Greek Cuisine

RECIPE FORUM International Recipes
101

GREEK SALAD HEROES

Ingredients:

3/4 C. thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 C. thinly sliced cucumber
2 T. ripe olives
2 T. crumbled feta cheese
1 T. white balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
2 Roma or small tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (2 1/2 oz.) submarine rolls
2 lettuce leaves
6 slices baked cooked ham
6 slices honey roasted smoked turkey

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; toss gently. Let stand
for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Cut a thin slice off top of each roll and set aside.

Cut a 2-inch wide, V-shape wedge down the length of each roll
(as they do at Subway). Reserve bread wedges for another use.

Drain vegetable mixture. Line each roll with a lettuce leaf; arrange
ham and turkey evenly over lettuce.

Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over meat and cover with roll tops

B-man :wink:

102

PASTITSIO (Pasta casserole)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 T. butter
2 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup grated kefolotiri (cheese)
2-3 peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 finely chopped onion
1 lb. tomato sauce
1 clove garlic
Parsley, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Heat the butter in a large frying pan and sauté the ground beef and
onion until slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients, cover and
cook over a medium heat; allow to cool.

Butter a baking pan and put in half the macaroni. Cover with the
meat filling. Top with remaining macaroni. Sprinkle with cheese and
cover with the cream. Sprinkle top with the rest of the cheese and
cook in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 20 minutes then cut into square pieces and serve.

B-man :wink:

103

GREEK FISH IN A PACKET

Ingredients:

2 (5-6 oz.) fish fillets (use firm fish)
1 C. fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
8 thin slices red onion
2 T. olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon or lime
1 T. chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried dill
dash of salt pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. cut two sheets of aluminum foil to
12 x 24 inches. Fold each sheet of foil over to make a double
thick square. Brush a little oil on the center of each square. Layer
half of the sliced fennel, tomatoes and onions on each square.
Top each with a fish fillet.

In a cup, combine the olive oil, lemon or lime juice and dill and
pour it over the fish. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Fold the foil
into an airtight packet. Bake for 20 minutes.

B-man :wink:

104

SPANAKOPITA (SPINACH TRIANGLES OR PIE)

1/3 cup olive oil
2 pounds spinach, washed and drained
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 pound filo pastry sheets

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).

Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.

Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn’t dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. One by one, use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.

Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

Variation: Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, and spread 6 sheets of filo, brushing each with butter, on the bottom. Spoon the spinach filling over the filo, then cover with 6 more sheets of filo, buttering each sheet. Score the top 3 sheets with a sharp knife. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is golden, let stand 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm.

Yield: 60 triangles or 1 (9 by 13inch) pie

105

Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: about 30 dolmades

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, halved, cored and diced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup long-grain rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) jar grape leaves, rinsed and drained
2 lemons, juiced

To make the filling, coat a large saute pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and lemon zest and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and rice, saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Pour in just 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes. Scrape the parboiled rice mixture into a bowl and add the dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. Now on to the grape leaves.
Bring a big pot of water to a simmer. Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Drain then trim the stems and any hard veins from the leaves. Pat dry with paper towels.

To assemble the dolmades, lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down. Put 2 tablespoons of the rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar – it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling.

Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven or wide deep skillet, seam-side down in a single layer. Pour the remaining cup of broth, remaining olive oil, and the lemon juice over the dolmades, the liquid should reach halfway up the rolls, add some water if necessary. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dolmades are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool.

Episode#: FO1D09
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

106

IT’S GREEK TO ME! SPICY HOT FETA CHEESE SPREAD

Ingredients:

4 to 6 red and green jalapeño peppers, roasted, skin peeled, and diced
1 lb. Greek feta cheese, finely crumbled
1/4 lb. cream cheese
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

To roast the peppers, place them on a baking sheet in an oven
set at 500°F. Bake until the peppers are soft enough to peel the skins,
about 20 minutes.

Blend the feta and cream cheese in a mixer or food processor
until smooth. Mix in the roasted peppers, olive oil, and, if using, garlic
cloves. Add the lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste the mixture
and add the lemon juice accordingly to balance the flavor. You might
not need all the lemon juice depending on the type of feta used.

Refrigerate and use as a spread on bread or pita or a dip for
vegetables.

Serves 10-12.

B-man :wink:

107

CHICKEN GYROS WITH DILL SAUCE

This is a traditional Greek sandwich.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 fresh pita bread rounds, heated
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In small bowl blend together yogurt, 2 tablespoons dill, garlic and 1
teaspoon lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add chicken with oregano, 1 teaspoon dill, salt and pepper. Sauté
until browned and cooked through, about about 5 minutes. Transfer to
a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and sauté onions until golden
brown, about 10 minutes.

Return chicken and any juices to skillet. Add 1 tablespoon lemon
juice. Stir until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Top pita rounds with chicken mixture. Spoon dill sauce over chicken
and serve. This sandwich is folded in half and eaten. Pass the extra
sauce, as desired.

B-man :wink:

108

GREEK BEEF STEW

Ingredients:

1 medium onion
4 cloves fresh garlic (about 2 teaspoons minced)
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck or blade roast, cut into cubes, or stew meat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 cinnamon stick or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
28 ounces canned, crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine, beef broth or water

Turn the crockpot on HIGH.

Chop onion and add to pot. Add minced garlic. Top with meat. Sprinkle
in salt, pepper and oregano and add cinnamon stick or cinnamon. Add
tomatoes and wine. Reduce heat to LOW and cook 8 to 10 hours. Meat
should be falling-apart tender.

Serve over couscous, orzo, mashed potatoes or rice.

Serves 4 to 6.

B-man :wink:

109

Hi I would love a recipe for mediterranian purses. Kind of like beef wellingtons but stuffed with couscous and veggies I guess is the best to describe it. Just hoping someone has a recipe before I start tearing apart the kitchen

110

i love feta cheese
any good and creative things to do with this cheese?

Vegi only ideas please on this one

115

GREEK SAINT FANOURIOUS CAKE
(Cholesterol Free!!)

3 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups corn oil
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups orange juice
Grated peel of one orange
½ cup each of dried currants, raisins and chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar for topping

Put all the ingredients, except for the flour and baking soda, into a large bowl. Mix to a creamy consistency. Add flour and baking soda and stir until just mixed. Pour mixture into a greased 9”x13” pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. When cool, dust the top with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

117

I just saved this to my cook book file. Thanks
Papa_D

118

Stifado (A Greek Casserole)

1 tsp. vegetable oil
1-1/2 lb boned rump roast, cut into 1" cubes
2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup dry red wine
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
4 whole cloves
1 (14.5-oz.) canned stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-1/4-oz.) beef broth
6 cups (1/3" thick) sliced onion separated into rings

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add half of the beef and cook for 5 minutes or until browned, turning occasionally. Remove from the pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.

Return beef to pan, add oregano and garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the wine and next 7 ingredients (wine through beef) and bring to a boil. cover,reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add the onion and bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce the heat and simmer 1 hour or until the beef is tender. Discard the cloves.

Serves 6

119

Koulourakia (Sesame Cookies)

1 c Butter
1 c Caster sugar
1 t Vanilla essence
3 Eggs
5 c Plain flour
3 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
1/4 ts Ground cloves
1/4 c Milk
1/2 c Toasted sesame seeds

Cream butter and sugar with vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Beat eggs, reserve 1 tablespoon for glazing and add remainder gradually to butter mixture, beating well. Sift dry ingredients twice. Stir into creamed mixture alternately with milk to form a soft dough. Knead lightly until smooth. If dough is sticky, chill for 1 hour. Scatter some sesame seeds lightly on one side of pastry board. Shape pieces of dough into thick pencil shapes and roll onto the sesame seeds to coat lightly or according to taste. Double over rolled dough and twist, or form into rings, figure eights or coils. Place on greased baking sheets and glaze with reserved egg beaten with a little milk. Bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. Variation: Roll dough in granulated sugar instead of seeds. Glaze lightly with milk.
Makes: 70 Cooking time: 15-20 minutes Oven temperature: 190 C (375 F)

120

My husband loves the Greek rice and potatoes every time we go eat at our local Greek place. I tried to make it at home from recipes I found online, but it never tasted the same. Do you have a recipe I can try?

thanks,

busy mom

121

You can try these recipes.

Greek Oven Roasted Potatoes
SERVES 6 -8
• 8 large potatoes, peeled, cut into large wedges (about 6-7 wedges per potato)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (more garlic is a good thing, less garlic is a no-no for this recipe)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 beef bouillon cube, diluted in the water
• 1 tablespoon oregano (get the Mediterranean, it’s the best!)
• Juice of 1-1/12 lemons
• sea salt
• fresh coarse ground black pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 440°F. Spray the baking pan with Pam.
  2. Put all the ingredients into a baking pan large enough to hold them.
  3. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
  4. Toss to distribute.
  5. The garlic will drop into the water/oil solution but its flavor will permeate the potatoes, and this way, it won’t burn.
  6. Bake for 40 minutes.
  7. When a nice golden-brown crust has formed on the potatoes, give them a stir to bring the white underside up, season lightly with a bit more sea salt and pepper and just a light sprinkling of oregano.
  8. Add 1/2 cup more water if pan appears to be getting dry and pop back into oven to brown other side of potatoes.
  9. This will take about another 40 minutes.
  10. Do not be afraid of overcooking the potatoes- they will be delicious.

Greek Rice Pilaf
SERVES 4
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

  1. In a heavy skillet, sauté the onions in oil on medium heat until they begin to soften.
  2. Add the garlic, mint and pepper and sauté for 2 more minutes.
  3. Stir in the spinach, lemon juice, rice and green peas.
  4. Add the dill.
  5. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. When the spinach is limp and the rice is hot, top with the feta and serve immediately.
122

nice

123

I’m Greek so naturally I’m completely biased and think Greek cuisine is the best. Here is a not-so-typical Greek Burger recipe.

Ingredients

* 3 lb. chuck roast
* Feta cheese
* Cucumber, thinly sliced
* Lettuce
* Tomato, sliced
* Red onion, thinly sliced
* Banana pepper rings
* Hamburger buns
* Seasoned salt
*
* Garlic Oregano Aioli:
* 8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
* 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 1 tsp. prepared Dijon-style mustard
* 1 1/2 C. oil (1/2 peanut oil, 1/2 olive oil) at room temperature
* 1 tsp. dried oregano

Directions

To prepare burgers: Cut the chuck roast into 2" square cubes. Process in food processor using the pulse button, until finely ground. Form ground chuck into patties. Cook on a hot grill, seasoning with the seasoned salt as they cook. Top each burger with a generous amount of feta cheese as soon as the burgers are flipped.

To prepare the aioli: Puree garlic in a food processor. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl until light and smooth, and add to the garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste, lemon juice and mustard, and process to a smooth paste. With the machine still running, pour the oil very slowly into the mixture in a steady stream, blending constantly. Continue blending until you obtain a thick, shiny, firm sauce– a minute or so. It’s best to have all ingredients at room temperature so they will easily emulsify. If the aioli separates, stop adding oil and continue to mix until ingredients come together. Transfer to storage container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, but not more than 1 day.

To assemble burgers: Place patty on bun, top with aioli, banana peppers, tomato, thinly sliced red onion, cucumber slices and tomato.

124

I made this last night along with kebabs and Greek salad. This is a terrific dish!

Greek Shrimp with Feta
Garides Saganaki

3 tbsp olive oil
2/1 cups chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
3 cups chopped fresh plum tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1/1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Warm the oil in a non-reactive large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until light golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add the parsley, garlic and sugar and stir to mix. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are softened and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add the wine to the skillet and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a 2 quart casserole. Top with the crumbled feta cheese. Bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

125

Simple Greek Salad (cos all of my cooking is simple)
Iceberg lettuce, washed and shredded
Vine ripened tomatoes and cucumber, washed and cubed
Red onion, sliced
Black olives, pitted
Feta cheese, cubed
Put all the ingredients in a large salad bowl, mix, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle liberally with dried mixed herbs or oregano.
Quick, easy and tasty!