milk (goat, sheep or cow) used to make it.
Yogurt made from cows’ milk is the most popular because of its mildness; it has a less sour taste compared with yogurt made from the milk of goats or sheep.
In Greece we call yogurt ‘’strained ‘’ if it has undergone a straining process after it has been created. As a result it has far less whey than plain yogurt. Its dense silky texture makes it ideal for cooking too.
If you are lucky enough to have access to fresh milk from local farms, you should definitely try at some point to make yogurt at home and experience its wonderful taste. If you have kids, they will be fascinated by the process that magically turns milk into yogurt.
We make yogurt at home when we have extra milk that is close to its expiry date; this way we give it at least an extra week of shelf life. To be honest, we don’t always strain it to turn it into the so-called ‘’Greek yogurt’’ but you should try straining it at least once and see what works best for you.
The process is very easy. You only need two tablespoons of plain yogurt per liter of milk. A cooking thermometer too would be ideal to be sure about the right temperatures. Many home cooks claim that within 3-4 hours yogurt has set and it is ready to eat, but I always let it ferment overnight and by the next morning it is ready for breakfast.
I like to eat yogurt with honey, fresh or poached seasonal fruits, and in many desserts and savory dishes that you can find on my ‘’recipes page’’ on the main menu. Here I also offer the recipe for poached quinces that are in season as I write this.

Homemade yogurt

1litre milk

2Tbsps plain yogurt (not one containing gelatin)

In a pot over medium heat, heat up the milk and, as soon as it reaches 80 C, remove it from the heat. Then let the temperature of the milk drop to 45 C.

In a small bowl mix the 2 tablespoons of yogurt with a few tablespoons of the warm milk in order to warm and dilute the cold yogurt. Then pour the yogurt mixture into the pot with the warm milk and mix to incorporate. Cover with cling film and place the pot in an isothermal bag like the one you keep your beers cold in at a picnic. If you don’t have an isothermal bag, wrap the pot in a blanket. Let it stand undisturbed overnight. On the following morning the yogurt is ready to eat or to put in the refrigerator.

If you want to make Greek strained yogurt, place the yogurt in a very fine sieve or a sieve lined with a cheese cloth and place it over a bowl to collect the liquids. If the weather is hot put the bowl with the sieve in the fridge. Let the yogurt strain until it reaches the desired thickness. This might take several hours. Discard the liquid collected in the bowl.

Keep in mind that straining will reduce the amount of yogurt by more than 30%.

Poached quince

600gr peeled and seeded quince wedges

300gr granulated sugar

500gr (0,5litre) water

1tsp liquid vanilla

In a cooking pot over medium heat add water and sugar and bring to a boil. Add quince wedges and vanilla and cook for 15min. Let cool and serve with yogurt. You can keep quince refrigerated for a week.

Hilopites: making fresh or dry pasta for winter soups and stews

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 09:53:00 +0000

I can’t recall any summer of my life that we didn’t make dry pasta at home for the winter. What has changed through the years is my role in this family tradition. When I was little and we spent the whole summer at our cottage, my mother, together with the other housewives in our neighborhood, would organize a ‘’hilopites week’’. During this week they would gather at a different house each day and help each other with the hard work of making enough of this pasta for the rest of the year. More hands can make the process easier, faster and actually fun, with lots of laughter, cakes, coffee breaks and gossip. I and the other kids were given a piece of dough to use as a ‘’play dough’’ so as not bother the mums who were working with their rolling pins and knives.
Nowadays we make even more pasta for the tavern, and not just in summer but during winter as well. Rolling pins have been replaced with pasta machines and my adult role calls for fast hands on the bench.
Summer’s hot weather is. of course, ideal to dry the pasta in only two days, but you can make pasta indoors all year long as long as your house is not humid and there is proper heating and fresh air. It just takes a few more days for the pasta to dry indoors.
Hilopites are the most common type of traditional pasta in Greece. Though the shape can vary a little from short ‘’linguine’’ to small squares, there is no right or wrong. Here in Peloponnese we make the small squares, shapes that can be easily used in soups, stews and savory pies. The type of flour used is ‘’bread wheat flour’’ but it can be substituted with all purpose flour and, if you like, some fine semolina too can be added to the mix. The other three ingredients are eggs, pasteurized milk, and a little salt for taste and the preservation of the dry pasta.
Of course you can use this recipe to make fresh pasta too. The nice thing with homemade pasta is that after only three minutes of cooking and some grated cheese added, you have a lovely meal.

Hilopites

1kg bread wheat flour
7 eggs
500gr pasteurized milk
2tsps of sea salt

In a bowl (or in the stand mixer bowl) beat the eggs, add 400gr of the milk, the salt,

and mix to incorporate. Add the flour to the egg mixture little by little while at the same time mixing the dough until you get a slightly sticky but firm dough. If needed add the remaining 100gr of the milk. (Since not all eggs are the same size, it is better to be on the safe side and save some milk to check if it is needed to achieve the right texture for the dough) Knead the dough on a well floured working surface. Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap to protect from drying, and let the dough rest on the kitchen bench for an hour.
If you use a pasta machine, you cut the dough in small pieces the size of a ping-pong ball.
Turn the dial of the flat rollers to the widest setting, - usually number ‘’1’’ on the dialer. Dust the piece of dough and flatten it into a rectangular shape and feed it through the flat rollers. Set the rollers to number ‘’3’’ and repeat the procedure, dusting with some flour if needed. Now follows number ‘’5’’ and finally number ‘’7’’. As the dough sheets become thinner they also become longer so you might need someone to help you transfer the dough sheets to a table lined with a clean bed sheet to rest until the next step.

If you work on your own you can cut the dough sheets shorter and this way make it easier for you to hold the dough with one hand while turning the crank with the other hand. If a piece of dough sheet gets torn, don’t worry; just fold it and roll it again from the beginning.
In case you intend to roll the dough by hand, like the old days, you divide it into six pieces. You roll each piece to a 1mm thickness sheet using enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking on your working surface. Transfer the sheets with the help of the rolling pin to a table lined with a clean bed sheet.
For easy hilopites, you now cut the sheets into 4cm long pieces and simply ’’feed’’ them through the linguine cutter. Transfer the hilopites to the cotton sheet and let them dry as much as needed.
For the Peloponnesian square hilopites, cut the rolled sheets into 12-15 long pieces and pass them through the linguine cutter (see picture). Now very carefully cut the linguine vertically into small squares (see picture) with a chef’s knife on a cutting board. Transfer the square hilopites to the bed sheet and let them dry as much as needed or cook them fresh.
Store the dried hilopites in a cookie box for up to a year.

Zucchini flowers, stuffed with rice, summer veggies, and herbs

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 16:29:00 +0000

Searching the Internet for some info on edible flowers, I saw some beautiful pictures of cakes and other fancy desserts decorated with, among other exotica, small blue and yellow pansies and chrysanthemum flowers. Did we always eat pansies on our cakes and in colorful salads or is it one more innovation from Noma (with its inventive kitchen) that has been immediately adopted by all of us?
Well, in fact, dried flowers have been used for thousands of years as spices in cooking or in herbal teas for medicinal purposes. Their use in modern cooking today as decorative edible ingredients is really a rebirth of this very old tradition. Roses and zucchini- squash flowers have never stopped being used in cooking.
In Greece we make rose petal jam and we use zucchini flowers in different savory recipes. When I was a child, whenever my mother made stuffed tomatoes, there would always be some space left in the baking pan for some zucchini flowers to be stuffed especially for me. Stuffing them with rice and summer veggies is still the most popular recipe.
Today we make entire pans full of stuffed zucchini flowers for the restaurant; it is our most popular summer dish. In order to have as many flowers as possible available every day, we have planted zucchini plants of a climbing variety which can be counted on to produce the greatest number of flowers all across our garden fence.
They have to be picked early in the morning when they bloom, almost magically, for only a few hours. If you don’t have a vegetable garden of your own, you can look for them at your local farmer’s market.

