Greek Easter Cake - Tsoureki

This light cake is traditionally eaten at Easter and the red painted hard-boiled egg that it is placed in the centre is an indication of this. When making at any other time of the year however, it is optional whether or not you have the red egg for decoration.

The cake is nice and light inside, with the mastic creating a light stringiness when you break it into pieces (traditionally you break it with your hands and don't cut it with a knife).

Ingredients

1kg very good quality hard flour (Canadian Robin Hood is best)
80g fresh yeast
300g sugar
5 eggs (4 for the cake and 1 to spread on top)
150ml warm water
200g good quality butter
Grated rind from 1 orange
1 teaspoon mahlep
 0.6 g white vanilla powder
¼ teaspoon grated mastic

Preparation

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and mix in ¼ of the flour.

Cover the mixture and let it rest.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.

Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Melt the sugar in the remaining melted butter and transfer to a mixer and beat well.

Add the 4 eggs one at a time and continue beating for 4 minutes.

Place the remaining flour in a large bowl and add the orange rind, mastic, mahlep and half the vanilla powder.

Add the egg, sugar and butter mixture that you have beaten in the mixture.

Add the yeast and flour mixture.

Knead well, using the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter to wet your hands while kneading.

You should knead the mixture using the method of folding and spreading.

Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Divide the dough in 2 and “knit” the 2 lengths into “plaits” and join the ends to make a circular shape.

Again, let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Beat the remaining egg with the rest of the vanilla powder and 2 tablespoons of water.

Spread this lightly across the dough with a soft brush.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180 degrees) for 45 minutes or until it has turned a golden colour.

If you've tried this recipe please rate it!

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Artichokes a la Polita

This is a nice light and healthy meal, which is fairly quick and simple to prepare. It's called "a la Polita" as it came originally from the Greeks living in the"Poli" as they called - and still do call - Constantinoupolis.

Ingredients

6 artichokes
6 medium-sized potatoes cut into round slices
2 medium-sized carrots sliced
1 medium-sized onion
Small bunch of dill finely chopped
1 lemon
Olive oil
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Discard the outer leaves of the artichokes and rub the remaining hearts with the lemon.

Leave them in a bowl of cold water along with the used lemon while you prepare the other vegetables.

Heat the oil in a shallow pan and when it is moderately hot, add the onion, the artichokes cut in half, the potatoes and carrots.

Stir them well and add just enough water to cover them, along with the dill and the seasoning.

Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender and the remaining juice is no more than a glassful.

Dilute the flour in cold water (2-3 teaspoonfuls) and add it to the vegetables.

Allow it to boil just for 2-3 seconds and then remove from the heat.


If you've tried this recipe please rate it! 

Eat and Enjoy!

Spicy Green Chilli Sauce

This recipe is an original - my wife and one of her "foodie" friends made it up! It's a delicious and simple spicy sauce - and I love spicy food!

I don't have a photo at the moment as we have finished all the sauce (!) but as soon as possible I'll upload a photo here.

Ingredients

2 ounces long green chilli peppers (the variety which is about 20cm long),
2 glasses of water
1 glass of olive oil
½ glass of medium wine vinegar.

Preparation

Wash the peppers and boil them whole in the water, oil and vinegar for 15 minutes.

Remove the peppers from boil and take them out of the pot, do not throw away the liquid.

Allow them to cool until you are able to remove the skin and the stem, but not the seeds (It will help if you wear gloves at this stage otherwise you may suffer an unpleasant burning feeling in your hands).

Finely slice the peppers, bring them back to boil - with their seeds - in the same liquid and simmer until only the peppers and the oil remain.

Liquidize them in a blender and put them in sterilized jars.

If you like, you can add a clove of garlic and few basil leaves to each jar for extra taste, or leave them neutral so you may use them in any recipe where you desire a strong and distinctive spicy taste.

You may keep them in the fridge for 6 months if they remain sealed.

You will have a delicious chili sauce -very spicy- to use it wherever and when you need it.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Keftedakia (small meatballs)

The classic Greek meatballs are called Keftedes and Keftedakia are a smaller version of them (akia at the end of a word in Greek means "small" in the plural). They can be eaten as a snack, as a meze with ouzo and/or beer or just as part of a buffet meal. Children love these! And they are easy and quick to prepare!

Ingredients

1kg minced beef
1 large onion very finely chopped
Bunch of chopped parsley
A few leaves chopped mint
2 slices dry, white bread soaked in milk and well drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole egg
1 cup plain flour
1 ½ cup vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Apart from the flour and the vegetable oil, mix all the other ingredients together well.

Roll the mixture into small balls approx. the size of large walnuts.

Roll the balls in flour and then deep fry them for 15 minutes.

If you've tried this recipe please rate it!

Eat and Enjoy

Greek Vegetarian Moussaka

Most people probably know of Moussaka as a "classic" Greek dish, but Vegetarian Moussaka is not quite as well-known. We find it really delicious and many people who are not vegetarian have said that they actually prefer it to the "normal" moussaka, which is made with meat and not mushrooms.

Try it and I'm sure you'll like it!

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes suitable for frying
4 large courgettes (zucchini)
8 medium eggplants
½ litre frying oil
 

For the Sauce

1kg button mushrooms

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 onions finely sliced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 bay leaves

½ cup olive oil

For the Béchamel

1 litre fresh milk
250g butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
200g grated parmesan cheese (2/3 for the béchamel and 1/3 to sprinkle on top of the béchamel)

Preparation

Slice the potatoes, courgettes and eggplants lengthwise into ½cm slices.

Deep fry them – first the potatoes, then add the eggplants and finally add the courgettes.

Remove them and place them on absorbent kitchen paper to drain off as much oil as possible.

The Sauce

Gently fry the onions in a large pan.

Add the crushed garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms and continue stirring.

Add the tomatoes and bay leaves.

Add the parsley.

Continue heating until all the juice has been absorbed and you have a thick sauce.

Béchamel

In a heavy-bottomed pan gently heat the butter until it melts.

Add the flour and stir continuously.

Add half of the milk and continue to stir with a whisk.

When the mixture starts to thicken, add the rest of the milk whilst stirring continuously.

When it starts to thicken again, lower the temperature to the minimum and add the grated cheese and then turn off.

In a deep oven dish place a layer with half of the potatoes at the bottom.

Add a layer with half the eggplants on top and then a layer with half the courgettes.

Spread the sauce on top.

Add a layer with the remaining courgettes on top of the sauce.

Add another layer with the remaining eggplants on top and finally a layer with the remaining potatoes.

Add the béchamel on top and sprinkle the remaining cheese over it.

Bake in a pre-heated moderate oven for approx. 40 minutes or until it has turned a golden colour on top.


If you've tried this recipe, please rate it!

Eat and Enjoy!