Adriana's Greek Recipes from Symi-Printer Friendly Version! Cured Olives
An uncured olive is a bitter and inedible thing,
only attractive to wasps, birds and various insects. To enjoy the olives
from your tree some effort is required - and quite a lot of patience.
These are some of the methods I have experimented with, with varying degrees of success, over the years.
1. Place black olives in a jar, alternating
with layers of coarse salt. Leave for 20 days, shaking every day and
topping up the salt as the juices start to run. After 20 days, rinse one
olive and taste it. If it is still bitter, add more salt and leave for
longer. If it is okay, add luke warm water to cover. Pour in 60 ml red
wine vinegar and add to the olives in the jar. Pour over some olive oil
to cover. Leave for a few days before eating. This method works quite
well for fairly small olives as it is not labour intensive.
2. Slash the olives with a sharp knife or
pierce several times with a darning needle, being careful not to damage
the pit. If you have a lot of olives try to rally some helpers for this!
Soak the olives for 12-15 days, changing the water daily. When they are
no longer bitter put into a brine made up of one part sea salt to 10 parts
warm water. Add vinegar and olive oil as above and leave for a few days
before eating.
3. Layer olives and coarse salt in a sack or
wicker basket and leave in the sun for 3 weeks until the bitter juices run
out, adding more salt and shaking the sack or basket every day. This
results in shrivelled olives so it is best to start off with quick large
specimens. When they are no longer bitter, you may wish to replace some
of the lost moisture by marinating in the olives in vinegar or olive oil
for a few days before eating.
All of the above can then be flavoured with
various additions such as slices of lemon, garlic, chillies, rigani etc
but it is very important to eliminate the bitterness first.
****************************************************************************************************************************** This one is for Kojak. It comes from a small cookbook modestly entitled 'Greek Cooking - the finest traditional recipes' by Despina Tsakira and with a pedigree like that it has to be authentic... Just remember that this is for free range rabbits which need a lot of cooking, not specially fattened plump bunnies.
Spicy
Rabbit Stew
(looks like a stifado recipe to me)
2 kilos of rabbit or hare
1.5 kilos small onions
1.5 cups olive oil
2 tomatoes, grated
1 head of garlic
2 bay leaves
1 cup vinegar
2 cloves
some whole peppercorns
salt
Marinate hare or rabbit by cutting into pieces and
putting in a bowl with vinegar and water the night before. The next day
drain, add salt and pepper. Sauté meat well in a saucepan with half the
olive oil. Douse with a cup of vinegar, add grated tomatoes, whole cloves
of garlic, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns and a little water and cook. At
the same time, clean the onions, without removing roots which are scraped so
that they do not disintegrate while cooking. heat the rest of the olive oil
in a frying pan and saute whole onions. Empty contents of frying pan, along
with olive oil, into pan, add a proportional amount of salt and pepper, a
little hot water and simmer until the meat is cooked, onions are done and
sauce has thickened.
******************************************************************************************************************************
Halloumy and Red
Pepper Salad
There are lots of beautiful shiny red Florina
peppers around at the moment and the first of the new season's greens are
for sale too. What better way to combine them than in this simple and
colourful salad.
200
grams halloumy cheese, sliced 2 mm thick and patted dry
2-3 long red peppers, cored and cut into strips
1 fat red onion, cut into segments from top to
bottom (they are sweeter that way!)
60 ml olive oil
selection of rocket, endive, Kos lettuce, blanched
dandelion and other suitable greens, washed, dried and torn into bite- sized
pieces
handful of pine nuts, crushed walnuts or roughly
chopped almonds
Divide the greens between salad plates. Heat the
olive oil in a frying pan and fry the halloumy on both sides until crisp.
Place on top of the greens. Add the onions and peppers to the frying pan
and saute quickly until they start to soften. Spoon over the cheese.
Sprinkle nuts on top and serve immediately.
See, lots of flavour without having to add any
gloop from a bottle!
