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It’s been quite a while, since our last post. But we are finally back! Many things happened during this summer, some of which were good and some of which were terrible.

On the positive side of our news, we decided, after living together for some years, to get married. We were so happy to officially tie the knot, and then we went to the island of Kythira for our honeymoon. The island was really beautiful and we had a great time there, with good food, swimming and sightseeing.

However, this summer –as many of you many have learned through the news- another tragedy hit Greece. Huge wildfires burned thousands of homes, and the worst part was that 100 people, many of them children were perished. The wildfires burned in the outskirts of Athens, near a beach. The seaside village of Mati, has been literally wiped off the map and the stories coming from the area were truly heartbreaking. It still hurts too much when we talk about this. Because of the tragedy, and out of respect for the victims lost by the sea, we decided that we will not share photos from sunny summer beaches in this post.

For pictures from our lives in Greece, that always accompany our posts, we decided that we will share some, from our trip to the mountains of Karpenisi, back in spring.

A trip to Karpenisi

During the last spring, we visited Karpenisi. This is a town situated in central Greece, in the southern part of the Pindus mountain range. The town is inside a valley, surrounded by the mountains; you can see it in the first photo of this post. The building on the hill is a hotel with a great view of the town. There are many small B&Bs in the area, especially in small villages that are spread in the slopes around Karpenisi. We stayed in one of these picturesque villages, and the photos next, are from our visits in such villages.

The food in Karpenisi was really good! All the taverns/restaurants in the area have great food and serve you with a smile. We had traditional dishes like fasolada bean soup, cuttlefish and spinach stew, grilled local trout from the rivers of the area (served with boiled wild greens in EVOO-lemon), grilled meats, and we enjoyed all these dishes with amazing views of rivers, streams and dense forests with firs! The desserts were mostly traditional as well; we had orange pie (a syrup-drenched orange cake), walnut pie (syrup-drenched cake with ground walnut), galaktoboureko (a delicious custard with filo) and many more delicacies.

If you ever visit the area make sure to have/rent a car, so you can get to the villages and the mountains around Karpenisi. The place is really unique and perhaps not classically Mediterranean. Perhaps it may remind one of old mountain villages in central Italy or villages in the mountains of southern France. There’s peace and quiet here, and doesn’t have that touristy-feel of other places.

The authentic atmosphere in the area around Karpenisi, made this trip really memorable. We still remember how much we enjoyed visiting small cafes in these old villages to have some herbal teas, looking at the view around us in a zen-like state :) If you ever come to Greece in the winter, do try the sideritis mountain tea, called “tsai tou vounou”, usually served with honey in villages throughout the country. It has a unique flavor and it’s perfect for the immune system, the digestion and the shortness of breath. Just perfect when you walk up and down the slopes!

By the way, at the north of Karpenisi, there’s also a ski resort, which was closed because of the season. We bet it’ll be amazing during winter.

Another delicious find, was a small mushroom shop in the village of Voutyro. The guys working at the shop explained us many things about mushrooms, as they also have a small exhibition with various species. They forage mushrooms from the mountains of the area and are really passionate about what they do. We bought some of their products, our favorite being a bug of dried morels. These were cooked with good butter and a little parsley upon our return to Athens and were really amazing! By far one the best mushroom varieties we ever had.

No mayo Greek style potato salad

When we returned to Athens, the weather changed and it got really warm. Summer came a bit early this year. So, we started having BBQs and grilling a LOT of fish (for some unexplained reason). Of course, we also had one of our favorite BBQ treats: Thai-marinated turkey chops! Also lots of chicken and pork chops (yes, perhaps you may get a strange impression that we love having BBQs, right?).

What is also a must at every BBQ? A good salad (of course!). What’s one of the most popular salads in BBQs? A potato salad! We shared a couple of potato salads in the past on the blog, like the no-mayo gorgonzola potato salad (a delicious blue-cheese and walnut salad) and the roasted peppers potato salad [https://www.littlecookingtips.com/content/sensational-potato-salad-roasted-red-peppers] (a very old post, please be gentle with us when you take a look at the photo and the text).

The potato salad that we’ll share with you here is definitely a favorite, and it also has Greek ingredients. We call this a “Greek style” no-mayo salad, as it contains olives, capers and feta. You can also have this as a meal, since it also has protein because of the cheese. And the leftovers are amazing, especially if you have them with hard boiled eggs, to stir things up!

