Greek Polisporo Soup

This 'multi-grain' or 'multi-seed' soup (sporos is the Greek word for seed) is really a kind of broth. It is traditionally made in villages on November 21st. The reasons for this are that it is the end of the planting season and so any grains / seeds that were left over would be cooked as a soup and this would also be 'offered' to the Virgin Mary (November 21st is one of her name days) in the hope that their crops would do well. It really is a delicious broth and very easy to prepare.

Ingredients

100g lentils
100g chickpeas
100g haricot beans
100g corn
100g broad beans
200g whole wheat
100 ml olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt


Preparation

Soak the broad beans in cold water from the morning of the previous day.

Soak the chickpeas in tepid water with 1 level tablespoon of salt from the previous day.

Next day, rinse the chickpeas thoroughly in plenty of water.

Drain the broad beans and with the help of a sharp knife remove the upper black parts.

Put all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan with enough water to more than cover them.

Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain them and then put them back in the same pan and add boiling water – enough to cover them plus 4 cm.

Simmer for 2 hours.

Add salt to taste.

Beat the olive oil and lemon juice together well and pour on top of the soup.

Serve hot.


Eat and Enjoy!

Update On Greek Cookery Classes In Corfu 2010

I previously posted about having Greek cookery classes in Corfu next year here. To get an idea of what interest there is I put up a poll (see top left of blog) and I have to say the interest shown has been excellent - so far 93 (32%) have said Yes and 60 (20%) have said they would seriously consider it.

We are now busy preparing and within the next 7 - 10 days I will post information about it. As I said in the original post, these will be lessons with small, friendly groups - 6 people maximum at a time. So if all the people who have said yes and are interested do finally want to come and want to bring their partners with them, then it's going to have to be a matter of first come, first served! We're not going to increase the size of the groups as we don't want to get away from the small and friendly nature of the lessons.

Thanks to everyone who has responded to the poll - whatever your response - it has given us a good idea of the level of interest.

Keep visiting, as information will be posted very soon.

Greek Stuffed Squid (Kalamarakia Gemista)

I think that Greek kalamari (squid) is well-known all over the world. So, for the seafood lovers amongst you, this is a recipe for stuffed kalamari with sauce.

Ingredients

1½ kg squid (kalamari)
1 bunch spring onions
120g risotto rice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
60 ml olive oil
50 ml white wine
Salt & pepper

For the sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in 2 tablespoons water
1 onion grated
2 cloves garlic chopped
400 ml chopped tomatoes
60 ml olive oil
50 ml white wine
Juice from half a lemon
Pinch of sugar
Salt & pepper


Preparation

Sauce
In a pan, fry the onion in the olive oil for 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and fry for another 1 minute.
Add the wine, allowing it to evaporate and then add the lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and sugar.
Simmer for 20 minutes.

Squid
Remove the head with the tentacles from the body and with a sharp knife remove the ink, eye and mouth and discard them.
Empty the body completely and discard the contents.
Rub the tentacles and empty tubes with salt in order to remove the outer membrane completely.
Rinse very well in water.
Chop the tentacles and the spring onions.
In a pan, gently fry the onions in the olive oil for 2 minutes.
Add the tentacles and fry them until all the juices have evaporated.
Add the rice, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated.
Add 100 ml of the previously prepared sauce (see above) to this mixture.
Let it slow cook for 5 minutes.

Stuff the kalamari with this mixture and secure the tube with a toothpick.
Put the stuffed kalamari in an oven dish and spread the sauce over them.
Cover the oven dish with a lid or tin foil.
Bake in a pre heated moderate oven at 160 degrees Celsius for approx. 1 hour.



Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithia)

This is a lovely warm, nutritious dish - just the thing on cold winter days! Although it's not a 'last-minute' dish - you have to soak the chickpeas overnight - it's a very simple and cheap recipe. Very popular, especially in the villages.

