Greek Apple Pie (Milopita)

My mother had this recipe since she was a young girl and it was popular in the north of Greece at that time. It's more of an accompaniment to tea or coffee rather than a sweet at the end of a meal as other apple pies are. Of course, you can eat it with cream (I do!) and it has a nice 'squidgy' apple filling and soft dough.

Ingredients

For the dough

500g self-raising flour

250g fresh butter (quite soft)

2 eggs

200g sugar

For the filling

1 kg cooking apples

300g sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preparation

Dough

Beat the butter and sugar in the mixer for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs and beat for another 5 minutes.

Change the mixer attachment to the one for dough and add the flour.

Beat until you have a pliable dough.

Cover the dough in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for I hour.

Meanwhile, discard the peel and pips from the apples, thickly grate them and drain well.

Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix. (set aside 1 tablespoon of sugar aside to sprinkle on top at the end)

Butter a round oven dish.

Divide the dough into two and spread the one half in the bottom of the oven dish.

Spread the apple, cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the dough.

Cut 2 sheets of kitchen grease paper into the shape of the oven dish.

Roll out the second half of dough and place it between the 2 sheets so that it is the shape of the dish and evenly flat.

Remove the top sheet and then turn the dough with the bottom sheet over on top of the filling so that it covers it and remove the other sheet.

Make sure the edges are even and prick it evenly on top with a fork.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 40 minutes or until it turns golden.

When it is ready, cut it into squares.(see photo)

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Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Taramosalata

This is another dish that is traditionally eaten on Clean Monday at the beginning of Lent before Easter. It is also well-known worldwide. It is made from taramas, which is the fish roe from cod (mosy common) or carp. You may know Taramosalata as being bright pink in colour, but this is usually due to food colouring being added. It should be a colour varying from beige to light pink, depending on the fish roe.

Ingredients

200g taramas
1 chopped spring onion
1 kg white bread
1 ml extra virgin oil
Juice from 2 lemons

Preparation

Cut up the bread, soak it in water and then drain.

Put the taramas and lemon juice in the blender for 5 minutes.

Add the bread and remaining ingredients and blend for another 3 minutes.

Garnish and serve as a side dish.


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Eat and Enjoy!

Cuttlefish with Spinach (Soupyes and Spanaki)

This is a dish traditionally eaten on Clean Monday, which is the beginning of the Lent period before Easter - March 2 this year. Of course, it can also be a delicious side dish at any time of the year.

Ingredients

1 kg cuttlefish

1 kg spinach

1 onion grated

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cloves garlic

100 ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Clean the cuttlefish, removing the ink, the eye and the hard white bone inside the stomach. Keep just the white fillet and tentacles.

Cut the fillet into approx. 4cm pieces.

Put the oil in a shallow pan, add the onion and fry for 3 minutes.

Add the chopped garlic and continue frying for another 1 minute.

Add the cuttlefish and continue frying for another 5 minutes.

Dilute the tomato paste in a glass of water, add to the mixture and simmer for 40 minutes.

Add the spinach, along with salt and pepper and stir.

With the pan uncovered, allow the mixture to simmer until nearly all the water is absorbed.

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Eat and Enjoy!

I and J are for ...

Continuing the Greek food & drink glossary. There aren't many starting with I and J. As alwaysl, the letters in bold italics show where the accent is.


ice cream - pagotto (soft g)

jam - marmelada (soft d)

jelly - zelle

juice - heemos

Greek Baclava (Baklava)

Well, it was only a matter of time before we had the recipe for Baclava (or Baklava) here! It's probably one of the best-known sweets from this area of the world and quite rightly so, in my opinion! You should be able to obtain the sheets of filo pastry where you live - it's available in most parts of the world, I believe.

Ingredients

500g butter

300g grated walnuts

40 sheets filo pastry

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the syrup

650g sugar

80g glucose

400g water

Preparation

Melt the butter in a pan.

Cut all the sheets of filo pastry into a circular shape to fit the round, medium-sized oven dish you will use.

Butter the oven dish and start placing 20 sheets of filo pastry individually, buttering each one as you do so.

Mix the cinnamon with the walnuts and add the mixture to the dish on top of the 20 filo sheets.

Place the other 20 sheets on top, again individually and buttering each one as you do so.

Place the dish in the fridge for 10 minutes.

When you take it out, cut the baklava into diamond shapes (see photo) making sure you make the cuts right to the bottom.

Spray it with water and bake it in a pre heated oven at 150 C for 90 minutes.

While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup.

Put all the ingredients for the syrup in a pan, bring to the boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes.

When you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the syrup evenly on top of it. This has to be done when both are still hot.


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Eat and Enjoy!