This potato salad is healthier than most potato salads, as it is lower in fat. Why is that? Because it doesn’t have a ton of mayo in it, like most similar salads. It actually has good fats, like extra virgin olive oil. It’s a salad with lots of taste without the calories of a traditional potato salad, so it’s great if you’re looking for ways to lower the calorie intake.

This doesn’t mean though that it lacks anything in flavor! No one will feel like they are missing out. It’s not a bland salad, no, not at all. It has a wonderful texture from the soft potatoes and olives, the crumbly feta and the crunchy onion and parsley. It has slightly salty and vinegary flavors from the olives and the capers which pair amazing with the slightly sweet and sharp balsamic-honey-mustard dressing! All these flavors, along with the cheesy feta give so much taste and elevate the humble potatoes. So, each bite is super yummy!

One of the things that make or break a potato salad is the dressing; in this salad, we think the quantity is just right: it’s not a dry salad. If you do prefer more dressing though, please, by all means, double the ingredients and make some more!

By the way, blending the dressing in the food processor is very important for proper emulsification. Do not skip this step and whisk by hand. The processor makes all the difference! And always keep in mind, that potatoes need a lot of salt. So add a some salt in the salad but also add some in the dressing.

For this recipe, like with any potato salad, you should prefer waxy over starchy potatoes. Red potatoes or Yukon gold are really perfect for this. Of course, you can also use baby potatoes, Russet, yellow or white potatoes as well.

And like with many similar recipes, you can make many variations of this salad. For instance, you can also add finely chopped red bell peppers! You can add jalapenos for a spicier taste. You can add chunks of gherkins instead of capers. You can add chives or dill instead of parsley. The possibilities are endless and we’d love to hear about variations that you tried, to make this salad your own!

This is also a potato salad that tastes amazing served at room temperature. So you can have the boiled potatoes drained and waiting at the colander and prepare and serve the salad at the last moment. No need to make it ahead. The flavors will be there. This makes it a great last-minute potato salad you can bring with you at any BBQ!

So let’s see how to make this sweet and sour, delicious, Greek-style potato salad!

Ingredients:

- 500g / 17.5oz / 1lb potatoes*
- 35g (3 tablespoons) kalamata olives, pitted **
- 20g (2 tablespoons) capers
- 40g (1/4 cup) red onion, finely chopped
- 15g (4 tablespoons) fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 100-120g / 3.5-4 oz (about 3/4 cup) feta, cubed
-salt, pepper

For the dressing:
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 garlic clove (1 teaspoon), minced
- salt, pepper

* Prefer waxy potatoes like Yukon gold, or red potatoes. You can use other varieties as well though, like baby potatoes, Russet, Yellow or White potatoes. Ourselves, we prefer a French baby potato variety that is widely available here in Europe.
** You can also use whole kalamata olives as-is (add 5-8 olives), or cut 35g (3 tablespoons) of slices from whole olives.

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Preparation:

If you plan to leave the skin on, rinse the potatoes and place them in a large bowl with enough water to cover them. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar (pic. 1) and let them sit for 5 minutes. Then, scrub their surface with a brush (pic. 2), rinse and set aside. If you don’t want the skin on, simply rinse and then peel the potatoes.
At the same time with the potatoes: let the capers sit in a bowl with a cup or two of water, for about 10 minutes; then drain them in a fine sieve. Keep them in the –now- empty bowl (pic. 3).

Place the potatoes in a medium sized pot, cover them with water and add 1-2 tablespoons of salt (pic. 4). Bring them to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer them for 10-12 minutes (depending on their size). The potatoes are ready, once you can easily pierce them with a fork. When ready, drain them in a colander (pic. 5) and let them cool so you can handle them.

To make the dressing, add the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, the mustard, the honey, the garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor (pic. 6). Pulse for about 1 minute (pic.7).

Chop the potatoes to desired size chunks (we prefer about 3-5cm / 1-1.5 inch each) in a bowl. Add the olives, the capers (pic. 8), the onion, the parsley, a little salt and pepper (pic. 9). Mix gently with a spoon to combine (pic. 10).