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It's easy to think that peas are a typical
English vegetable, usually served to add a little colour on a plate
of meat and potatoes. Greeks cook them too, but in a way that has
little to do with a plate of 'meat and three veg'. And they are just
coming into season now... This type of vegetable dish appears on
Greek menus until the heading of ladera, referring to the olive oil
in which they are cooked. ******************************************************************************************************************************
Sounds like it is comfort food time
on the Chat Page, judging by the debate on
the relative merits of marmite and jam and the horrors of deep fried
pizza. Here's a Middle Eastern variation on pizza that is easy
to make. They used to make these at the Arab bakery near the
entrance to Jaffa port (see photo) when we lived there about 12 years
ago and it was impossible to buy the bread for the day without buying
one of these to munch on the way home!
Jaffa Pita Pizza
One quantity risen pizza dough,
rolled out and shaped as per my recipes (see archive) but unbaked
One
egg per person
Handful of black olives, pitted
A little olive oil
Some
feta cheese mashed with a handful of chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to very hot as for
the usual pita. Shape the pita dough into slipper shapes but
pinch a bit of a rim around the edges so the topping doesn't slide
off. Work quickly as this is one time you don't want pita to
form a pocket! Crack an egg onto the top of some of them and
spread the others with the cheese mixture. Add a few olives to
each, to taste. Drizzle a little olive oil over the egg yolks so
they don't burn and put them all into the oven until the egg has set
and the dough is cooked through. If the oven is hot enough this
should not take longer than five minutes. Eat while still warm.
******************************************************************************************************************************
Peppered Lamb Chops
This is
a slightly different variation on marinated lamb chops and can be
cooked either on the BBQ or under the grill if the weather turns
against you. It is a good recipe for those who have to watch
their salt intake as all the herbs and spices add plenty of
flavour without added sodium.
12-16
lamb chops, of even thickness and neatly trimmed
1 tablespoon freshly ground
mixed peppercorns
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or
oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh mint,
chopped
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
250 ml olive oil
Wash and pat dry the lamb chops
and put them in a plastic or porcelain dish with a lid. Put
all the seasonings in a blender and chop together or crush with a
pestle and mortar. Mix into the oil and pour over the lamb
chops. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Grill or BBQ until cooked to
your liking and season with salt to taste if necessary.
Serve immediately.
****************************************************************************************************************************** This is an interesting - and healthier - alternative to the cheeseburger. It is one I included in the cookery feature in the July edition of the Symi Visitor and I make it quite often in the summer. Biftekia
with Feta and Herb Stuffing Or
Who Needs Cheeseburgers? 800
grams lean minced beef 1
onion, grated 15
ml medium hot mustard 2
eggs Salt
and freshly ground black pepper 15
ml sweet paprika powder 15
ml dried marjoram or 10 ml rigani a
few breadcrumbs to bind. Stuffing: 200
grams feta cheese 1
small bunch flat leaf parsley 1
small bunch spring onions 2
cloves of garlic Yoghurt
to serve. Mix
together all the hamburger ingredients and form into 8 patties.
Cut the feta into small dice.
Finely chop the herbs and crush the garlic.
Put a third of the chopped herbs and garlic with the cheese and
mix the rest with the yoghurt. Set
the yoghurt aside. Put
the feta and herb mixture in the centre of each of four patties and
put the remaining four on top. Press
together firmly around the edges to seal.
Grill or barbecue the hamburgers until cooked through and serve
with the herb yoghurt. ******************************************************************************************************************************
Yoghurt and
Peach Ice Cream This is from 'Yoghurt. Yes, Please!', a new Greek cookbook by Ermione Spheeris which I have reviewed in the July edition of the Symi Visitor. Just the thing for summer and it doesn't need an ice cream machine or other equipment either so anyone can make it.
750 grams peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest, slightly
toasted
1 tablespoon orange zest,
slightly toasted
350 grams low fat yoghurt
6 tablespoons honey
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons cognac
Mash the peaches in a bowl and
mix in the lemon and orange zest. Add the yoghurt, honey and
cognac and stir together well. In another bowl, beat the egg
whites into stiff peaks and then gently fold the meringue into the
yoghurt and peach mixture. Make sure you keep your strokes
light and in one direction. Freeze the mixture making sure
that over the course of the freezing you beat the mixture at least
once or twice more. This will ensure that your ice cream stays
smooth and doesn't crystallise. Serve in decorated tall ice
cream glasses.
