SOME GREEK RECIPES CHICKPEA SOUP (VEGETARIAN) - FABA --------------------------- Cooking time: 40-50 minutes 4-6 portions 1/2 kilo (dried) chickpeas 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 cup of (olive) oil 1 tablespoon baking soda salt, pepper Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Drain them, put them in a bowl and mix them with the baking soda. Let them stand for an hour. Rinse them well to get rid of the baking soda. Put them in a cooking pot with a lot of water. As soon as they start boiling, remove the foam with a spoon, then add the onion, oil, salt and pepper and boil them until they become soft. MEAT ROLL. - ROLO APO KIMA ---------- Cooking time: 40-50 minutes 700 gr. ground meat 1 cup small bread crumbs 1 small finely chopped onion a small quantity of finely chopped celery 1/2 cup butter 1 beaten egg salt, pepper 4 teaspoonfuls of white dry wine 2 cups tomato juice 5 hard-boiled eggs Mix meat, bread, onion, celery, beaten egg and wine. Add salt and pepper and massage into a cohesive mix. Lay the mix on square aluminum foil. Remove the shell from the hard-boiled eggs, and lay them in a row, in the middle of the square aluminum foil. Wrap the meat roll with the help of the foil. Put the butter in a shallow pot, and fry lightly. Then carefully place the roll in the pot. Fry it lightly on all sides. When it gets red brown, pour the tomato juice and add some salt to the sauce. Cover it and boil slowly. Serve with rice pilaf, fried potatoes, or potato puree. Variation: Bake the meat roll in the oven with the tomato juice and the fried butter, after adding some water. GARLIC DIP (VEGETARIAN) - SKORDALIA ----------- 1 portion (130 gr.): 100 calories 1/2 cup olive oil 5-6 cloves garlic 5 slices of bread (remove hard part) some vinegar salt Peel garlic and marinate (leave) it in the vinegar for about five hours. Press garlic into pulp and add the bread after soaking it in water and straining it well. Add 2-3 teaspoons of vinegar, the salt and beat the mixture while slowly adding the oil. If you find it too thick, add some water. Serve with olives in a shallow dish. Variations: 1. Add half a cup of finely ground walnuts. 2. Replace the bread with 5 medium sized potatoes (boiled and hot). Garlic dip usually accompanies fried codfish, fried zucchini or fried eggplant. MELITZANOSALATA (EGGPLANT DIP) (VEGETARIAN) ------------------------------ 1 portion (130 gr.): 100 calories 1 kg round eggplants (I use 2-3 large eggplants) 1 cup olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 1 large lemon 1 small onion salt Pierce the eggplants with a fork and bake them in the oven for about 45 min. to an hour or until they become soft and the skin becomes slightly singed. Remove their skin and beat them with the lemon juice and some salt. To this puree add the onion, the parsley and bit by bit the oil. When you serve it, you may want to decorate it with olives, slices of tomato and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Variation: You could replace the lemon with 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and add 2 cloves of pressed garlic. Or add to the same recipe 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 cup strained yogurt. TZATZIKI (VEGETARIAN) --------- 1 portion (130 gr.): 75 calories 1.5 cup strained yogurt 2 medium size cucumbers 4-6 large cloves garlic 4 tablespoonfuls olive oil very little vinegar salt Grate the cucumber or mince it (cut it) in very small pieces. Strain it and squeeze it well while adding salt to it. Add the pressed garlic, the vinegar, the yogurt and mix well. Add the oil last. If you want, sprinkle with paprika and decorate with olives. Variation: You can add more garlic, if you want a sharper taste, or add to the mixture almonds or hazelnuts whitened and pressed. Note: Strained yogurt can be obtained from regular yogurt by putting it in a clean white cloth bag and hanging it for a few minutes. It can usually be bought at a greek grocery store. Tzatziki accompanies shish-kebob (souvlaki) and all broiled meats. NTOLMADAKIA WITH RICE (ME RYZI, GIALANTZI) (VEGETARIAN) --------------------------------- 50-60 grape leaves (*) 1 cup olive oil 1.5 cup finely chopped dry onions 1 cup finely chopped fresh onions 0.5 cup rice salt-pepper 1-2 