Serve with the dressing on top, or on the side so that anyone can add in his plate.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can add more garlic (up to two cloves) if you prefer a strong garlicky flavor in the dressing.
2. You can also use Dijon mustard instead, if you prefer a spicier dressing.
3. Do try to chop the potatoes in smaller pieces (about 2.5cm/1 inch). When the chunks are smaller the flavors are better distributed in the salad and you don’t get bland bites.
4. You can also add chives or dill instead of parsley. If you don’t like capers, you can also substitute them with gherkins.
5. Potatoes do need a lot of salt, so don’t be afraid to add salt both in the salad and the dressing.
6. Any leftovers are amazing as a meal with the addition of some hard boiled eggs!

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Healthy

Sweet Orange-Glazed Shrimp with Cardamom

littlecookingtips — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 16:07:26 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

244

Servings:

serves 4

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

15 minutes

This winter was milder than usual here in Greece. Not much snow like other years, relatively high temperatures and lots of sunshine. When the calendar showed March 1, the spring seemed to have arrived already. This meant that we could start again our long walks in a grove nearby, breathing fresh air, enjoying the scent of pines. It’s so relaxing and therapeutic, walking with your other half, discussing, sharing, dreaming, isn’t it?

We also took the opportunity to visit an Athenian beach, pictures of which you can see in this post. We were the only people there during this season and really enjoyed the uninterrupted sound of the sea. To get there, we drove up the mountain Penteli, where the view of the city below on one side, and the bay on the other, was breathtaking.

This weather is perfect for celebrating Easter, which is a few days away. Most of us take a few days off to visit the countryside during this period. Last year, we published an extensive post for Greek Easter traditions in this recipe for Tsoureki sweet bread. We think you’ll really enjoy reading it if you missed it. Also, if you’re looking for a classic Greek recipe for lamb (that’s very popular in Easter), you can find it in this post.

Fusion cuisine: using the best of each culture

In the last month, we cooked various new recipes. We wanted to invent new ways of cooking classic dishes of various cuisines and see what happens. We tried a lot of spices and techniques and some of the results were truly amazing!

Of course, we know that most of the people who visit the blog prefer the traditional Greek and Mediterranean recipes, so we’ll keep this as in focus, but from time to time we’ll share some of these fusion recipes. We think you’re going to love some of them!

Sweet orange-glazed shrimp recipe with cardamom

In one of our experiments, we wanted to see if we could take a classic Asian-style recipe for shrimp and use Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern/Indian ingredients to make it. The result surprised us; it was one of the best recipes for shrimp. Ever.

The recipe is similar to some “firecracker” shrimp recipes we had tried in the past. However, the flavors are quite different. We used balsamic vinegar, which adds depth of flavor to the dish and its tang balances out the sweetness from the -also added- honey. We also used orange juice and zest, for its fruity, fresh flavor. These three are classic ingredients of the Mediterranean.

The Middle-Eastern/Indian ingredient was cardamom. Cardamom is an amazing spice that was used in ancient Greece but nowadays you will rarely find it in any Greek recipe. In India and the Middle East, however, it’s still present in many dishes. Cardamom has a sweet, complex scent, with floral, clove and pepper undertones. If you haven’t used it before, you’re in for a treat! It’s perfect for savory dishes like curries or stews and it’s amazing for baking as well (cardamom cakes are fantastic with tea). You can buy cardamom in pods, crush them open and grind the seeds with pestle and mortar. This is the best way to enjoy its flavor and takes less than a minute to prepare. You can also buy it already ground, but we find this less aromatic.

We used shrimp for this recipe, as we were on Lent, but you can definitely use the same sauce with a diced chicken fillet or a chicken fillet cut into thin strips. Shrimp is a healthier choice though and we think it also tastes better with this sauce.

The recipe can be used as a quick, delicious appetizer or a main dish. Just cook and fluff some rice first and serve the shrimp on top. Basmati and Jasmine work best. It will be an ideal super-fast weeknight meal that will put a smile on your face. If you’re having this as a main, and you’d like more sauce, you can easily double the ingredients (except the shrimp and cornstarch).

So, let’s see how to make this sweet, aromatic, orange-glazed shrimp with cardamom!

