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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Quick and Easy Greek Pasta

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Quick and easy Greek pasta is a delectable recipe which you can prepare in minutes. Use any type of pasta if desired. I prefer using white wine instead of vinegar because of its aromatic flavor. I also like the way it enhances the taste of the tomatoes. Chili flakes or chili oil are great additions which can liven up the dish even more.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1  8 oz. package spaghetti

1 10 oz. bag fresh spinach

1 small head of cabbage, quartered

1 8 oz. pack sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 6 oz. can sliced black olives, drained

Extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed

2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Crumbled feta cheese, for garnish

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

 

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it is al dente or according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium flame. Cook the spinach and mushrooms in hot oil for ten minutes or until they give off moisture.  Add the red wine vinegar and the balsamic vinegar. Set the flame to high and bring it to a boil. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, parsley and black olives into the boiling vegetable and vinegar mixture.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer it for another 10 minutes or until all the flavors come together. Stir occasionally.

Add the cooked pasta to the tomato and herb mixture and gently toss to coat the pasta. Continue to simmer it for another ten minutes or until the flavors bend together. Season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle more olive oil if desired. Stir in the 2 ounces of feta cheese. Divide the pasta among individual plates or place it on a serving platter. Sprinkle some feta cheese over the plated pasta and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately with garlic bread.

 

Image from: little blue hen

Greek Pie

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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.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  hlkljgk

Greek Chicken

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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

 

Courgette and Bacon Frittata

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A classic, simple dish, which is very useful and fast to make. It got a mix of textures and tastes, so can easily be adjusted to suit any palette if required. Serve fresh out of the pan, along with fresh bread or rolls to bulk up into a bigger meal.

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

Moussaka

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This dish is traditional Greek Comfort food. It’s got such a unique taste, that you’ll soon be looking for more of it. The dish is great when served hot or cold, and the flavours improve if left in a refrigerator overnight, and then heated up the next day to have hot.
Greek Mousakka
A traditional Greek Moussaka tends to use Pork mince, but Beef is more than fine – you can also make this a vegetarian dish by using more Aubergines instead of the Minced Meat.

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

Kofta

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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

Dolmades

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These Greek Stuffed Vine leaves are a great dish to have as a starter, and are very soft, succulent and tasty. They should be soft enough that you can easily bite through them, but not too soft that they’ll fall apart when you pick them up.

Dolmades

Authentic Dolmades are made using Vine or Fig leaves, however if you can’t find any of these, then Savoy Cabbage leaves make a suitable replacement – they’re also stronger meaning you can fill them more. There are a range of different varieties too – these are meat-free ones, which are still juicy and full of amazing flavours.

To serve 4
2tbsp Pine Kernels
18 Leaves – Vine, Fig or Savoy Cabbage
125g Rice, Uncooked
1 Onion, Finely Chopped
8 Dried Apricots, Finely Chopped
4tbsp Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
4tbsp Fresh Dill, Finely Chopped
4tbsp Fresh Mint, Finely Chopped
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
1tbsp Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1.       Dry fry the Pine Kernels for a few minutes until they begin to brown over a low heat, keeping an eye on them to make sure that they don’t burn

2.       Wash the Leaves, and blanche them in Salted Water, in small groups for five or six seconds. Drain them off well

3.       Whilst letting the Leaves drain more, mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl.

4.       Line the base of a large saucepan with a couple of leaves. Lay the rest of the leaves out flat, and place one or two tablespoons of the mixture close to one end of the leaf, and roll over once. Fold the sides in, and continue to roll, before securing with cocktail sticks. Place gently in the Saucepan. Repeat until you’ve got all of the Dolmades laying in the pan.

5.       Place a small plate on top of the stuffed Leaves, and add enough boiling water to cover the Dolmades and simmer for fifty minutes.

