PLEASE NOTE: This is an archive page of previous recipes-the latest updates are to be found here
Turkey Pilaf Pies
Tired of looking at those remnants
lurking the fridge? Here is an elegant way of getting shot
of it all!
INGREDIENTS
 4 large sheets of phyllo pastry
Unsalted butter, melted or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
All the bits of turkey you can strip off
the carcass, cut into small pieces
Half a cup of cooked rice, preferably
Basmati
2 finely chopped dried apricots or the
last of the cranberry sauce or a dollop of chutney
The last of the Christmas nuts, as long
as they are neither stale nor salted - chop or crumble if necessary
5 ml mild curry powder
2 ml turmeric
Salt and pepper
10 ml sunflower oil or a knob of butter
METHOD
Heat the sunflower oil or butter in a pan and cook the onion gently until translucent. Add the curry powder and turmeric and cook for a few seconds. Add all the remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly and season to taste. Set aside to cool.
Take a sheet of phyllo pastry and lay it
on a clean work surface. Brush it lightly with melted butter or
olive oil and fold it in half. Put a quarter of the rice and
turkey mix on one half and butter or oil the margin. Fold
over and turn the edges over to form a neat parcel. Place
on a baking tray. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
Cut a small slit in the top of each pie with a sharp knife to let
the steam out. Sprinkle the pies LIGHTLY with cold water
and bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes. Serve with salad
and a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt.
Variation: the more adventurous
and creative can gather the pastry up to make purses rather than
parcels but watch out for burning as the phyllo catches easily.
Any left overs can be treated this way as long as they are not
soggy - the important thing is that the mixture is tasty and has a variety
of textures. No amount of pastry will resurrect over-cooked
sprouts!
Recipe 61- Posted Monday, 21st December 2003
Metaxa and Date Pudding The
Pudding: 750
ml cake flour 250
ml brown sugar 250
ml chopped and stoned dates 125
ml slivered blanched almonds 250
ml boiling water 125
grams unsalted butter 5
ml bicarbonate of soda 3
ml baking powder 3
ml salt 2
eggs, beaten The
Syrup: 500
ml white sugar 250
ml water 175
ml Metaxa 3 Stars 15
ml unsalted butter 5
ml vanilla essence or 1 sachet vanilla sugar The
Pudding: Grease
a deep round cake dish that is attractive enough to put on the table.
Oven glass is suitable. Preheat
the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Cream
together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift together the salt, baking powder and flour.
Beat in alternately the beaten eggs and the dry ingredients until
half the dry ingredients have been used. Boil
water and dates together for 5 minutes until the dates start to break
up. Add bicarbonate of soda
and remove from the heat. The
mixture will froth up. Let
cool for a few minutes and then add to the first mixture along with the
remaining dry ingredients and the almonds.
Mix well to combine. Pour
batter into prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until firm.
Meanwhile make the syrup. The
Syrup: Dissolve
the sugar in the water in a heavy bottomed pan over low heat.
Add the butter and boil for five minutes until a straw coloured
syrup forms, stirring gently if required.
Do not leave to boil too long as it will turn to toffee and do
not overstir as then it will crystallise!
Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and the Metaxa.
Make
holes in the baked pudding with a skewer and pour over the warm syrup
over the hot cake. Leave to
soak for a few minutes before serving. The
pudding can be made in advance and gently reheated.
It can also be made in individual serving dishes.
Serve with whipped cream or good vanilla ice cream. Recipe 60- Posted Friday, 19th December 2003 Greek Honey and Lemon Cake INGREDIENTS METHOD Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and stir in the honey and milk mixture. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold them gently into the mixture. Spoon into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Drizzle with the reserved honey and lemon juice while still warm and allow to cool in the tin. Serve cut into fingers. Recipe 59- Posted Friday, 12th December 2003 Braised Beef Roll with Red Wine This makes a pleasant change to the usual fare and is easy on the cook. Serve with garlic roast potatoes and onions and carrots cooked in sweet wine. Follow with a Greek green salad of mixed leaves such as endive and rocket. INGREDIENTS METHOD Variation: Instead of cooking the beef in a roll it can be cut into portions before cooking, in which case the cooking time will be a little shorter.
Recipe 58- Posted Friday, 28th November 2003
Prepare a few jars of these now and
you'll have something interesting to serve with drinks over the
holidays.
