Greek Milk Pie (Galatopita)

This is a delicious, healthy and refreshing pie. Personally, I prefer to eat it after it has been kept in the fridge. Lovely for breakfast .... or any other time of the day!

Ingredients

For the filo pastry

300g all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon ouzo

½ teaspoon salt

Enough tepid water to make a pliable but not sticky dough.

For the filling

2 litres milk

120g corn flour

100g all-purpose flour

80g fine semolina

2 vanilla essences

320g sugar

50g butter

2 eggs

50 ml extra virgin olive oil to brush on the filo

For the finish

50 ml olive oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated cinnamon

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients for the filo pastry well and add enough tepid water to make a pliable but not sticky dough.

Separate the dough into 4 equal-sized balls.

Cover them with cling film and set them aside for 1 hour while you prepare the filling.

Put 1½ litre of the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and heat it, without bringing it to the boil.

Beat the 2 eggs, and set them aside.

In a bowl, mix the remaining 500ml of milk with the corn flour, semolina, sugar, flour and vanilla essences.

Transfer this mixture to the warm milk, lower the heat and stir for a few minutes.

Add the eggs to the mixture and beat well and quickly with a metal whisk.

Add the butter and keep beating until you see the first bubbles and you have a nice, rather thick cream.

Cover this with cling film which is touching the cream - not to allow it to form a skin or lumps.

Set it aside, while you roll open the filo pastry.

Roll open the first ball of dough and place it in an oven dish, 38cm diameter and 5cm deep, which has been greased with olive oil.

Allow some of the dough to go over the edges and leave the rest in the dish, even if it is slightly folded.

Brush this with olive oil and repeat the process with each of the balls of dough that you have put aside, brushing with olive oil between each layer.

Remove the cling film from the cream and pour it on top of the filo layers in the oven dish.

Fold in the excess filo from the edges and shape it with the help of a knife.

Brush this edge with olive oil.

For the finish, beat 1 egg well with the 50 ml of olive oil and spread over the cream.

Sprinkle the grated cinnamon on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

Make sure the filo is well baked in the centre – to do this, for the last 5 minutes transfer it to the lowest shelf in your oven.


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Greek Fanouropita

Yesterday, August 27th, was the name day of Saint Fanourios, the patron saint of things lost. His name is invoked when praying for the recovery of lost items. The recipe below is for Fanouropita, a cake traditionally eaten on his name day.

Ingredients

750g self-raising flour

600 ml orange juice

150 ml must (juice from fresh grapes)

300 ml olive oil

500g sugar

200g grated walnuts

50g sesame seeds

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon grated cloves

Pinch of salt

Icing sugar to sprinkle on top

Preparation

Put the orange juice, olive oil and sugar in a bowl and stir well.

Dissolve the baking soda in the must and add to the mixture.

Separately, mix together the flour, walnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and fold it in.

Grease an oven dish 30cm diameter and 6cm deep and put the mixture in it.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes.

After you remove the cake, lightly sprinkle icing sugar on top.


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Greek Halva (Halva Tis Rinas)

There are many types of halva, especially in the middle eastern countries. My own particular favourite is from Constantinople in Turkey, but obviously I can't put the recipe for that in a blog with authentic Greek recipes! In Greece we have Macedonian Halva from northern Greece - a hard halva - but the manufacturers keep the recipe a secret. We also have Halva tis Rinas (Rina's Halva) and that is the recipe that follows. Ideally it is served with some whipped cream on top, but that is optional.

Ingredients

400g fine semolina

6 medium eggs

120g grated almonds (with skin removed)

220g fresh butter at room temperature

150g sugar

100 ml milk

Grated rind from 1 lemon

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

2 teaspoons baking powder

250 ml double cream whipped (optional)

For the syrup

450g sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Peel from 3 – 4 lemons

600 ml water

Preparation

Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

Put the yolks and the sugar in a mixer and beat well.

Add the lemon rind and the milk and continue beating for a short time.

In another bowl mix the semolina, vanilla essence, baking powder and grated almonds and then add them to the yolk and sugar mixture.

