Greek Recipe 117- Posted Tuesday 4th December 2007 Mizithra - Greek Cottage Cheese   This is a traditional Greek cheese and it is important that the milk has not been homogenised - fresh from the cow is best!  The recipe below is adapted from my much loved copy of Tess Mallos' The Complete Middle East Cookbook.  Making mizithra is not particularly complicated (I have seen it made over an open fire in a shed on a hillside here on Symi) but the draining does take time so you must be patient.  You can use the remaining whey to store feta cheese.   This recipe makes about 600 grams.   Ingredients:   10 cups whole milk, not homogenised 3 teaspoons salt 2 rennet tablets 1 tablespoon cold water   Heat the milk in a large heavy pan until lukewarm and stir in the salt.  Remove from the heat.  Crush the rennet tablets in a small bowl, add cold water and stir until dissolved.  Slowly pour the rennet liquid into milk, stirring the milk gently.  Cover the pan with a lid and leave at the side of the stove, undisturbed, for half an hour.  When set, break up curds by stirring with a whisk and let the curds settle.   Line a big sieve or colander with a double layer of muslin or cheesecloth.  Put it over a large basin to catch the drips.  Ladle the curds into the prepared strainer using a skimming spoon.  Let the curd drain for a while, then scrape down the cheese from the sides of the blow and tie the ends of the cloth together.  Suspend from a hook over a basin and leave to drain at room temperature for about another 6 hours.  Then suspend it from a shelf in the fridge, over a bowl to catch the drips, and leave it for another 12 hours to drain thoroughly.  Turn out of the cloth and store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Greek Recipe 116- Posted Saturday 14th July 2007 Orange and Date Salad   This looks particularly pretty with blood oranges but you can also use ordinary ones.  If they are not naturally sweet, sprinkle over a little icing sugar before serving.   125 ml fresh orange juice 40 ml orange blossom honey 5-6 oranges Small bunch of mint 20 plump dates 15 ml orange flower water   Combine orange juice and honey in a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring from time to time to help the honey to melt.  Boil until reduced by about a third, then let cool.   Peel the oranges, removing any pith, and slice the oranges into thin rounds.  Remove any pips.  Arrange in overlapping circles on a dish, sprinkling with the mint leaves and any juice that escaped when slicing the fruit.  Stone the dates and halve them. Arrange them on top of the orange slices.  When the syrup is completely cold add the orange flower water and pour evenly over the salad.  Chill until required.   This makes a refreshing summer dessert and can be served with thick yoghurt. Greek Recipe 115- Posted Saturday 7th July 2007 Piquant Lobster (A sponge-divers’ recipe from Fotini-Chloe Attiti’s ‘Traditional Flavours’ Symi cookbook.)  This book is currently only available in Greek.  Recipe translated by the Symi Visitor team.   1 raw lobster, 1-1½ kilos 1 cup olive oil 2 cups tomato pulp 1 cup raki or ouzo 1 cup white wine 2 onions, chopped Parsley 1 bay leaf Pinch of mixed peppercorns (black, white, green and pink) 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter   Clean the raw lobster over a plate, retaining its juices.  Sautee the ingredients excluding the butter in a big casserole and add the lobster.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until done.  Turn off heat and add the butter.  Serve with rice pilaf or roast potatoes. Greek Recipe 114- Posted Monday 2nd July 2007 Tirokafteri-Spicy Greek Salad This version is adapted from "The Real Greek at Home" by Theodore Kyriakou and Charles Campion. 400 grams red onions 200 grams feta cheese 100 grams kefalotyri (hard sheep’s milk cheese) 100 grams Metsovone cheese (smoked sheep’s milk cheese) 100 grams pickled green chilli peppers, seeded and finely chopped 40 grams flat leaf parsley, finely chopped Leaves stripped from a small bunch of fresh thyme 200 ml extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper (remember that the cheeses are salty) Heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade and roast the onions whole, skins and all, until the insides are really soft.  This can also be done by wrapping the onions individually in foil (shiney side inwards) and tucking them into the embers of the barbecue.  Discard the skins and squeeze the pulp into a bowl.  Chop the pulp.  Crumble or grate the other cheeses and add to the onions with the other ingredients  Mix well and season to taste.  The result should be quite coarse in texture so resist the temptation to chuck it all in the food processor! Greek Recipe 113- Posted Friday 28th December 2006 Adriana's Red Cabbage Red cabbages are only available in the depths of winter here and are quite hard to come by. This has more texture and is not as wet as the traditional boiled cabbage recipe. The idea is to retain as much of the red colour as possible and aim for a sweet and sour flavour that goes well with rich meats and poultry. A handful of roughly chopped walnuts is nice at serving time. 1 small firm red cabbage, roughly shredded olive oil 3 red onions, sliced 500 ml red wine 3 apples, cored and sliced 8 ripe purple plums 3 tablespoons Symi honey generous splash of balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste Rinse the cabbage briefly and drain. Heat the olive oil in a big pan and saute the onions until translucent. Add the cabbage, stir it round until coated with the oil and cook for a few minutes. Pour over the red wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the apples and honey. Simmer until the apple is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed. Slice the plums into quarters and add to the pan. Simmer for a few minutes more. Season to taste with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and serve. Greek Recipe 112- Posted Friday 21st December 2006 Adriana's Lemon Chutney This is by request. This is a recipe I have been using for about 15 years and has evolved depending on what has been available wherever I happen to be. There are no hard and fast rules with chutney making as it does not require the same precision concerning setting points as, for instance, making marmalade, so you can adjust the spices to taste. Chillies can be replaced with finely chopped root ginger, currants with sultanas etcetera. The important ingredients are the sugar and the vinegar as they are the preservatives. White wine vinegar gives a lighter coloured product but is difficult to come by here on Symi so I usually use red wine vinegar. 6 large lemons, preferably organic 250 grams onions, peeled and finely chopped 250 grams currants 500 grams white sugar 1 litre wine vinegar 10 ml salt 12 peppercorns 12 chillies Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a jug. Finely chop the lemon peels. Put every thing, including the lemon juice into a heavy bottomed stainless steel saucepan and simmer until soft and thick, stirring frequently. Pack into sterilised jars, dividing the spices between the jars. Cover with hot melted wax to seal and then screw on the lids tightly. Keep in a cool dark place for 2-3 weeks for the flavour to mature before using. As long as the seal is not broken the chutney will keep literally for years, but it will darken with age. Variation: The spices can be infused in the vinegar first and then strained out if you don't want whole spices in the end product. To do this put the spices and the vinegar in a saucepan, bring to the boil and then allow to cool before straining.
Greek Recipe 111- Posted Sunday 17th December 2006
Ice Cream Christmas Pudding
This is quite simple to make and makes a refreshing change from the usual steamed version.   1 litre good quality dairy vanilla ice cream 250 ml double cream 50 grams glace pineapple, finely diced 50 grams glace mango, finely diced 50 grams glace cherries, finely diced 100 grams sultanas 100 grams raisins 100 grams currants 25 grams glace ginger (optional) 120 ml brandy