Black olives with Garlic and lemon
500 grams large black olives
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled but not cut
3 thick slices of lemon
olive oil to cover
Put the olives in a kilner jar with
the slices of lemon and garlic cloves tucked in between. Fill
to the top with olive oil. Tap the jar to get rid of any air
bubbles and seal. Put in a cool dark place for a fortnight.
To serve, strain required amount into a dish, leaving the oil in the
jar. When they are all used up, the remaining oil is great for
salad dressings.
Green olives with chillis
500 grams green olives
3 small red chillis, slit and seeds
removed
Olive oil to cover
Instructions as above. Serve
drained with a squeeze of lemon.
Black or green olives with oregano
500 grams olives
3 sprigs fresh oregano or 12 ml dried
oregano leaves
Olive oil to cover
If using dried oregano toss the olives
in the herb before putting them in the jar with the oil. If
using the fresh herbs, put them between the layers.
Recipe 58- Posted Friday, 14th November 2003
This is for an American Greek lady who
emailed me last year for a recipe for a Greek pumpkin pie she
remembered from childhood and whose email address has vanished into
cyberspace. Well, after much searching I have found this one
in 'Healthy Greek Food' by Alekos Valavanis which sounds similar to
what she remembered. It should be made with homemade phyllo
pastry but the manufactured version is fine. Look for the type
that says it is for savoury pies or is 'traditional' rather than for
Lebanese baklava as the latter type is too thin and delicate for
this type of pie. The short grain rice will absorb moisture
from the pumpkin but if you are apprehensive, simmer it for a
few minutes first so that it is half cooked when you add it to the
rest of the ingredients!
 INGREDIENTS
1 package phyllo pastry
700 grams pumpkin, coarsely grated and
left in a colander to drain well
1/2 cup short grain white rice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
400 grams feta cheese
Salt
METHOD
Place the pumpkin in a basin, make a well in the middle and add the remaining ingredients, crumbling the feta coarsely by hand. Mix lightly but thoroughly and taste before adding the salt.
Gently lay each phyllo sheet on a
lightly floured surface, spread some filling lengthwise and sprinkle
with a little extra virgin olive oil. Roll it up into a
sausage shape, about 3 cm diameter, and twist. Then coil it in
a spiral starting from the centre of the baking pan. Continue
with the other sheets of phyllo, coiling progressively around the
centre, until all the ingredients are used up. Brush the
entire surface of the pie generously with more olive oil. Bake
at 250 Centrigrade for 10 minutes. The reduce the heat to 180
Centigrade and bake until golden (about 50 minutes). If
necessary sprinkle with a little cold water half way through the
cooking time to prevent it from drying out.
Recipe 57- Posted Monday, 10th November 2003
Greek Farmhouse
Beef & Vegetable Soup
A good one for keeping the cold out!
METHOD
Simmer the beef in water to cover until it falls off the bone. Cut into chunks. Retain beef broth and discard bones. (Weight watchers can skim off any surface fat at this point!) Heat the olive oil in a big pot and cook the vegetables in the hot oil for a couple of minutes, until soft but not brown. Add the beef broth, bay leaves, chilli, salt and pepper and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the beef, check seasonings and reheat. Serve with crusty Greek bread.
Recipe 56- Posted Friday, 10th October 2003
Revani - Semolina
Cake
This is a very old recipe so it is
quite sweet. Remember to use the same cup throughout.
The sugar syrup soaks into the cake and makes it very light.
It also acts as a preservative and the cake will keep for several
days in an ant-proof tin! Serve in the traditional style with a
glass of ice cold water.
INGREDIENTS
 2 cups plain flour 18 ml baking powder, 3 ml salt, 6 eggs (separated) 1 cup of sugar 1 and a half cups of unsalted butter, Grated rind of one orange 1 cup of orange juice 1 cup fine semolina 1/3 cup blanched and shredded almonds
Syrup: 3 cups of sugar, 2 cups
water and 60 ml brandy
METHOD
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the egg whites until frothy with either an electric mixer or a big balloon whisk (requires a strong wrist!). Gradually beat in half a cup of sugar. Continue beating until very stiff and glossy, like meringue. Set aside. In another bowl beat the egg yolks, remaining half cup of sugar and the butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange rind. Beat in the dry ingredients alternately with the orange juice and semolina. Carefully fold in the meringue. Turn into a greased oblong cake tin and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile make the syrup. Boil
together the sugar and water in a heavy pan for 3 minutes. Add
the brandy. Pour the hot syrup over the warm cake when it
comes out of the oven. Let it cool in the tin and serve cut
into squares.