lemons 1 bunch fresh mint Dip the grape leaves in rapid boiling water, strain them and let them cool off (*). Mix all the ingredients (except lemon juice) and wrap them into ntolmadakia (elongated shape). Lay some leaves at the bottom of the pot and place the ntolmadakia very tight and in concentric circles. Put a heavy dish on top of them to press them while they boil, to prevent them from breaking open. Pour in the lemon juice and enough water to cover the food. Simmer until all the water is absorbed. They are ready when the rice is ready (about 40 mins). Let them cool and serve them in a platter placing them one by one. (*) The recipe is for fresh fine grape leaves. It is possible to get canned or preserved grape leaves. These are typically thicker and possibly salty. Before using them, boil them for 5 minutes to soften them (if needed) and to remove the salt. MOSXARI STIFADO (VEAL STEW WITH ONIONS) --------------------------------------- 1 kg. meat (beef or veal) 1.5 kg. small onions 6 garlic cloves 1 cup oil 1 onion, minced 2-3 tbsp vinegar 1.5 cup tomato juice salt, pepper, bay leaves 8-10 grains of pepper (whole) frying oil Cut the meat into small pieces and put it with the minced onion and the oil into the pot. Brown the meat by turning over a few times. Add salt, pepper and vinegar. Cover the pot for half a minute and then add the tomato juce, the garlic, the bay leaves and the pepper grains. Add some water and let it boil for 60-70 minutes. In the meanwhile peel the small onions that must have soaked in a bowl of water. Drain them and salt them. Fry them and add them to the pot when the meat is ready. Boil for a few minutes until the water evaporates and a nice sauce remains. FISH SLICES IN THE OVEN WITH OIL AND OREGANO - CARI FETA STO FOYRNO LADORIGANH -------------------------------------------- 1 kg large fish slices 1 kg potatoes 1.5 cup oil 2 lemons salt, pepper, oregano Peel the potatoes and cut them in elongated slices. Put the fish slices in a row in the middle of a baking pan, and around it place the potatoes. Add salt, pepper and sprinkle with oregano. Add the oil, the lemon and 1.5 cup of water. Bake in medium oven temperature for about an hour. From eem Fri Jan 6 12:51:56 1995 To: ETASTSOG@shark.stmarys.ca CAROSOYPA (FISH SOUP). ----------------------- 1kg fish suitable for boiling in pot (midsize or large) (synagrida, sfyrida, fagkri) 8 small potatoes 4 small onions 3-4 small carrots 1 bunch celery 2 tomatoes (mid-size, ripe) 1 cup oil 2-3 eggs 2 lemons 1 cup rice salt Clean and wash the fish. Salt it and let it sit. Peel potatoes, carrots and onions and put them whole in the pot with enough water to cover them. Tie the celery together (*) so that it does not spread around, cut tomatoes in four and add them, with the oil and salt. When the vegetables are almost done, add some more water and the fish. Boil for an additional 20 minutes and then take the fish and the vegetables out of the broth. Place the fish on a platter and around it the vegetables. Filter the broth, add some more water if necessary, and bring to a boil. Add the rice. When the rice is cooked, take the pot off the fire. Prepare egg-lemon mix (avgolemono) with the eggs and the lemon juice as follows: Beat the eggs and add to them the lemon juice BIT BY BIT. Add 1-2 cups of broth to the egg-lemon mix BIT BY BIT (with a large spoon), while you continue to beat the mix. Finally add the egg-lemon-broth mix to the broth while stirring at the same time. (*) greek celery must be different from the canadian one, coming in smaller leaves and bunches. XORTOSOYPA (VEGETABLE SOUP) (VEGETARIAN) --------------------------- 3 potatoes (mid-size) 1 onion 3 carrots (mid-size) 1 bunch of celery (finely chopped) 2 tomatoes (ripe) 2 small zuchinis 1/2 cup oil, salt, pepper Peel potatoes and cut them into very small cubes. Same with zuchinis and carrots. Slice the onion. Cut the tomato into small pieces, after you remove the skin and the seeds. Put all ingredients into a pot and cover them with water. Add oil, salt, pepper. Let it boil for about 20 minutes. When serving, you can add some lemon juice. KALAMARAKIA GEMISTA (STUFFED SQUID) ----------------------------------- 1.5 kg large squids 1 cup rice 1 cup fresh onions, finely chopped 1 cup oil 1 bunch