Soak all the fruit in the brandy for several hours or overnight.

 

 

Soften the ice cream so that it is pliable but not molten.  Whip the cream until stiff and fold into the ice cream along with the fruit and any remaining brandy.  Mix well so that the fruit is evenly distributed.  Pack into a freezer proof pudding basin and smooth the top.  Cover with waxed paper and foil.  Freeze overnight.   To serve, remove waxed paper and foil.  Dip pudding basin briefly into warm water to release and invert onto a serving plate.  Decorate with a holly sprig.

NB: If you want to flame it, put a small firm flameproof receptacle such as a stainless steel egg cup into the bottom of the mould before putting in the ice cream to form a cup to hold the brandy.

Greek Recipe 110- Posted Monday 6th November 2006

Fesenjan

This Iranian dish is one of my autumn favourites as pomegranates and the new season's nuts are available now. Although it should be made with duck I have often compromised with chicken with no problems. In Tess Mallos' 'Complete Middle Eastern Cookery' she uses a whole bird, portions are more convenient. This is a simplified version adapted from Diana Henry's 'Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons'. The sauce can be made in advance and just reheated as, unlike in the authentic version, the poultry is cooked separately.

Pomegranates have an astringent tang which goes well with rich meats such as duck. Pomegranate molasses may not be something you use every day but it keeps well. It's always on my shopping list when I go to Datca. Don't confuse it with grenadine, which is a cordial made from pomegranates used in cocktails and gives quite a different effect.