Stir slowly.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and rinse and dry the mixer bowl well.

Put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and with the appropriate mixer head beat them into a loose meringue in the mixer.

Gradually transfer this to the first mixture and fold it in.

Grease a 30cm oven dish, 6cm deep and pour all the mixture into it.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until it is a golden brown.

While the halva is in the oven, prepare the syrup - Put all the syrup ingredients in a pan and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the lemon peel.

When you remove the halva from the oven, allow it to cool a little and then cut it into portions in the dish.

Pour the syrup all over it.

Cover it and allow it to rise while it is cooling.

When it has cooled completely, serve the portions with a little whipped cream on top.


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10 Favourite Greek Recipes

I've put a list together here of the 10 most popular recipes on this blog - in other words, those most visited.

Lamb Kleftiko

This lamb dish - roasted in greaseproof paper - has proved to be the most popular on the site.

Vegetarian Moussaka

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.

Pastichio

This dish is one of a lot of people's favourites. It's certainly a favourite recipe with the kids - young and old!

Baclava

Probably one of the best-known sweets from this area of the world and quite rightly so, in my opinion!

Tirokafteri (Spicy Cheese Dip)

A traditional spicy cheese dish, which can be served as a meze with ouzo or beer, or as a dip. It is quick and easy to make.

Cheese Pie (Tiropita)

A cheese pie which is incredibly easy to prepare and is unbelievably light - you almost need weights to keep it on the plate!

Tzatziki

This is a classic Greek side dish, which can be served with meat and vegetable dishes, as well as accompanying souvlaki or gyros.

Eggplant Dip (melitzanosalata)

One of my favourites! Smooth and tangy. This is a side dish which can be served with any meat, fish or vegetable dish.

Dolmades

Another "classic" Greek dish. Dolmades can be eaten as a meze with ouzo or as a side dish. This recipe is with rice, but they can also be stuffed with meat.

Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes (Gemista)

This is a very popular dish in the summer. Although stuffed peppers and tomatoes are well enough known, usually we also have stuffed eggplant and zucchini. They are accompanied by potatoes and can also be accompanied by Feta cheese.

Greek 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, but if this is unavailable, riccota can be used. Likewise, the Greek hard cheese kefalograviera is used ideally, but if this is unavailable, parmesan can be used (the Italians have a few nice cheeses as well :) ) As stated in the recipe, you should get sun-dried tomatoes that have been preserved in olive oil.

Ingredients

1 kg long eggplants

500g anthotiro (soft cheese like ricotta)

4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, that have been preserved in a jar of olive oil.

2 tablespoons of the olive oil that the tomatoes were preserved in

250g kefalograviera cheese (or parmesan) grated

250 ml sunflower oil

1 tablespoon chopped basil leaves

For the sauce

1 fresh, long green chilli pepper, chopped

1 litre puree from fresh, ripe tomatoes

1 whole garlic (small) chopped

1 tablespoon basil leaves, chopped

5 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Sauce

Saute the garlic for 2 minutes in the olive oil.

Add the chilli pepper and sauté for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add the tomato puree, salt and pepper and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the sauce is ready.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chopped basil on top and stir well.

Eggplants

Remove strips of the eggplant skin, so that the eggplants have alternate ‘stripes’ of skin and no-skin.

Slice the eggplants lengthwise into strips of approx. ½ cm thickness.

Place them in salty water for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove from the water and drain well.

Fry the eggplant strips in the sunflower oil in a heavy bottomed pan.

Remove and place them on kitchen paper to drain the oil.

Mix together the anthotiro, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, half of the grated cheese, 1 tablespoon basil and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil from the tomatoes.

Mix them together well with your hands.

Place 1 teaspoonful of the mixture on top of the narrow end of one of the eggplant strips.

Roll up the eggplant strip, starting at the narrow end with the mixture.

Repeat this for all the eggplant strips.

Cover the bottom of a shallow oven dish with some of the sauce you prepared earlier and place the eggplant rolls in the dish next to each other.

Spread the remaining sauce on top.

Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.


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T Is For ...

Continuing the Greek food and drink glossary. The letters in bold italics show where the accent goes.


tarragon - trahoori

tea - tsaee

thyme - theemaree

tomato - domata

tripe - patsas

trout - pestrofo

truffle - troofa

tuna - tonno

turkey - gallopoola (soft g)

turnip - gogilli (soft g)

Greek Sweet Orange Pie (Portokalopita)

A delicious, refreshing pie for the hot summer months! It can also be served warm, but I much prefer it cold. It can also be served with ice cream. Mmmm!

Ingredients

1 packet filo pastry (12 sheets)

250g Greek strained yoghurt

4 eggs

2 tablespoons baking powder

250 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the syrup

600 ml water

250g sugar

Grated rind from 2 oranges

Preparation

Leave the sheets of filo pastry out, separated and uncovered, to dry for a few hours.

Crumble the sheets of filo.

Put the olive oil and eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk well with a metal whisker.

Add the yoghurt and baking powder and continue whisking until you have a smooth cream.

Add the crumbled filo pastry and mix in well with your hands.

Put in an oven dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes until it turns a golden colour.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup – boil the syrup ingredients in a pan for 5 minutes.

After removing the pie, once it is cold, cut into portions and spread the warm syrup on top.


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Greek Beef With Fresh Yellow Runner Beans

A traditional country dish, using the yellow-white runner beans (see photo below). Again, an easy to prepare and nutritious recipe.

Ingredients

1 kg beef – the soft part cut in portions

1 kg yellow-white runner beans

1 large onion grated

4 medium potatoes sliced

300g fresh ripe tomatoes pureed

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

130 ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Cut off the ends of the runner beans and make sure to remove any threads along the sides of the beans.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, fry the portions of beef in the olive oil on both sides, just enough for them to colour.

Add the grated onion and garlic and fry for another 3 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and enough warm water to cover the beef.

Let it simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is cooked.

Add the beans and the potatoes and stir well.

Simmer for 30 minutes until the beans and the potatoes are tender.

Add the parsley, salt and pepper and boil for 5 minutes.

The mixture should remain with the oil and very little other liquid, if not, continue simmering without the lid on the pan for a little longer.

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Greek Courgette (Zucchini) Pie (Kolokithopita)

A light and tasty pie. This can be eaten hot or cold. You can save it in the fridge and have it as a light lunch with some salad.

Ingredients

For the filling

1 kg courgettes (zucchini / marrow) grated and well drained (usually 3-4 large fresh courgettes)

250g rice suitable for soups

3 potatoes grated and drained

2 tablespoons grated onions

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 tablespoons chopped fennel

1 tablespoon chopped mint

1 tin condensed milk

200 ml olive oil

500 ml water

For the dough

300g all purpose flour

2 tablespoons ouzo

1 level teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

Enough lukewarm water to make a pliable dough

Preparation

To make sure the courgettes are well drained, squeeze the grated courgettes with your hands, place in a plastic colander with 1 teaspoon salt and leave to drain. Then press it again with your hands to remove any remaining excess liquid.

Combine all the ingredients for the filo (dough) and make a pliable but not sticky dough (see photo above).

Let it rest for as long as you are preparing the filling.

Bring the rice to the boil in the 500 ml of water and then simmer for 5 minutes.

Combine all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the rice and water. Stir well with your hand.

Roll out the filo (pastry) on a floured surface.

Brush a shallow oven dish with oil and place the filo in it, making sure it completely covers the bottom of the dish. Don’t remove the extra filo at the edges as you’ll need this to fold over later.

Make sure there is no air trapped under the filo at the bottom of the dish.

Put the mixture from the mixing bowl on top of the filo in the dish.

Fold the extra dough from the edges in over the mixture and brush it with liquid from the mixture. The folds should be quite large (see photo at top).

Make sure none of the liquid goes down the edges and under the dough.

Place carefully in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 1 hour.


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Eat and Enjoy!