Zucchini flowers, stuffed with rice, summer veggies, and herbs

Since not all zucchini flowers are the same size, I will post a recipe for about 1kg of filling that you can multiply or lessen according to your needs.

A Tip: If you cannot find enough zucchini flowers in your garden each morning, you can cook the filling and keep it refrigerated for as long as 3 days and each day stuff those few flowers you find and store them with the baking pan in the freezer until the pan is loaded with a good enough batch to bake.

1 onion finely chopped
2 spring onions finely chopped
150gr olive oil+ some more for drizzling before baking
250gr zucchinis, grated
1 small ripe tomato, grated
1Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2Tbsps fresh parsley, chopped
1Tbsp. tomato paste
250gr round grain rice
Salt and pepper to taste
0,5litre boiling water

Place the olive oil in a cooking pot over medium heat and, when hot enough, add the chopped onion and cook until wilted. Add the spring onions and zucchini and cook for 5 min or until the zucchini’s juices have been absorbed, whisking a few times in between.
Add grated tomato, parsley, mint, tomato paste, rice and, finally, boiling water. Cover with a lid and let the filling cook for 5min, whisking a few times in between to prevent the rice from sticking at the bottom of the pot.
Season with salt and pepper, and then remove from the heat. Let the filling cool down completely before using it.
Prepare the fresh zucchini -squash flowers to be stuffed by removing the stamen inside the flower with a round edged knife, being careful not to tear the delicate flower. Then cut the stems and wash each flower under running water. (See photo)

Stuff the flowers with two teaspoonfuls of filling for each flower. Turn the petals over the filling to enclose it and prevent the filling from escaping during baking. Arrange the stuffed flowers in the baking pan, one firmly packed next to the other, until the pan is covered in a single layer.
Pour enough tepid water to half cover the flowers, drizzle with olive oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 40-45min until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature with Greek yogurt.

Pita, souvlaki, tzatziki: in other words, a classic Greek yummy!

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 11:58:00 +0000

Imagine this. You are in Greece; it’s Saturday night and some buddies are gathered in the living room to watch the football game. There is tension in the air, but they love what they watch. In front of them on a coffee table are cold beers and pizza - just delivered!
But… if you see only pizza, then what you imagine is not taking place in Greece!

On a Greek coffee table there would be souvlakia (plural of souvlaki) and pites (plural of pita) and, of course, beers; beers are always there. We do love pizza, but we love souvlaki more.

During these years of crisis, souvlaki places have opened one after the other. People who are thinking to start a food business, more often than not think about a ‘’souvlatzídiko’’ (souvlaki place). With just 2-2.5 euros you can buy a pita stuffed with souvlaki, tomato wedges, onion, fried potatoes and tzatziki, a tasty full meal that is cheap and a real life saver especially for people who like their veggies served with meat. . Not every business succeeds but the logic is sound. We Greeks love souvlatzidika. As a kid I would prefer souvlakia over legumes any day.

The truth is that almost no one makes the pita bread at home, preferring to buy a store bought frozen pack. I believe that happens because they just haven’t experienced the taste of fresh, soft, homemade pita bread. You can make them at home and freeze them for several months. Try them, I swear they are great.

Pita bread with souvlaki, tsatziki and veggies.

Pita bread (makes about 8, 14cm round pitas, or 18-20 6cm ones)
150gr lukewarm milk
70gr lukewarm water
2tsp granulated sugar
2tsps dried yeast (5gr)
300gr all purpose flour
1tsp salt

In a bowl (or a mixer bowl) put milk, water, sugar, yeast and three tablespoons of the flour. Mix to incorporate and create a starter dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside to rise, about 10min.
Add the rest of the flour and salt, to the starter dough and mix-knead to form an elastic, sticky dough. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover again and set aside for 30min or until risen.
Place the risen dough on a floured working surface and either cut it in 8 equal pieces, rolling out each piece into a 4mm thick disc; or roll out all the dough and cut out round shaped pites of the preferred size.

Place a non stick frying pan on medium heat, and when hot enough, without greasing the pan place one or more pites (depending on the size of the pan) and bake for 2-3min on each side, turning them when they lightly puff. Pita has to stay white with just a few lightly golden spots on each side (see photo). You can warm up a pita again by toasting it on the grill just before serving.

Souvlákia (skewers)
For each skewer you prepare, you need 120gr of boneless pork belly cut in 1,5cm cubes
Olive oil for drizzling
Dried oregano
Salt to taste
Lemon for serving
In a bowl mix the pork cubes with 1tsp of olive oil for each skewer and let stand for a couple of hours or covered overnight in the fridge.
Thread the meat cubes onto metal or bamboo skewers, brush with olive oil, season with salt and bake on preheated char-grill pan or barbecue, turning on all sides until cooked to your taste. Transfer to a plate drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. Serve immediately or cover and keep warm.

Tzatziki
60gr grated cucumber
120gr Greek yogurt
1Tbsp olive oil
1tsp vinegar
1 garlic clove crushed
Salt to taste
In a bowl place the grated cucumber with its juices and the rest of the ingredients. Mix until incorporated. Done! Keep refrigerated.

Assembly:
Take a 20x10 piece of grease proof paper. Place a pita bread on the paper and a souvlaki skewer on top of the pita. Press the pita around the souvlaki firmly and at the same time pull the bamboo skewer in order to remove it from the meat. Place on the top and the sides of the meat 3 tomato wedges, onion slices, tsatziki, mustard if you prefer ( I do!!) and wrap the pita in the grease proof paper leaving the upper part exposed. Repeat with the rest of the pites. Fried potatoes are often used in pita but that is not necessary. If you skip them, you have a healthy, full meal.

Raw artichokes salad with bulgur, spring herbs and feta

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Sat, 16 May 2015 16:24:00 +0000

In Greek mythology, Cynara was a beautiful nymph who, having declined to live on Olympus with Zeus, was thrown to earth by the angry god and transformed into the tasty artichoke plant that we all love. His loss!
The Peloponnese and Crete are the main regions where artichokes are commercially cultivated because they hate frost and need a mild climate in order to survive. In our garden we grow some wild thorny artichoke plants with a superb taste, but the common varieties found in most markets are bigger, lack thorns, and have a milder flavor that is still very tasty. In our area, fresh artichokes are served raw with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil as a meze for ouzo or wine.
Really fresh artichokes, have a crunchy, slightly nutty flavor that resembles the taste of raw chestnuts. I wanted to try them as a salad main course, so I used spring herbs for extra flavor, bulgur wheat to give bulk, and feta for some more protein and taste. The result was an aromatic flavorful dish which can be served either as a side salad or alone.