4 duck or chicken breasts, skin on

150 grams shelled walnuts

30 ml olive oil

half red onion, finely chopped

10 ml ground cinnamon

30 ml pomegranate molasses (see above)

seeds of 2 pomegranates

400 ml chicken or duck stock

salt and pepper

chopped fresh mint
 

Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until they start to colour. Cool and then grind coarsely in a food processor or crush roughly under a rolling pin.

Heat the olive oil and saute the chopped onion until it softens and just starts to colour. Add the cinnamon, nuts, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds and stock. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10-15 minutes to make a sauce.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. In a separate pan, brown the poultry on both sides and then roast them in the oven until done.

Serve with the sauce, sprinkled with the finely chopped fresh mint.

Variation: If walnuts are not available, hazelnuts make a tasty alternative.

Greek Recipe 109- Posted Thursday 7th September 2006
 

Two easy ways with courgettes - things I do with the glut in the garden when I don't  have time to do anything fancy!

 

Roast courgettes with rosemary and feta

 

Wash and top and tail fresh young courgettes and cut into rough chunks.  Toss them in olive oil and spread them evenly in an ovenproof dish just large enough to take them all.  Sprinkle with the leaves from two sprigs of rosemary. Bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes or until tender and just starting to brown at the tips.  Cut thin slices of feta cheese.  Lay over the top, brush with a little olive oil and flash under the grill until the cheese starts to bubble.  Good on its own with fresh bread and a squeeze of lemon or as an accompaniment to meat or fish.  Very handy if you have vegetarians round for dinner as well as carnivores!

 

Grilled courgette slices

 

Top and tail courgettes and cut lengthwise into long strips about 3 mm thick.  Brush with a little olive oil and either cook under the grill, turning once, or cook on a BBQ griddle.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and a pinch of oregano or thyme and serve as a side dish to grilled meat.
 

---

Greek Recipe 108- Posted Wednesday, 19th July 2006

Green beans with potatoes and tomato sauce Fasolakia me patates jiachni

1 kilo green beans, strings removed, topped and tailed, cut through length wise, washed and drained.
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.
3-4 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2-3 finely chopped onions,
1 ½ cups olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and add the onions.  Cook gently until soft.  Add the beans and cook for 5 minutes.  Finally add the potatoes, tomato, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and 2 cups of water.  Simmer over medium heat until the beans are tender.  Serve warm or at room temperature with feta cheese, bread and a squeeze of lemon to taste.

Variations:  a little finely chopped soup-celery can be added instead of the parsley.

---

Greek Recipe 107- Posted Wednesday, 19th July 2006

Fondant au chocolat

 

This is my favourite chocolate cake Greek Recipe and I am sharing it with you, in memory of a dear friend who created many delicious meals for countless people on Symi over the years and who is sadly no more. 

 

340 grams semisweet dark chocolate, broken into small pieces.

5 ml rum or cognac

300 grams unsalted butter

250 ml sugar

6 eggs

125 ml plain flour

 

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees centigrade.  Butter and flour a 23 cm round tin.  Line the bottom with buttered baking parchment.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stir in the rum or cognac and remove from the heat.  Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  A mixer is useful for this if you don't have a strong wrist.  Add the eggs and the flour, two eggs and a heaped tablespoonful of flour at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the melted chocolate.  Pour the batter into the cake tin and stand it on a grid in a larger tin or roasting dish half filled with water.  Bake for an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.  Serve hot or allow to cool before turning out.

 

This stays very moist and sticky.  It is incredibly rich.  A dollop of really good vanilla ice cream or whipped cream just carries it over the edge into total self-indulgence.

 

---

Greek Recipe 106- Posted Wednesday, 21st June 2006

Crustless honey cheesecake

 
This is one of those ones where the sum is greater than the parts - and you can add other nice things too.  Don't chicken out of adding the mint - this is often used in conjunction with mizithra cheese in this part of the world.  It is not as sweet as conventional cheese cakes.  Use the most fragrant honey you can find.  It started off with a Greek Recipe I found in Myrsini Lambraki's Honey:  Wild Flowers and Healing Plants of Greece.

 

1 kilo ricotta, mizithra or other similar sweet fresh cheese (not cottage cheese or cream cheese)

2 large eggs

60 ml runny Greek honey

5 ml finely chopped fresh mint

30 ml whole milk

A little butter for the dish.