Photo Courtesy of: Seelensturm

Hot Greek Meatballs & Cool Tzatziki

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I’m a huge fan of Tzatziki, a yogurt-cucumber-garlic sauce that somehow manages to taste creamy and rich and light all at the same time. A Tzatziki sauce can make or break a gyros sandwich, and when paired with a couple of skewers of homemade meatballs, is one of my favorite dishes ever.

Making the Tzatziki

I like to make the Tzatziki before the meatballs, giving it time to chill a bit in the fridge. You’ll need:

2 cups plain yogurt (the full fat stuff, and preferably Greek)
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, crushed finely
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 whole cucumbers, peeled, seeded and grated (large)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well. Separately, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt over the grated cucumber, and let it drain for around 20 minutes. You want to get rid of as much excess water as you can, so you don’t end up with watery Tzatziki. Add grated cucumber to yogurt mixture, add pepper, and combine. Cover and chill in the fridge at least an hour. Drizzle with olive oil right before serving.

Making Greek Meatballs

2 slices bread (white, whole wheat… whatever floats your boat)
1 cup milk
2 lbs. lean ground beef (or you can do 1 lb. lean and 1 lb. regular if you want more fat)
1 onion, minced fine
4 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
2 teaspoons white or red wine vinegar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
all-purpose flour, to roll the meatballs in
extra virgin olive oil, for frying

Dunk bread slices in milk to absorb the liquid. Mash well.

In a large bowl, combine mashed milky bread with beef, onion, garlic, mint, vinegar, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Do not overmix, you want to be as gentle as possible or you’ll end up with tough and dry meatballs.

Gently form into small (1 1/2-inch) meatballs, roll lightly in flour, and fry in hot olive oil.

You can spear these on skewers, or simply piled on a pretty plate, with a bowl of chilled Tzatziki on the side. Delicious!

I Still Have Feta On The Brain Eggs

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I Heart Feta.jpgFor those of you who saw my feta cheese craze post, I’m still feelin’ it.  I made these delicious feta eggs while I was rushing out the door this morning.  Please enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
  • S & P, to taste

What’s Next:

In a large skillet over medium heat- melt butter & saute onions until browned.

Pour in eggs.  Cook , stirring occasionally until scrambled to your fancy. 

Add tomatoes, feta, S & P.  Continue cooking until feta melts. Enjoy your morning meal!

 

Eat well & Laugh often.

Feta Cheese Makes Me Happy Greek Saganaki Recipe

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Greek Saganaki.jpgI’ve had Feta on the brain today.  It’s all I can think of, my boss has a block of feta cheese or a head, the clouds distictly look like feta at play and I’m pretty sure my computer is made of feta.  Yuchh- no, it tastes like plastic.  I must be having Greek Saganaki delirium.

Saganaki (Greek σαγανάκι) is a cheese-based Greek appetizer. The original Greek version is typically fried. The cheese is typically made from sheep’s milk. Delicious regional variations include the use of Formaella cheese in Arachova and  cheese in Cyprus.

In the United States, saganaki is made differently. Instead of being fried, the cheese is usually covered with Brandy extract, and set aflame at the table when served (typically with a shout of “Opa”). The cheese is then extinguished with the juice of a fresh-squeezed lemon and sometimes served with pita bread. The invention of the “Flaming Saganaki” is usually attributed to Chicago restaurateur Chris Liakouras.

What we’re going to be making is a pan-fried version with slices of ripe tomatoes.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz Feta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 cup flour, all-purpose
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large tomatoes, sliced
  • Basil leaf, for decorational effect
  • S & P, to taste

What’s Next:

Slice your feta into small squares, about 2×4 inches- you should be able to get 8 slices out of the 8 ounces. 

In a small bowl- beat egg with oregano.  Dip each slice of feta in egg, shake of excess and coat with flour till evenly covered.

In a large frying pan- heat olive oil over medium heat.  Quickly cook cheese in oilve oil, until golden on both sides.  Pat dry with paper towels.

Arrange feta on a large (& pretty) plate with thick tomato slices, season with S & P, garnish with basil.

Enjoy! 

Eat well & Laugh often.