Recipe 55- Posted Thursday, 9th October 2003
Tavas - Lamb and
Cumin Casserole
A popular Cypriot dish, this is named
for the covered terracotta dish in which it is cooked. It is
very easy to prepare but takes a long time to cook as it must simmer
very very slowly until the meat virtually melts. If you have a
slow cooker lurking half-forgotten in the bottom of the cupboard,
dig it out and dust it off for this one!
INGREDIENTS
1.5 boneless leg or shoulder of lamb,
cut into large cubes and excess fat trimmed off
3 large onions, sliced fairly thickly
6 big ripe tomatoes, peeled and
roughly chopped
10 ml teaspoons cumin seed
salt and pepper to taste
125 ml water
METHOD
Put meat, tomatoes and onions in a deep casserole with a well fitting lid. Crush the cumin in a pestle and mortar and add, along with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine, add water, cover tightly and cook in a cool oven (about 150C) for about 3 hours until the lamb is tender and the sauce thick. If your pan lid does not fit too well you may need to check occasionally and add a little more water to prevent sticking. Alternatively you can try sealing the lid with a paste of flour and water or bundling the pot up with heavy foil.
Serve with a small dish of additional
crushed cumin seed and a big bowl of Pourgouri Pilaf (see Recipe Number
4 in this series). A green salad of sharp flavoured leaves
such as endive and rocket goes well with this dish.
Recipe 53 & 54- Posted Wednesday, 24th September 2003
INGREDIENTS 1
clove garlic, crushed 1
small onion, finely grated 2
thick slices white bread Water 1
egg 5
ml ground cumin 30
ml finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Salt Freshly
ground black pepper Flour
for coating 60
ml butter or oil Sauce: 350
ml chopped peeled tomatoes 125
ml finely chopped green pepper 3
ml sugar Salt 125
ml water METHOD With
wet hands shape tablespoons of the mixture into oval sausage-like
shapes. Coat lightly with
flour. Heat butter or oil
in a deep pan and fry meatballs until lightly browned on all sides.
Remove to a plate when browned. Add tomatoes and chopped pepper to pan and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add sugar and seasonings to taste, then stir in water. Bring to the boil and return meatballs to pan. Bring to a slow simmer and cover, simmering gently for an hour, until meatballs are tender and the sauce is thick. Serve with pilaf.
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Soutzoukakia
Smyneika (Aspasia
Angelikopoulu 300 Traditional
Recipes – Greek Cookery)
INGREDIENTS 1
cup stale crustless bread Cumin,
salt and pepper 4
ripe tomatoes 2
cloves of garlic, crushed Pinch
of sugar Olive
oil for frying METHOD Recipe 52- Posted Saturday, 13th September 2003
Grilled Red Peppers
This is a good basic recipe which can be used as the basis for feta-stuffed peppers if bottled Florina peppers are not available. Prepared in this way they will they will keep in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator for several days. 
INGREDIENTS
1 kilo large red peppers, preferably the long pointy ones that look like a dunce's cap.
60 ml olive oil
60 ml red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 ml dry mustard powder (optional)
3 ml minced fresh chilli pepper (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the grill and place the peppers on the rack about 20 centimetres below the heat. Grill the peppers until the skins blister, turning them several times so that they cook evenly. When the skins blacken and crack, place them in a large heat resistant bowl and cover with cling film. After about ten minutes the steam will make the skins detach and you will be able to peel the peppers easily. Discard the stems, peels and seeds. If you intend to stuff the peppers, leave them whole, otherwise cut them into 2 or 3 sections. Collect the juices.
Mix the oil and vinegar in a small
glass jar. Add the pepper juices, garlic, mustard and chilli
and salt to taste and shake to combine.
Pour dressing over warm peppers and
allow to stand for some time before serving or alternatively store
in the refrigerator until required.