 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

 

Crumble the cheese roughly into a mixing bowl.  Beat the eggs together lightly in a small bowl, just enough to break the yolks.  Add to the cheese along with the mint and the milk.  Beat together thoroughly until smooth.  Don't use a blender for this as it may liquify and then the Greek Recipe won't work.

 

Butter a pretty oven-proof dessert dish.  Pour in the mixture and smooth the top.  Bake for half an hour or until set and a golden crust has formed.  Serve warm or chilled.

 

Variations:

 

Replace mint with cinnamon or grated lemon zest.

Decorate the top with thin slices of fresh peach or nectarine before baking.  Drizzle a little extra honey over the top before serving.

 

If for you cheesecake isn't cheesecake without a crust, use your favourite pastry to line the dish.
www.symivisitor.com

---

Greek Recipe 105- Posted Tuesday, 16th May 2006

This is by request and is from 'Healthy Greek Food' by Alekos Valavanis, a book I have often referred to in these pages over the years.  All the soup Greek Recipes I have found so far for using trahanas seem to be more like a savoury porridge rather than soup in the conventional sense.   The garlic and cheese of some sort seem to be standard ingredients common to all. In some books it is also referred to as frumenty.  The Greek Recipe below is suitable for vegetarians.

 

Trahana soup with tomato

 

5 + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

220 grams trahanas made from sweet milk

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 litres boiling water

2 tablespoons tomato paste

200 grams hard feta cheese, cubed

paprika and salt

 

Heat 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and saute the trahana with the garlic for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously.  Gradually add the boiling water and salt, and boil for 5 minutes.  Then add the tomato paste, stir well, and continue to boil for about 15 minutes until the soup is thick.  Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the feta cheese cubes sprinkled with the paprika.  Stir the feta into the soup and serve.

www.symivisitor.com
 

---

Greek Recipe 104- Posted Thursday, 11th May 2006

Revithokeftedes - chickpea balls

 

These are not to be confused with falafel, for which I have given a Greek Recipe earlier.  Like many Greek Greek Recipes there are numerous regional variations and every housewife has her family Greek Recipe.  The following is good starting off point.  Some cooks boil the chickpeas first but this can result in a gluey texture.

 

500 grams chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained 2 big onions, grated salt and pepper 250 grams grated hard cheese like kefalograviera or parmesan 20 ml finely chopped dill 20 ml finely chopped mint 20 ml finely chopped parsley 4 eggs 3 ml baking soda Flour to bind.

 

Peel the chickpeas by rubbing them between two clean cloths.  This is important as it affects the texture and the digestibility of the end product.  Put them in a food processor and chop coarsely.  Add remaining ingredients and whizz to form a batter, adding as much flour as is necessary to give a dropping consistency batter.   Fry spoonfuls in hot oil, drain and serve immediately with lemon wedges.   Variations.  Replace the dill with finely chopped chilli.  A grated tomato can also be added.  The hard cheese can be replaced with a white fresh cheese such as mizithra for a milder flavour.

---

Greek Recipe 103- Posted Saturday, 15th April 2006

Monk fish with leeks

250 ml extra virgin olive oil

Greek Recipe 102- Posted Friday, 15th March 2006

Put the prepared fish into a saucepan with the onion, peppercorns and bay leaf.  Add enough water to cover.  Bring to the boil, simmer 5 minutes, cover pan and remove from the heat.  In a separate heavy saucepan heat the olive oil and saute the spring onions and carrots for 5 minutes.  Add a litre of water, the potatoes and the passata.  Simmer until the vegetables are just tender.  Meanwhile put a colander over a basin and drain the fish, retaining the liquid.  Clean the saucepan and strain the fish stock back into it.  Remove all the meat from the fish, discarding bones and other debris.  Put the fish flesh on a plate and set aside. You can either add the vegetable mixture direct to the fish stock or you can whizz some or all of it in a blender depending on what kind of texture you would like.  At serving time, reheat, adding the fish, parsley, lemon juice and seasoning to taste.  Be careful not to overcook - fish that has been boiled to death turns into flannel.

Greek Recipe 101- Posted Friday, 8th March 2006

Do it yourself Greek yoghurt

This is for those of you who are unable to buy Greek yoghurt locally and want to have a go at making your own. It is actually quite easy and requires little equipment. This is the Greek Recipe I used when we were sailing and if it works in the primitive conditions I had in my galley, there is no reason why it shouldn’t work in a modern kitchen! Save a spoonful from this batch to use as a starter for the next.