Raw artichokes salad with bulgur, spring herbs and feta

Serves 2

2 artichokes
2 spring onions chopped
2Tbsps fresh fennel or dill finely chopped
4Tbsps fresh parsley, finely chopped
1Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
150gr crushed feta
1/2tsp chili flakes (optional)
2Tbsps lemon juice plus 3Tbsps for preparing the artichokes
3Tbsps extra virgin olive oil
Zest from half a lemon
180gr bulgur wheat
500gr tepid water
1tsp salt

Start with the bulgur. Place bulgur in a bowl with the salt and cover with 500gr of tepid water. Mix with a spoon for a moment to dissolve the salt. Set aside for 2 hours to soak, or cook the mix for 15min if you are short of time.
Meanwhile prepare the artichokes. In a bowl add about 2 cups of water and 3Tbsps of lemon juice. Take an artichoke and pull off the green outer leaves to expose the pale yellow ones. With a knife trim the top of the articke leaves, (about 1,5 -2 cm). Use a vegetable peeler to shave off the dark, tough layer of the stem and the underside of the heart. Use a teaspoon to remove the fibrous choke in the center of the artichoke. Cut each half into 3-4 pieces and immediately place them in the lemony water to stop them discoloring.
Drain the bulgur and place it on kitchen paper to absorb the excess water. Place the bulgur in a bowl and add spring onions, fennel, parsley, mint and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Transfer the bulgur mix to a salad plate, add the artichoke pieces, chili flakes and crushed feta.
In a shaker mix lemon juice and olive oil and drizzle over the salad. Serve.

Greek yogurt macaron, with a honey core

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 20:36:00 +0000

I often wonder what could be characterized as a typical Greek flavor in pastry; and I usually come to the conclusion that yogurt and honey make a pair that many could consider as a classically Greek. So if I make a panna cotta with Greek yogurt and honey, would people think that this Italian dessert has a Greek twist? I can’t judge but it definitely tasted good. Since I have started this ‘alchemy’ of turning famous desserts into Greek with the addition of yogurt and honey, I have discovered that French macarons lend themselves to the treatment!
The first time I ever saw macaron was five or six years ago when I started reading food blogs and came across the blog Tartelette. I remember how beautiful they looked in the pictures. Then I tried them in a pastry shop in Athens and was sure I should try making them myself. My research on the internet showed that macarons are more or less the ‘’Holy Grail’’ of every avid food blogger and I decided I needed one more cooking book, this time one specializing on the macaron. Pierre Herme’s ''Macarons'' proved the ideal master class on macarons since he is world famous for all those incredible and unique flavors. Pierre Herme uses the Italian meringue method which has proven to be almost foolproof in my case.
Now I had to create a Greek yogurt ganache since I couldn’t find any reference on the internet and it turned out that it was a very good idea. The sweetness of the white chocolate is balanced by the mild sour taste of yogurt, creating a very interesting ganache but, this time, with a Greek character.

Greek yogurt macaron, with a honey core

For the macaron shells
Makes 20 macarons (40 shells)

Macaron batter
106 gr blanched almonds, powdered
106 gr confectioners’ sugar
40 gr egg whites

Italian meringue:
115gr granulated sugar
70 gr water
45 gr egg whites

( 1Tsp of finely grated walnuts for decoration)

First: the almond batter: In a bowl mix together powdered almonds, confectioners’ sugar and 40gr of egg whites to create a paste. Set aside.
Now for the Italian meringue: In a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, add granulated the sugar and water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile in the bowl of an electric mixer start whipping the 45gr of egg whites until they form soft peaks.
When the temperature of the boiling syrup reaches 120 C, pour it over the meringue in the mixer bowl and immediately start whipping again until the temperature of the Italian meringue drops to about 50 C.
Now take spoonfuls of Italian meringue and mix it with the almond batter until all the meringue has gradually been incorporated in the almond batter. The trick with macarons is in this mixing stage. Very carefull and light mixing could lead to fluffy and/or cracked shells, whereas over mixing the batter could remove a lot of air leading to flat shells. Your macaron experience will guide you in this process in the future. Don’t be disappointed if your shells fail in shape; they still taste as good.
In a baking pan lined with baking paper, and using a pastry bag with a plain tip, pipe round macarons the size you prefer.

I sketched 3 cm round shapes (as many as I want macaron halves) on a paper I then placed underneath the baking paper and used them as a guide in order to get a uniform size!
Sprinkle half of the shells with grated walnuts for decoration.
Bake the macarons in a preheated oven (fan) at 160 C for 13-15min. They should be dry outside but still be moist inside. Only one baking pan at a time.
Remove the pan with the baked macarons and let them cool completely before you carefully remove them from the baking paper and fill them with ganache and honey jelly.

For the ganache:

150gr white chocolate
100gr Greek yogurt
30gr milk

In a microwave-safe bowl, break the chocolate in pieces, add the milk and microwave them for 20sec at maximum heat. The object here is a silky ganache so the process may need repeating. Remove from the oven and mix with a rubber spatula to check the degree to which the chocolate has melted. Remove the spatula from the bowl and return the bowl to the oven for 20sec more. Remove from the oven again, mix with the spatula and if a silky ganache has not been created yet, repeat the 20sec microwaving once more. Different microwave ovens can give different results, so take it slowly with just 20sec at a time to be on the safe side and not burn your chocolate.
Take a teaspoonful of yogurt and mix it vigorously in the still hot ganache. Once incorporated add one more teaspoonful of yogurt to the ganache and mix again. Repeat until all the yogurt has incorporated. Let stand in the fridge for half an hour or until set and ready to fill your macaron.
If you make the ganache the day before, remove it from the fridge an hour before you use it to bring it to room temperature and thus easier for you to fill your macaron.

For honey jelly:

This should actually be made first because the jelly needs to be refrigerated for a couple of hours to set and be easier to cut in pieces.

60gr honey
40gr boiling water
3gr gelatin sheets

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5min. Remove the gelatin from the cold water and put it in a bowl. Pour boiling water over the gelatin and mix to dilute. Once diluted add the honey and mix to incorporate. Line a rectangular 20x10cm (approximatel) bowl with cling film and pour the honey mixture in the bowl and refrigerate until very firm.

Assembling:

Take half a teaspoonful of ganache and place it on a macaron shell. Place a 1x1cm piece of honey jelly over the ganache and over this jelly pour another half teaspoonful of ganache. Sandwich with another macaron shell. Done!!! Repeat the process until you’ve made about 20 macarons.
Honestly it took me much more time to write about this than actually make it !!!
Don’t be scared, macarons are just one more nice sweet little bite.

Tahini, coffee, and pistachios: vegan cake

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 18:30:00 +0000

In Greece during the Great Lent when dairy products, meat, and eggs are not consumed (at least for those who still keep these traditions), tahini based recipes enrich their diet with nutritious elements. Tahini, a paste made from ground hulled sesame seeds, is a super food and, added in soups and other vegetable or legume based dishes, it plays a vital role in good nutrition. It contains many vitamins and minerals and is also rich in protein, - 25 percent by weight!
In this blog you may have noticed that several recipes, sweet or savory have the ending pita in their name. That is because we tend to call pita any batter which is baked in a flat baking pan.
So today’s special is Tahinópita, a dairy and egg free cake with tahini as a basic ingredient. Although the original recipe calls for cinnamon and cloves, I decided we had enough cinnamon this winter so a small twist in this cake’s makeup was inevitable: coffee and orange zest in this case. They match really well with tahini and its nutty flavor. Even if you are not vegan you won’t feel that its texture lacks the fluffy lightness usually achieved only when eggs are used.

