Greek pie is a delicious vegetable recipe with a lot of cheese. It can be eaten any time of the day –as a hearty breakfast, yummy snack or light main course with some salad. Watch the pie carefully as you bake it because you wouldn’t want to burn the bacon or overcook the egg and vegetables. Adjust the heat and the time as needed.

Ingredients:

400g zucchini, sliced thinly

200g tomatoes, sliced thinly

1/4 cup olive oil

2 leeks, white part cut and finely chopped

250g Greek feta, crumbled

250g fresh ricotta

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped dill

3/4 cup chopped mint

8 eggs, lightly beaten

200g prosciutto slices

Put the zucchini in a medium sized bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt. Set it aside for 30 minutes. Rinse the zucchini in running water. Drain well and then pat them dry using paper towels.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook the leeks for 8-10 minutes or until they become soft. Let it cool completely.

Preheat the oven at 180C and prepare a 22cm springform tin or round baking dish. Line the dish with the prosciutto and allow the edges to hang loose at the sides by 5cm. Place the zucchini, tomatoes and leeks into the pan or baking dish.

Next, combine the eggs, flour, mint and dill in a large bowl. Mix well until there are no more lumps. Add the feta and ricotta. Season it with salt and pepper. Stir.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Fold the hanging prosciutto over the top of the egg mixture. Bake it in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or until the pie is set and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. Remove from tin or slice before serving.

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Chicken is one of the best meats to use because they absorb flavors easily. This tasty Mediterranean dish is so good it totally melts in your mouth. All you have to do is combine all the ingredients, bake it and voila! You have a wonderful dish that is perfect for parties or family dinners.

Ingredients:

750g marble potatoes or medium sized potatoes, quartered

8 chicken thighs

2 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 Spanish onions, quartered

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

400g can diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

12 black olives

Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve

1 cup crumbled feta cheese, to serve

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 200C.

Dry the chicken using paper towels and place them on a lightly greased baking dish. Add the potatoes, onions, tomatoes and red bell pepper. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, oregano and garlic. After, drizzle it with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are done. Baste chicken with the drippings.  Top with olives, feta and parsley before serving.

Photo Courtesy Of:  russelljsmith

There is a Cypriot Version of this dish, which is much simpler – no Bacon or Onion, and much fewer herbs, and served as part of a larger Meze, along with dishes like the Keftedes, Dolmades and Koftas.

To Serve 4
1tbsp Vegetable Oil
450g Courgettes, thickly sliced
125g Rindless Smoked Streaky Bacon, chopped
50g Onion, peeled and chopped
2tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
1tbsp Chopped Fresh Rosemary
2 Eggs
Salt and Pepper

1. Heat the Vegetable Oil in a medium sized pan over a high heat, and sauté the Courgettes, Bacon and Onion together for four to five minutes, until the Onions and Courgettes have softened, and the Bacon begins to brown off.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the Eggs, along with the Chopped Thyme and Rosemary, before seasoning well with Salt and Pepper.
3. Lower the heat for the Pan, and pour the Egg mixture into the pan, and leave to set for around two to three minutes. When it begins to solidify, start to move around in the pan with a Fish Slice to change to a scrambled-egg texture.
4. Serve immediately, and garnish with fresh-chopped Herbs.

Photo Courtesy of: Girl Interrupted Eating

To Serve 4
600g Aubergine, Sliced into 1cm Thick Rounds
1tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped Roughly
2 Garlic Cloves, Chopped Finely
400g Minced Beef
1tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon (or 2 Cinnamon Sticks)
Small Bunch Parsley, Chopped
1tbsp Clear Honey
470g Jar of White Sauce
100g Cheese
Sea Salt and Pepper

1. Sprinkle the Aubergines with a little Sea Salt, and allow to stand for fifteen minutes, before rinsing and drying off with kitchen paper. Heat a grill up, and grill on each side for two minutes until they are lightly browned and dry.
2. Heat the Oil up in a large pan, and cook the Onion and Garlic until soft and brown – around four minutes. Add the meat (if using it), and cook brown it off for about five minutes.
3. Add the Worcestershire Sauce, Chopped Tomatoes, Cinnamon, Parsley and Honey to the pan, and simmer for fifteen minutes uncovered, before removing the Cinnamon Stick (if you aren’t using Ground Cinnamon). Pre-heat the Oven to 170C
4. In a large Ovenproof dish, layer the Aubergines with the Meat Sauce, then pour the White Sauce over the top and scatter the Cheese over the top. Bake for thirty minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.

Photo Courtesy of: zrzka2010

Koftas are minced ground meat mixed with spices and onions. It can be cooked in different ways: steamed, poached, fried, grilled or baked. These meatballs can be eaten as is or with sauce. Some like it with yogurt, while others enjoy it with a spicy tomato based sauce. Turkish kofta is the most famous variety, although there are Mediterranean, North African, Indian, European, Asian and Indian variations. Some even use fish instead of meat. My personal favourite is the lamb version served with yogurt garlic sauce which is prepared the Mediterranean way.

1 cup fine or fresh breadcrumbs

1 lb lean ground beef or lamb

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon dried mint

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons parsley

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

Make your own breadcrumbs by breaking up 2 pieces of stale whole wheat bread in the food processor; make sure that it has a fine texture. Mix in the ground meat, egg and continue to whizz. Add the spices, garlic and parsley. Continue to blend the mixture in the food processor until all ingredients are mixed together. Refrigerate for an hour or more.

Remove the mixture from the refrigerator. With damp hands, make small balls. Let it stand for 10 minutes and dust with flour or leftover breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the balls for 5 minutes or until cooked and browned. Drain the oil.

Serve with yogurt on a bed of rice or with pita bread.

Photo Courtesy Of: tvol