dill, finely chopped salt, pepper Clean the squids, remove the shell (bone), the eyes and the hard parts and wash them well. Cut the tentacles into very small pieces and put them in a frying pan with the onions. When they dry up, add 3/4 cup oil, salt and pepper. Stir with a spatula and add the rice, while stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup water, and the dill and let the mix boil for a while until the water has evaporated. With this mix fill each squid, leaving some room for the rice that will swell up when it is boiled. Thread a needle that you have previously sterilized and sew each squid carefully. Place the squids in a shallow pot. Add the remaining oil and water to half cover them. Let them simmer for 45 minutes until the water is all absorbed. KOLOKYUOPITA (ZUCHINI PIE) (VEGETARIAN) ---------------------------- (quantities for a medium size baking pan) 1 kg small zuchini 500 g fillo 5 onions (medium size) 0.5 cup margarine 1 cup oil 2.5 cup cheese (gruyere) 4 eggs parsley, salt, pepper Clean the zuchini, wash and cut them into pieces. Boil them in salted water and drain them well. Grate the onions, and put them with the zuchini into a frying pan to boil until all the water is gone. Add the margarine and let them boil together for a little while. Add parsley, salt, pepper, the cheese and the eggs (beaten). Coat the baking pan with oil and lay half the fillo leaves, also coated with oil. Lay the mixture uniformly over the leaves and lay the remaining fillo leaves on top. Bake in medium heat for 45-55 minutes. XORTOPITA (VEGETABLE PIE) (VEGETARIAN) -------------------------- horta = green vegetables, esp. dandellions. 1.5 kg horta (variety) 200 g fresh onions 1.5 cup oil 1 cup feta cheese (optional) dill, parsley 1 tbsp. sugar fillo dough Wash and finely cut the horta. Rub them with salt. Press them to release their water. Add sugar, 1 cup oil, dill, parsley, and the cheese. Coat the baking pan with oil and lay half the fillo leaves, also coated with oil. Lay the mixture uniformly over the leaves and lay the remaining fillo leaves on top. Bake in medium heat for 50-60 minutes. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% TARAMOSALATA (FISH EGG SALAD DIP) --------------------------------- 100 gr tarama (paste made out of fish eggs) 4 slices bread 1 onion (very small) 2 lemons (the juice) 4 tbsp oil Moisten the bread in water and remove the crust. Beat it until it dissolves and add the tarama. Continue to beat the mixture until it becomes soft. Start adding the oil and the lemon juice (alternating). Add pepper (optional). Lay it on a plate and decorate with olives, pickles, or caper. Variation: Use 4-5 hot boiled medium-size potatoes instead of bread, or replace the onion with 2 cloves garlic. TARAMOKEFTEDES ("MEAT"BALLS MADE WITH FISH EGGS) ------------------------------------------------- 150 gr tarama (paste made out of fish eggs) 1-1.25 cup flour 1.25 cup water 1 fresh onion (finely chopped) 1 bunch dill oil Dissolve the tarama in the water, and add all ingredients (flour last), until it becomes a thick pap. Heat oil in the frying pan. Lower heat, add the pap into the oil by spoonful. Fry them until browny. GALAKTOMPOYREKO (MILK CUSTARD) (VEGETARIAN) ------------------------------- Baking time: 30 min. 12 fillo sheets For the custard: 1 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 4 cups milk 1 cup fine semolina (cream of wheat I believe is the closest here) 6 eggs, beaten vanilla flavour For the syrup: 4 cups sugar 2 cups water skin from lemon, vanilla flavour juice of 1/2 lemon To make the custard: Place milk and sugar in a pot, and when they are hot, empty the semolina little by little, stirring constantly. Before it thickens completely, take the pot off the fire, wait a little for the boiling to stop, and add little by little the eggs and the vanilla flavour. In a rectangular oven pan, smear some melted butter on the pan bottom, and place the 6 fillo sheets one by one, smearing melted butter in between them. Empty the custard into the pan and cover it with the other 6 fillo sheets. Mark carefully on the top sheet with a knife the pieces that will be cut later. Preheat the oven (medium-high) and bake for 30 minutes. To prepare the syrup: Boil the syrup ingredients (sugar & water) for 10 minutes, adding the skin and the lemon juice and the vanilla flavor. Pour the syrup over the baked oven pan contents while still hot and cut the pieces when it cools down. SPANAKOPITA (SPINACH PIE) ------------------------- Baking time: 50-60min For medium size pan 1kg spinach 500g fillo dough 300g fresh onions 1.5 cup olive oil 1 bunch dill nutmeg (ground) salt, pepper THE MIX: Wash spinach well, remove roots and hard stems. Cut it into pieces, put salt and rub it hard with your fingers to remove the water and turn it into a spinach lump which you drain well. Cut the onions finely and mix them with the spinach adding to the mix the nutmeg, the pepper and half the oil. Coat a thin layer of oil on the pan, and lay most of the sheets of fillo dough coated with oil. Spread the spinach mix uniformly over the fillo dough, and cover with the remaining fillo sheets, coating them in oil, too. Bake in medium heat for 50-60 min. SPANAKOTIROPITA (SPINACH-CHEESE PIE) ------------------------------------- Similar to spinach pie, with the following additional ingredients: 300g feta cheese (finely chopped) 1.5 cup of evaporated milk 2 eggs (beaten) less or no salt Same process as spinach pie, except that you add the cheese, eggs and milk to the spinach mix. TIROPITA (CHEESE PIE) --------------------- For medium size pan 500g feta cheese (finely chopped) 500g fillo dough 1 cup kefalotiri (or parmesan cheese, grated) 1 cup milk 1 cup butter (melted) 5 eggs (beaten) parsley (finely chopped) pepper (no salt, feta cheese is salty) THE MIX: Mix the cheeses, milk, eggs, parsley and pepper. Coat the pan with butter, and lay most of the sheets of fillo dough coated with butter. Spread the cheese mix uniformly over the fillo dough, and cover with the remaining fillo sheets, coating them in butter, too. Bake in medium heat for 50-60 min. KOULOURAKIA ----------- 1 cup oil 1 cup juice (orange) 1 cup sugar 1 lemon juice (squeezed) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon orange peel 1 kg flour Mix oil, juice, sugar and orange peel. Dissolve the soda into the lemon juice and mix with the rest. Mix the baking powder in the flour and add this gradually to the other mix. Mix the whole thing into a thick dough. Make koulourakia and bake them for half an hour in medium oven. MPRIAM WITH POTATOES AND ZUCHINI --------------------------------- 1kg potatoes 1kg mid-sized zuchini 0.5kg tomatoes (or tomato sauce) 6 cloves garlic 1 bunch parsley 1.5 cup oil salt, pepper Peel and wash the potatoes Cut potatoes into wheels Wash and trim zuchini, cut into long and narrow slices In a medium-sized pan, lay down one layer of zuchini Apply salt and pepper Finely chop parsley and sprinkle half of it Finely chop and sprinke half the garlic Pour half the tomato sauce on the zuchini Lay one layer of potatoes and zuchini Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients (tomato sauce, garlic, parsley) Pour the oil on top Add 2-3 cups of water Put the pan into the oven and let it bake for one hour Variation: Replace half of the zuchini with eggplant. RICE PUDDING (RIZOGALO) ----------------------- 1 kg milk 1/2 cup rice 1 cup water 4 tsp corn flour 12 tsp sugar cinnamon (ground) Boil rice and water. When the water is absorbed by the rice, add the milk (except 1/2 cup, in which you dissolve the corn flour) and the sugar. Stir constantly. When the mix thickens, pour the corn flour+milk solution and continue stirring until it thickens again. Serve in small bowls and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. LAMB EKSOHIKO (KLEFTIKO) ------------------------- Baking time: 60 min 1 kg lamb meat (thigh) 1 cup butter 10 potatoes (small) 5 onions (dry, whole) 5 cloves garlic 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese 5 pieces of feta cheese 5 fillo dough sheets pepper, oregano, salt, olive oil Cut the lamb meat into five pieces and put it in a pot with a little butter, simmer lightly, together with the potatoes and the onion. Open the fillo sheets one by one, coat them with melted butter, and put in each one a portion of lamb meat, 1 clove of garlic, two potatoes, one onion, some parmesan cheese, and oregano. Add a little more butter, wrap the fillo sheet as if wrapping a box. Coat the oven pan with oil, coat