Tahinópita
(Use a 20cm round cake pan)

250gr self raising flour, sifted
150gr tahini
1tsp heaped of baking soda
150ml strong coffee
150gr confectioners’ sugar
70gr chopped pistachios plus some more for decoration
2Tbsps brandy (optional)
Zest from an orange

For the lemon glaze
50 gr confectioners’ sugar
2Tbsps lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 175 C.
In a bowl add the tahini, sugar, orange zest, 50gr of the coffee, and the brandy (if used). With a wire whisk mix the ingredients to combine. Add soda and the rest of the coffee to the tahini batter and whisk again until combined.
Now add the chopped pistachios and sifted flour to the tahini batter and with the wire whisk mix until totally incorporated.
Pour the batter to a round baking pan lined with baking paper and bake for 50min or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Mix confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over the cake while it is still warm. Sprinkle with some pistachios.

Sweet raisin buns flavored with cinnamon.

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 19:41:00 +0000

Raisin buns (σταφιδόψωμα), are for the Greeks what croissants are for the French: a sweet doughy breakfast delicacy. Every morning you can find them on sale inlocal bakeries next to bread rings and cakes.
Raisins and sultanas are great sources of energy for the human body, exactly what you need with a cup of tea or coffee to start your day. For many centuries the small dark currants and the larger blond sultanas have been an essential part of the agricultural economy of the Peloponnese. At the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, in particular, the English would import raisins in exchange for salted cod from the North Sea. As a result of this exchange,salted cod became, and still is,a special favorite at Peloponnesian tables.
When baking bread for the family, my grandmother would often save a piece of her sour dough to make a small loaf of raisin bread, or feta bread. The contradiction of the slightly sour taste of the bread with the sweetness of the raisins is something I always recall from her cooking. Although my grandmother didn’t use any flavoring, these buns today are usually flavored with cinnamon and can be made either with whole-wheat flour or a gluten free mix.

Raisin buns
Makes 12 buns

120gr milk
30gr butter
80gr granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda

5gr dried yeast
120gr lukewarm water
450gr all purpose flour
½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
150gr raisins and/or sultanas

In a bowl add the lukewarm water, yeast and five tablespoons of the flour. Mix to combine, cover with a kitchen towel, and let stand in a warm spot until the yeast activates (about 20min).
Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat add the milk and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat, add sugar and salt and mix to dissolve. Add the butter and baking soda and let it stand until the temperature of the mixture drops to being just warm.
Add the warm milk mixture to the yeast mixture and mix to combine. Gradually pour the rest of the flour, cinnamon (if used) and the raisins, mixing with your hands to form an elastic but firm dough. (This can also be done with a stand mixer if you prefer.) Cover the bowl again and let it rest in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size.
As soon as the dough has risen, transfer it onto a clean working surface and divide it into four pieces. Cut each piece into three smaller pieces and roll it in your palms to form round buns. Arrange the 12 buns on a baking pan lined with baking paper leaving some space between the buns.For the last time cover the buns and let them stand in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Brush each bun with milk and bake for 20min or until golden brown. Transfer the baked buns onto a rack to cool and then you can store them in a cookie tin for a few days if you wish, but they are always better if consumed right away!

Black eyed peas stewed with greens

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:50:00 +0000

This post was especially written for Pretty Greek Villas, a site owned by my friends Marie- Louise and Ben. If you are thinking Greece this summer, take a look,for some of the most beautiful villas in the country.

Peloponnesian cuisine is influenced by its sea-girt mountainous topography. Olive oil, wine, grains, pulses, herbs, wild greens, fish, goat and sheep meat, cheese and honey have been staples in local pantries for millenia. Though olive trees do not flourish at its highest altitudes, still one third of the country’s entire production comes from here because of the quality of the soil and the mild climate. In fact, Peloponnesian cuisine could be described as an olive oil cuisine since generous amounts of olive oil (often added towards the end of cooking) are poured over greens, beans, and all sorts of stews.
The Northern Peloponnese cuisine has also been influenced by migrations over its long history and so it comprises elements of both the mainland and the islands,. Most of the dishes fall into the category of one-pot meals in which ingredients are matched wisely to give nutritious and filling dishes, - all based on seasonal production. A characteristic autumn dish in our area is made with beans from the valley of ancient Feneos and greens found in every garden. It is a humble but flavorful dish, elegant in its simplicity.

Black eyed beans (also called black eyed peas) stewed with greens

Serves 6

300gr dried black eyed peas
200gr olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 spring onion trimmed and chopped
700g mixed greens (chard, spinach, collards, parsley) trimmed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a pot place the black-eyed beans and two litres of water and bring to a boil. Then drain the peas in a colander, place them back to the pot with fresh cold water and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20-30min until tender. The fresher the peas are, the faster they cook.
Meanwhile in a deep skillet over medium heat, add 1/3 of the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until wilted. Add the chopped greens and spring onion to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, cover with the lid and cook for 15-20min until soft. Add some boiling water if extra liquid is required.
When the greens have cooked, drain the black-eyed peas, discard the water and add the peas to the pot with the greens, stiring softly to combine. Cook for further 5min, and just before you remove the skillet from the heat add the rest of the olive oil.

Serve warm.

Savory cheese flan, with walnuts and pomegranate sauce

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 11:04:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered what ancient Greek cooking would taste like? If ancient Greeks could have known that people in the future would be interested in their cuisine, they would most certainly have written down everything about their art of cooking.

During what we now call the ‘classical period’ ancient Greek civilization reached its peak. Tragic plays and Aristophanes’ comedies describe daily life including scenes around a table. Deipnosophists (from deipnon- dinner and sofos- wise) writing about the philosophic discussions taking place in rich people’s houses during gastronomic feasts described the menus in great detail. These sources inform us that Athenians had three daily meals out of which ‘’deipnon’’, late in the evening, was the last and most rich meal of the day. Dinner in modern Greece is still called ‘’deipno’’.

Their diet consisted of a great variety of fish, meat from both game and stock farming, grains such as barley and wheat and, of course vegetables, legumes and wild greens. Olive oil played the most important role in every aspect of their daily life, religious, pharmaceutical, cultural, or alimentary. Wine, a genuine Greek product, was consumed daily. Honey, initially collected from tree cavities before beekeeping methods were developed, was their sweetener. Ancient Greeks preferred a rather sweet cuisine similar to Chinese and Far East cooking today.
Of course many of the ingredients mentioned above were seasonal and accessed according to the economic and social status of citizens. I have read a few books about the ancient Greek diet and I thought that this Christmas, my inspiration should come from the flavors of our ancient cuisine.

This savory cheese flan would be an ideal first course for the Christmas season, combining flavors and textures with festive symbolism. It has a mousse-like texture that nicely compliments the crunchiness of the walnuts and the sweet and sour taste of the pomegranate sauce. Pomegranates symbolize fertility and prosperity and have always been connected with New Year’s festivities in Greece. At the moment the New Year arrives, we break open a pomegranate onto the door step for good luck throughout the year.

I wish a Merry Christmas to all of you.