Ingredients

½ kg chickpeas
1 onion grated
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon baking soda
100 ml olive oil
Salt & Pepper


Preparation

Soak the chickpeas overnight.

Drain them the following morning, add the baking soda and leave for 1 hour.

Put your hands in the bowl of chickpeas and rub them well.

Rinse the chickpeas very well 4 or 5 times.

Put them in a pan and add enough water to cover them.

Bring to the boil, removing the froth at the top with a wooden spoon just before they come to the boil.

Boil for 15 minutes.

Drain the chickpeas and then put them back in the pan and add enough warm water to cover them again.

Bring to the boil, add the onion and rosemary and simmer for about 1½ hours or until they are really tender – don’t let them get dry and add water if necessary.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice and add to the chickpeas.

Simmer for about another 5 minutes and then serve.



Eat and Enjoy!

5 Greek Recipes With Eggplants

Eggplants are both common and popular in Greek cooking. I know that they are a favourite vegetable with a lot of people, so I've put together some Greek dishes with eggplants in them. As well as three main dishes, I've also included a delicious dip and and a side dish.

Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata)

This is a side dish which can be served with any meat, fish or vegetable dish. Traditionally it is made with Greek strained yoghurt but can also be made with mayonnaise instead. A delicious, rich accompaniment to any meal!

Eggplant Rolls (Boorekakia)

These are delicious little rolls that you can have as a side dish or as part of a buffet. Ideally, the Greek cheese anthotiro is used (see post on Anthotiro Cheese), but if this is unavailable, riccota can be used.

Eggplant Papoutsakia

A light but delicious main dish that can be accompanied by Greek salad. The name 'papoutsakia' means 'little shoes' in Greek and refers to the shape of the eggplants when they are served.

Vegetarian Moussaka

A firm favourite! This is probably starting to become more popular than the 'classic' moussaka which is made with meat.

Briam

Very popular in Greece, but perhaps not quite so well known outside the country. A delicious and healthy meal, ideally accompanied by a large slice of Feta cheese.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Anthotiro Cheese

Continuing the series of posts about Greek cheeses (see Greek Feta), Anthotiro is a traditional farmhouse, whey cheese made from unpasteurised sheep's and goat's milk and often eaten for breakfast with honey or fruit. It looks similar to feta in the photo, but is much softer. It is basically a salted and matured Mizithra - which I will write about in a later post.

Dry and white with no rind, it is smooth, hard and moist, with a fine, crumbly texture. As well as being eaten with honey and fruit, it can also be eaten in savoury dishes with oil, tomato and wild herbs. It is also traditionally used in a lot of pies. Anthotiro has been made for centuries and its name (anthos = "flower, tiri = cheese") comes from the aroma and flavour, carrying the hint of wild herbs.

Some recipes using Anthotiro:

Greek Cheese Pie
Artichoke Pie
Tirokafteri

Greek Roast Lamb With Potatoes And Feta Cheese

Roast lamb with potatoes is rather a common dish, but this is a way that it is prepared often in the villages here. The difference being the inclusion of feta cheese and also the fact that the whole potatoes are crushed (but not split) before they are put in the oven. Try it!

Ingredients

1 leg baby lamb cut in portions
1 kg potatoes (preferably small to medium size)
100g feta cheese
6 cloves garlic chopped
½ teaspoon oregano
100ml olive oil
500ml water
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Rinse the lamb portions and peel the potatoes.

On a hard surface place a cloth over the potatoes and beat them with a flat stone or similar implement to crush them, but not completely.

Place the lamb in the centre of an oven dish with the potatoes around it.

Spread the crushed garlic, oregano, salt and pepper evenly over them.

Add the olive oil.

Add the 500ml water and stir slightly.

Cover just the lamb loosely with aluminium foil.

Place in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, turn the lamb and potatoes over and remove the foil.

Crumble the feta cheese and spread evenly over the potatoes.

Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes until it colours nicely.



Eat and Enjoy!