****************************************************************************************************************************** If you like carrot cake, this is similar and a great way of using up a glut of courgettes. And it is a sneaky way of feeding vegetables to the sweet-toothed. If you have a food processor it is one of those recipes where you can sling into all into one bowl and go whoosh. It freezes well.
Spicy Courgette
Cake
50 grams almonds, walnuts or
pecans, coarsely chopped
zest of one lemon
4 courgettes, peeled and grated to
make 250 ml
1 egg
125 ml olive oil
200 grams plain flour
145 grams brown sugar
5 ml ground cinnamon or ground
ginger
3 ml ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
3 ml salt
3 ml baking powder
3 ml bicarbonate of soda
Preheat oven to 170 degrees
centigrade. Oil and line two loaf tins about 20 cm by
10 cm.
Mix together grated courgettes, egg
and oil until well mixed. Then stir in all the other
ingredients. Do not overmix.
Divide the mixture between the two
tins, smooth the tops and bake for about an hour or until a skewer
comes out clean. This is quite a moist recipe so let the loaves
cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turniing them out.
******************************************************************************************************************************
This is an
easy lunch or supper to put together when you
want something slow to nibble on in the garden
while you admire whatever is flowering and plan
your holidays. Add or subtract according
to what is looking good. Remember to vary
tastes, textures and colours. I f you have
a divided dish, use that, otherwise use a big
plate. Make the whole thing as pretty as
possible and serve with small plates, forks,
fresh bread and, of course, some Greek wine or
retsina. Adjust quantities to suit
appetites!
Mezze Plate
6-10 new
potatoes, steamed until just tender
1 big red
tomato, cut into large chunks
1 cucumber,
peeled in stripes and cut into chunks
piece of
feta, diced
handful of
black olives - the wrinkly dried ones add a
smokey taste
handful of
green olives - the ones bottled with lemon and
coriander have a clean fresh taste
a few
sardines or anchovies, well drained. If
you have any Greek sardines canned with oregano,
so much the better.
2-3
hardboiled eggs, cooled and shelled quickly so
the yolks are still bright yellow
1 red or
yellow pepper, sliced longways into strips
Some pickled
capers or, better still, pickled caper leaves
from your last Symi holiday
Some rocket
if it is good and fresh, well washed and any
scraggy bits removed
The heart of
a cos lettuce (use the outside leaves to line
the plate)
Some
flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
80 ml olive
oil
juice of one
good lemon
2 pinches of
dried oregano
Whisk
together the olive oil, lemon and oregano.
Pour half of it over the potatoes while they are
still warm and toss to coat.
Arrange all
the ingredients in little heaps on the serving
plate, tucking rocket and lettuce leaves between
the different items. Halve the eggs and
sprinkle with parsley and make a nest for them
with the heart of the lettuce. Drizzle the
remaining dressing over the tomatoes and
cucumbers.
****************************************************************************************************************************** Fried Courgettes and Onions with Pine Nuts This is nice as either a vegetable accompaniment to grilled meat or as part of a mezze table. A dollop of yoghurt goes well with this. The calorie conscious can roast the vegetables in the oven instead but I have found that this is only worth doing if the oven is on for something else.
4 young
courgettes, topped and tailed and then sliced
thinly into ribbons
1 big red
onion, peeled and sliced from top to bottom into
slivers
60 ml olive
oil
60 ml pine
nuts
lemon wedges
to serve
Heat half the
olive oil in a heavy sauté pan or wok and cook
the onions until they start to colour, shaking
occasionally to make sure they don't burn.
Remove and keep warm. Add the rest of the
oil and cook the courgette ribbons until golden.
Return the onions to the pan. Add the pine
nuts and toss everything together. Serve
warm or at room temperature with lemon.
****************************************************************************************************************************** Kataifi - if you can find the pastry to make these they are easier than you might think, and have a more interesting texture than their cousins, the ubiquitous baklava. Try this basic recipe first and then experiment by varying the flavours of the syrup (orange instead of lemon and so on), the kind of nuts and also the shapes. Have fun! They will keep in the fridge for a few days but do become tougher with storage so are best eaten within a day or two of making.