Recipe 51- Posted Friday, 5th September 2003
Pork, Lamb or Veal
Stew with Quinces
 This
is adapted from Aglaia Kremezi's 'The Food of Greece' and is for
those of you who enjoy slightly
unusual flavour combinations - and have always wondered what to do
with quinces! You will notice from the ingredients that in
some respects it is not unlike stifado. This is a very old recipe
and similar dishes are known to have been enjoyed by the ancient
Greeks and Romans. Meat dishes combined with orchard
fruits and flavoured with spices and honey were also eaten in
Tudor England.
INGREDIENTS
125 ml olive oil or melted unsalted butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 kilo boned lean pork, lamb or veal, cut
into even sized cubes.
500 grams small onions, peeled (pour
boiling water over them and the peels will slip off easily)
12 ml whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
250 ml sweet red wine
5 ml minced fresh chilli or the
equivalent dried.
Sea salt
125 ml water
1.5 kilos quinces
50 ml tomato paste
30 ml sugar
METHOD
Heat 4 to 5 tablespoons of the oil or butter in a deep heavy frying pan and saute the onion and meat until golden brown all over. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon. Pierce some of the onions with the cloves and sauté briefly in the skillet, adding more of the oil if necessary. Cut crosses in the bases of the other onions (this stops the middles from popping out) and add them to the pan. Return the meat to the pan and add the wine, cinnamon stick, chilli pepper and salt. Cook gently for five minutes and then add the water. Cover and simmer gently for about half an hour or until meat and onions are half done.
In the meantime peel the quinces, cut
into quarters and core and discard the seeds. Cut each quarter
in half lengthwise and saute in the remaining olive oil or butter.
Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the sugar.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Mix
the tomato paste with about 80 ml warm water and pour it over the
meat. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Add more salt
and pepper if necessary.
Put everything into a big ovenproof
dish. Make sure there is enough liquid to prevent scorching, cover
tightly and bake for 30 minutes or so, basting occasionally, until
everything is tender. Uncover for the last few minutes of cooking
time to let the quinces caramelise.
Variation: This is particularly
good if you replace the sugar with honey, arrange the ingredients in
the dish in such a way that the slices of quince are on top and then
drizzle honey over them before baking.
Recipe 50- Posted Friday, 29th August 2003
INGREDIENTS 1
medium sized onion, quartered 2
cloves of garlic ½
cup finely chopped parsley Pinch
of hot chilli pepper 5
ml freshly ground coriander seeds (a pestle and mortar or a separate
pepper mill is good for this) 3
ml ground cumin 5
ml bicarbonate of soda Salt
and pepper METHOD Shape
into patties and arrange on a tray.
Leave to stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.
(Do not leave for longer than this as the surface will dry too
much and they will crack and fall apart)
Deep fry, a few at a time, for about 5 minutes, turning to cook
evenly. Drain thoroughly
on paper towels. Variation:
Some of the parsley can be replaced with fresh coriander leaves
and spring onions can be used instead of ordinary onions.
The amount of chilli can be increased if preferred. Recipe 49- Posted Wednesday, 15th July 2003 Carrot Cake with Extra Virgin Olive Oil  This
is from a new book I've just discovered - Healthy Greek Food by
Alekos Valavanis. It's very easy and very light - and you can
always pretend that because it is made with olive oil instead of
butter the fact that it has six eggs doesn't count. Remember
to use the same cup throughout. Happy baking!
INGREDIENTS
6 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar (I use brown
sugar but white is fine)
2 cups grated carrot
Zest of 2 oranges
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
(works fine with Metaxa 3 star)
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
A little extra virgin olive oil
A little additional flour
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Cream the eggs with the sugar until fluffy. Add the carrot, zest and liquer. Gradually add the flour and olive oil, mixing well. Oil a baking dish and dust lightly with flour. Pour in the mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes.
Tips: If your oven errs on the
hot side, you may find it helpful to put the baking dish in a
roasting pan with a couple of inches of water. You can either
let the cake cool a few minutes and then turn it out onto a rack to
cool in the usual fashion or you can serve it Greek style, cut into
squares or diamonds, straight from the tin.
Recipe 49- Posted Saturday, 14th June 2003
Shrimp &
Feta Cheese Saganaki
A saganaki is a small frying pan with
two handles instead of one and
gives its name to the dishes cooked in it. Cheese saganaki is
the best known but there are other saganakis too. If you
see 'saganaki' as part of a dish's name in a recipe book or on a
menu you can expect something prepared in one of these pans.