Ingredients:

- 500g / 17.5oz / 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 45g / 1.6oz (6 tablespoons) cornstarch
- 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh orange juice (1 large orange)
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) balsamic vinegar
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) honey
- 5-6 cardamom pods (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- salt, pepper
- vegetable oil for frying

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Preparation:

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry using paper towels.

Use pestle and mortar to crush the 5 cardamom pods (pic. 1, pic. 2). Extract the seeds (pic. 3) and grind them to powder (pic. 4).

Add the cornstarch (pic. 5) in a large bowl; place the shrimp on top, adding salt and pepper (pic. 6). Mix well to coat well with cornstarch. In case they turn out a little soggy at this point, do not worry. They will fry just fine.

Pour vegetable oil in a frying pan (about 1.5cm / half an inch) and place on medium-high heat. You can also use a nonstick pan for better results. Once the oil is hot, fry the shrimp in batches (pic. 7), about 2 minutes, then flip them (pic. 8) and continue frying for about a minute and a half more. They are ready when they’re golden brown on both sides. Once they all fry, set aside.

Glaze:

Pour the orange juice into a medium-sized saucepan and add the balsamic vinegar (pic. 9). Add the honey (pic. 10).

Add the ground cardamom (pic. 11) and the garlic (pic. 12), salt and pepper.

Use a whisk to mix the ingredients (pic. 13) and place over medium heat, for 7-10 minutes (depending on the heat), stirring from time to time, until it’s reduced, at least by half. You can reduce it to your desired syrupy consistency, thicker or thinner. At this point, add the orange zest (pic. 14) and mix.

The result will be a thick sauce, like the one in the pic. 15. Dip the shrimp in the sauce in batches and serve over a bed of rice, garnishing with extra orange zest.
Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can make this sauce as thick or thin as you prefer. The first try you make this try to reduce the original volume of the sauce at least by half.
2. You can also use ground cardamom, but freshly ground seeds from pods are always more flavorful.
3. In case your shrimp-cornstarch-salt-pepper mix turns out soggy do not worry. It happened to us sometimes in the past and the shrimp fries just fine.
4. Prefer basmati or jasmine rice to serve this shrimp.

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Low Calories/Diet

Traditional Fried Greek Pastry with Honey and Nuts (Diples)

littlecookingtips — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 16:44:10 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

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And before we even realize it, it’s almost Christmas! We have been trying to publish this post for days; we prepared the photos, tested the recipe to make the proper measurements and adjustments, wrote most of the text and then….we had to pause: the workload at the office, for both of us, was immense. Instead of getting in the mood for the Holiday Season, we had to deal with various urgent (they’re always urgent aren’t they?) issues. Moreover, we got a bit sick from flu! So, we are posting this right before Christmas, instead of 10 days before. Hopefully, though, you’ll be able to try this recipe in the Holiday Season. If not, it’s still a popular recipe all year round.

Diples: a delicious recipe for sweet fried dough

The recipe we are posting this Holiday Season is the one for Diples. Diples (pronounced thee-ples) is a traditional, festive dessert, that’s mostly served at the Peloponnese but is also popular thought Greece. A similar variation in Crete is called Kserotigana (meaning fried until dry). The word diples literally means “folds”, because one folds a thin sheet of dough while it’s being fried in a pan. Diples are very popular during Christmas but are also served at weddings, baptisms or other celebrations.

We got the idea for posting a recipe for diples, a couple of weeks back. You see, we had a one-day excursion to the Greek country, in the area of the Peloponnese (in Arcadia). It was a winter’s day, and we enjoyed watching the landscape changing colors, to darker shades and the weather getting colder and colder. We stopped by a local bakery, and saw a tray filled with golden diples, dipped in honey and sprinkled with lots of cinnamon and crushed walnuts. Of course we bought a few and immediately told each other that we should share our version on the blog! :)

Our Diples version

Our version for diples is the easiest one. We’ll show you how to make the dough and how to fry them in simple, rectangle-shaped strips. We won’t mess with actually folding the strips in the pan, as this takes quite a bit of practice and it would be hard for someone who never tried diples before to understand how to make them through a blog post.