500
grams kataifi pastry (available from
Middle Eastern, Turkish, Lebanese or
Greek delis)
250
grams unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
250
ml coarsely chopped walnuts
250
ml coarsely ground almonds
125
ml caster sugar
5 ml
ground cinnamon
3 ml
ground cloves
1 egg
white, lightly beaten
15 ml
Metaxa
Syrup:
500
ml sugar
325
ml water
5 ml
lemon juice
thin
strip of lemon juice
4
cloves
Small
piece of cinnamon bark
15 ml
runny honey
First
make the syrup. Dissolve the sugar
in the water over gentle heat. Add
lemon juice and rind, cloves and
cinnamon. Bring to the boil and
simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in
honey, strain and cool.
Combine
all the filling ingredients in a bowl.
Divide
the pastry strands into 8 bundles and
spread them out lengthwise. Dab
some melted butter over the strands.
Put a dollop of filling at one end and
roll up firmly into a neat roll.
Pack the rolls snugly into a cake pan or
baking dish. Brush with the
remaining butter and bake for about an
hour in a moderate oven. Pour the
cool syrup over the warm pastries and
leave them to cool
****************************************************************************************************************************** Classic Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolmades)
This is
from my column in the Symi Visitor
newspaper and is a bit fussier than the
recipes I usually select for this web page
but it is by special request. Serve
with avgolemono sauce or yoghurt.
375
grams preserved vine leaves or 60 fresh
leaves
1
medium sized onion, finely chopped
30 ml
olive oil
500
grams finely minced lamb
250
grams finely minced beef
125 ml
short grain rice
30 ml
finely chopped parsley
10 ml
finely chopped mint
7 ml
salt
freshly
ground black pepper
30 ml
lemon juice
15 ml
butter
500 ml
light stock
Rinse
the vine leaves in cold water and blanch
in boiling water for 3 minutes in 3 or 4
batches. Remove to a basin of cold
water to cool and then transfer to a
colander over a plate to drain.
Gently
fry onion in oil until soft. Lightly
mix lamb, beef, rice, onion and oil,
herbs, salt and pepper until well
combined.
Place a
vine leaf, shiny side down, on a clean
work surface. Snip off the stem if
necessary. Place a tablespoon of the
mixture near the stem end, fold end and
sides in neatly over the stuffing and roll
up firmly. Repeat until you have
used up all the filling. Line the
base of a heavy pan with about 6 leaves.
You can use up any damaged ones this way.
Pack the dolmades closely, seasoning each
layer with salt and pepper and a little
lemon juice. Cover the top with the
remaining leaves. Add butter and
stock to the pan with any remaining lemon
juice. Invert a heavy plate on top
to keep the rolls in shape during cooking.
Cover pan with lid and place over medium
heat. Bring to a slow simmer and
simmer gently over very low heat for about
one and a half hours.
Drain
cooked dolmades and arrange on a dish.
Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Pita Bread - this is for Christine and anyone else out there who cannot buy pita easily locally. The recipe is not difficult - it just takes a little practice but if you follow the instructions below you should not have any problems. Watch points are that you roll the dough thin enough, don't let the shaped pittas rise for too long after shaping and that you have a really hot oven. If necessary use the grill to provide top heat. I sometimes make them on a flat sheet of hot metal on the BBQ. If your pockets don't work out the first time, the bread will still taste delicious and it can always be wrapped around the food instead of stuffed.
500 grams
plain flour
1 sachet
instant yeast
3 ml salt
5 ml
sugar
15 ml
olive oil or sunflower oil
Approximately
400 ml tepid water.
****************************************************************************************************************************** As Cyprus is in the news at the moment here is a traditional Cypriot recipe. Usually Afelia is made with pork but it can also be made with vegetables. Here is a potato version that makes a tasty addition to a vegetarian meal and is good on the mezze table. It is also served as an accompaniment to grilled meats and poultry. You can also make it with artichokes or mushrooms. One of the differences between Cypriot and Greek cooking is the use of corn oil rather than olive oil as the main cooking fat. You can, of course, use olive oil if you wish. Coriander seeds and leaves are used liberally in Cypriot cooking and Afelia is the name given to any dish using the combination of coriander seeds and red wine. Some cooks like to cook the coriander seeds in the oil right at the beginning, at the same time as the initial browning of the potatoes.