Savory cheese flan, with walnuts and pomegranate sauce.
Serves 4
For the flan:
200gr ricotta or soft goat cheese
200gr whipping cream 35% fat
2 medium eggs
¼ of a garlic clove (optional)
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
2Tbsps of chopped walnuts,( plus some more for decoration)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the pomegranate sauce:
160gr pomegranate juice (1 big pomegranate is enough)
1tsp honey
2tsps white wine vinegar( or other light color vinegar)

Preheat the oven to 170 C. Lightly grease four 150ml ramekins and place them in a deep roasting pan.
In a blender bowl, put the cheese, cream, eggs, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and blend for a few seconds until you have a smooth creamy batter.
Transfer the cream batter to a bowl and mix with a spoon the chopped walnuts into the batter, to incorporate.
Pour the cream batter into the ramekins, then carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake for 50min or until the flans have just set on the surface.
Leave the flans to cool in the pan for 10min and then remove them from the pan and let them cool on a rack for further 10min. Meanwhile prepare the sauce.
The Sauce
Cut the pomegranate in half, save some seeds for decorating the plate and squeeze the pomegranate through a fine sieve into a sauce pan (Be careful not to split the juice on your clothes; the stain will be permanent). Add vinegar and honey and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce reduces to half of the original amount. Remove from heat and let cool.
Note: The pomegranates I used were sweet. If your pomegranates are sour, use more honey and less vinegar, to get both a sweet and sour sauce.

Run a blunt knife around the inside of each ramekin and turn the flans onto four plates. Drizzle with pomegranate sauce and serve with dressed leafy salad with pomegranate seeds and chopped walnuts.

Apples cooked in vanilla syrup

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 20:30:00 +0000

An urge to search for traditional recipes with apples resulted because of a walk we took last week near our cottage. We came across a familiar old apple tree still standing next to the ruins of a house. It has never stopped producing apples yearly for more than six decades now as my mother remembers, with no gardener’s care - just running water from a spring on the property. We hadn’t explored this corner of the village for a couple of years and we were pleased to find that the tree was still productive and that there were still some apples left for us by the birds who had already taken their share. I love that sense of déjà vu under a tree like this, imagining the repeated ritual of harvesting its fruits.

Though apples have been cultivated in Greece for many centuries yet, as far as I know, there are no recipes in Greek traditional cuisine like pies and cakes, which call for apples. They have always been the most popular year round fruit in every house pantry, but have been appreciated uncooked as a tasty fruit and a healthy snack.

Firikia (φιρίκια) a local variety of small, oval shaped apples with an intoxicating, sweet aroma and wonderful taste are the only exception to this rule. Firikia are peeled, halved and seeded, and then slow cooked in vanilla syrup with blanched almonds. This way their taste and aromas get richer and more intense. I love them as a quick dessert, paired with yogurt which balances their sweetness.

Apples cooked in vanilla syrup

1 kg of peeled, seeded and quartered, cooking apples
1kg granulated sugar
500ml water
1-2tsps vanilla extract
50gr blanched raw almonds
Juice from a lemon

In a cooking pot over high heat put the sugar and water. As soon as the sugar dissolves, add the apples and vanilla extract, turn the heat to medium-low and let them simmer for 40-60min checking on the thickness of the syrup so it is neither too running or too thick. (I cooked 2 ½ kilos of apples and it took 60min of cooking time, for a perfect syrup)
If you happen to have a cooking thermometer, then the right temperature is at 104 C ( 219 F).
Just a minute before you remove the pot from the heat add the lemon juice and almonds to the cooked apples.
When still hot, pour (carefully not to burn your fingers) the apples with their syrup into sterilized jars, and store them for up to a year.

Fresh quince and filo, mini pies

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 17:45:00 +0000

Housewives and chefs have a shared sense of economy in their kitchens. From the shopping list to the fridge leftovers, food is used wisely and nothing gets wasted when it can still be used in cooking.
At our house, the leftovers from the tomato salad we had for lunch would be the base for the tomato sauce in the dinner stew, and the cooked greens I never loved as a kid would turn into a delicious omelet that I would, unsuspiciously, happily eat. But my favorite edition of this cooking trick occurred when my mother would make cheese pies with filo pastry and she would save a couple of sheets to stuff with the last spoonfuls of any jam that had been forgotten in the fridge. The crispiness of the baked filo and the aroma of the hot jam always created a yummy surprise treat because the filling was always different.
You can make a light last minute jam with any seasonal fruits available, and then make sweet filo pies. I made a fresh quince jam and the taste was superb, not very sweet and full of quince and vanilla aromas.

Fresh quince and filo, mini pies
Makes 10 mini pies

2 filo sheets
Butter or vegetable oil
400gr fresh quince jam
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

For the jam:
300gr fresh quince, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
150gr granulated sugar
80ml water
Vanilla flavoring

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, put all the ingredients of the jam and cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the juices have absorbed. Let cool.

Cut each filo sheet lengthwise into five strips, about 7cm each (store bought phyllo sheets in Greece are usually 35cm). Cover the filo sheets with a damp kitchen towel, because if you don’t they dry easily and crumble.
Take a strip on your working area and brush with butter. Place a teaspoonful of jam at one end of the strip and fold the bottom edge of the strip over it to form a triangle. Then fold this triangle back on the strip and keep folding along the strip till the end. (see photo with instructions) Do the same with the rest of the strips.
Arrange the mini pies on a baking pan lined with baking paper. Brush with butter and bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 30min or until golden brown. Or fry them in vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides. Place the fried pies on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

Greek yogurt panna cotta, and baked figs with honey and walnuts

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 11:13:00 +0000

My grandfather planted a fig tree in the garden of our cottage that, despite its age, has never stopped producing fruits year after year. Fig trees, like olive trees, live long. They are commonly found in the Greek country side next to old houses or ruins, still in perfect shape and full of fruits every August, as if time for them is an endless youth.
I’m sure you have had that ‘feeling’ when visiting an older relative’s house after many years, a sense that you remember it being bigger and suddenly you realize that houses usually keep their shape and that it is you who, like Alice in Wonderland, grew larger. I had that sense the other day with the fig tree in our garden. As a child I used to climb on its branches to pick more figs and back then I used to think it was huge.
Our figs are yellow, the variety used for sun dried figs. Every August my grandmother would lay them on thatch on the terrace under the hot summer sun to dry and after the sunset every evening we would help her to carry them into the house to protect them against humidity. That ritual would be repeated for as many days as needed until the figs would dry out and be ready for storage. My grandmother stored them in cookie boxes layered with laurel leaves as a preserving agent.
Figs are usually consumed fresh, but in Greece we make a wonderful emerald sweet preserve in June with unripe figs, and of course as I said before, some varieties can be dried and used all year in other confections.

Greek yogurt panna cotta, and baked figs with honey and walnuts

Serves 4

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert, but I thought to give it a Greek touch with yogurt, honey and walnuts.

For the panna cotta:

250gr Greek full fat yogurt
300gr milk
50gr granulated sugar
4gr gelatin sheets

For the baked figs:

8 fresh figs cut in half
3Tbsps honey
4Tbsps roughly chopped walnuts

Place the gelatin sheets in a small bowl with cold water to soften them.
In a pot over medium low heat, pour the milk and sugar and let the milk get warm but NOT hot. It will take just 2-3min. Remove from heat.
Remove the softened gelatin sheets from cold water, squeeze them in your hand to remove water and mix the gelatin sheets in the warm milk for a minute until they dissolve.
Place the yogurt in a bowl and mix it with a wire whisk along with the warm milk- gelatin mixture until totally incorporated. Pour the mixture in panna cotta molds or coffee cups and place them in the fridge for several hours to set.
Baked figs:
Arrange the figs and walnuts in a baking pan, pour the honey over them and bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 30 min. Serve at room temperature with cold panna cotta or with Greek yogurt.