the exterior of each of the packages with butter, and bake in medium oven heat covered with aluminum foil for about an hour. Notes: The original recipe calls for a hard greek cheese called "kefalotiri". This is available in greek grocery stores, but not in regular supermarkets. Parmesan cheese is the closest widely available equivalent. The dish is often available in greek restaurants, in a modified form (no fillo dough, but the ingredients wrapped into aluminum foil only). You can buy fillo dough at the Superstore or Sobeys, in the frozen pastries section. It comes rolled in a long and thin box. The recipe is also known as "eksohiko" (meaning "of the countryside"). The recipe book indicates that it is a local recipe, coming from middle mainland Greece. All of this is consistent with the term "kleftiko". Kleftes (literally thieves) were rebels living in the mountains of middle mainland Greece during Turkish occupation times (17th to the early 19th century), and fighting the Turks. ARTICHOKES A LA POLITA ----------------------- Cooking time: 90 min 8 artichokes 3 lemons 6 fresh onions 10 large dried onions 1/2 kg potatoes 1 dill bunch 1 cup oil salt, pepper Wash the artichokes. Remove the hard leaves and the other hard parts of the artichokes. Cut the tips of the tender leaves and remove the wooly parts from inside the artichokes. Rub them with lemon and let them stand in water. Finely cut the fresh onions and cut the dried onions into four. Put them in the pot with the artichokes and the potatoes. Add the oil, dill, pepper and water to cover them. Let boil for one and a half hour until only the oil remains (water has evaporated). Variant: You may add 3 carrots cut into slices. MELOMAKARONA ------------- One piece (melomakarono): 95 calories Baking time: 30-35 min 1 cup of butter 1 cup of olive oil (light) 1 kg flour (self-rising) 1 cup sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp clove (ground) scrap from two oranges 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup drained yoghurt 1 cup of walnuts coarsely ground For the syrup 2 glasses of sugar 3 glasses of water 3 glasses of honey juice of one lemon walnuts and cinnamon to sprinkle on top Beat the butter well, add the oil (how much?) and pour in the sugar, cinnamon, clove, orange scraps, baking soda and yoghurt, AND THE FLOUR!?! Knead them well and add the walnuts to the dough. Make individual pieces (melomakarona) out of the dough, and give them a somewhat elongated shape. Bake them until they turn brownish. Don't put them too close to each other in the pan, and don't make them too large because they will rise and grow in size. When they cool down, prepare the syrup for the dipping. Bring the sugar and the water to a boil, let them boil for 10 min. Then add the honey. As the syrup is boiling, immerse into it as many pieces as can comfortably fit. Leave them for 1 min and then take them out and place them on a pan. Continue with the rest of the pieces. When you are done with the first round of dipping into syrup, add 1.5 cup water into the syrup. When it starts boiling again, immerse 2-4 pieces again into the syrup for 1 min. Take them out and put them on a platter. Sprinkle with walnuts and cinnamon and continue with the rest of the pieces. HOW TO MAKE SELF-RISING FLOUR ----------------------------- A. Your Guide, Carroll Pellegrinelli Why buy self-rising flour when you can make your own? http://baking.about.com/cs/hintsandtips/ht/selfrisingflour.htm Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 15 minutes Here's How: 1. In a large mixing bowl, measure 6 cups of flour. 2. Add 3 tablespoons baking powder. 3. Add 1 tablespoon salt. 4. Either sift together or mix with a wire whisk until well combined. 5. Can be stored in airtight container for months. Tips: 1. Measure self-rising flour like regular flour. 2. Keep all dry goods in airtight containers to avoid moisture and infestation. B. What is Self-rising flour? http://www.pastrywiz.com/archive/recipe/0120.htm Self-rising flour is all-purpose flour with added salt and leavening (baking powder). You will notice that recipes that call for self-rising flour do not call for baking powder. Make your own self-rising flour For 1 cup self-rising flour use: * 1 cup all-purpose flour * 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder * a pinch of salt. STRAINED YOGHURT ---------------- From: http://www.tripoli-lebanon.com/yoghurt.html INGREDIENTS: For 8 cups of yoghurt or ½ kg (16 oz) strained yoghurt. 