Potato
Afelia
1 kilo
small even-sized new potatoes, washed and
dried.
60 ml corn
oil
125 ml dry
red wine
salt and
freshly ground black pepper
25 ml
crushed coriander seeds (or more if you wish)
Crack the
potatoes by whacking each one sharply with a
mallet. Heat the oil in a big frying pan
with a lid. Add the potatoes and fry
over high heat to brown them slightly, shaking
the pan occasionally. Reduce the heat and add
the red wine, salt and pepper. Cover and
simmer gently until the potatoes are tender,
shaking the pan occasionally so that they
don't stick. Sprinkle the crushed
coriander seeds over the potatoes and cook
with the lid off for a few minutes before
serving.
******************************************************************************************************************************
Fresh
broad beans are now in season and while they are
young and tender they lend themselves to a
variety of simple dishes.
A word of warning – shelling broad
beans can leave you with black fingers so apply
barrier cream before you start or wear gloves. Broad
bean salad with dill 750
grams shelled broad beans 60
ml fresh dill, finely chopped juice
of one small lemon salt olive
oil Cook
the beans in boiling water until just tender –
not more than 10 minutes and considerably less
if they are really fresh.
Allow to cool and then carefully peel off
the little skins.
This makes them considerably more
digestible and gives the dish a more delicate
flavour. Toss
the beans gently in olive oil until they
glisten. Then
season with a little salt and the lemon juice.
Sprinkle over the chopped dill and serve
at room temperature. ****************************************************************************************************************************** Tomorrow is Lazarus Saturday when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Some people on Symi still make a special bread. It is a fasting recipe so no eggs or milk are included, but it is delicious none the less. For more Easter baking recipes, see the April edition of the Symi Visitor.
Dikia's
Special Bread for Lazarus Saturday
1 cup olive
oil
2 kilos flour
500 grams
sultanas
500 grams
chopped walnuts
1 cup sugar
2 sachets
instant yeast
1 large
spoonful aniseeds, crushed
Sift together
flour, sugar and instant yeast. Make a
well in centre and pour in the oil. Add
enough lukewarm water to make a dough and knead
well. Knead in the aniseed, walnuts and
sultanas and let it rise. Knock the dough
down and knead again. Divide the dough
into three and roll each piece into a fat
sausage. Plait into a braid and let rise
again. Bake in a hot oven until the bread
sounds hollow when knocked.
****************************************************************************************************************************** Arni Stamnas – Lamb and Vegetables Baked in an Unglazed Pot.
This
was traditionally baked in a clay water jar.
The story is that the wives and mothers of
a band of guerrillas hiding out in the mountains
used to leave water jars with this stew in them
close to the well for the men to collect in
secret. The
modern answer to this cooking technique is a slow
cooker if you have one.
1
kilo boneless leg of lamb, cut into cubes 125
ml olive oil 5
ml minced fresh chilli or 3 ml dried chilli pepper
flakes 3
onions, sliced 1
bay leaf, crushed 15
ml dried oregano 5
ml dried thyme Salt 3
medium aubergines, cut into the same size cubes as
the meat 3
green sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips 4
cloves of garlic, minced 2
medium potatoes, cut into the same size cubes as
the meat 1
cup fresh tomato puree, strained to remove seeds
and skin, or passata Mix
the lamb with the olive oil, chilli, onions and
herbs. Allow
to marinate overnight or for at least 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. Salt the aubergine and allow to drain in a colander for about 30 minutes. Rinse and dry. Add all the remaining ingredients to the meat and herb mixture and stir well to mix. Put in an unglazed clay pot. Cover tightly and bake for about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 150 degrees centigrade, stir contents and add more liquid if necessary. Cover and bake gently for about an hour and a half or until the lamb is very tender.
******************************************************************************************************************************
Carrot
Cake with Honey and Fresh Grapes This
recipe is from Myrsini Lambraki’s new book, ‘Honey,
Wild Flowers and Healing Plants of Greece’ and is a
departure from the usual carrot cake recipes.