Greek salad with rotini pasta

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 12:06:00 +0000

Hot summer weather provides us with the tastiest fruits and vegetables for the flavorful dishes that make cooks so happy. And when I say dishes I don’t necessarily mean complicated techniques and time consuming recipes. Who wants to spend time in a hot kitchen in the middle of August?
All you need is a good variety of seasonal veggies and a little imagination to prepare a nutritious and filling salad. If you also add pasta you can turn any salad into a full, impressive, and no fuss meal. A classic Greek salad, for example, paired with rotini pasta makes a wonderful summer dish that everyone loves. It is easy to make and can be served chilled or at room temperature, making it ideal for a picnic.

Greek, pasta salad

Serves 6
500gr cooked and chilled rotini pasta
2 medium ripe tomatoes finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
1 small cucumber finely chopped
1 green pepper deseeded and finely choped
1Tsp dry oregano
100gr olive oil
200gr crushed feta
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl you simply mix all the ingredients of the salad and serve! As simple as that.

Lemonáto - Lemon flavored chicken stew

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 09:11:00 +0000

Lemon flavored casserole stews, or lemonáta (λεμονάτα) as we call them in Greek, are very popular because of the refreshing and slightly sour taste that the lemon juice and peel give to these dishes. Although lemon flavored dishes are cooked all year long, summer is the most popular season for lemonáta. Hot weather calls for light flavors! Poultry and beef are the most popular meat choices for this dish.
Lemonáto can be served with pasta, rice or most preferably with homemade fried potatoes.

Lemonáto

1 chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
100gr olive oil
1medium onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1litre of hot water or chicken stock
Juice and the peel from one lemon

In a large skillet over medium heat pour the olive oil and when hot add the chicken, skin side down, and brown quickly for 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over, add onion and the garlic, reduce the heat to medium- low and let the onion soften for about 4-5 min. Season with salt and pepper, add the water or chicken stock, cover and let the chicken cook for 40-50min checking occasionally if the liquid is enough; add some more hot water if needed.
When the chicken has cooked, add the lemon juice and peel to the pot and cook for 2-3min more so that the flavors combine.
Serve hot with homemade fried potatoes or, if you prefer with pasta or rice.

Visináda - Sour cherries refreshing beverage

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 11:12:00 +0000

Visináda (βυσσινάδα) is one of the favorite beverages in Greece. It is made with the juice of sour cherries and sugar, cooked until it’s concentrated into a thick, deep purple syrup. Though sour cherries are not usually eaten raw, they taste just wonderful when cooked with sugar.

In my little village we have only wild sour cherry trees; I never found out who first cultivated them here but they must have loved this place. And even if you plant only one tree, in a few years you end up with a small wild sour cherry forest because they tend to expand like crazy. Though you need to pit twice the amount of the wild fruit for a recipe compared to cultivated sour cherries, the wild variety has a superb taste. Sour cherries can be found in farmer’s markets at the end of June and early July in Greece; in July and even August in more northern countries.

To enjoy visináda, pour in a glass, one part of syrup and four parts of ice cold water or club soda and fill with ice. Sour cherry syrup can also be used over ice cream and desserts or in cocktails for color and taste.

Visináda
1kg sour cherries
1kg granulated sugar
2Tsps lemon juice

Wash the sour cherries in a colander, drain them and put them in a bowl. Press the sour cherries with a wooden spatula or by hand until they are all mashed. Put a fine sieve over a cooking pot, pour the mashed sour cherries in the sieve and press to get as much liquid, in the pot, as possible. Discard the sour cherry skin and stones left in the sieve.
Add the sugar to the cooking pot with the sour cherry juice (≤ 500gr) , add the lemon juice and bring to a boil. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, cook for further 5 min.
Pour the sour cherry syrup in sterilized bottles and, when they’ve cooled, store them in the fridge for several months.
Serve in tall glass, 1part (or to taste) of syrup and 4parts of ice cold water or club soda and ice.

Notice: 1kg of sour cherries, usually gives 450-500gr juice. If you get less than 400gr of juice just add water to reach the required amount.

Tyropitákia - feta and phyllo, mini cheese pies

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 10:20:00 +0000

When I was in college cooking was not my forte so, to save me from eating junk food, my mother would load my freezer with dozens of small homemade cheese pies (tyropitákia) for my meals. I would fry them for a few minutes straight from the freezer and immediately had a delicious, crunchy and flavorful snack, - a snack that I have not stopped loving ever since.
They are great with a glass of beer as a meze, or with some salad for a filling and fast meal, or as a handy snack at work or school. We serve them at the restaurant as a first course or for meze dishes.

Tyropitákia
Makes about 30 mini cheese pies
6 phyllo sheets (thawed)
300gr Feta cheese
2 eggs beaten
Ground pepper to taste
Olive oil, to brush the phyllo sheets

In bowl place the feta and crumble it with a fork. Add the beaten eggs and pepper and mix until you get a firm batter.
Cut each phyllo sheet lengthwise into five strips, about 7cm each ( store bought phyllo sheets in Greece are usually 35cm long). Cover the phyllo sheets with a damp kitchen towel, because they dry easily and then crumble.
Take a strip on your working area and brush with oil. Place a teaspoonful of batter at one end of the strip and fold the bottom edge of the strip over it to form a triangle. Then fold this triangle back on the strip and keep folding along the strip till the end. (see photo with instructions) Do the same with the rest of the strips.
(If you think that folding them is a bit boring, you can cut each phyllo sheet in three bigger strips instead of five the recipes calls for and add more cheese batter each time. This is faster and makes for bigger pies.)
At this stage if you want, you can place the tyropitákia on baking paper and freeze them for future use.
For a quick snack, the tyropitákia can be fried in olive or vegetable oil until golden on both sides. Or you can bake them in preheated oven at 180 C for about 15minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Note: I took only 6 phyllo sheets from the package to make a batch, and used the remaining phyllo sheets for another recipe. If you want to use all the phyllo sheets of the package, just double the batter’s ingredients.

Eliópsoma – Kalamáta olives and thyme, bread sticks

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Mon, 19 May 2014 13:54:00 +0000

Lying at the head of the Messenian Gulf in southern Greece, Kalamáta is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese. This city is famous all over the planet for wonderful ‘’Kalamáta olives’’ which originated here and have been cultivated in the area for many centuries. They are now protected under the European ‘’Protected Geographical Status’’ scheme.
In Greece Kalamáta olives are mostly eaten as a snack, at branch or lunch, or as a mezedes for drinks, but they are also used in cooking some regional stews and, of course, in olive breads. From time to time my mother would make sourdough olive bread for the family and she would also make some olive bread sticks for me; I have always loved their crust!
Since not everyone is familiar with sourdough, I will give you the yeast version which is, in my opinion, just as good.

Olive bread sticks
Makes about 10 bread sticks:

250gr all purpose flour, plus some for dusting
200gr tepid water
5gr dry yeast
5gr salt
1Tbsp olive oil
150gr Kalamáta olives, pitted and halved
1tsp dry thyme

In a mixer bowl, put the flour, yeast and salt. Add the tepid water, and olive oil, and with hook attachment fitted, mix for 5-7min on medium speed. Add olives and thyme to the dough and mix until well incorporated.
Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and place at a warm spot and leave until tripled in size, - about an hour.
Carefully, transfer the risen dough to a working area well dusted with flour. It will be very loose but it’s fine. Flatten the dough with your palms to a rectangle, being careful not to break the air bubbles in the dough. Cut 10 strips of dough and transfer them to the baking trays lined with baking paper, leaving some space between them for the final rise. Cover the baking trays with kitchen towels and place them in a warm spot for about 20-30min until risen. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220 C.
Bake for 15-20 minutes and then let cool on wire rack.