8 cups milk 0.5 cup yoghurt 1 tspn salt (as desired) PREPARATION: Bring milk to a boil. Place aside until tepid. Stir in yoghurt. Cover pot with lid. Wrap pot with a wool cover. Place in a warm place for 6 hours. Remove lid. Stir in salt. Cool in refrigerator for 3 hours. For Strained Yoghurt: Pour the cold yoghurt into a cheese cloth bag. Tie and let hang for 12 hours. Note: You should double the time of straining the yoghurt when you double the quantity of yoghurt. OCTOPUS (BOILED) - XTAPODI BRASTO ---------------- Boiling time: 1 hour 1 octopus (1.5 kg) 3/4 cups olive oil 3 cloves garlic 4 table spoons vinegar pepper, oregano (or parsley) Wash the octopus and put it in the pot without adding any water. Let it boil in its own juice in medium heat. When its own juice evaporates, add some extra water, if the octopus has not softened enough. Once boiled, strain it and cut it up into pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour them on the octopus pieces OCTOPUS (WITH WINE) - XTAPODI KRASATO ------------------- Boiling time: 1 hour 2 kg of octopus 1 cup of oil 2 cups of red dry wine pepper Wash the octopus and cut it up into small pieces. Put it in the pot with the oil and let it boil until its own juice evaporates. Let it sautee with the oil. Apply the pepper and "extinguish" it using the wine. Continue boiling unti the octopus softens and the sauce thickens. Variation: You can add 4-5 small tomatoes (whole) and 2 bay leaves. OCTOPUS WITH MACARONI - XTAPODI ME MAKARONAKI KOFTO --------------------- Boiling time: 1 hour 1 kg octopus 1/2 kg of macaroni 1/2 kg fresh tomatoes 1 cup of wine 1.5 cup of oil 1 onion, large, finely chopped salt, pepper Cut the octopus in medium size pieces and wash it well. Put it in the pot by itself and let it boil until its own juice evaporates. Then add the onion and the oil and let it sautee until the onion softens, turning it over with a wooden spatula. Add the wine and then the tomatoes (peeled and crushed). Add salt, pepper and some water, and let it boil. Once the octopus softens, add some more water and the corresponding macaroni. Serve soon after the macaroni has boiled and absorbed the water. XALBAS ME SIMIGDALI ------------------- Preparation time: 30 min 3/4 cup olive oil (1 for full recipe) 1 cup simigdali(semolina) fine 1 cup simigdali(semolina) coarse 2 1/4 cup sugar (3 for full recipe) 4 cups water cinnamon Heat the oil in a pot. Add the semolina and start "frying" it stirring it with a wooded spoon, until it becomes yellow (blond). In the meanwhile, put the water with the sugar to boil in another pot for 10 min to make the syrup. When the semolina is ready, pour the syrup on it and continue to stir, while lowering the heat, until it thickens. The halva is ready when it falls off the walls of the pot by itself. Put it in a mould and when it cools down, remove from the mould onto a plate and sprinkle with cinnamon. GARIDES PILAFI - SHRIMPS WITH RICE ----------------------------------- Cooking time: 30 min 1 kg shrimps 2.4 cups rice 1 cup oil 1.5 cup tomato sauce or tomatoes (peeled and crushed) 1 onion (large, finely chopped) salt, pepper Wash the shrimps and cut off their feelers. Add salt to them and let them strain. Sautee the onion with the oil. When the onion softens, add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Let the sauce boil by itself for 10-15 min. Then add 2-3 cups of water and the rice. When the rice is almost ready, add the shrimps. Let them boil together for 15 min until the water evaporates, and depending on how soft you want the rice to be. Serve it warm. DOLMADAKIA AYGOLEMONO - DOLMA WITH EGG-LEMON [2] -------------------------------------------- 250 g vine leaves 600 g ground meat 1/2 cup rice 1 onion (finely chopped) parsley, dill 1/2 cup butter 2 cups meat consome 2 tbsp corn flour 2 eggs lightly beaten 1 lemon (extract its juice) Wash and scald vine leaves. Mix ground meat, rice, onion, one tbsp salt, pepper, parsley and dill (finely chopped). Put a tbsp of filling at the tip of each vine leaf and roll it into a