500 ml full cream milk
60 ml full cream milk powder
30 ml natural yoghurt as a starter

Set aside 30 ml of the fresh milk and stir the milk powder into the remaining milk. Heat very gently, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk powder is properly dissolved, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove any skin from the top of the milk and pour into a dish to cool. When the milk reaches 45 Centigrade stir the yoghurt into the reserved milk and mix lightly into the warm milk, stirring just once or twice to blend. Cover dish with a lid, wrap in a blanket or towels and leave in a warm place for about 8 hours to thicken. Chill for about four hours before using. I used to use a wide mouthed flask or one of those Tupperware rice cookers with warm water in the bottom for the setting period. Dieters can replace the full cream milk etc with the skim milk low fat equivalents but that does rather defeat the object of the exercise as the end result is as thin and depressing as the shop bought diet yoghurts!

Greek Recipe 100- Posted Saturday , 11th February 2006

How to make three ingredients taste like summer!  This is from June Marinos' wonderful little book, Aubergines from Ancient Times to Today which I reviewed during the summer.  I saw a variation on this Greek Recipe on Greek television recently where the feta cheese was sliced rather than crumbled.

Greek Recipe 99- Posted Monday , 12th December 2005

For the pastry:

Serve with dollops of Greek yoghurt.
 

---

Greek Recipe 98- Posted Friday , 28th October 2005
 

The first leeks are in the shops along with the last of the tomatoes.  Here is a dish that makes good use of both of them for a vegetarian main course.  The quantity of butter is high for a Greek dish so this is not one for cholesterol watchers.  You may replace it with olive oil but the flavour of butter has a certain affinity with leeks that olive oil does not have.  A little grated hard cheese such as kefalogravriera is good on the top, added towards the end of the cooking time.

 

Pastitsio me prassa

 

500 grams thick maraconi, preferrably the ones that are as long as spaghetti, but if you can only find the cut variety, it is not the end of the world!

500 grams leeks, thoroughly washed and cut into 8 cm lengths.

150 grams unsalted butter

1.5 kilos ripe red tomatoes, sliced.

1 red pepper, cut into thin slices.

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

 

Cook the pasta in boiling water until half cooked, tip into a colander and drain thoroughly.  Toss with half the butter and put half in a layer in a buttered oven proof dish.  Blanch the leeks in lightly salted water until just tender, drain and then sautee briefly in a frying pan in the remaining butter.  Spread the leeks over the pasta.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with a layer of tomato and pepper slices.  Season again with salt and pepper.  Cover with the remaining pasta and follow with the rest of the tomato and pepper slices.  Cover with foil and bake in a hot oven for about half an hour, until the tomatoes are soft and the pasta is almost cooked through.  It should absorb quite a lot of the moisture from the vegetables.  Pour over the beaten eggs evenly, shaking the pan lightly to distribute through the dish.  Put back into the oven for about 10 minutes, uncovered, to set the eggs and brown the top. 
 

---

Greek Recipe 97 - Posted Saturday , 17th September 2005

In the summer those of us who live and work here don't have much time for cooking - and while eating out on Symi is good and varied, the thought of going out again after a working day that often starts at 6 am and finishes at 9 pm can be exhausting just to think about - the following is one of my favourite one dish Greek Recipes that can be put together in the time it takes to shower and open a bottle of wine.

 

Fusilli with tuna, capers, courgettes and olives

 

500 grams fusilli

1 can tuna in olive oil

5 ml capers, rinsed and patted dry

100 grams black olives, pitted

1 red onion, finely sliced

2 fresh young zucchini, coarsely grated

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil and cook the pasta until al dente.  As soon as you have drained the pasta, toss with the grated zucchini – the heat from the pasta will cook it sufficiently.  Meanwhile drain the olive oil from the tuna into a small pan and cook the onion until soft.  Add the capers, olives and tuna flaked into rough chunks and heat through.  Stir into the cooked pasta and courgette mixture and season to taste. 

www.symivisitor.com
 

---

Greek Recipe 96 - Posted Tuesday , 13th September 2005

Kotopoulo psito lemonata

As it is getting cooler in the evenings thoughts are turning to more substantial food.  This is my version of the classic lemon roast chicken.  As roasting a whole chicken means having the oven on for longer than I really want at this time of the year, I use chicken portions or cut the chicken along its back bone and flatten it.  That way it cooks quicker and doesn't make the house hot.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 kilos of chicken portions, on the bone, or one whole chicken spatchcocked

100 ml good olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Two lemons, preferably unvarnished juicy ones!