This makes quite a large cake if you use a standard
European measuring cup of 250 ml.
For best results remember to use the same cup
throughout. If
you don’t fancy the Greek ‘hands on’ approach, a big
wooden spoon will do the job. 2
cups honey 1
½ cups white grapes without stones 1
cup orange juice 2
tbsp brandy ½
cup olive oil 1
egg 1
tsp poppy seeds ½
star anise, grated ½
tsp ground cinnamon 1
small shot of salt 2
tsp baking powder 3
cups all purpose flour 1-2
cups self-raising flour
****************************************************************************************************************************** Greek
Ham Pies
500 grams puff pastry,
home made or bought
300 grams ham, cut into
dice
2 sweet red peppers,
seeded and cut into matchsticks
3 spring onions, washed
and finely chopped including both green and white parts
250 grams feta cheese
125 ml flour
500 ml milk
250 ml olive oil
or sunflower oil
3 eggs
60 ml finely chopped
fresh dill or parsley
Extra egg yolk for
brushing
Heat the oil in a pan
over medium heat and cook the onion until soft but not
coloured. Add the red pepper strips and cook for a
minute. Then add the ham and cook, stirring, for
about 5 minutes. Don't let it brown.
Sprinkle the flour over and stir into the oil as though
you were making a roux based sauce. Stir the milk in
steadily and remove from the heat. Crumble the feta
cheese into the mixture. Beat the three eggs until
frothy and stir into the pot. Taste the seasoning
and only add salt if absolutely necessary. Stir in
the dill or parsley.
Roll out the pastry and
using a saucer as a template, cut out circles with a sharp
knife. Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each
circle. Brush the edges with beaten egg or water and
bring up to form half-moon shapes. Press to seal.
Put on a lightly oiled baking sheet, make a small slit to
let out the steam, brush with beaten egg yolk and bake in
a moderately hot oven for about half an hour, until golden
and risen. Let cool slightly before eating as the
filling will be very hot and firms up on standing.
Good with green salad
for lunch or for picnics.
******************************************************************************************************************************Anraki Anixiatiko i Lemonato - Spring Lamb Casserole
This is very easy and
once assembled looks after itself. The health
conscious may want to let it cool and remove any fat from
the top before adding the vegetables but most Greeks
wouldn't bother!
6 portions of lamb, about
one and a half kilos, cut into pieces and bones discarded
1 kilo potatoes, peeled
and cut into long slices
500 grams small carrots,
scraped and topped and tailed or 3 big carrots, peeled and
cut into long chunks
3 spring onions, finely
chopped
30 ml finely chopped
fresh dill
juice of one big lemon
250 ml olive oil
salt and pepper
Sauté the onions in the
oil over a medium flame until just starting to colour.
Add the meat, salt and pepper and add water to cover.
Cover pan and simmer until the meat is half cooked.
Add the potatoes and carrots, dill and lemon juice and
simmer until done. Serve hot.
****************************************************************************************************************************** Bottomless
Lentil Soup Pot
500ml (2 cups) brown
or beige lentils, washed and any small stones removed
1 cinnamon stick or 2 bay
leaves or 1 dry chilli
1 large onion, finely
chopped
30 ml olive oil
1 big carrot, peeled and
cut into fine dice
1 litre good vegetable or
chicken stock
Put the lentils and the
seasoning of choice in a big pan. Boil the lentils in
water to cover until just tender. Meanwhile in a large
pot heat the olive oil and cook the onion until soft, add the
carrot and cook for a few minutes. Add the lentils and
their cooking water and the stock and simmer until the lentils
start to disintegrate. At this point you can:
serve as is,
stir in a good dollop of
passata,
cook until it thickens and
serve with boiled, sautéed or mashed potatoes, sausages or
hard boiled eggs.
serve with extra browned
onions on top
all of the above at once
with good bread
Any leftovers can be
diluted with the addition of more stock before reheating as
lentil soup tends to thicken on standing. A generous
sprinkling of ground cumin brings out the flavour of the
lentils and makes it more like dhal in which case, bring out
the yoghurt and roti!