So, this is the simplest version. The dough is the same –of course- we use in the folded diples as well; the only difference is that we won’t fold them. We’ll make delicious, crusty sheets of fried dough, scented with cinnamon and orange. In our version diples look a bit like Mexican Buñuelos. Only they are rectangle-shaped and not round. The process for making them is also similar to Buñuelos, so if you tried them before, you ‘ll easily follow the instructions in this recipe.

We won’t use ouzo, which is a liquor often used in diples. We want this recipe to be alcohol-free so that your children can enjoy it as well. We remember ourselves as kids, running to the countertop to get some of the diples that had been just prepared by our moms.

Little cooking tips for making great diples

The key to making perfect diples is to roll the dough out, really thin. The thickness should be 2 mm – 1/16in or less. This way, when we fry our little strips of dough, they’ll become crispy and stay this way in the next days (if you manage not to eat them all in the same day– for us at least it’s hard LOL).

Another important factor for making great crispy diples is the syrup. The syrup should be a bit thick and is always scented with cinnamon and quite often with orange zest as well. You must not dip the fried diples in the syrup for too long though. They are usually dipped in the syrup, after they cool down, for just one second. Keep in mind that the fried dough should be cooled down to room temperature and the syrup should always be hot.

If you plan to serve them on the next day, then you can fry the dough, and keep the diples strips in an open container. On the next day, you can make the syrup, dip them in it while hot, and then serve them, drizzling with lots of honey and crushed walnuts. If you don’t have enough time, then you can also make the syrup a day ahead, and warm it up in order to dip the diples in it, before you serve them.

Please never keep the diples in your fridge. They will become soggy. Diples are kept in a humid-free place of your house, uncovered. If you want to cover them, then use a simple cheesecloth or tulle; something that allows the air to circulate.

What we love about them

One of the best things about diples, is that they really easy to make. They are also really affordable, a peasants dessert, made with inexpensive materials: flour, eggs, sugar, honey, and cinnamon are the main ingredients.

Another thing we love about them is that you can easily make them a day ahead, and make some syrup (or warm up a ready one) and serve them on the next day. This makes them perfect for celebrations when you have a ton of things to do.

Moreover: who doesn’t like fried dough?!:) From churros (Mexico) to loukoumades (Greece), from beignets (France) to doughnuts (USA) and from rosettes (Sweden) to banh ran (Vietnam), it seems that sweet fried dough is a universal favorite. Diples are delicious thin sheets of fried dough, with a thin layer of cinnamon and orange-scented syrup: could you resist that? The honey and the crushed walnuts add extra texture and aroma. So when your teeth crack through the crispy dough, you get all these flavors in a single bite, the honey fills your mouth, and you can’t wait to get to the next bite and devour as many diples as you can:)

Along with melomakarona, kourabiedes and Vasilopita, diples is one the most desired desserts during the Holiday Season in Greek households. That is why we included them on our list of Greek comfort foods.

So let’s see how to make these amazing festive treats!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 250g / 9oz / 0.55lb (2 cups), all-purpose flour, sifted
- 15g / 0.5oz (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
- 2g / 0.08oz (1/2 teaspoon) baking powder
- 1.5g salt / 0.05oz (1/4 teaspoon) salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5g / 0.15oz (about 1 tablespoon) orange zest
- vegetable oil for frying (sunflower seed, corn, soybean or canola oil)
- coarsely ground walnuts, ground cinnamon, and honey for serving

For the syrup:

- 280g / 10oz (1 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 250ml (1 cup) water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4-5g / 0.15oz (about 1 tablespoon) orange zest
- 45ml (3 tablespoons) fresh orange juice (about half an orange, juiced)
- 112g / 4oz (1/3 cup) honey

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Preparation:

For the dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add all the dry ingredients (pic. 1): the flour, the sugar, the baking powder and the salt. Mix well with a spoon.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, just add the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the beaten eggs to the dry ingredients (pic. 2).

Add the orange juice (pic. 3) and the vanilla extract (pic. 4).

Add the orange zest (pic. 5). Start your mixer at a low speed (1/3) and let it incorporate everything and knead the dough for about 4 minutes (pic. 6). The dough is ready once it has come together and holds its shape, without sticking to the bowl. If you don’t have a stand mixer, then mix everything together by hand and knead for 5-6 minutes until you get a smooth and only slightly-sticking result.
Note: Depending on the flour you used and the volume of the eggs, the dough may be a bit sticky. If it’s too sticky, to the point that you can’t work with it (e.g. it sticks all over your floured hands), add a tablespoon or two of flour and knead for a few seconds.