This is actually quite an easy dish to prepare. You can serve
it garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley and bread to mop up the
juices. A dish of delicately flavoured steamed new potatoes is
also appreciated as an accompaniment. Quantities can easily be
adjusted and for dinner parties you can divide it up between
individual oven proof dishes.
INGREDIENTS
24 big shrimps, boiled for 3 minutes, shelled and cleaned
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped or
the canned equivalent
1 onion, finely chopped
250 virgin olive oil
15 ml red wine vinegar
15 ml sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150 grams feta cheese, diced or
crumbled
METHOD
Heat the olive oil in the saganaki pan and fry the onions until transluscent. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until a sauce forms (about 15 minutes).
Take off the heat, add the shrimp,
sprinkle over the cheese and pop under the grill or in a hot oven
for about 10 minutes, until the cheese turns golden and starts to
melt. Serve warm.
Recipe 48- Posted Wednesday, 27th May 2003 Braised Beef and Aubergines
This can be served either warm or at
room temperature. A handful of
big black olives added towards the end of the cooking time adds a
subtle dimension to the flavours.
INGREDIENTS
250 ml olive oil
1 kilo long aubergines, washed, cut
lengthwise into quarters and soaked in salt water for an hour.
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 kilo stewing beef, cut into portions
2 large onions, roughly chopped
15 ml parsley, finely minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, cubed
250 ml good beef stock
125 ml water
5 ml lemon juice
Salt and pepper.
METHOD
Heat half the olive oil in a flameproof casserole and brown the meat. Add the strained aubergine pieces and remove from the heat. Combine the tomatoes, onions, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, stock and water and pour over the meat and aubergines. Pour over the remaining oil. Cover tightly and bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for a further hour. Turn the oven off, remove the lid and let the dish cool for about twenty minutes before serving. Recipe 47- Posted Friday, 16th May 2003 Greek Spring Omelette
This is a refreshing change from the
usual ham and cheese and makes a good light lunch with a salad of
really good tomatoes. The herbs can be varied to taste but
they should be fresh.
 INGREDIENTS1 bunch of spring onions, cleaned and sliced, including the bulbs
60 ml unsalted butter
30 ml chopped fresh dill
30 ml chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
6 eggs, beaten in a jug
METHOD
Cook the onions in the butter until they soften. Add the eggs, dill, salt and pepper. Cook gently, lifting the mixture with a spatula so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. When the omelette is cooked through and starting to brown underneath, turn it onto a plate and put it back in the pan to brown the other side. Serve with chopped parsley. Recipe 46- Posted Sunday, 4th May 2003 Pork Pot-Roast - Greek Style This is a real peasant dish, ideally cooked on the back of the cast iron stove but the British Aga will do nicely... If you have a slow cooker, use that.
INGREDIENTS
1.5 kilos lean boneless pork in one piece
2 lemons, salt and pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 stalk celery and 2 carrots, cleaned
and chopped into chunks
250 ml white wine (NOT RETSINA!)
2 bay leaves, 6 whole black
peppercorns and 3 cloves
125 ml olive oil
METHOD
Rub the meat with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Shape into a neat roll and tie with string. Heat olive oil in a heavy pan with a good lid and brown the meat. Add the onions and garlic and saute a few minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables, the seasonings and the wine. Cover and simmer very slowly until tender, topping up with either a little more wine or some water or stock to prevent scorching. Let cool slightly before removing string and serve sliced with boiled potatoes and seasonal vegetables and whatever cooking liquid is left in the pot.
Recipe 45- Posted Friday, 25th April 2003 Moussaka
This should keep
everyone busy in the kitchen for a while!
4
large potatoes, peeled, parboiled and sliced For
the Meat Sauce: 1
large onion, finely chopped 2
cloves garlic, crushed 30
ml olive oil 1
kilo minced beef or lamb or a mixture 250
ml chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned 125
ml white or red wine Chopped
parsley, 3 ml cinnamon, salt and pepper For
the topping: 85
ml flour 500
ml milk 2
ml nutmeg 60
ml grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese Salt
and pepper 1
egg, lightly beaten. METHOD To
make the meat sauce, gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil
until translucent. Add the meat and cook until brown, stirring
frequently. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer, covered,
over gentle heat for about half an hour.