****************************************************************************************************************************** Recipe 65- Posted Friday, 6th February 2004 Onion
Soup with Cheese
4 large onions, preferably
red, finely sliced
30 ml flour
100 ml olive oil
250 ml good beef or vegetable
stock
500 ml hot milk
500 ml hot water
125 ml coarsely grated
kefalotyri cheese or parmesan
10 thin slices toasted
farmhouse bread, halved
Salt and pepper, paprika
Gently cook the onions in the
olive oil until soft. Stir in the flour and cook until
golden brown. Add the meat broth, season with salt and
pepper and cook gently for 5 minutes.
Combine the milk and water
and stir slowly into the soup pot. Continue to cook slowly
for another 10 minutes.
Check seasoning and add
paprika if desired. Divide the toast between 4 soup
plates. Sprinkle over half the grated cheese. Pour
over the soup. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and
serve.
****************************************************************************************************************************** Loukanika – Greek Farmhouse Style Pork Sausages
Sausage making is not difficult if you have a mincer or food processor. Your local butcher should be able to provide sausage casings. If not, the mixture tastes just as good shaped into rolls before cooking. There are many regional variations in the seasonings – the Symiots put in lots of garlic but other recipes leave this out and replace the cinnamon and cumin with oregano or minced leeks! This is the kind of sausage that is used to make spetsofai (sausages braised with coloured peppers).
1 kilo skinless boneless pork shoulder, about 20% fat 60 ml port or sweet wine such as Mavrodafne 5 ml black peppercorns, coarsely crushed 3 ml freshly ground black pepper in addition to the above 12 ml ground coriander seed 3 ml ground cinnamon 3 ml whole cumin seeds 10 ml salt 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed Grated rind of one orange Sausage casings if available.
Either mince the pork using a coarse screen or chop in a food processor. The texture should be fairly coarse, not like an English pork sausage! Mix with all the other ingredients except the casings and leave, covered, in the fridge over night. Fit the sausage filling attachment to your mincer and use that to fill the sausage casings or alternatively use a funnel with a long nozzle. Put the sausage casing on the end of the funnel nozzle and ease it off as it fills. (An extra pair of hands in the kitchen can be helpful with this!) Push meat through with the handle of a wooden spoon. Knot the end of the skin as the meat begins to come through the nozzle. When the casing is filled, twist into sausages about 15 cm long and knot the end.
The sausages can be stored loosely covered in the fridge until required. Apart from using them as an ingredient in spetsofai they can also be fried in olive oil or grilled and served cut into chunks as part of a mezze. If you are unable to obtain sausage casings, shape the mixture into sausage shapes with your hands and fry a test one carefully. If the mixture shows signs of breaking up, try rolling them in a little flour to bind ****************************************************************************************************************************** Fresh Herb Omelette
Serve hot or cold. ******************************************************************************************************************************
Greek Tuna
Salad - this is a
slightly more interesting version with some good strong flavours
and a wide range of nutrients. Serve with wholegrain
bread.
200 grams good quality tuna,
canned in olive oil, drained and reserving the oil
Juice of one lemon
Half a green pepper, finely
diced
Half a red pepper, finely
diced
2 spring onions, chopped
(white and green parts)
12 capers, rinsed and patted
dry
6 black olives, sliced
Half a cup of fresh flat-leaf
parsley, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Kos lettuce leaves
Whisk together the reserved
oil with the lemon juice and black pepper. Arrange lettuce
leaves on plate. Gently combine tuna with diced peppers,
spring onions, capers and olives. Spoon onto lettuce and
sprinkle with the parsley.
****************************************************************************************************************************** After all that rich festive food, thoughts turn to lighter fare as resolutions are made and diets contemplated. Here’s one to get you off to a good start and which is a bit more interesting than the usual salad lunch. Warm Chicken Salad 2 chicken fillets Juice of one lemon1 clove of garlic, crushed 60 ml olive oil Pinch of oregano Pinch of thyme Crushed green peppercorns to taste (optional) Mixture of tasty salad leaves including rocket Finely chopped spring onions Radishes, thinly sliced |