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 and 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.


If you've tried this recipe please rate it!

Eat and Enjoy!

Follow These Foodies On Twitter

I've just made up a list of Foodies that I follow on Twitter at TweepML. The first of these is called Tweaters (a bit corny, I know!). You can see them by clicking on this button and follow as many of them as you want, or even all of them - there about 150.

The other list is called International Food, which is a lot smaller but is still in progress - you can click here.

I'll be regularly tweeting these links on Twitter, which is much better than posting a series of individual links. If you want to be included in the list(s) you can do so - please feel free.

Lamb Ribs On Vine Stalks

This is a traditional way of preparing lamb ribs using the stalks from vines as a kind of grill. The ribs take the aroma and flavour from the vine stalks. Also, instead of using normal brushes to apply the juice, bunches of dried oregano are used, which again adds another subtle flavour to the ribs. They can be eaten with pilau rice or salad.

Ingredients

2 kg lamb ribs

Bunch of vine stalks

Juice from 1 lemon

150 ml olive oil

2 bunches of dried oregano to be used as brushes

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Cut the vine stalks into lengths that can fit across a shallow oven dish, balancing on the edges.

Wash them well.

Add salt and pepper to the ribs and 50 ml of olive oil.

Beat the remaining 100 ml of oil well with the lemon juice.

Place the vine stalks across the oven dish.

Place the ribs on top of them.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush them with the oil / lemon mixture using the oregano ‘brushes’.

Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes in order to get a nice colour.

Remove, brush again, turn over, brush on the other side and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Remove, brush and put back in the oven for 15 minutes to get a nice colour.

Remove from the oven and place the ribs on a platter, brushing with any remaining oil / lemon mixture.


If you've tried this recipe please rate it!

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Octopus With Eggplants (Htapodi me Melitzanes)

Octopus is a popular seafood dish in Greece, though it is an acquired taste. I previously posted the recipe for Octopus With Pasta and this is another popular recipe, where the octopus is prepared with eggplants and potatoes.

Ingredients

1 ½ kilos octopus

4 eggplants

4 medium potatoes cut into cubes

1 large onion grated

3 cloves chopped garlic

4 fresh, ripe tomatoes with skin removed and grated

100 ml olive oil

100 ml red wine

400 ml water

2 bay leaves

Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Remove the stems from the eggplants and peel in stripes – peel one length of skin, leave one length, peel another length etc.

Cut the eggplants into cubes approx. 2-3 cm

Put in a bowl of water with 1 tablespoon salt.

Cover with a plate to keep the cubes under water.

Clean the ink from the octopus and remove the eye.

Cut the tentacles into 5cm lengths.

In a heavy bottom pan heat the oil and then add the octopus.

Fry until all the liquid from the octopus has gone, but the oil remains.

Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes.

Ad the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the red wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and bay leaves and simmer for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, add 400 ml water, drain the eggplants well and add them along with the potatoes, salt and pepper to the mixture.

Cook for approx. 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.


If you've tried this recipe please rate it!

Eat and Enjoy!