Koulourákia - Easter cookies

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 18:07:00 +0000

Whereas Christmas is celebrated in Greece in much the same way as it is globally (Christmas trees,presents, blinking lights, stuffed turkey), Easter is, for us, a unique feast of special foods, traditions ,and most of all, huge, noisy, and long anticipated family gatherings.
Sweet breads flavored with mastic (tsourekia) and Easter cookies, (koulourákia) are the most popular treats every housewife makes annually for the family and to give away to friends. Of course everyone has this or her own recipe for those special treats. Well, almost everyone did, because in my home town we all shared the same ‘’secret” recipe. It was very common in small towns during the 80’s and 90’s, before the big super markets arrived, to buy all food supplies from the local grocer. So, during the week leading up to Easter, we would simply ask for the ingredients needed to make 3-4 kilos of Easter cookies.
Home produced eggs and milk were used if available but the exact quantity of the other ingredients for the recipe like fresh butter, sugar, vanilla and special cookies flour were known by the grocer and handed out according to the kilos required in each case.
We became so attached to that recipe which was followed during all of my childhood years, that before the store owner retired, we made sure to get that foolproof recipe written down and have used it ever since.

Koulourákia
Makes about 80 cookies

500gr self raising flour
(or 500gr all purpose flour and 2tsps baking powder)
3 eggs
70gr melted butter
180gr granulated sugar
4Tsps milk
Vanilla flavoring

In a stand mixer bowl add the eggs and sugar and mix with the wire attachment until they turn creamy and yellow. Add milk, vanilla and butter and mix until incorporated. Finally add the flour to the egg mixture and with the hook attachment mix until flour disappears and a firm, elastic dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30min.
Preheat the oven to 180 C and line baking pans with parchment paper.
Take small pieces of the dough (the size of a small walnut) and on your working area, roll out each piece by hand to a ‘’pencil’’ thin rope. Cut the rope in two pieces, bring one piece next to the other and twist them to form a cookie. Arrange the cookies on the baking pan and bake for 15-20min until golden. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack and store them in a cookie box for 3-4 weeks. They are wonderful with a glass of milk or with coffee.

Baklava with walnuts, almonds and olive oil

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 18:22:00 +0000

Baklava has a Middle Eastern origin but it has been incorporated into Greek cuisine to such a degree that many people nowadays believe it’s actually a Greek dessert. That’s fair enough because in Greece we love every dessert made with phyllo pastry and syrup no matter what the filling might be. These desserts are categorized as ‘’siropiastá’’ (σιροπιαστά) which means ‘’syrup soaked’’ desserts.

Of course, every home cook has his or her own version of baklava: with walnuts and almonds or pistachios, with or without spices, and finally with either butter or olive oil. I have to admit that butter gives a wonderful taste to baklava but my grandmother disagreed. She preferred making her baklava with olive oil during the Lenten season before Easter. She believed it was the tastiest vegan dessert and, in any case, she wanted to use up the remaining walnuts from the previous year’s crop before hot weather would turn them tangy.

Olive oil doesn’t affect baklava’s taste because the flavor of spices overpowers the olive oil; the added plus is that olive oil makes the phyllo sheets nice and crispy.

If you want to make the butter version, just use the same amount of butter, instead of olive oil. (For a really buttery flavor, drizzle the baklava with another 100gr of melted butter just before baking.)

Baklava

Makes 24 pieces ( I used a 23x33cm baking pan)

500gr pastry phyllo dough, thawed (1 package)

300gr ground walnuts

100gr ground almonds, skin on

200gr olive oil

1½tsp ground cinnamon

½tsp ground cloves

For the syrup:

600gr granulated sugar

350gr water

1Tbsp lemon juice

1Tbsp glucose syrup (optional)

In a bowl, stir together the walnuts, almonds, cinnamon and cloves.

Lay the phyllo dough out on a clean dry working surface and cover with a damp cloth. (Phyllo dries out very easily and then becomes fragile) One package usually has 12 sheets of phyllo dough. Depending on the thinness there may be 14 sheets; you will use 5 sheets at the bottom of the pan, 2 in the middle, and the 5 or 7 left, for the top layers.

In the greased pan, lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another phyllo on top and brush it with olive oil. Repeat layering and oiling with 3 more phyllo sheets.

Gently spread half of the walnut mixture in an even layer on top of the phyllo sheets in the baking pan. Place a phyllo sheet over the walnut mixture and brush with olive oil. Repeat layering and oiling with one more phyllo. Spread the remaining half of the walnut mixture in an even layer on top of the phyllo sheets in the baking pan. Layer over the walnut mixture and oil the remaining 5 (or 7) phyllo sheets. Place baklava in the fridge for 30min to rest and set.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 170 C.

Cut the baklava into 24 pieces and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until lightly golden. Meanwhile make the syrup; stir together water, sugar, glucose syrup and lemon juice in a sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3min.

Pour the hot syrup carefully over the hot baked baklava. Let stand for 2-3 hours before serving. Baklava can be stored at room temperature for more than a week.

One-pot chicken stew with tomato and chylopites pasta.

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 20:27:00 +0000

Every summer housewives all over Greece make homemade fresh pasta. The hot weather helps it to dry naturally and it can then be used all year long for traditional cooking.

The most common type of homemade dry pasta is chylopites, so called because the final product is cut into many tiny flat squares. (The literal meaning is flat pies-layers of dough)

Nowadays dry chylopites can be found in every food store all over Greece so everyone can enjoy them, although it has to be said that homemade ones always taste much better.

Chylopites are used in soups or in savory pie fillings in order to absorb juices, but the most popular dish is chicken stew with tomato and chylopites cooked in the sauce. Traditionally a rooster is the preferred bird, but chicken is fine too.

Serves 4

4 big chicken legs (or a chicken cut in 4 pieces)
1 onion chopped
150gr olive oil
300gr chopped fresh tomatoes (or canned)
1tsp tomato paste
5-6 cloves and a small cinnamon stick
1.5 litres water
salt and pepper to taste
300gr dry chylopites (or other small shaped pasta)

In a cooking pot over medium heat add the olive oil and when hot fry the chicken in batches until lightly golden. Then strain and transfer to a plate.
In the same pot with the same oil cook the chopped onion and, when it has wilted return the chicken to the pot, add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, cloves and cinnamon and 1½ litres of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 50min or until the chicken is tender.
Transfer the chicken from the pot to a plate, cover and keep it warm.
In the pot with the chicken sauce, add the pasta and some boiling water if needed (there must be about a litre of liquid in the pot) and cook until the pasta is done and most of the liquids are absorbed.
Serve the chicken with the chylopites topped by grated kefalotyri cheese.