A small bunch of fresh thyme from the garden, finely chopped, or 5 ml dried thyme

About 8 rosemary needles, crushed

3 ml oregano

2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed

About 8 long oval potatoes, cut lengthwise into quarters

 

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade.  Wash and dry the chicken pieces.  Grate the zest from one of the lemons into a big bowl large enough to hold the chicken.  Squeeze the juice for both lemons into the bowl and combine with the olive oil, herbs and seasonings.  Add the chicken and turn several times to make sure it is well coated.  Arrange the chicken in a roasting pan.  Add the potatoes to the remaining marinade in the bowl and stir them round gently to coat.  Put them into the roasting pan around the chicken.  Pour two cups of warm water into the bowl with the remains of the marinade, swirl round so that you don't leave any bits behind and pour over the chicken in the pan.  Put the roasting pan in the oven.  Reduce heat to 180 degrees after ten minutes and roast for about 35 minutes, basting frequently and topping up the liquid if necessary.  If the chicken pieces are done before the potatoes, remove them to a warm dish while the potatoes finish cooking.

 

Variations:

 

Lemon enthusiasts might like to slice one of the lemons and lay the pieces in the pan with the chicken and potatoes.

If you leave the cloves of garlic whole instead of crushing them the flavour is milder.

The water can be replaced by good chicken stock.
 

---

Greek Recipe 95 - Posted Friday, 13th May 2005

Dried broad bean dip

This is for hummous addicts who have trouble getting hold of tehina or who are trying to cut back a little on the calories.  Although the black fly got to our broad beans before we did this year, last year we had an enormous crop.  We dried baskets full and the mice didn't find all of them so I have been experimenting.  This one seemed to go down well on the home front.  The end result is a fairly silky dip.  The broad beans have a slightly nutty taste, similar to tehina in hummous.  Instead of using a blender or food processor you can push it through a food mill which gives a chunkier texture.

 

250 ml dried broad beans, soaked for 24 hours (change water at least twice and keep them in the fridge, otherwise they will either ferment or sprout - or both!)

2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

1 spring onion, well washed and roughly chopped, both green and white parts

3 ml ground cumin

1 small chilli or 3 ml chilli powder (optional)

60 ml olive oil

salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste.

 

Put the soaked broad beans in a pan with water to cover.  Bring them to the boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool.  When cool enough to handle, peel them and discard the skins.  A small paring knife is helpful for this and if you do it at a table under the vine with a glass of something interesting and suitable company, it is not as tedious as it sounds...  Put the peeled beans back in a pan with fresh water to cover.  Add the whole peeled cloves of garlic, the spring onion chunks and the whole chilli if using.  Bring to the boil and then simmer, covered, until the beans are tender but not falling apart.  Cool in the liquid.  Put in a blender with sufficient cooking liquid to make a thick dipping consistency and season to taste.  Finally blend in the olive oil.  Serve at room temperature with hot toast or farmhouse type bread.

 

PS Wash up everything thoroughly before it dries as otherwise it will set hard.
 

---

Greek Recipe 94 - Posted Friday, 15th April 2005

It is still Lent here in Greece and many people in the islands give up meat, preferring to eat seafood such as calamari.  Here is a simple Greek Recipe for those of you who have enjoyed it in tavernas while on holiday and have never tried cooking it at home.  It is really very easy.  Just make sure you don't overcook it!  That includes keeping it warm after cooking.  Wait until everyone is sitting at the table and then 'cook to order'. 

 

Deep-fried calamari

 

1 kilo small fresh squid, cleaned and cut into rings or 1 kilo frozen calamari

100 grams flour

salt, black pepper

vegetable oil

lemon wedges to serve

 

Sift together flour, salt and pepper.   Put the calamari into a big bowl and toss with the seasoned flour to coat lightly and evenly.  Heat the oil and fry the calamari in batches for about 3 minutes or until crisp, golden and just cooked through.  Overcooking makes calamari tough!  Drain thoroughly on paper towels and serve immediately garnished with lemon wedges. 
 

---