GREECE
ATHENS
Tzatziki
Original Recipe Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber ( better seedless )
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
leaves or parsley
Directions
- Peel the cucumber and cut in half
lengthwise. Remove seeds using a spoon then grate the cucumber into a
small bowl. Stir in the yogurt, garlic, salt and chopped mint. Chill for
at least 30 minutes before serving to develop the flavor.
Best with pita bread
Horiatiki Salata: Greek Salad
This is the
traditional version that does not include lettuce. You can add the lettuce if
you like.
Ingredients:
- 4-5 large, ripe, tomatoes
- 1 large red onion
- 1 cucumber
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/4 pound (113.5g) of Greek feta
cheese, sliced or cumbled
- dried Greek oregano (rigani)
- sea salt
- top quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 dozen Greek olives (Kalamata,
green Cretan olives, etc.)
- pickled pepperoncini hot peppers
(garnish)
- 1 tablespoon of water (optional)
Preparation:
Wash and dry the
tomatoes, cucumber, and green pepper. Clean off the outer skin from the onion,
wash, and dry.
Cut the tomatoes into
bite-sized irregularly shaped chunks, removing the core. Salt lightly. Slice
the cucumber into 1/4-inch slices, cutting slices in half (whether or not you
peel the cucumber is a personal choice). Salt lightly. Slice the pepper into
rings, removing the stem and seeds. Salt lightly. Slice the onion into thin
rings.
Combine the tomatoes,
cucumbers, green pepper and onion in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with oregano,
pour olive oil over the salad, and toss. Just before serving, place the feta on
top of the salad, either as a slice or crumbled (as in photo), and toss in some
olives. Sprinkle the cheese with oregano (and pepper if desired), mix the oil
and water and drizzle over the top, and serve, garnished with hot peppers.
Yield: Serves 4-6
Additional
ingredients
- Anchovies: if you like this salty
fish, add a couple to the salad before tossing.
- Capers: toss in a few if you like
them.
Makaronia Ograten: Cheesy Baked Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of macaroni pasta (or long
ziti)
- 1 1/4 cup of grated kefalotyri (or
pecorino, or regato, or other sharp white cheese)
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1/3 cup of melted butter
- -----------
- Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 7-8 tablespoons of flour
- 3 1/2 cups of whole milk
- 1 egg yolk
- salt
- pepper
- -----------
- Topping:
- 1/4 cup of toasted breadcrumbs
Preparation:
Make the sauce: In a
saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. As soon as it melts, add the flour a
little at a time, stirring with a wire whisk or wooden spoon, until smooth and
remove from heat. Warm the milk until it gets hot but not boiling, and add
slowly to the flour mixture, stirring continuously. Put the sauce back on low
heat and stir until thickened and smooth, the consistency of cream. Remove from
heat, add salt and pepper, and once it cools, beat the egg yolks and stir them
in.
Preheat oven to 390F
(200C).
In salted water, cook
the macaroni for half the time recommended on the packaging. Drain and coat
with half the melted butter. Beat the egg whites until fluffy and stir into
macaroni. Add half the grated cheese and toss.
Lightly butter (or
spray) an oven-proof casserole dish and put a thin layer of sauce in the
bottom, sprinkle with a little cheese, add a layer of macaroni, sprinkle with
cheese, and add a little sauce. Repeat until all macaroni is used, and pour the
remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle first with cheese, then breadcrumbs, and
top off with remaining butter.
Bake for 30 minutes
and serve hot.
Pork Stew with Celery and Avgolemono Sauce - Hoirino
me Seleri (Selino)
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3-1/2 lbs. pork shoulder (or pork
butt) roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 leeks, diced (include 2 inches
of green)
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 8 – 10 large stalks pascal celery
(with leaves) cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
- Juice of two lemons (strained)
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
In a Dutch oven or
stockpot, heat the butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Season
the pork chunks with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then saute until
nicely browned on both sides.
Remove the pork to a
platter and keep warm. Add the leek and onion to the pot and saute until nicely
tender, about 5 minutes. Add the 2 tbsp. flour to the pot and cook for about a
minute until incorporated. Add the celery and the chicken stock and allow the
liquid to come to a boil.
Reduce heat to
medium-low and simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Add the pork (with juices)
and the dill to the pot and simmer covered for approximately 45 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
Prepare the
Avgolemono sauce:
Using a whisk, beat
the eggs in a medium bowl until frothy. Slowly whisk in the lemon juice. Ladle
one cup of the pot liquid little by little into egg-lemon mixture to temper the
eggs.
Remove pot from heat
and add egg-lemon mixture stirring gently. Heat over very low heat until sauce
thickens and is heated through. Take care not to allow the sauce to boil or the
eggs will curdle.
Re-season with salt
and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9x9 inch pan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds spinach, rinsed and
chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 8 sheets phyllo dough
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175
degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a
large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic,
until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue
to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set
aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, mix together
eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo
dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay
another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process
with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread
spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over
filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough,
brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to
40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.
Melomakarona - Honey Cookies with Walnuts
Ingredients:
- For the cookies:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Zest of one orange
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup walnuts, ground coarsely
- Ground cinnamon for sprinkling
- For the syrup:
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 1-2-inch piece lemon rind
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to
350 degrees.
In a small bowl, using your fingers,
combine the orange zest with the sugar – rubbing the grains as if you were
playing with sand to release the orange oils into the sugar.
Using an electric
mixer, beat the oil with the orange sugar until well mixed. In a separate bowl,
sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the orange juice
and brandy to mixer and mix well.
Slowly incorporate
the flour cup by cup until the mixture forms a dough that is not too loose but
not quite firm either. It will be dense and wet but not sticky. Once the flour
is incorporated fully stop mixing.
To roll cookies,
pinch a portion of dough off about the size of a walnut. Shape in your palms
into a smooth oblong shape, almost like a small egg. Place on an ungreased
cookie sheet. Shape and roll cookies until the sheet is filled.
Press the tines of a
large fork in a crosshatch pattern in the center of each cookie. This will
flatten them slightly in the center. The cookies should resemble lightly
flattened ovals when they go in the oven.
Bake in a preheated
350-degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes until lightly browned. (The cookies will
darken when submerged in syrup.)
While the cookies are
baking, prepare the syrup.
In a saucepan,
combine the honey, sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon rind. Bring the
mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 to 15
minutes. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and lemon rind and stir in lemon juice.
Place the ground
walnuts in a shallow plate or bowl next to the stove top. When the cookies come
out of the oven and while they are still very warm, carefully float the cookies
in the syrup and allow the cookies to absorb syrup on both sides.
Using a fork or small
spatula, remove the cookie from the syrup and place on a platter or plate.
Press ground walnuts lightly into the tops of the cookies (syrup will help it
adhere) and sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon.
Do not refrigerate
Melomakarona as they will harden. Store in an airtight container at room
temperature.
KALA CRISTOUGENA !