Remove from the heat. Dry
the aubergine slices with paper towels and spread them on oven sheets.
Bake in a cool oven for 10 minutes, until slightly dried out. This is
different to the usual method of frying them and makes a much less oily
dish. The dried out slices
of aubergine also soak up the meat sauce more readily when the completed
dish is baked. Now
make the béchamel sauce for the topping: Melt
the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook gently for 2
minutes without browning. Add the milk all at once and bring to the
boil, stirring constantly. Cook gently for one minute. Remove from the
heat, stir in nutmeg and cinnamon, 15 ml of the cheese and salt and
pepper. Cover with wax paper to prevent a skin forming and set aside. To
assemble: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Brush an oven dish 33 cm x 23 cm x 5 cm with olive oil. Place an overlapping layer of aubergine slices in the bottom, followed by a layer of potatoes. Pour over half the meat sauce. Repeat the aubergine and potato layers, pour over the rest of the meat sauce and finish with a final layer of aubergine slices. Stir the beaten egg into the béchamel sauce and pour over the completed dish. Spread evenly to ensure the whole top is covered. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Bake for about an hour. Let stand for at least ten minutes before cutting.
Recipe 44- Posted Friday, 28th March 2003 Soupies me Spanaki - Cuttlefish (or Squid) with SpinachThis is a typical Greek Lenten dish.
INGREDIENTS METHOD Recipe 43- Posted Monday, 3rd March 2003 Green Garlic Sauce This is a variation on Skordalia and is great when you have lots of fresh parsley in the garden. The parsley makes the garlic less pungent. Serve with fried fish or as a dip.
METHOD Recipe 42- Posted Monday, 10th February 2003 Chorino
me Fasolia - Pork with Beans
INGREDIENTS METHOD Meanwhile
heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and brown the meat and the onions.
Add the tomato juice, salt and pepper and simmer over low heat
until the meat is nearly done. Add
the beans and simmer gently until the meat and the beans are tender.
Serve hot with bread. If you need more liquid, top it up with more tomato juice. A generous spoonful of tomato paste enhances the colour. Recipe 41- Posted Friday, 31st January 2003 Gemista me Kima - Stuffed Vegetables with Meat
The recipe serves six but you can adjust the quantities according to what is available and how many hungry people you're feeding. Bearing in mind that the vegetables have to sit upright on a tray, choose specimens that are fairly boxy! You can also treat courgettes and aubergines in the same way.
INGREDIENTS METHOD The stuffing can be varied with the addition of toasted pinenuts, fried bacon, sultanas and grated kefalotiri cheese.
Recipe 40- Posted Friday, 17th January 2003 Fakorizo - Lentils and Rice This is a popular fasting dish as it contains no animal products. It also makes a tasty alternative to rice as an accompaniment to meat dishes. In its traditional form it calls for quite a lot of olive oil but I have found that reducing the olive oil by half still gives a tasty dish while reducing the kilojoules considerably. In India a similar dish, kitchri, is made which evolved into the British Raj breakfast dish, kedgeree, but that is another story.
METHOD Variation: A handful of crushed vermicelli added with the rice makes a tasty addition. The water can be replaced with vegetable stock. Quartered hard boiled eggs, fresh pita bread and a dollop of Greek yoghurt make this into quite a substantial meal. Recipe 39- Posted Friday, 10th January 2003 Fassolakia Ladera me Patates - Green Beans and Potatoes in Olive Oil Although this is best made with fresh green beans, it is also a good way of cheering up frozen green beans which are often rather insipid.
METHOD Recipe 38- Posted Monday, 23rd December 2002 Turkey with
Chestnut, Raisin and Pinenut Stuffing
Recipe
37 - posted Sunday, 8th December 2002 Gigantes
Plaki
Recipes 35/36 - posted Tuesday, 29th November 2002 Melomakarona
Kourabiethes - Christmas Shortbread
Click here for Adriana's Recipes 1-34»
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for Printer Friendly Version of this page>> These recipes are taken from Adriana's monthly column in |
INGREDIENTS
This
is sturdy comfort food much eaten in the agricultural areas of Greece,
when there’s snow on the ground and the cast iron stove in the kitchen
is on round the clock.
When it's wet and
gloomy outside what better way to cheer up the dinner table than a
dish of the most colourful Mediterranean vegetables your local
greengrocer can supply.
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS