Little Cooking Tips - Main dish

Preparation Time:

15 minutes

Cooking Time:

50 minutes

This week the cloudy, grey skies of the last days, finally cleared up. A glorious sun showered Greece with much-needed warmth and sunshine, to help coping with a recent natural disaster.

We won’t go into much detail –as this makes us really sad, because there were casualties- but a rare phenomenon, a Mediterranean hurricane hit Greece in mid-November. The outskirts of Athens were hit really hard by the storm, and now that it’s over households and businesses affected, have the difficult task to start assessing the situation in order to heal their wounds, if possible.

We don’t want to write much more about this; it’s really a painful situation. In this blog, we prefer to write about the positive things in life, to celebrate food and tradition. As you have noticed through the years, we don’t write about the Greek financial crisis or anything similar. We rather write about the beautiful things that life has to offer. This blog is all about memories, traditions, culture and –of course- food.

So -taking a big breath- we’ll focus on these. Most of us got to enjoy the autumn and the cool weather. Ourselves, we got the opportunity to walk in nearby groves and make small excursions in the country. The setting with the yellow, orange and red leaves is so majestic, isn’t it? And walking (or driving) in the country, offers a panorama of emerald-green meadows and dark woods, that you gaze in awe, in their autumn splendor. The other day, while taking photos, we noticed how a scene of nature in the fall, is as beautiful as the work of an impressionist painter, don’t you agree?

Harvesting Olives

In November, we have the olive harvest, here in Greece. It’s a tradition that hasn’t changed for thousands of years and the process is still more-less performed in the same manner. The olives are hand-picked by the workers -but also to a large extent- by families who own smaller olive groves. During the last years, most people opt for cold-pressing the olives, which means that they have a lower yield of oil, but the quality is higher. Organic groves are also on the rise, which is also great news, as the olive oil produced in them has both an amazing flavor and is free of any trace of pesticides.

Some of the best, chubby olives, are selected for pickling. These will become edible after a simple brining process, as olives are naturally very bitter. After brining, they are stored in olive oil and herbs, to accompany the meals in the months to come. There’s nothing like having selected your own olives and enjoying them in your table. There’s a link here with one’s past, with people who did this before, and people that will follow and continue this tradition.

Winter is coming :)

As November nears to an end, the festive period of Christmas and the New Year is gradually getting closer. The scents of orange, cinnamon, and clove from making melomakarona and diples will start filling the air in Greek households. The aroma of the flower water from buttery kourabiedes will put a smile on everyone’s face.

As mentioned in the kourabiedes post, regarding Greek Christmas, pork is the most popular choice as the traditional meat of the season. But it’s not the only one. Another popular dish for Christmas is the Greek chicken soup avgolemono (egg-lemon sauce). This soup is often the meal at the Christmas Eve dinner, or the first course at the main meal on Christmas.

Both of us have wonderful memories of Christmas past, sitting on the table with the family to enjoy this warm, delicious chicken soup, while the fire was crackling at the fireplace and the discreet music in the background was playing carols or Sinatra (or anything similar from the Rat Pack), staring at big piles of melomakarona, awaiting us for dessert :)

The chicken soup avgolemono

This soup is -of course- also popular all year round and is definitely one of the best and simplest dishes of the Greek cuisine. It’s also one of the most beloved Greek comfort foods. Perhaps that’s why we got many requests for this specific soup from our visitors and friends. These requests especially increased during the last year; as we noticed, this chicken soup is also getting a lot of attention from people abroad, being so easy and delicious as it is. So, we were waiting for the weather to cool down, in order to share it on the blog; and the season right before Christmas seemed to be the perfect time to post this.

Traditionally, this soup is made with a whole, free-range chicken. That is why olive oil was rarely added to the soup (usually only a drizzle when serving it), as free-range chickens have natural fat and one does not need to add more. You can make the soup with a whole chicken, cut into 6 or 8 pieces, in which case we suggest you double the rest of the ingredients of this recipe, as a whole chicken will weigh about 1,5 -2 kg / 3,5-4,5 lbs.

Being more practical, we preferred to use chicken thighs for this recipe. Buying boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs is far more convenient and easier to handle for most people so, we tried both and then adapted and tested the recipe, with just (500-700 gr / 1-1.5lb) of chicken. We found that the thighs work better for this soup, as they do have a little fat and come out tastier in the end, in comparison to chicken breast. Of course, feel free to use whichever part you prefer.

There are countless variations of this recipe. This version is the traditional way our parent’s families make it and a very popular version in general. Plus, it’s really simple. You start by making a broth/stock, simmering the chicken and the veggies with peppercorns and bay leaves. When ready, you remove the chicken and the veggies and keep them aside, to chop and add them later on, when you’ll serve the soup. The broth is strained and then simmered with starchy rice until it softens. And the final step is making and adding the magic ingredient: the avgolemono (literally meaning egg-lemon) sauce.

This sauce is so delicious, that many people abroad are calling this soup simply “Avgolemono”. That’s not very proper though, as the same sauce is added in other dishes as well. For instance, one of the most popular Greek winter (and Christmas) dishes is a pork and celery stew called Hirino me Selino and it’s quite common to add egg-lemon sauce to this. Magiritsa, a traditional Easter soup, is also served with avgolemono, even in its vegetarian version. So, it’s better to call this dish “chicken soup avgolemono”, to distinguish it from other Greek dishes that also contain the avgolemono sauce.

What is avgolemono?

Now, what is the avgolemono sauce? It’s a very simple sauce, where eggs (whole or yolks) are beaten until creamy and fresh lemon juice is then added to them. While whisking vigorously, one starts to add slowly warm broth into the mixture. The purpose is to raise the temperature of the egg-lemon mixture to almost the same level as the broth in a soup. This way, the eggs won’t curd, they won’t become scrambled in the soup. They will turn into a creamy sauce that adds a wonderful silky texture to the soup. You won’t believe that you got this texture without using cream. And it’s really simple to make.

You can use whole eggs (not just the yolks) if you prefer a sauce with more froth. In this case, when you add the sauce in the pot (in the final step), simply hold and swirl the pot, don’t stir. It comes out better this way. Some people also like to beat the egg whites into foam separately, and then mix them with the yolks and the lemon juice. Then they temper the whole thing with the warm broth.
In this recipe we added just the yolks, as we believe that this soup looks better with less frothy sauce. It’s entirely up to you, to use the yolks or whole eggs. It’s simply a matter of preference.

In this post, we share a trick used by many cooks that helps a lot when reheating this soup. If you do this, the reheated soup will look much better. The trick is to add a little cornstarch in the lemon juice and then add this to the beaten eggs (or yolks). If you plan to serve the whole thing at once, you don’t need to do this though.

You can easily make this soup a day ahead without the egg-lemon sauce, and the next day reheat it well, make the sauce and add it to the soup right before serving it. It will be as delicious as it was freshly made.

You can also add more rice if you prefer a thicker soup. This is only suggested if you serve the whole soup at once. If you plan to serve it on the next day, the rice will continue to absorb the broth and the soup will be very thick, with almost no broth, so keep that in mind when you want to add extra rice.

So let’s see how to make this yummy chicken soup with avgolemono!

Ingredients:

- 500 – 700g / 1 – 1.5 lb (2 large) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in 2 or 4 large pieces *
- 1-2 carrots, peeled
- 1 stalk celery, cut into two pieces
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 chicken stock bouillon (optional)
- 2 lt / 8 cups / 2qt water
- 1/3 cup medium-grain rice **
- salt, pepper

For the egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce:
- 2 egg yolks (from large eggs)
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional, but highly recommended)

* You can also use chicken breast
** Choose a starchy rice, like Arborio, Carnaroli

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Preparation

Place the chicken, the carrots, the celery, the onion, the bay leaves, the peppercorns and the bouillon in a large pot and cover with 2lt/qt of water (pic. 1). Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once it starts simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low.
In case white foam forms on the surface, using a slotted spoon, skim off and discard (pic. 2).

Simmer covered, for 30 minutes. Then remove the chicken (pic. 3) and the veggies with a slotted spoon and place on a plate (pic. 4).

Place a fine sieve/colander over a large bowl and strain the stock from the pot (pic. 5). Pour the strained stock back into the pot, place over medium-low heat, and add the rice (pic. 6), salt and pepper (season well). Simmer for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice you chose. Taste some of the rice to see if it’s soft (not chewy). When ready, remove the pot from the stove and set aside.

Add the cornstarch in the lemon juice and stir to dissolve. This is optional, only if you use cornstarch (which is highly recommended). In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the yolks until creamy, for a couple of minutes (pic. 7). Add the lemon juice (pic. 8) while whisking continuously.

Start adding broth from the pot (keep whisking continuously), one ladleful at a time (pic. 9). Add broth from the surface of the pot, to avoid adding much rice. It’s ok if the broth you add contains a little rice.
Add very slowly the first two ladles with broth, whisking vigorously (pic. 10). You will need about 3 full ladles to warm the sauce up. The whole point is to increase the temperature of the egg-lemon mixture to that of the level of the broth. This way, the yolks won’t become solid.

Once hot, pour the frothy sauce mixture into the pot (pic. 11), and stir. Ready to serve (pic. 12)

Shred the chicken (it’s now cool enough to handle) with your hands or chop it with a knife, and serve the soup with it, adding some chopped carrots or celery as well if you like, and freshly crushed pepper and/or finely chopped parsley.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can make this dish with chicken breast, or even a whole chicken, cut into portions. If using whole chicken, simply double the ingredients, it will come out amazing.
2. The reason for suggesting the use of cornstarch is that it helps when reheating this soup to avoid cooking the yolks.
3. You can make the soup a day ahead without the egg-lemon sauce, and the next day reheat well, make the sauce and add it to the soup right before serving it.
4. You can also use whole eggs (not just the yolks) for a sauce with more froth. In this case, when you add the sauce in the pot (in the final step), simply hold and swirl the pot, don’t stir.
Some people also like to beat the egg whites into foam separately, and then mix with the yolks and the lemon juice.
5. You can add more rice if you prefer the soup thicker (like a stew) or less if you prefer a clean, broth-like soup.
6. You can also try this with any short pasta, like orzo, or couscous. It’s not the traditional way to make it, but it does make for a great soup.

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Low Calories/Diet

Mediterranean oven baked fish with tomato sauce and paprika

littlecookingtips — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 03:47:11 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

405

Servings:

Preparation Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Time:

Is it really October?

It’s early October as we’re writing this post, and looking back, with the exception of short periods of rain, the last month has been practically another summer month. It takes a while for Autumn to get here. Lots of sunshine, high temps and people rushing to the beaches, especially on the weekends, to get some comfort.

In the last few days though, the temperature dived about 10 degrees, and now we all feel that it’s really October. Lower temps mean we can concentrate easier on things we enjoy at home. One of them is cooking. Another is blogging. Like we’re happily doing now.

Visit to Epidaurus

One of the things we especially enjoyed this summer, was a daily visit to Ancient Epidaurus. It’s one of the places we always wanted to visit, that’s also close to Athens, but for some strange reason, we never had so far.

So, at the beginning of our summer vacation, one morning we woke up early, had a small breakfast and drove to Epidaurus. After using the highway, there’s a hilltop road (paved of course) for about an hour, but the scenery with the olive trees and then the pine trees make the trip enjoyable. The day that we visited was windy, which was great, as it helped us to cope with the high temps.

Arriving at Ancient Epidaurus, we bought a ticket which is valid for visiting everything at the site. We visited the Ancient Theatre, which is still operational today, with performances every summer and thousands of spectators.

The theatre can accommodate up to 15.000 spectators and was constructed in the 4th century BC. The amazing thing about this site is the unique acoustics. The theatre is constructed in such a way that one can hear perfectly what the actors say on the stage, regardless of one’s sitting and without using amplifiers.

We loved the great Stadium they also built nearby, where many competitions took place in antiquity, mostly to honor the god Asclepius. It was really impressive and preserved in great state.

Near the theatre, there’s a wide flat place with many ruins. In these ruins one can see what’s left of the walls of the -once glorious- Asclepeion. The Asclepeion was a sanctuary devoted to the healer-god Asclepius, son of Apollo. It was a sacred and highly spiritual place, where ill people came to get advice for their ailments. Healing mineral springs nearby were believed to help one cure and the priests guided and helped the sick with various practices.

At its height, there were so many people visiting, that they also built a huge restaurant/banquet hall, called hestiatoreion (to this day the word means restaurant in Greek) with a majestic entrance, right next to the Asclepeion, to feed all the visitors. If you’re following us on Instagram you might’ve seen our relative Story :)

We loved the great Stadium they also built nearby, where many competitions took place in antiquity, mostly to honor the god Asclepius. It was really impressive and preserved in great state.

Finally, we visited the marbles and the statues in the Museum. It was a great collection, and we loved reading ancient Greek and understanding some of the sentences. So wonderful to be able to communicate through time with the people who lived there thousands of years ago, isn’t it? The building of the Museum was rather outdated though; definitely, needs a renovation and lights. We hope someone will take a look at this at some point.

Sun and sea

After spending a few days in Athens (we also visited the Zoo which is close to the Athens airport and had a lot of fun!), of course, we went to Evia, to visit our favorite Aegean beaches and enjoy the garden of Panos’ parent's house in the country.

We went to Korasida, Cheromylos and of course, Mourteri/Agios Merkourios. These three beaches are among our favorites, and we try and visit them every year. Especially the last one, which is a 5km long beach, with very few visitors, so you can enjoy the sea without any noise or people close to you if looking for a calm place. The first half of the beach is called Mourteri, and the second half is called Agios Merkourios. A cliff divides the beach in two, separating the more touristically developed Mourteri from, the more deserted, but calmer Agios Merkourios.

When we want to visit these beaches, we keep an eye on the weather, to see which days the winds are not so strong, as these beaches are exposed to northern winds, and there are a lot of waves on windy days. If you ever visit Evia and want to swim there, here’s a tip: a great indication for the waves is the weather of Kymi ( a nearby town). Also, always visit early in the morning when the winds are low.

This summer we used a lot our diving masks and snorkels. This way, we had a lot of fun observing the amazing marine flora and fauna in the area. The waters on the Aegean side of Evia are crystal clear, and you can see beautiful cuttlefish on the sandy or pebble bottom, shells, shellfish, and sea urchins on rocks; and of course, a plethora of fish :) It was truly magical diving in these blue waters.

The organic garden

As we mentioned many times before, one of the things we love about visiting Evia is the fact that Panos’ parents have a big organic garden there. Even though during the summer people don’t cook as much as in the winter, there’s so much produce there, you can’t help it trying out new recipes, new ways to enjoy it.

As you have probably guessed, we made countless Greek salads, fried huge stacks of zucchini fritters, dipped them in tons of tzatziki, baked pans and pans with gemista, had a lot of kagianas for breakfast or lunch, made moussaka when in need for comfort food, used the eggplants with pasta or made melitzanosalata and went on and on. We couldn’t and wouldn’t stop, as long as there was produce in the baskets :)

What we wouldn’t use, we sliced, grated, chopped and did whatever necessary to preserve for the winter. So now our freezer is full of in-season-out-of-season frozen produce. :) And that’s a great practice for everyone, in order to enjoy tasty veggies. Buy them when in-season, and especially when on sale, chop or grate and freeze in ziplock bags. This way, you can make a magnificent marinara in the middle of the winter, with the flavors of an August’s tomato. Isn’t that great?

In the evenings, we loved sitting on our veranda to enjoy a cantaloupe, a watermelon, some apricots or peaches, and -in late August- some grapes and figs. Figs are so awesome. If you never had them before, buy a few when in season and eat fresh, preferably on the same day. You really have to try them: soft and silky on the outside, with dark red, soft flesh on the inside and crunchy tiny edible seeds. Just cut one in quarters and put it on some Greek yogurt. Drizzle then with honey: heaven! It’s the perfect dessert, plus it’s super healthy!

One pan baked fish

During the summer, people don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. That’s understandable, with all the outdoor activities one can enjoy during the season. So, one pan, easy recipes, are a perfect choice. Since we shared our summer memories in this post, we thought we should share one of the one pan recipes that only need a few minutes to prepare. Plus now that it’s October, you probably have a ton of things to do on weekdays, right?

And this is one of the easiest fish recipes out there. A dump and bake, one-pan baked fish that we make very often on weekdays, when the time is precious, being busy with all day-to-day activities and our household.

Fish is a great source of lean protein, and also contains a lot of heart-healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids) that are good for one's heart. So, pairing it with a vinaigrette lettuce salad or brown rice it makes for a complete, filling AND healthy meal. Isn’t that great?

As mentioned, one of the things we love about this baked fish recipe is that it’s very easy and therefore convenient. You don’t need a lot of prep time. You simply turn on the oven, prepare the onion and the tomato, mix the ingredients for the sauce, dump it in a pan, dip the fish steaks in it and then lay them over and bake. As simple as that! And while it’s baking, you can prepare the salad or the rice (or both).

We call this recipe “Mediterranean fish” and not “Greek fish”, even though it does contain ingredients used it the Greek cuisine, just like in this very old “fish plaki” recipe on the blog (Please excuse us for the terrible photo, it was published years ago when we first started blogging LOL).

The reason for not calling this recipe “Greek”, is the secret ingredient: smoked paprika. Smoked paprika is a classic ingredient in the Spanish cuisine, not the Greek one. It’s a spice we love to use in many of our recipes (like in mac 'n cheese for instance), and has a very distinct, unique flavor. You can also use smoked Hungarian paprika, of course, that’s equally delicious; whichever is available around your area.

The type of fish we suggest using in this recipe is any large white fish. Fish steaks or fish fillets cut into large pieces would both work excellent. We have tried this with cod, haddock, swordfish and large sea breams. You can use whichever you prefer or is on sale. The sauce will provide all the flavor in this recipe, so don’t hesitate to buy a cheaper, more affordable piece of white fish.

Frozen fish steaks work well too, but make sure to thaw them properly. Place them (covered with film) in a bowl in your fridge, and let them thaw for up to 24 hours. Then rinse, and pat dry with kitchen towels. You will need a lot of towels, as frozen fish is watery. But it will work just as well as fresh. Perhaps it will take a little time more to bake, that’s all.

The combination of the smoked paprika with the extra virgin olive oil and the oregano is amazing. Plus, adding a good wine will enhance the flavors, creating a delicious dish. Make sure to dribble some of the juices from the pan on top of the fish when serving it. And a little extra virgin olive oil as well.

So, let’s see how you can make this easy fish in the oven!

Ingredients:

- 3-4 fish steaks or fish fillets (cod, haddock, swordfish) cut into large pieces, about 1Kg / 2lb
- 1 medium sized tomato, 250-300gr / 9-10oz
- 1 medium-sized onion, 130-160gr / 4.5-5.5oz, finely chopped or sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60ml) white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme (or 1/2 tablespoon fresh)
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon paprika, preferably smoked
- salt, pepper
- a little finely chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

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Preparation:

Rinse and pat dry your fish steaks (or fillets). If using frozen fish, thaw in the fridge for 24hours, and then pat dry with a lot of kitchen towels, as it’s quite watery. Sprinkle some salt on both sides of each steak.

Grate the tomato (pic. 1) and strain it, using a fine sieve (pic. 2) to remove some of the water.

Add the tomato in a large bowl and add the olive oil (pic. 3) and the wine (pic. 4).

Add the thyme, the oregano and the paprika (pic. 5), salt and pepper, the onion and the garlic (pic. 6).

Mix well with a spoon (pic. 7) and empty the bowl’s contents in a baking dish, large enough to accommodate your fish steaks (pic. 8).

Press each fish steak into the sauce, flip and lay on top (pic. 9). The steaks will look like the ones in the pic.10.

Bake in a convection oven, at 200C / 390F for 30-40 minutes (depending on the thickness of the steaks and whether they’re fresh or frozen and thawed – in which case they’re usually waterier).

The fish is ready when most of the liquid has evaporated. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, to allow it to absorb the flavors of the surrounding gravy.

Serve with a simple vinaigrette-lettuce salad or rice. You can also serve this with French fries, if not looking for a healthier option :) Dribble the juices and some extra virgin olive oil on top for extra flavor.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. As mentioned, if using frozen fish, thaw for 24 hours in a bowl in the fridge and then pat dry with kitchen towels. Makes sure it’s dry enough, as frozen fish tends to be watery.

2. You can use cod, haddock, swordfish, sea bream or any other firm white flesh fish for this dish. Skip tuna or salmon in this recipe.

3. Try to get some high quality smoked paprika for this. It will define the flavor of the dish. You can use it in countless other recipes as well: in stews, to rub chicken or steaks for grilling, you can sprinkle it with salt on fries, you can use it in dips/sauces …you get the picture :)

4. You can try this dish with fresh, finely chopped fennel fronds (or dill) and skip the thyme, the oregano, and the paprika. It’s a different, equally delicious variation that’s better served with French fries.

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Greek Cheesy Potato Fritters

littlecookingtips — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 06:39:42 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

216

Servings:

serves 6

Preparation Time:

30 minutes

Cooking Time:

15 minutes

the summer is finally here

At last, after relatively cool first weeks, this June became a summer month! The first days of the month were often full of heavy clouds and sudden, tropical thunderstorms. Some of those days the temperature was way below the season average, reaching only up to 24C/75F, having us wondering when the summer will finally visit Greece! Pretty frustrating, right?

Well, this week the situation changed dramatically. We got temperatures up to 45C/113F(!) and people run to the beaches. Across Greece, all destinations by the sea were packed. We couldn't decide if it would be better to stay indoors with the A/C or go to an Athenian beach and face the traffic and the crowd :)

Anyway; before this heatwave, visiting our family’s garden in Evia, we knew that the summer was just around the corner, as the tomatoes kept growing, the cucumbers and zucchini were ripe and delicious, the apricots were sweet and ready to picked, just as the deep purple plums and the dark red cherry plums.

the joy of picking produce from the garden

It is such a joy to be in the garden early in the morning on a warm summer day. You get to pick your fresh veggies and fruits when they’re still cool from the night dew. You should see the smiles on our faces, walking up and down the garden with wooden baskets on our hands, ready to be filled with fresh, organic produce. Our heads were exploding with cooking ideas while picking the veggies and the fruits! Thank God, there was a lot of produce so we didn’t have to compromise on how to cook them:)

After deciding how to use the vegetables and the fruits, we usually go for a quick swim on a beach nearby and then we get started: chopping, peeling, grating, preheating the oven, picking up spices and herbs…you get the idea:) A culinary frenzy takes place in a kitchen filled with colors, aromas and flavors.

After all, cooking real food, created with quality produce, love and imagination are what really counts, and sitting down to enjoy a meal with loved ones is the epitome of what cooking is about. It doesn’t need to be fancy or gourmet: a simple, hearty dish with flavors and aromas is enough to make everyone smile.

During the summer, we use fewer recipes with meat and we focus on the vegetarian aspect of the traditional Greek cuisine. This means that Horiatiki, zucchini fritters, gemista stuffed veggies and tzatziki are often on the table, with some crusty fresh bread and feta cheese on the side. Simpler, lighter recipes are perfect for the hot summer days, right?

making cheesy potato fritters

One of our favorite recipes we often use in the summer is made with potatoes. Everyone loves potato fritters, right? These fritters are vegetarian, for those eating eggs (ovo-vegetarians), they include Kefalotyri cheese, which melts during frying and they have a wonderful aroma from the fresh mint. It’s a Greek recipe you really have to try out. Yes, we know. Kefalotyri is hard to find if you’re not in Greece. That being said, you can also make this recipe using Pecorino Romano or Parmesan that are more widely available. The result is, of course, a bit different, as Kefalotyri is a hard goat cheese with a unique flavor, but it’s equally delicious.

This is definitely one of the best potato recipes you can use if you’re having people over. Throw a salad on the side and some tzatziki and everyone will be happy and ask for seconds. You can serve them as an appetizer or as a main, depending on the crowd. One thing is for sure: kids will love this!

The method for making these fritters is simple: you peel and chop the potatoes into chunks, boil them, mash them, and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Then you simply fry them, using one tablespoon per fritter and serve them. That’s it!

This recipe is for 6-8 portions if it’s served as an appetizer or 2-4 as a main dish. You can adjust the mint flavor by adding more or fewer leaves, but in our humble opinion, about 10 are necessary. You can also add more cheese if you want them more soft and gooey. Another version you can try is with fresh dill and young onions: super yummy as well! The possibilities are endless: you can change this recipe and use your favorite spices and ingredients. Having new ideas already? Let us know in the comments, we'd love to hear from you!

So let’s see how to make potato fritters that are golden on the outside and creamy on the inside!

Ingredients:

- 1 kg / 2 lb (3 large) potatoes, peeled and diced in 3cm/1in chunks*
- 2 medium sized eggs
- 100 g / 3.5 oz (1 cup) Kefalotyri or Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, finely grated
- 40 g / 1.4 oz (5 tablespoons) flour, all-purpose
- 4 g / 0.15 oz (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 6 g / 0.20 oz (10-12 leaves) fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt, pepper
- sunflower or other high smoke point vegetable oil, for frying
*prefer Russet, Yukon Gold or White potatoes

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Preparation

Place the potatoes in a medium sized pot (pic. 1) and cover with water (pic. 2), adding a teaspoon of salt as well. Place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. The potatoes are ready when they’re easy to pierce with a fork and are getting rounder on their corners.

Drain in a colander (pic. 3). Don’t rinse. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes, to cool. Return the potatoes to the same pot and using a potato masher (or a heavy ladle), mash the potatoes (pic. 4).

Add the flour, the baking powder (pic. 5) and the garlic (pic. 6).

Add the mint, salt and pepper (pic. 7) and the eggs (pic. 8).

Mix well to incorporate (pic. 9) and add the cheese (pic. 10). Give the mixture a final stir.

Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat and pour in sunflower oil to a depth of 2.5cm / 1in.

Once hot, using two tablespoons drop about a tablespoon of mixture into the pan at a time (pic. 11). Don’t overcrowd your pan; add a few tablespoons, but leave some space between the fritters. Their shape will of course vary, that’s the beauty of these. Fry until golden brown, then flip and fry the other side as well (pic. 12). Be careful: it takes less than a minute to fry each side! Fry in batches until you use all the mixture.

With a slotted spoon remove each fritter and place in a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil.

Serve with a fresh salad, like Horiatiki Greek Salad and/or tzatziki! Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. As mentioned, you can also use Pecorino Romano or Parmesan if you can’t find Kefalotyri.
2. You can replace the mint with fresh dill and finely sliced young onions for a different but equally delicious flavor.
3. These are awesome in sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs as well!

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Greek roasted leg of lamb - Kleftiko

littlecookingtips — Sun, 07 May 2017 05:50:50 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

563

Servings:

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

This is a recipe requested by many of you friends out there: Kleftiko roasted leg of lamb. Judging from the number of requests, this must be one of the most popular Greek recipes abroad. :) Of course we do have our own version, which is traditional and authentic, without much fuss and without the need for too many ingredients.

This Easter, we published a recipe for Tsoureki, the traditional Greek Easter bread. However, this wasn’t the only thing that we baked during the celebrations. We also roasted slowly lamb, Kleftiko style. And we took the pictures in order to prepare this post for all of you that requested this.

During the Easter holidays we took the opportunity, as most Greeks do, to visit the countryside. Greece is really amazing during the spring, and if you’ve never been here in April or May, you’re really missing out. The nature is blossoming, the temperatures are warmer and the days are getting longer. So what would be better than visiting small villages and enjoying the breathtaking scenery? We loved walking in small footpaths, connecting forests to villages, meadows to serene –and empty- beaches.

Besides enjoying nature, we cooked a large variety of new recipes and tested some of our culinary ideas as well. You’ll be seeing the results of this in the near future, in some of our next posts. We baked our own bread with whole wheat farro(emmer) flour, we made our own pasta and the knowledge one gets from practicing with dough, is really priceless. There’s nothing like fresh, crusty bread that you make with your own hands, baking it at home.

An authentic Kleftiko recipe

As we mentioned though, one of the dishes that we cooked during the holidays was Kleftiko. The recipe for Kleftiko we are posting here is an authentic one, which means that it doesn’t include any veggies. It’s a recipe for a delicious, tender leg of lamb. You can serve this with a horiatiki Greek salad, lemon garlic roasted potatoes, tzatziki and fresh, crusty bread. The authentic version does not contain potatoes. After all, potatoes were not used in Greek cuisine until after the revolution of 1821 and Kleftiko is a much older recipe. Nowadays, people often add potatoes and/or peppers and/or cheese, like feta or kefalotyri in Kleftiko; the result is definitely richer. We suggest that you first try this basic recipe though and then move on and make it your own by adding your favorite ingredients in the dish.

Kleftiko: a little history of this recipe

Kleftiko, is derived from the word Klepht. Klephts were Greek anti-Ottoman insurgents, carrying on the war against the Ottomans throughout the years they had conquered Greece. Kpepht is literally the one who steals, named this way, because Klephts stole weapons and goods from the Ottoman authorities in order to continue their struggle against them.

They mostly lived in groups high in the mountains and in rural areas. Since they were evading the Ottoman army, they had to find ways to cook their food without being noticed. Their method of roasting the lamb took its name “Kleftiko” from them. The method was more less the following: first they were digging a shallow pit in the ground. Then they were lighting a fire, and as soon as enough burning charcoal was formed, they were placing the meat, covered in a package, on top. Then, they were covering everything (the package and the fire) with soil and rocks, in order to hide the smell and the smoke from the enemy and they were leaving the area.

This way, it was taking a lot of hours for the food to be cooked through, not unlike modern day slow cookers, but the result was very tender, juicy and delicious! So this method continues to this day, since it produces such excellent, tasty food. You can still find lamb cooked the traditional way, in the ground, in rural places in Crete and Central Greece. But most people of course, simply use parchment paper and their home ovens:) Another way to cook Kleftiko at home is using a clay pot or a Dutch oven.

In this post, we are using parchment paper, which is much closer to the original “package” idea for cooking the meat, back in the years of the struggle for Greek Independence. It’s really easy to replicate this and the lamb is falling-off –the bone tender.

Greeks and lamb

Contrary to popular belief, Kleftiko -and lamb in general- is not something Greeks enjoy on a regular basis. Lamb and goat are mostly cooked around Easter, during celebrations and in special occasions. For instance, if there’s a religious festival in a village (panigiri) you certainly will find lamb or goat being served .So, Kleftiko is a special dish that’s not very often cooked in Greek households; but when it does, it’s much appreciated by everyone. Most of us have beautiful memories, growing up in Greek households, when in special occasions, the smell of lamb, slowly roasting in the oven for hours filled the air. To this day, this smell takes us back to these wonderful times!

In this recipe, the leg of lamb is cooked to the point that you can shred it with a fork. It will remind you of pulled pork and similar dishes. That’s the way lamb is cooked in Greece. You won’t find any medium or medium-rare lamb here. The lamb is cooked in wine, olive oil and lemon juice, with herbs and garlic for hours. And when you take a bite, it almost melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:

- 1.5-2kg / 3.5-4.5lbs leg of lamb, on the bone*
- 4-5 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
- 1/2 fresh lemon, for rubbing the meat
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 125ml (1/2 cup - 8 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons), for baking the lamb
- 80ml (1/3 cup - 6 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil, for baking the lamb
- 125ml (1/2 cup - 8 tablespoons) white wine

*if too fatty you can ask your butcher to trim some of the fat, or you can remove some of it yourself with a sharp knife. Usually not necessary.

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Preparation

First, using the tip of a sharp knife (a boning knife is perfect for this), make small slits in the meat (like in pic. 1), both on top and bottom. Insert a sliver of garlic in each slit (pic. 2).

Rub the meat with the cut side of the lemon-half, squeezing it gently (pic. 3, pic. 4). Do this on both sides.

Drizzle with the olive oil (pic. 5) and brush or rub to coat. Season generously both sides with salt (pic. 6).

Add the pepper (pic. 7) and the thyme (pic. 8) on both sides.

Rub the seasoning, trying to spread it evenly (pic. 9). Place 4 large pieces of parchment paper in a roasting pan, forming a cross; or 6 pieces, forming a star. Place the meat in the center (pic. 10).

Add the rosemary leaves (pic. 11), squeeze the juice of the two lemons (the 125ml, pic. 12), and add the olive oil (the 80ml, pic. 13).

Finally, add the white wine (pic. 14). Wrap the meat in the parchment, as tightly as possible, creating a package (pic. 15). At this point, some of the juices may spill into the roasting pan. Don't worry, it happens sometimes. Make sure most of it is in the package you created though in case this happens.

Tie the package with kitchen string (pic. 16). At this point, you can refrigerate it for up to 1 day. This will allow the marinade to penetrate fully into the meat. Take it out of the fridge for 1 hour before baking. If you don’t have the time for marinating though, you can go ahead and bake it straight up.

Bake in preheated oven at 200C/390F (convection oven - fan assisted) for 30 minutes. Then lower to 180C/350F and continue baking for 2 hours.
Finally, remove from the oven, cut the parchment with kitchen scissors. Baste the lamb with the juices and place the pan back in the oven, for 30 more minutes, until browned.

Let it rest for a few minutes before serving. As mentioned before, serve with a horiatiki Greek salad, lemon garlic roasted potatoes, tzatziki and fresh, crusty bread. Pure Heaven!
Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. As mentioned, this is the basic recipe for Kleftiko. You can add potatoes in the package, and bake them together with the lamb. You can also try it with peppers and onions, adding some feta or Kefalotyri as well in the last 30 minutes of baking (also try Pecorino if you can't find Kefalotyri). The result is amazing!
2. You can also omit the parchment paper, and bake this in a large, heavy Dutch oven or clay pot.
3. Kleftiko tastes much better if you let the meat in the marinade overnight and up to 1 day.

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Method:

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Low Calories/Diet

How to make Pastitsio: The Greek Lasagna Casserole

littlecookingtips — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 20:50:03 +0000

Photo and text by Mirella Kaloglou and Panos Diotis.

Calories (per serving):

803

Servings:

serves 10-12

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

2 hours

What a winter! The period of unusually cold weather we’re experiencing this year, which has started before the Christmas season, isn’t like anything we encountered before. The snow storm Ariadne hit Greece hard in January, with heavy snowfalls, even at sea level. The temperatures plummeted for days, even in the islands(!), with snow up to 2m/6.5ft in depth in some places, like Evia.

So, when the storm passed, one of the best places to explore was Steni, a mountain village in Evia, within a quick drive from Athens. We wanted to see first-hand how much snow there was and explore nature as well.

When we arrived, the first images of winter scenery in the village were a testament to the serious problems the snow storm must’ve caused to the people living there. We went to Evia 15 days after the storm had passed and even then, there was a lot of frozen snow in the streets. The main roads however, were clear, so people could reach the island’s main city (Halkida) for provisions.

We had our morning coffee at a cute little café in the village, to warm ourselves up, and then started driving towards the top of the mountain. We wanted to see if we could reach the top, which is about 1800m/6000ft high, but couldn’t do it, due to the fog, snow and ice. The road was very slippery and narrow at places.

So, we took some pictures around the fir trees and the snow, enjoyed the scenery and went back to the village which was about 600m/2000ft down from the place we stopped for pictures. We bought some local honey and fresh artisan bread from the village’s old bakery to bring with us back to Athens. Both were excellent quality and we enjoyed them with a little butter in the next morning, to really appreciate the flavors.

With all this cold weather outside, the timing was perfect for the ultimate Greek comfort food: Pastitsio! What is pastitsio? It’s the Greek version of lasagna; an extremely delicious, rich baked meat and pasta casserole, with creamy sauce and cheese! Need we say more?

The word pastitsio, probably comes from the Italian pasticcio, a very similar pasta casserole that’s very popular around the Mediterranean. The Greek version has three layers: pasta, ground beef sauce (usually scented with a little cinnamon) and a top layer of creamy, cheesy sauce (we call it béchamel here, but it’s actually Mornay).

The pasta used in pastitsio is usually a long tubular macaroni. A slightly thinner version of this is bucatini. People abroad however, also make this dish with ziti, rigatoni or even penne, as long tubular pasta is a bit harder to find sometimes. In this recipe we’ll use the traditional macaroni, but feel free to try the dish with any of the aforementioned pasta.

Two of the main ingredients for this dish are the cheese and the eggs. Both of those help in binding the pasta, the meat and the sauce together. Also, when in room temperature, the top layer becomes thick like custard, just like in moussaka, the other popular Greek casserole. In order to help the sauce on top stay in its place, we have a small tip to share here as well: we keep some of the boiled and drained pasta aside; a handful of two will suffice. Then, we add them at the top, right above the meat sauce, and pour the béchamel cream over. The pasta added here, helps holding the sauce in place when everything is baked together.

Pastitsio is made with traditional Greek cheeses. Most people use kefalotyri. A sharp and salty hard cheese, made from sheep’s milk. Don’t worry though; if it’s not available at your area, you can use Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheeses instead. The result is equally delicious.

If having to cook three layers sounds a bit confusing or hard, don’t worry. We’ll provide you with handy step-by-step pictures to make things easy. Making pastitsio needs a little time and effort, but the dish is definitely worth it! Put it on the menu for a Sunday meal with friends or family and it’ll be a huge hit.

If you want to save some time, you can make the meat sauce ahead. The meat sauce requires most of your attention, and we often prepare it a day before. This way, we only have to boil and drain the pasta and prepare the béchamel sauce the day we bake the pastitsio. It’s a lot easier this way!

You can also assemble the pastitsio a day ahead, put it in the fridge and then simply bake it right before dinner. Another option is to cook this dish ahead, baking and everything, and then store it in the fridge, covered with film; in this case simply reheat in a convection oven for 20-25 minutes (at 160C/320F) on the next day.

When you take the dish out of the oven, the smell will make it irresistible to cut right into it. You must resist the temptation though and allow it to cool down, before cutting into pieces. Let it cool down for at least 30 minutes. This way cutting the pieces will be easier and the temperature will be just right to enjoy it.

So let’s see the recipe for an authentic Greek pastitsio.

Ingredients:

For the meat sauce:

- 1kg / 34oz / 2lb ground beef*
- 250g / 9oz (2-3 medium sized) onions, finely chopped
- 400g / 14oz (about 2) tomatoes, grated**
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
- 180ml (3/4 cup) olive oil
- 125ml (1/2 cup) red wine***
- 70g / 2.5oz kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, grated****
- 1/4 teaspoon (a pinch) ground cinnamon
- salt, pepper

*You can also use ground turkey for a leaner version or ground lamb for a more authentic flavor. You can mix ground beef with ground lamb or beef with pork as well.
** You can also use canned crushed tomatoes
*** You can also use white wine or even cider.
**** You can also use Parmesan or Graviera or Dubliner or aged Asiago or Provolone.

For the pasta:

- 500g / 17.5oz / 1lb long macaroni or bucatini*
- 3 egg whites, lightly beaten (you will use the yolks in the béchamel below)
- 90g / 3oz (3/4 stick) butter, unsalted
- 70g / 2.5oz kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, grated**

*You can also use rigatoni or ziti or penne.
** You can also use Parmesan or Graviera or Dubliner or aged Asiago or Provolone.

For the béchamel (mornay) sauce:

- 200g / 7oz (1 3/4 sticks) butter, unsalted in room temperature
- 140g / 5oz flour, all-purpose
- 1.5lt (6 cups) milk, room temperature
- 3 egg yolks
- 70g / 2.5oz kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, grated**
- a pinch of nutmeg
- salt, pepper

** You can also use Parmesan or Graviera or Dubliner or aged Asiago or Provolone.

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Preparation:
Start by making the meat sauce. This is the part that requires most of your attention. You can make this a day before and store in the fridge if you want to save some time.

Add the olive oil in a large saucepan/skillet or a medium sized pot and place over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onions (pic. 1) and stir until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the ground meat (pic. 2) and stir. Try to break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until most of the moisture is evaporated.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, the cinnamon, salt and pepper (pic. 3). Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously until it gets a bit dry (pic. 4).

Add the wine (pic. 5). Continue cooking for 2 minutes more and then add the grated tomatoes (pic. 6). Cook for 8-10 minutes, until most of the liquid evaporates and the mixture is thick.

Remove from heat, add the cheese (pic. 7) and give it a final stir to incorporate. Have a taste to check for seasoning, and set aside. Remove the eggs, the milk and the butter from the fridge. Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Butter a large, deep 36x28cm / 14x11in baking pan (pic. 8) or a similar in volume, large baking pan.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, for 2 minutes less than the package instructions.

Drain and transfer to the baking pan, keeping a handful (or two) of pasta aside (pic. 9), for the top layer (this is optional but we recommend it). Add the egg whites, the butter and the cheese (pic. 10) to the pasta and mix. Spread the pasta evenly in the pan. Preheat the oven at 170C/340F (in convection oven - fan assisted baking).

Layer the meat sauce on top of the pasta (pic. 11) and spread evenly (pic. 12).

Make the béchamel sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium sized pot (or a deep saucepan), over medium heat (pic. 13). Add the flour (pic. 14), whisking continuously.

You will make a thick paste (pic. 15). Slowly add the milk (pic. 16), little by little, whisking constantly until smooth. Continue whisking slowly and bring the sauce to a boil. Cook for a few minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Remove from heat and add the cheese (pic. 17), the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the egg yolks (pic. 18), while whisking vigorously.

Spread the smal ammount of pasta you kept aside, on top of the meat (pic. 19). Spread the béchamel sauce, evenly, on top (pic. 20). You can also sprinkle a little more cheese or breadcrumbs over the top, but that’s entirely optional (pic. 21).

Bake in the middle rack for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the oven. Remove, allow it to cool down for at least 30 minutes, cut into pieces and serve.

Kali Oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can make the meat sauce 1-2 days ahead, store it in the fridge and warm it up (or simply bring it to room temperature) before using it in the pastitsio.

2. Feel free to try other types of ground meat as well, like lamb or turkey (or mixes of ground meat).

3. You can try making pastitsio with a variety of pasta and cheeses. Feel free to adjust the flavors according to your liking.

4. If you prepare this meal a day ahead, store in the fridge (covered with film) and reheat in a conventional oven for 25 minutes (at 170C/340F) the next day.

5. You can add more crushed tomatoes (up to twice the proposed quantity here) if you like the meat layer to be saucier.

Meal:

Method:

Cuisine:

Season:

Main Ingredients:

Oven Baked Meatballs with Roasted Potatoes

littlecookingtips — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 09:17:23 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

1058

Servings:

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

What a great season to get inspiration from! The fall is here, with all its beautiful colors. We are so glad that we’ll get to taste all the wonderful vegetables of the season, once again. An abundance of pumpkins and squash, carrots and cabbage, potatoes and beets, cauliflower and broccoli, lettuce and young onions. Fresh herbs like fennel and dill are back on the table, our pots and pans adding flavor and color.

What a joy it is going for a walk in the fall. Exploring new places in the countryside is truly magical during this season. The explosion of colors in parks, gardens and groves is a feast for the senses. It regenerates and makes one happier, putting a smile on one’s face.

Of course we couldn’t miss visiting again our family’s garden in Evia (also known as Euboea) island, to experience this wondrous transformation. Getting back in touch with our true roots; touching the soil and smelling the rain in the ground creates a feeling we wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

It was so wonderful to see the new plants in the garden. To see the new fruits ripening on the tree branches. To see the olives, ready to be harvested for the winter.

As the nature is getting ready for the new winter season, it was time for us as well, to get back to blogging, after a few months’ absence. We missed all of you out there, and we missed sharing our passion for real, homemade cooking.

One of the first recipes we’d love to show you is a rustic, delicious and easy Greek food which is perfect for any Sunday meal with your family. During the last season, we published a traditional recipe for Greek meatballs (keftedes or keftedakia), which are fried and usually served with French fries or Greek baked potatoes, a Horiatiki Greek salad and/or Tzatziki on the side. As it turned out, this worked really well for so many of our readers and soon became one of our most popular ground beef recipes in the blog.

Taking this into account, we felt that we had to share another version of a Greek meatball recipe (keftedes), only this time they are baked in the oven with potatoes. The inspiration for the recipe came from a real life experience, a couple of winters ago. We have always loved the flavor and aroma of fenugreek.

Fenugreek is a plant whose leaves and seeds are often encountered in the ingredients list of an Indian recipe. It’s also used to flavor cured meats like pasturma. Even though it contains the term “-greek” in its name, we didn’t find fenugreek in modern Greek recipes or meals our mothers cooked while we were growing up. Nor was it used in foods prepared in restaurants.

Well, a couple of winters ago, Panos’ yiayia (grandma) Katina while sitting by the fireplace was sharing her memories of old recipes and ingredients she used to cook with, back in the 50s, when she was in her teens. Between others, she mentioned “tsimeni”, a word we once heard before. She started to describe how this spice was used in old recipes which she cooked back in the day and how it is still used today in…pasturma!

Since we love pasturma, we looked up “tsimeni” as soon as we heard that. Apparently, tsimeni was a word for a paste whose main ingredient is fenugreek, also called trigonella in Greek (or moshositaro, meaning fragrant wheat!). Looking more into trigonella, we discovered that it was a plant used in Southeastern Europe for millennia. So there was something Greek in fenugreek after all!

Unfortunately, perhaps because of its strong flavor and aroma, it was abandoned in the last decades, to the point that most Greeks (ourselves included) had no idea what it was. So, we had to experiment and try fenugreek in many Greek recipes. The end result was a variety of delicious dishes and marinades. For instance, try to add some fenugreek in a lemony chicken marinade, along with dry oregano. You’ll be surprised by the delicious result.

Back to our homemade meatballs now; as mentioned, we wanted to share another easy meatball recipe (keftedes). One of our most successful uses of fenugreek is in keftedes. Just like with biftekia (Greek burgers) which are also baked in the oven, these Greek meatballs are a great idea for a Sunday lunch. This is a food that’s even better when shared with your family and friends.

Our memories are filled with our parents hosting a Sunday lunch, with our cousins, aunts and uncles, under a gorgeous sun. Even on the coldest days of the fall, we are blessed with lots of sunshine here in Greece; and sharing a table with mezedes (appetizers), oven baked meatballs (or biftekia burgers) and good wine with your family, is truly warming for the soul. You probably have similar memories as well, having experienced magical moments like that.

In this recipe, we baked the meatballs on a bed of potatoes. Those golden wedges are slowly roasted in olive oil, enhanced with the citrus flavor of the coriander, the spicy taste of the cumin and the mild ginger-like taste of the turmeric. If you’re reading this blog often, you are already familiar with our obsession for turmeric. Turmeric adds a wonderful color and enhances the taste of every food it's added to. If you don’t have any turmeric, you can also add a little mustard instead, for a different, but equally delicious result.

The potatoes in this recipe are roasted until tender and soft in the inside and crispy on the outside. And their flavor is truly unique. Even if you don’t want to have meat, you can try and just bake the potatoes of this recipe. You can serve them then with feta and/or tzatziki, for a delicious vegetarian meal.

Keftedes and potatoes are best served with a fresh salad on the side. We often serve this dish with a simple lettuce and vinaigrette salad, or coleslaw. It’s also great with a horiatiki Greek salad and tzatziki.

If you want to serve something totally different and delicious, perhaps for Thanksgiving, this recipe is something you should probably look into; served with fragrant mashed carrots on the side, this is maybe one of the most delightful choices.

Full of aroma, filling and rustic, these oven baked meatballs are among the best comfort foods you can try. Plus they’re very versatile, since you can add or substitute the spices according to your liking, and create countless variations of your own. The possibilities are endless.

Another advantage of this recipe is that it’s a great make ahead recipe. You can easily prepare it a day before, allow it to cool to room temperature and then cover the pan with film and store it in the fridge. The next day, you simply remove the film, pop it in the oven for 15 minutes in 200C/390F and you’re ready to serve! Do not reheat in microwaves though; baked potatoes are tastier (and still crunchy on the outside) if you reheat them in a conventional oven.

So let’s see how to make these beautiful oven baked meatballs!

Ingredients:

For the meatballs(keftedes):
- 500gr / 17.oz / 1lb ground beef*
- 100gr/3.5oz (2 slices) bread, preferably stale
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (you can add a spicy Dijon if you prefer)
- 1.5-2 teaspoons ground fenugreek**
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt, pepper

*You can also use ground turkey for a leaner version or ground lamb for stronger flavor
**If you can't find fenugreek anywhere then try fennel (in any form, a small minced piece of the bulb, toasted seeds, fresh chopped fronds) for a different but equally interesting result

For the potatoes:
- 1kg / 2.2lb medium sized potatoes (3-4 potatoes depending on their size), peeled
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric*
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 375ml (3/4 cup) olive oil
- salt

*If you don't have turmeric, you can also use 1tablespoon of mustard

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Preparation:

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise (pic. 1), and do the same with the two halves (pic. 2). Then cut them horizontally to form wedges (pic. 3).

Put the potatoes in a baking pan and add the olive oil (pic. 4) and the spices (turmeric, coriander, cumin, pepper, salt). Mix well/toss with your hands to coat the potatoes with the oil and the spices (pic. 5). Set aside.

Remove the crust from the bread slices and cut into chunks (pic. 6). Dense, stale bread is far better for this step. Add the bread chunks into a food processor and pulse to create breadcrumbs (pic. 7). Sometimes (depending on the bread), you may need to shake the food processor a bit, to get the process started.

At this point preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius/390 Fahrenheit. If using convection oven (fan baking) set at 180 degrees C / 370 F.

Add the breadcrumbs, the ground beef, the egg, the olive oil, the mustard and the fenugreek in a large bowl (pic. 8). Season with salt and pepper. Knead, using your hands, for 2-3 minutes. When everything is well incorporated, shape large meatballs with your palms (pic. 9). They don't have to be perfect, don't worry. This is a classic rustic recipe, where imperfections are perfect! :)

Arrange the meatballs on top of the potatoes and cover the pan with foil (be thorough).
Bake in the middle oven rack for 1 hour.

Then remove the foil, and keep baking for another 30 minutes (depending on how golden or brown you like the potatoes).

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. Serve with a Horiatiki Greek salad and/or Tzatziki and/or a Greek beetroot spread (pantzarosalata)
2. Feel free to try other types of ground meat as well, like lamb or turkey (or mixes of ground meat). This recipe is especially good if you’re looking to make turkey meatballs.
3. If you cook for more than four, make sure to double (or triple) the ingredients, as this recipe is just for four portions.
4. If you prepare this meal a day ahead, store in the fridge (covered with film) and reheat in a conventional oven for 15 minutes (at 200C/390F) the next day.

Meal:

Method:

Cuisine:

Season:

Main Ingredients:

Special Characteristics:

Spicy

Greek-Indian one pot vegetarian meal (spring ladero)

littlecookingtips — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 21:11:43 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

982

Servings:

Cooking Time:

45 minutes

The spring is finally here! What a strange winter that was for most of the people in the Northern hemisphere. A lot milder than usual, with just a few bursts of colds in most places. Greece had a very warm winter this year as well, we only got to see a little snow for 2-3 weekends in Central-South and it didn’t last long.

Most of February was unusually warm and sunny. The March was rather rainy though, to verify a very old Greek saying which goes like this “Martis gdartis kai kakos paloukokaftis”. It means that March is the most unpredictable month of the year and may lead to burning whatever you may desperately find around, in your stove, to keep you warm, since you didn’t expect such cold weather in this month.

But now April is here, and so is spring, on full swing! We have A LOT of sunshine, the daylight saving time started, which means we get to enjoy the sun for 1 more hour each day and this definitely helps lifting our spirits! We celebrated the Aprokries (which is the Greek Halloween, which is about fun, costumes and partying, much like the Brazilian version) and then the 40-day Lent started on Clean Monday.

Clean Monday (called Kathari Deftera here) is a day we celebrate the beginning of Lent. Families gather together and feast on taramosalata, pickles, fasolada, and shellfish/mollusks, like octopus, shrimp, squid, mussels and clams, cooked in various ways. Halva (a dessert made with tahini), is also a must. On Clean Monday children and their parents fly kites in various shapes and colors, a tradition that also marks the beginning of spring.

Fish is not allowed in Greek Orthodox Lent, with the exception of the 25th of March which is a big holiday. We celebrate the Greek Independence Day and the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On that day specifically, you will find fried cod and skordalia in every Greek household and every tavern all over the country. This year for some strange reason we ate so much of the stuff, we were bloated until late at night :)

The good thing with Lent is that it’s a great opportunity to detox by abstaining from dairy and any meat (except shellfish/mollusks like we mentioned). A lot of pulses/legumes are served in this 40 day period and a lot of veggies. Vegetables play a pivotal role in the traditional Greek diet. They’re not blunt though. Cooked with extra virgin olive oil, herbs and usually tomato, they’re not served as a side but as a main course.

This type of vegetable dishes are called ladera (or lathera), literally meaning “oily”. People always enjoy them with a lot of bread to soak up the oil and the sauce which has concentrated all the flavors of the vegetables and the spices. Examples of ladera dishes are: green beans (fasolakia) dishes, spinach and rice (spanakorizo), cabbage and rice (lahanorizo), leeks and rice (prasorizo), peas (arakas), artichokes (agginares), tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice (gemista) and okra (bamies/mpamies).

During the summer, there are many ladera dishes that combine different vegetables. One very popular dish like that is briam/mpriam, which is the Greek version of ratatouille. We love the yumminess of this dish, and many times we experiment with different combinations of veggies.
We didn’t had a similar delicious dish with spring veggies though and the summer is still 2 months away. So, instead of waiting we tried a different combination, with vegetables that are abundant during the spring: mushrooms, potatoes, onions and scallions and sweet long red peppers which are essential for this dish.

Instead of cooking this the classic Greek way, with olive oil and tomatoes (and perhaps some herb like dill), we chose a different path though. As you may have noticed from some of our other recipes, like this one or this one, we LOVE using Indian spices. This humble peasant dish needed something to enhance its flavors. And what could be better than some turmeric and garam masala? If you never tried those before, you’re definitely missing out! Those two elevate every stew/ladera to a whole new level AND they’re excellent for your body. Especially the turmeric, a spice which comes from the dried root of the turmeric plant, has many fantastic benefits for your health and may also help you lose some weight since it makes you feel full.

In fact, research continues to prove how great that stuff is for you every time they put it to the test. It seems that it has anti-cancerous, anti-depressant and anti-aging properties, it’s a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, plus it also lowers your cholesterol levels. Isn’t that amazing? Look it up and ask your physician or nutritionist, you’ll be amazed by it.
As for the garam masala, if you can’t find it, you can easily make your own. See under the list of the ingredients below how to make garam masala at home.

Anyway, let’s get back to cooking though; The combination of Indian spices with EVOO and the veggies was a revelation. If you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, you’ll definitely enjoy this recipe! If you like dairy, serve this with a side of feta or simply sprinkle a bit on top. You won’t believe how amazing that is!

Did we mention that this is a one-pot recipe? Yep! No big fuss here, simply chop the veggies on your wooden board, place a pot/pan on the stovetop and you’re good to go! In about 30-40 minutes you’ll be having a really taste vegetarian dish and no one will be complaining for the absence of meat. To ease the pain of the hardcore carnivores add the feta (cubed or crumbled) on top (like we mentioned) and they will devour the whole thing and ask for more bread to clean the sauce from their plate :)

So let's see how to make this simple vegetarian dish!

Ingredients:

- 4 sweet red peppers (450-500gr/16-17.5oz), sliced or diced in 2.5cm/1in pieces
- 2-3 scallions (160-180gr/5.5-6.5oz), thinly sliced
- 1 large (or 2 smaller) onion (200-250gr/7-9oz), thinly sliced
- 1-2 medium sized potatoes (450-500gr/16-17.5oz), diced in 1cm/0.5in pieces
- 250gr/9oz common mushrooms (you can also use Portobello)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup (125ml) white wine
- 2-3 tablespoons (45-70gr/1.5-2.5oz) tomato paste
- 3/4 cup (375ml) olive oil
- 2-3 teaspoons dry oregano
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala*
- 1 tablespoon paprika (preferably smoked)
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup hot water
- a little crumbled/diced feta for topping (optional)
- a little fresh dill for topping (optional)

* You can make your own garam masala (it’s very easy). Mix: 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Store in sealed container in a dry place.

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Preparation:

Add the oil in a medium sized pot or a large, deep pan (preferably non-stick), on medium to high heat. Once hot, add the onion and the scallion (pic. 1). Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until they’re softened. Add the potatoes (pic. 2) and reduce the heat to medium. This is very important, as potatoes take some time to be cooked and we don’t want to burn them on the outside or mash them. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the peppers (pic. 3). Continue cooking for another 5 minutes (stirring often again). Add the mushroom slices (pic. 4) and continue cooking for another 5 minutes (stirring often).

Add the garlic (pic.5), stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the oregano, the turmeric, the garam, the paprika, salt, pepper (pic. 6) and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.

Add the wine (pic. 7), the tomato paste (pic. 8) stir and cook for 3 minutes.

Finally, add the cup of hot water, stir, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes, until most of it has evaporated and sauce has thickened.

That’s it. You can serve this with olives and some crusty bread on the side, and you can sprinkle some dill and/or feta on top as well. Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. Try to use smoked paprika in this recipe, it’s so much flavorful than common paprika.
2. Be gentle when stirring if you want your veggies to keep their shape, otherwise you will mash some of it.
3. If using a non-stick pan, make sure to also use a wooden spatula to stir, to avoid scratching its surface.

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Fast&Easy

Vegetarian

Easy cheesy baked leeks in Bechamel sauce: the meatless Monday recipe that will make you forget about meat!

littlecookingtips — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 15:35:21 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

756

Servings:

serves 6

Cooking Time:

10 minutes

Like we mentioned in our last post, the winter finally came to Greece. This finally happened just before the arrival of 2016 (Happy New Year to all of you guys!). You see, in Christmas day, we had lots of sun and high temperatures, just like in autumn, which was rather annoying! So, on the New Year's Eve, not only this had changed, but we did get some snow as well! It was so beautiful, waking up in the New Year and seeing this white blanket of snow that had fallen, right outside the windows. Snowing is rare in Athens; it only occurs in the north of the city maybe once or twice per year and only lasts for a couple of days each time. So you can imagine how happy we both were!

As you may have already guessed, yes, we went to Evia as well. We spent Christmas there, and had the opportunity to enjoy all the seasonal produce. We enjoyed some lettuce, young onions, arugula, endives, dill, parsley, fennel, leeks, beets, broccoli, cabbage, oranges, lemons, clementines and many more, fresh, organic treasures. The earth can give back so much if you take the time and respect it.

Since we were there, we had the chance to visit one of our favorite mountain villages of the island; Steni. This is where those photos in the post were taken. Also known as Steni Dirfyos, this is a beautiful place in the slopes of mount Dirfi. The summit (1743m/5718ft) is close to the village, making it the ideal base for hiking and climbing. In the weekends, when there's more people visiting, you can see yayades (grandmas) selling some wonderful local products in the village, like pine and wildflower honey, traditional pasta, dry herbs, herbal tea and mushrooms. We've tried all of those and all are truly amazing. Pure, excellent quality stuff.

The place is also known for its taverns and grills, serving pit roasted lamb and pork and other grilled delicacies. Imagine having enjoyed the small mountain town charm, being misty and cold outside and you're sitting by a tavern's fireplace, listening to the cracking of the burning logs, while having some pork steaks, tzatziki, feta, fresh French fries and olive oil-oregano grilled bread with a good Greek red wine. It doesn't get any better than that, does it? It's also amazing in the summer, when the place is naturally cool, and you can enjoy those treats under the sycamores. We're daydreaming once again, aren't we?

Having mentioned the Greek wine, this period we also discovered many new Greek labels that are truly amazing. 'Tis (was) the season, after all, right?:) You need to check out the reds Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro, and the whites Assyrtiko, Moschofilero, Savatiano and Roditis. We can start writing some articles and propose a few of our favorite Greek labels in the future if you like though. It's something we're still thinking about; let us know if you're interested in the comments below.

As you imagined, we ate lots and lots of food in the Holiday season, had lots of good wine, and -of course- enjoyed MANY kourabiedes and melomakarona. We also baked Panos' mom old family recipe for vasilopita (this will be our post for the Holidays next year) which was amazing! It makes for a fluffy, moist cake, with a unique vanilla-orange scent. Suffice to say, we devoured the whole thing within 3 to 4 days! So yep. We gained some extra pounds and are now struggling to lose some of them (and failing miserably!) :)

One of the things we brought back from Evia, were the fresh leeks. We love leeks ourselves and we already had a recipe on the blog, which was shared when we first started so naturally, most of you guys missed it. It was "hidden" as an old post, popping out here and there (in the "See also" section and embarrassing us with its awful photo) and we've always wanted to rewrite that one, to do it some justice.

So here it is (again): leeks au gratin! What is this dish about? It's a recipe for leeks in a creamy sauce, a vegetarian leek casserole we LOVE to bake during the fall and winter! If you're looking for a recipe for baked leeks with cream or simply want some cheesy baked leeks, then look no more. You have arrived at your destination:) We honestly cannot describe how amazing these creamy leeks are.

Here's what we do; we cut and wash the leeks thoroughly. We will mostly use the white part in this recipe. You can wash and freeze the green part for stocks or other recipes requiring it. Using the white part of 4-5 large leeks, we slice them in half lengthwise and then vertically in half-moons, and then put them in a large bowl of water to wash. We finally rinse them in a colander and they're ready to use. Here's a video showing you how to clean and cut leeks in case you've never tried it before.

So, after preparing them, we cook them in olive oil until soft, add some wine, and after most of the juices have evaporated, we transfer them to a casserole dish, mix them with dill, cheese and béchamel sauce, top them with some more cheese and bake them. The result is a delicious leeks and cheese recipe you will use again and again. It's one of our favorite recipes for baked leeks with cheese, and everyone is elated when we bring it to family gatherings and dinners with friends. Of course, that being the case, every time someone asked for the recipe, so eventually we wrote it down and shared it in our newborn blog back in 2012.

We honestly cannot stress how yummy these easy, cheesy leeks are. The cheese we used was Dubliner. We think that it's the best choice for this dish. Other suitable choices would be a combination of sweet graviera (like graviera from Naxos) for the leeks, with some grated kefalotyri on top, for the crust. If you can't get any of those, you can also use some sharp cheddar with the leeks and a little grated parmesan for the crust.

Keep in mind, that even though they're rich and delicious, baked leeks in cream sauce are also vegetarian. This makes it a perfect choice for Meatless Mondays or if you want to lay off the meat for a while. You won't miss it all. So let's see how to cook some yummy, creamy leeks!

Ingredients:

- 1kg/17oz/2lb cleaned leeks (4-5 leeks), mostly white part, cut into half-moon slices (approx. 1cm/0.5in thick)*
- 55-65gr/2-2.3oz (about 1 cup) dill, finely chopped
- 125ml (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium sized eggs, beaten
- 300gr/10.5oz Dubliner cheese, grated **
- 250ml (1 cup) white wine
- salt and pepper

*4-5 uncleansed whole leeks weigh almost twice as much when you buy them, they'll be about 2kb/4lb
**You can also use graviera or sharp cheddar for the leeks

For the creamy topping (Béchamel sauce):

- 75gr/2.6oz (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon or 8 tablespoons in total) all-purpose flour
- 100gr butter/3.5oz (7 tablespoons) butter
- 750ml (3 cups) milk, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, powdered
- 55-80gr/2-2.8oz Dubliner cheese, grated ( for the crust) ***

***You can also use kefalotyri or parmesan

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Preparation

Use mostly the white part of the leeks. Wash them thoroughly; slice them in half lengthwise and then vertically in half-moons (pic. 1) and place them in a large bowl of water (pic.2). Stir. The dirt will sit on the bottom of the bowl.

Remove the chopped leeks with your hands and place them in a colander (pic.3 , don’t empty the bowl into the colander, you don’t want to put the dirt on the leeks again). Rinse them thoroughly. The leeks are now ready for the recipe! Here's a video showing you exactly how to clean and cut the leeks in case you've never tried it before.
Put the olive oil in a large skillet (don't use nonstick)/saucepan, and place it over medium to high heat. When hot, add the leeks (pic. 4) and sauté for 10 minutes until soft.

Pour the wine (pic. 5) and increase the heat. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until most of the wine is evaporated, and the final result is relatively drier. Empty the saucepan into a casserole dish/baking pan (pic. 6)

Add the dill (pic. 7). Stir well and leave it aside for 4-5 minutes to cool down. Keep the saucepan aside; you’ll use it for the Béchamel as well. Preheat your oven at 180C/350F. Add the eggs (pic. 8), stir and add salt and pepper. Be careful adding the salt, because of the salty cheese that’ll be added.

Add the cheese (pic. 9) and mix. Leave it aside to prepare the cheesy Béchamel sauce. Add the butter (pic 10) in the saucepan and place over medium heat

Once melted, add the flour (pic. 11). Whisk continuously until you get a thick result (a paste). Slowly start adding the milk (pic. 12) and continue whisking.

When all the milk has been added, remove from heat. You’ll get a creamy, smooth sauce (pic. 13). Add the nutmeg powder and give it a final stir. Add the sauce into the casserole/baking dish on top of the leeks mixture (pic. 14).

Spread evenly on the surface, and sprinkle with the cheese (pic. 15). Place in the middle oven rack, and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. Use the white part of the leeks, the green part is a little bitter. You can wash and freeze the green part for other recipes.

2. If you want a very crispy top, you must use finely grated cheese and add a few breadcrumbs as well.

3. If you can’t find Dubliner you can use a combination of graviera (for the leeks), and grated kefalotyri on top (for the crust). If you can't get any of those, you can also use sharp cheddar (for the leeks) and a little grated parmesan (for the crust).

4. You can also use a sweeter white wine or a rosé wine in this recipe.

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Low Calories/Diet

Vegetarian

Greek Octopus with Ouzo, Fennel and Olives

littlecookingtips — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 15:17:42 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

772

Servings:

Cooking Time:

45 minutes

This summer, for our vacation, we went to Panos’ parents place in Evia island (also known as Euboea). Evia is the second largest Greek island and isn’t much advertised abroad.

Since it’s a large island, you’ll need a car in order to visit the dozens available beaches. Some roads are old and full of curves, because Evia has a high mountain ridge in the middle. So, in order to visit some great Aegean beaches you have to climb this ridge, called Dirfys. The beaches you will visit on the other side, if you take the time to drive there, are…simply put, beyond any description! They definitely worth the effort.

Panos’ parents have a cottage in the central-south part of the island. They have a large organic vegetable garden and lots of trees which produce an abundance of lemons, oranges, tangerines, olives, pomegranates, prunes, sour cherries, figs, quinces, medlars, blackberries, apricots…you get the picture!

Panos reading some recipes on the veranda and my shadow as I take this picture.

As you can guess, such place is simply… a paradise for any foodie! That’s why we visit the place all year round, during weekends, taking the opportunity to enjoy seasonal vegetables and fruits and get in touch with nature.

So our time was divided between harvesting veggies and fruits, tasting new recipes, cooking classic homemade Greek dishes, driving through the mountains to discover new beaches and …taking some time off work to fill our bucket! It was really quality time spent.

Beach on the Aegean side of Evia. On the top right, the mountain roads leading there.

Enough with our constant daydreaming though! Time to get back in our kitchen and our recipes Do you remember our Poll back in July? Well, the second recipe voted in the Poll was octopus with olives and ouzo. 28% of the people voted for this one, much to our amazement. We always thought that octopus is a bit intimidating as an ingredient, for people who don’t live in the Mediterranean, East Asia, Central and South America.

On the other hand, our blog’s statistics for our two other octopus recipes (Stewed baby octopus in tomato sauce with rice and Roasted octopus with vinegar) as well as your votes in the Poll have proven that octopus is starting to become popular in other parts of the world as well, including the United States, Central Europe, Russia and Australia!

Panos checking the pomegranates. Not ripe yet, but grown and getting there!

So let’s talk about the octopus recipe you voted for: Octopus with ouzo, fennel and ouzo! This is a wonderful recipe for any season, but we prefer cooking octopus in the summer. The reason is that in the summer you can also enjoy a small glass of ice cold ouzo in a sunny veranda or a garden, to enjoy the octopus with. Plus, it’s the perfect meze (appetizer) for a seafood dinner if you’re having some friends or family over. In order to really enjoy ouzo, you need a view of the sea or at least a wonderful green garden, someplace open, to gather with friends, chat and serve meze.

Here in Greece, ouzo is always traditionally served with some food. The food is usually meze. Meze (plural mezedes) are small plates of appetizers, shared among the people around the table. And this octopus recipe is a prefect meze for ouzo.

Picking up some peppers straight from the plants. On the right, a zucchini turned to squash. No harm done, we used it for a savory pie!

To cook octopus, you have to clean the inside of the sack. If you buy fresh octopus, ask your fishmonger to clean the octopus’ sack for you. If you buy frozen you don’t need to do that as it’s already cleaned up. By the way, octopus is one of those ingredients where frozen is better. Why is that? Because freezing the octopus actually makes it tender!

But even so, an octopus needs to be cooked for a long time in a pot, to become soft and tender enough. You always need more than an hour of braising/boiling. In this recipe, it will take about an hour and a half.
Another factor that makes some people thinking twice before buying octopus is its preparation. They don’t know how to cut this thing!

Defrosted in the shade, the octopus before we start cooking it.

Well, we are here to help! In this recipe, we posted many photos showing in detail how to prepare an octopus. It’s really easy. You discard a few parts and cut the rest in chunks. If you’ve never done this before, follow our instructions and you’ll definitely succeed. Feel free to send us an email if you need any clarification and we’ll gladly get back to you.

What are the ingredients used in this recipe? Well, ouzo and fennel are two main ingredients. Ouzo, like mentioned in this post for shrimps with ouzo is anise flavored and fennel is very similar to anise. So it’s a perfect combo! The fennel bulb used in this recipe also provides extra texture and is suitable for the long cooking process needed for the octopus. The other key ingredient is the Kalamata olives. We use whole organic olives and pit them ourselves. This way, they smell and taste better in comparison to the pitted olives sold in jars (usually in brine).

The fennel bulb was more tender than expected!

A little red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard along with some bay leaves, garlic and onion complement the dish and enhance the flavors. Feel free to add more or less of those, once you cook the dish, according to your preferences.

You can serve this delicious dish with some fresh crusty bread and ouzo, as an appetizer. Serve the ouzo in short old-fashioned glasses, over ice and add some water as well. Smell it first, to enjoy the aroma and drink a small sip. Then grab a bite of the octopus dish. Heaven!
You can also serve this with some French fries or short-cut pasta like macaroni or ditalini as a main dish. It’s up to you.

We hope that all of you took some time off work this summer to relax and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones!

Kali Oreksi and have a beautiful Winter Season (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) and a lovely spring to the lucky guys in the Southern Hemisphere!

Ingredients:

- 1-1.5kg / 2-3.5lb octopus*

- 250-280gr / 9-10oz onions (2 medium sized), in large slices or diced

- 125ml (1/2 cup) ouzo**

- 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil

- 200gr / 7oz fennel bulb (1 medium sized), in thin slices

- 60gr/2oz whole Kalamata olives (about 15 olives)***

- 3 garlic cloves, in thin slices or minced

- 3 bay leaves

- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

- 1 tablespoon strong mustard

- 0.5lt (2 cups) warm water

* if using fresh octopus, ask you fishmonger to clean the octopus for you.
If you using frozen, it’s clean already.
** if you can't find ouzo, you can try sambuca or vodka. The taste is a bit different, so try to find the real thing online;)
*** if using pitted, sliced olives, then you need 50gr/1.7oz

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Preparation

If using whole olives, then slice them with a paring knife and remove the pit. Don't chop the slices in small bits. You need large olive chunks for this recipe.

Let's see how to prepare the octopus now.

The octopus

Put the octopus on your cutting board, with the sack on one side and the tentacles on the other (pic.1). Cut the sack (pic.2) and keep it aside. Make the slice at the bottom of the sack, right above the eyes (the eyes are at the middle section of the octopus).

Grab and hold the tentacles section and slice the middle section of the octopus off (pic. 3). This is the small section with the eyes. Discard it.
Remove the beak from the hole (pic. 4) between the tentacles. Discard it.

The hole must be free (pic. 5). Slice the sack in the middle (pic. 6). We always add the sack in the food, it's clean, delicious and there's no reason to discard it.

When you slice the sack open, you may notice some membranes/parts on the inside (pic. 7). Slice those off and discard.
The next step is optional. Some people (us included) like to remove the membrane on the outer part of the sack. It's very easy, simply grab a sack piece with one hand and pull the membrane with the other (pic. 8). Do that for both the sack pieces you sliced before. If you find this part a bit tricky, you can also leave the outer membrane on the sack. It won't matter that much.

Then slice the tentacles section in half (pic.9) and then cut the tentacles apart.
Finally, make cuts 3-4cm/1inch apart the length of each tentacle (pic.10). Keep the thinner end point of each tentacle in a larger piece preferably (2 inches long).
That's it.

We know it sounds and looks a bit intimidating. But it's actually VERY easy. Trust us on this! Once you try to cut an octopus, you will succeed, and you will do it again and again with confidence.

Cooking the octopus

Add the octopus pieces in a large pot and place over medium-high heat (pic.11).
In about 3 minutes, the octopus will start releasing its juices. Stir often at first, until the juices start to add up (pic.12).

Reduce the heat medium-low (slow simmer) and let it cook for 40-45 minutes. Stir often towards the end of this period, when the juices evaporate (pic. 13). Don't be alarmed if some pieces left traces at the bottom of the pot. We will deglaze these. Add the olive oil (pic. 14) and stir to coat.

Increase the heat to medium and add the fennel and the onions (pic. 15). Cook for a few minutes until the onions and the fennel start to soften.
Add the ouzo (pic. 16) and using a wooden spatula scrape off any traces left on the bottom of the pot (deglaze).

Add the bay leaves (pic. 17) and the water (pic. 18). You can also use the water to deglaze any traces on the bottom of the pot.
Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for another 35-40 minutes. As before, towards the end of this period, when the water is less, stir very often.

When the water has almost completely evaporated, remove from heat, add the vinegar (pic. 19), the olives (pic. 20) and the mustard (pic. 21).

Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Grind some fresh pepper and serve!

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. This is a perfect meze for ouzo!
2. Do not add any salt in this recipe, the juices from the octopus are salty enough.
3. You can also serve this dish with some fresh finally chopped fennel fronds.
4. You can use a non-stick pot for better results. Always stir with a wooden spatula to avoid scratching the pot.

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Greek Burgers with Feta and Olives

littlecookingtips — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 20:39:38 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

528

Servings:

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

45 minutes

Here in Greece, we love burgers. But they’re quite different from the US version; plain ground meat is rarely used for burgers.

The traditional Greek burgers are beef patties called biftekia/mpiftekia (pronounced beef-tek-ya). They are made by mixing minced meat with herbs and/or spices, onion, bread and olive oil.

Just like similar Greek recipes, there are countless variations for biftekia as well. Each family and each restaurant or tavern serves its own version. But the above mentioned ingredients are always included in the patties! The ground meat is usually beef, but mixtures of beef and pork or beef and lamb are also not uncommon.

The authentic Greek bifteki recipe includes ground beef, onion, bread, olive oil and some herbs like parsley, oregano or mint. Sometimes all these herbs and even more are added. Those are the burgers you’ll find in any Greek tavern if you ever visit Greece during the summer. They’re usually served with freshly cut French fries. People also order tzatziki and horiatiki Greek salad as side dishes. If you 've never tried Greek burgers before, you really don’t know what you’re missing! IThey are perfect for any backyard BBQ. The flavor and the aroma when you grill those delicious patties on a charcoal grill (the classic way of grilling meat in Greece) are really hard to describe. Simply put, it’s amazing!

Greek burgers are thicker than their US counterparts, and are almost never served in burger buns; they are served with fresh crusty bread slices, often brushed with olive oil and oregano and grilled right next to the burgers for a few minutes. Greek pitas (those used in souvlaki and gyros) are also quite common.

Biftekia can be also baked/grilled in the oven of course and that’s the way our mamades (mommies) used to cook them for us; especially during winter, when BBQ was out of the question. Many times those oven roasted burgers were accompanied by roasted garlic lemon potatoes and a simple lettuce-spring onions-dill salad, with a lemon-extra virgin olive oil dressing.

When you use the oven to cook biftekia, you can either roast them in a baking pan (brushed with olive oil or lined with parchment) or grill them using the oven grate. It’s up to you. If you choose the latter, make sure to put a pan under the grate for any drippings from the patties.

Ten days ago we put five recipes up in a poll. We asked our friends and audience to choose which ones they’d like us to cook next, but never expected such a landslide (44%) in favor of the recipe for Greek burgers. The recipe chosen was a variation of the classic biftekia, enriched with feta and olives!

There are many recipes for feta stuffed burgers, or burgers combined with feta in some other way. The combination is indeed delicious. There are also a few recipes for burgers with olives. This recipe was created one day that we decided to include both the olives and the feta in our beef patties; the result was so delicious we ended up making this again and again, and one day we wrote the recipe down and measured the ingredients to share it with all of you through our blog. It would be a shame not to do so!

Our biftekia recipe include: lots of fresh mint, which is in our humble opinion the key ingredient for Greek burger patties, onion, bread, extra virgin olive oil, a little garlic (you can omit this if you don’t like it) and one egg, which helps keeping the shape of the patties and adds flavor. We also add a little red wine vinegar. This is something common in the Greek cuisine both in biftekia recipes as well as in keftedakia (Greek meatballs) recipes; it helps the ground beef to become a bit fluffier. Plus, the vinegar and the herbs help reducing health risks from grilling the meat in high temperatures.

And of course we added the other two ingredients that make this recipe different from the classic biftekia: Kalamata olives and feta. We prefer to buy whole Kalamata olives and remove the pits ourselves, as they taste better this way. The reason is that the flesh of the olive isn’t exposed directly to the brine like in pitted olives. We also used a good quality barrel-aged feta. This one was cubed in order to incorporate it into the patties, but you can also use crumbled (as long as the crumbs are bit thick and aren’t mashed).

A simple way to serve biftekia is with red onion, mixed with fresh parsley and some ripe tomatoes. Add some pitas and tzatziki and the result is fantastic!
Preparing these delicious Greek beef burgers, with feta and olives is very easy. Let's see how.

Ingredients:

- 500gr/17oz/1lb ground beef

- 60gr/2oz (half medium sized) onion, finely chopped *

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 100gr/4oz bread (about 2 slices from a dense loaf) **

- 5gr/0.2oz (20 leaves) fresh mint, finely chopped

- 60gr/2oz whole Kalamata olives (about 15 olives) ***

- 100gr/4oz feta, cubed or crumbled

- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

- 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

- 1 egg

- salt, pepper

* or grated and strained

** if using the classic super market bread (suitable for toast), then use 4 medium sized slices

*** if using pitted olives, then you need 50gr/1.7oz

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Preparation:

Remove the crust from the bread (pic.1). Fill a medium sized bowl with water, add the bread and let it soak (pic. 2).

Slice each olive open (pic.3) and remove the pit (pic. 4). Chop them into small pieces (pic. 5).

Drain the bread (squeeze well with your hands to remove any excess water). Add all the ingredients except the feta in a large bowl: ground beef, onion, garlic, bread, olives, mint, egg, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper (pic. 6).

Knead the mixture (pic. 7) for at least 3 minutes. You need to continue mixing even though it seems that everything is incorporated in the first minute. Keep a timer nearby and continue kneading for the 3 minutes mentioned. This is the secret for tasty Greek style burgers (mpiftekia/biftekia).

Add the cubed feta (pic. 8) and fold it into the mixture (pic. 9). Do not overmix here, you simply want to incorporate the feta in the mixture. You don't want to mash it. Cover the bowl with film and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to develop.

Remove from the fridge and form the burger patties (pic. 10). Keep them in a bowl/plate/pan (pic. 11), cover again with film and put it in the fridge for at another 30 minutes to help them keep their shape.

When this time has passed, you can brush your oven grate with olive oil (pic. 12) and add the burgers (pic. 13).

Put a baking pan under the grate for any drippings and bake in preheated oven, at 200 degrees Celsius/ 390 Fahrenheit, using the fan setting. Bake the patties for 40 minutes flipping them halfway through.

Serve with tzatziki (here's the authentic Greek tzatziki recipe if you want to make some ahead) and/or French fries. You can also serve those with some garlic lemon roasted potatoes, it's a delicious combo!

Ourselves, we like using pitas instead of bread to serve them (like in the photos at the top) and red onion mixed with fresh parsley.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can use any type of bread you like: white bread, whole wheat, multigrain etc.

2. You can also bake them in a pan (brushed with olive oil) or on a pan lined with baking paper.

3.These patties are not as dense as their American cousins, so please be gentle handling them over the grill. Only flip them once with a metal spatula halfway through cooking.

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