Amygdalotá - almond meal, gluten free cookies

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 17:23:00 +0000

Almond based confections or amygdalotá (αμυγδαλωτά) as we call them are found all over Greece in endless versions. They can be shaped like pears, balls, or little logs and are usually flavored with scented flower blossom water, a liquor or, less often, with vanilla. They are often sold filled with jam or chocolate ganache and resemble French macarons.
Amygdalotá in many Aegean islands are a special little treat symbolizing happiness and prosperity and offered to guests at weddings and Christenings,.
The version of amygdalotá I made today is found in pastry shops all over the country. They are plainer than the filled versions and made with a higher ratio of almond meal.

Amygdalotá
Makes 18 big or 36 bite-sized, cookies

250gr blanched almonds
150gr confectioner’s sugar
2 egg whites (70gr)
Vanilla flavoring
a pinch of salt
18 almonds for decoration

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade grind the almonds to a fine meal. (Have a few whole ones on hand to decorate the cookies.).
In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer, adding the sugar gradually until a glossy meringue forms. Fold the ground almonds into the meringue.
Preheat the oven to 170 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper..
Take spoonfuls of the almond mixture and form balls between your palms. This works best if you first dampen your hands with water so the dough doesn’t stick.
Place the balls on the parchment paper and press them lightly to flatten them a bit and then place a whole almond in the center of each cookie.
Bake them for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
When they cool, place them in a cookie box because they dry out easily.

Feta and sundried tomato balls in oregano and chili flavored olive oil

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 14:49:00 +0000

What might characterize our family meals in Greece is the variety of dishes served. Housewives rarely cook only one dish for the family and, even when they do, three or more side dishes are usually served as well. We love little bites of this and that, what we call mezedes; they are most often cheese, olives, pickles, all sorts of savory spreads,and flaky pies with fillings that vary according to the season of the year. Preparing them at home demands some effort but they cost less and offer flavorful snacksevery day.
Meze bites are also served when you want to have a snack with your wine, beer or ouzo but not eat an actual meal. In Greece there are restaurants that serve only meze dishes from an endless list; these places are called ‘’mezedopolia’’ (μεζεδοπωλεία).
Feta balls are a wonderful meze to prepare ahead and can be served straight from the jar to the table or spread on slices of bread. Toasting the bread with feta under the grill for a few minutes provides a filling and impressive warm meze.

Feta balls:
Makes about 20 bite size balls

150gr crushed feta
150gr fresh mizithra* or ricotta cheese
1tbsp finely chopped sundried tomatoes
1tbsp chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste
250gr olive oil, or enough to cover the feta balls in the jar
Fresh or dry oregano
Dry chili pepper flakes (optional)

In a bowl place feta, mizithra or ricotta, sun dried tomatoes,dill, salt and pepper and mix with a wooden spatula until combined.
Pour the olive oil in the jar, add the oregano and chili flakes and mix with a spoon to combine.
Form bite-size balls from the feta mixture and place them in the jar with the aromatic olive oil. Let them stand for a few hours before you serve them so the flavors combine. You can store these feta balls in the fridge for 3 weeks.

*Mizithra is made from raw, whole sheep or goat milk in the simplest way possible: milk is brought to a slow boil for a few minutes and then curdled by adding rennet or whey from a previous batch), or simply something acidic, e.g. lemon juice or vinegar. As soon as the curds have formed, they are poured into a cheesecloth bag which is hung to drain. After a few days, mizithra has formed into a soft mass which is sweet and moist, and has been moulded in the shape of the hanging bag At this stage it is called "sweet" or "fresh mizithra" and may be used as is. Otherwise it is rubbed with coarse salt and left to age even more. It can ultimately turn into a very dense, hard, white cheese that is suitable for fine grating. In Greek cuisine, it is the most common and favourite cheese for pasta.

Paximádia portokaliou - orange and olive oil vegan biscotti

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 21:13:00 +0000

Baking slices of bread twice has always been a popular method to expand the life of fresh bread. Nomads, fishermen, - anyone away from home with no means to get fresh bread, could use the dry, twice-baked slices of bread by rehydrating it (often with wine in Greece) and in this way have a filling meal or snack.
In Greece we still use a lot of twice-baked slices of bread which we call paximádia (παξιμάδια). These are mostly made with wheat flour, corn polenta, or even barley. In Crete they are called dácos (ντάκος). Mostly served as an appetizer, paximádia are often topped with finely chopped tomato and feta, or crushed in salads for taste and texture.
Sweet paximadia, made from lightly sweetened dough, with olive oil and citrus zest, is a vegan version similar to the Italian biscotti. It is a healthy cookie for morning coffee, and an always available homemade treat for guests.

Paximádia portokaliou
Makes about 20 cookies

180gr olive oil (or half olive, half vegetable oil)
150gr sugar
100gr orange juice
½ tsp baking soda
Zest from an orange
Vanilla flavoring (to taste)
¼ tsp salt
500gr all purpose flour

In a large bowl add the olive oil (or the olive oil -vegetable oil combination), orange juice, sugar, orange zest, salt, vanilla and soda, and mix them with a whisk wire until they are combined.
Add the flour to the oil- orange mixture and mix until the flour is incorporated and an elastic dough forms.
Transfer the dough into a pan lined with parchment and form into a log that is about 30cm long. Bake at 180 for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the log from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
With a sharp knife, slice the log crosswise into individual cookies, each about 1cm. Place the cookies back on the baking sheet, and bake at 170 C for 20 minutes or until golden.
Let the cookies cool on a rack and store them in a cookie box for up to two months!

Kouloúria Thessalonikis - crunchy and chewy, breakfast bread rings

noreply@blogger.com (panos) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 09:36:00 +0000

Greece is not famous for street food but in cities around the country you will always come across someone either standing by a little glass kiosk or carrying a huge tray selling just one thing: deliciously crunchy and chewy freshly baked bread rings. Kouloúria are the classic breakfast or mid morning snack for almost every busy office worker or visitor to the center.

These bread rings are called ‘kouloúria Thessalonikis’ The word kouloúri means something coiled or circular and it is such a perfect description that the ancient Greeks used the same word, kolyria, to describe their bread treats. Around the eastern Mediterranean such bread rings are also known as known as simit or simiti.
In the old days paper thin pieces of yellow hard cheese were sold with the bread rings for those who wanted a more filling snack.

Kouloúria have never stopped being popular and, generation after generation, people who appreciate their nutritional value have continued to buy them from street vendors or bakeries. The sesame seeds which cover the surface of every koulouria are loaded with vitamins and minerals and are rich in protein (25 percent by weight). And better yet, one delicious bread ring has no more than 100 calories.

Kouloúria Thessalonikis

Makes 6-8 bread rings

250gr bread flour
150gr lukewarm water
1tbsp sugar
1tsp salt
4gr dry bread yeast
1tbsp olive oil

To roll the bread rings:

2tbsp sugar
1/2cup of lukewarm water
50gr sesame seeds

In a bowl add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, and gradually pour in most of the water while mixing the ingredients with your hands. When the water has been absorbed, add the rest of it along with the olive oil and knead for a few minutes until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it stand in a warm spot for half an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Dust your working area with flour, transfer the dough and divide it in six or eight pieces. Roll out each piece by hand to a thin rope (according to your taste) and shape them into rings. Transfer the bread rings to baking pans lined with baking paper. In a bowl mix the lukewarm water with the sugar until the sugar dissolves and with this solution brush the bread rings. Sprinkle the bread rings with sesame, cover, and let rest for about 20min until they rise.
Bake them for about 15-20min in a preheated oven at 200 C until golden. Transfer immediately from pans to wire racks and let cool. Enjoy!