I've just embedded a forum on this blog - Greek Forum. I'm trying this out to give people a chance to ask questions about and discuss Greek food as well as any other topic regarding Greece. At the moment there is also a sub-forum for Vacations in Greece and any other suggestions are most welcome (there is a Feedback & Suggestions sub-forum).
This is a bit of a new venture for me, so it's a matter of let's just see how it goes. It will, however, give people a chance to get into more in-depth discussions about Greece and Greek food without leaving the blog.
The link is here for you to visit. There is also a permanent link at the top of the page. Look forward to chatting with you!
Greek Politiko Briam
We have previously posted the recipe for Briam, which is a very simple and popular Greek dish. This recipe is called 'Politiko' Briam from the name 'Poli' which is what Greeks call Constantinopolis, and 'Politiko' recipes are from the Greeks who used to live there. The basic difference between this and ordinary Briam is the addition of Bechamel sauce on top. Do try it - you'll find it delicious!
Ingredients
1 kg courgettes (zucchini)
1 kg potatoes
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp parsley
150 ml olive oil
200 ml water
Salt and pepper to taste
For 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
Cut the courgettes and potatoes into slices approx. ½ cm thick.
Finely slice the onion and garlic.
Place all the ingredients in a shallow oven dish along with the oil, water and salt & pepper.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for approx. 1 hour until all the water has been absorbed and it has a nice golden colour.
Meanwhile, prepare the Béchamel 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.
Spread the Béchamel over the baked food and put back in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius for approx. 30 minutes.
If you've tried this recipe please rate it!
If you've tried this recipe please rate it!
Eat and Enjoy!
Greek Eggplant Fritters (Melitzanokeftedes)
This is a delicious meze! You can have it as an accompaniment to a meal, as a meze - which tastes wonderful with Tzatziki - or as part of a buffet.
Ingredients
1 kg round eggplants
1 medium tomato with skin and seeds removed and grated
1 large onion grated
2 cloves garlic grated
2 tbsp hard cheese grated
4 tbsp flour
3 tbsp rusks crumbled
2 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
300 ml cooking oil
Preparation
Wash the eggplants and pierce each one lightly 2-3 times with a knife (so they don’t explode!).
Bake them in a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius on a grill with an oven pan below (to catch any dripping juices). Bake for approx. 45 min. or until the skin cracks if you tap it. The skin should be burnt.
Cut the eggplants in half, remove the flesh and put it in a colander to drain.
Sprinkle salt on top of them and add the lemon juice, so that the flesh doesn’t blacken.
Leave to drain for 1 hour.
Put the olive oil in a frying pan gently fry the grated onion for approx. 3 min. and then add the garlic and continue frying for another 2 min.
Put the eggplant flesh in a bowl and add the tomato, onion & garlic mixture, grated cheese, rusks, parsley and flour.
Mix well – it should be a thick mixture. If it isn’t thick, add some more flour.
Heat the cooking oil well in a frying pan.
Wet the palms of your hands and start to form balls from the mixture (see size in phot).
Place them in the hot oil and fry, turning them over, until they are a golden brown colour.
Remove and place on absorbent kitchen paper.
If you've tried this recipe please rate it!
If you've tried this recipe please rate it!
Eat and Enjoy!
Favourite Greek Dishes You Voted For
Thanks to everyone who voted in the polls for their favourite Greek dishes. Here are the results -
Main Dish
The clear winner here was Pastichio with 33% of the votes. There was, however, a three-way tie for second place between Lamb Kleftiko, Gemista (Stuffed vegetables) and Vegetarian Moussaka - all on 12.5%.
The winner here was way ahead of all the others. Spanakopita (Spinach pie) with 60%. Nice choice!
Side Dish
A close run thing here with the winner being Tzatziki with 35%, closely followed by Dolmades on 30%.
Sweet
A tie! Two delicious Greek sweets tied on 39% each. Baclava and Galaktoboureko.
Thanks once again to all of you who took the time to vote!
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