dolma, without making it tight. Place the dolmas in rows in a pot. Cover them with a dish and pour in two cups of hot water and butter. Cover the pot and let them simmer for about 1.5 hour. RICE PILAF WITH GROUND MEAT AU GRATIN [2] ------------------------------------- 1/2 kg ground meat 1 onion (finely chopped) 4 tbsp butter 3 tomatoes (peeled and finely chopped) 1 cup water 2 tsp salt pepper, parsley (finely chopped) 2 cups rice 4 cups water 2 tsp salt Sautee the ground meat and the onion with half the butter and add the tomatoes, the water, salt and pepper. Let the ground meat and its sauce simmer for 1 hour. Add near the end some finely chopped parsley. Put in a pot the remaining butter and when it heats up add the rice. Stir for a few minutes until the rice gets white and loses its transparency. Add the water, cover it, reduce heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Prepare the ground meat and the rice as described above. Put in a pan half the rice and cover it with the ground meat. Put on top of the ground meant the remaining rice and cover it with bechamel sauce. Sprinke grated parmesan on top and put in in the oven at broil until it turns brown. STAFIDOPITA (RAISIN PIE) [2] ------------------------ 4 cups self-raising flour 1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs cinnamon small amount of ginger 2 cups golden raisin orange peel scrap 1.5 cup milk some almonds fine sugar Leave the butter near the heat for it to soften and beat it with a spoon or with the mixer. Gradually add the sugar and the eggs one by one while you continue the beating. Add minimal amounts of cinnamon and ginger, the raisins, the orange peel, and alternately the flour and the milk. Stir the mixture and you put it in a pan (smeared with butter). Spread on top some almonds (whitened and split in the middle). Bake the raisin pie in medium oven for about one hour. Sprinkle with fine sugar. Lahanontolmades ---------------- Cooking time: 40-50 min 1 cabbage 1/2 kg ground meat 1/2 cup rice 1 onion (finely chopped) salt, pepper 1 cup butter 2.5 tbsp flour 3 eggs 2 lemons Boil water in a large pot with a little salt. In the meanwhile, clean the cabbage and remove the hard stem. Wash it and boil it in the water for 10min. Mix the ground meat, the rice, salt and pepper and knead well. Wrap the ntolmades by putting in each leaf of the cabbage a tablespoon of the meat/rice mix. Fold the two ends of the leaf and roll them up into a cylindrical shape. Put the ntolmades in an empty pot, after you lay some cabbage leaves on the bottom of the pot, and put on top of them a plate heavy enough to press them down so that they do not open up as they boil. Add enough water to cover them, and boil them for 40-50 min. When they are ready, take them out, put them on a platter, and work on the sauce. The sauce: Heat the butter in a pot, to melt it, add the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the juice of the ntolmades while stirring at the same time. Beat the eggs with the lemon juice. Remove the sauce from the heat, and pour the egg/lemon mix little by little. Pour the white sour sauce over the ntolmades and serve them. SPANAKORYZO (SPINACH-RICE) -------------------------- Cooking time: 45min 1kg spinach 6 fresh onions 1 bunch dill 1.5 cup rice 1 cup olive oil salt, pepper lemon Clean the spinach and cut it into pieces. Wash it very well and drain it. Clean and slice the onions. Put the onions with the oil in the pot and heat them until they shrink and add the dill (chopped). Saute them a little and them add the spinach. Stir the spinach until it settles and add salt and pepper. Add three cups of water and let it boil. When the spinach is almost cooked, add 2 more cups of water and add the rice. Cover the pot and let it boil in medium heat, stirring once in a while. When the liquid has evaporated, serve it with freshly cut pepper and lemon. Variation: Replace some of the water with tomato juice. BASIC APPLE PIE RECIPE Apple pie --------------------------------- From: http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/recipe/apple_pie_recipe.htm 8 servings This is my mom's recipe for apple pie (I've even successfully made it a few times!) You can make the crust or you can use a premade one. CRUST (recipe makes one double crust): 2 1/2 cups white flour 2 tbsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces 5 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening 8 tbsp. ice water Measure the flour, sugar and salt together. Stir to combine. Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the bowl. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or knife. Don't over mix them. Add the ice water. Mix until the dough holds together (add a bit more water, if necessary). Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it together, then divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour. Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that's about 12 inches in diameter. Put the circle in a 9" pie plate, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife (parents only). Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie. Add filling (see below) Roll out the second ball of dough and cover top. Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together. cut a couple slits in the top. FILLING 1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of salt 8 medium sized apples (a medium apple = about 1 cup) 2 tablespoons margarine Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and slice the apples. Try to keep the size of the slices even. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with margarine. Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top. OPTIONAL: Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent too much browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. CHICK PEAS & RICE ----------------- 500g of chickpeas 2 medium-size onions 1 cup rice tomato sauce spices (e.g. chili powder) Soak chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Bring to boil, remove foam. Add onion (finely grated!). Boil for 20-30min. Add water, bring to boil. Add rice, tomato sauce, chili powder. Boil until they thicken (another 20-30min). Add olive oil at the end. Serve on shallow plate. Gigantes ---------- 1/2 kg large lima beans 3/4 cup olive oil 1 onion (finely chopped) 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 3 tomatoes (ripe) OR canned tomatoes OR tomato sauce parsley (finely chopped) salt, pepper 1. Soak the beans in water overnight 2. Boil beans until they get soft, then strain, and spread in a pan. 3. Combine oil, onion, garlic in a pot, and sautee (i.e. lightly fry) 4. Add parsley, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and boil briefly in the pot to make the sauce 5. Empty the sauce into the pan with the beans, spread evenly. 6. Bake in medium oven heat (380F) for 45 min until they get light red in colour. Note: the beans in the pan should have the equivalent of 2-3 glasses of liquid. Check every 20min to ensure the liquid has not evaporated. If it has, add a glass of water, as needed. Variation: to make the dish lighter, combine all the sauce ingredients into the pan without frying the onions or boiling the sauce in the pot. Bake a little longer in the pan in this case. VASILOPITA ----------- Baking time: 60 min 500gr butter 500gr sugar 500gr milk (warm) 1.5 kg flour 5 eggs 50 gr yeast a bit of salt, 1 egg for smearing over 15gr mastic ground (natural flavour) 1 cup of juice from boiled aniseed (natural flavour) sesame seeds Put the flour in a bowl and open a hole in the middle. Pour into it the eggs, the butter, the sugar, the milk, the mastic, the juice of anise, the salt and the yeast. Knead the whole thing well until it becomes a dough. In case it is too thick, pour some warm milk to soften it. Cover the dough with a clean towel and leave it in a warm place to rise. When it has risen enough, knead it again, place it in a buttered pan, smear it over with the egg and sprinkle it with the sesame seeds. Bake it in an oven that is hot in the beginning, and then medium, when it becomes light brown in colour, for a total of about an hour. Note: instead of flour+yeast, you can use self-raising flour (pre-mixed packaged from the store) or follow the earlier instructions for making self-rising flour from scratch (search for "HOW TO MAKE SELF-RISING FLOUR" in this file). REFERENCE ----------- [1] 222 recipes: Greek cuisine, publisher: M. Toubis, 1989. [2] Chrysa Paradisi: The golden cookbook, offer of Giotis industry to the Greek housewife, ca. 1970.