Shape into a ball, and cover with plastic (pic. 7). Let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour (we recommend 4-6 or overnight for better results). After the dough has rested, place on lightly floured surface. Lightly dust the dough with flour as well (pic. 8).

Divide it into two or four balls (pic. 9) with a dough scraper. Roll a ball out thin (with flour-dusted rolling pin). Try to shape into a rectangle (pic. 10). The thickness of the rolled out dough must be 2mm or less (about 1/16in).
Note: You can also use a pasta maker to roll the dough into thin sheets.

Using a pasta/dough cutter, cut the excess dough, in order to give your sheet a rectangular shape. Then cut the sheet into 10-15cm X 5-7cm / 4-5in X 2-3in rectangle strips (pic.11, pic. 12).

Place each strip on a damp towel (pic. 13), to keep it moist and prevent it from sticking. Continue with rolling out the next ball of dough. Repeat the process until all the dough is cut into strips. Put a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in 4-5cm/2in of oil. To check if the oil is hot enough, you can use a small piece of dough (pic. 14).

If it rises to the surface and starts bubbling gently (pic. 15), then the oil is hot enough to fry the diples strips. Gently place a few strips (never more than 2 or 3) in the pan (pic. 16). Fry for about 1 minute, flipping once halfway through, using two forks, until golden. Depending on the oil used and how hot it is, you may even need less than a minute, so keep an eye to check if they’re crispy and golden.

Transfer each fried strip (dipla) to paper towel-lined plates to drain the excess oil (pic. 17). You might need more than one because you should not stack them on top of each other but rather next to each other. Let them cool completely. Place all of them on a plate (pic. 18).

For the syrup:

Start making the syrup: Add the sugar, the water, the cinnamon stick, the orange zest and the orange juice in a small or medium pot/saucepan (pic. 19). Place over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once it starts simmering, lower the heat to low and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring gently from time to time. Remove from heat and add the honey (pic. 20). Stir to dissolve.

Using tongs (pic. 21), dip each fried dipla strip into the hot syrup for just 1 second (pic. 22). You just want them to get coated in syrup, so don’t let them stay in it for long or they’ll become soft and mushy (which is the opposite of the desired consistency for diples).

Place in a large plate, in layers, adding ground walnuts, cinnamon and honey in each layer, according to your liking.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. If you don’t plan to serve immediately, it’s better to keep the syrup aside or in the fridge and not dip the diples in it. Then, right before serving the, you can warm it up and dip the diples strips in it. This way, they’ll stay more crispy.
2. Do not store diples in the fridge or they’ll become mushy.
3. Keep prepared diples in a plate or an open container and cover with cheesecloth if you have to (we often store them in the oven before serving them ourselves). High humidity is their worst enemy.
4. You can make the dough a day ahead and the syrup as well, and simply warm the syrup up, for dipping the diples, before serving them. Do not store either in the fridge before this (or after!).
5. We find that the best way to make diples is to make the dough and fry the diples first and then prepare the syrup. This way, the syrup is still hot when the fried diples have cooled down.
6. You can also serve diples sprinkling with a little powdered sugar along with ground cinnamon.
7. Keep the excess dough you cut when giving the sheet a rectangular shape. Knead all the scraps into a ball and make a few more strips in the end.

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How to make Greek Traditional Chicken Soup Avgolemono (with egg-lemon sauce)

littlecookingtips — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 17:26:30 +0000

Photo and text by Mirella Kaloglou and Panos Diotis.

Calories (per serving):

370

Servings:

serves 4

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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Healthy

Low Calories/Diet

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:

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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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.

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Spicy

Limited time? Make these easy, healthy avocado tuna sandwiches!

littlecookingtips — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 18:51:56 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

394

Servings:

serves 2

Preparation Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Time:

10 minutes

It seems that the winter is over in Greece. Like we mentioned in our last post, we got to enjoy a little bit of snow in late January and again, in early February. But this only lasted for a few days. Most of February was (and still is) like it was April this year. The temperatures are higher than normal this winter, and this must‘ve confused nature, as the flowers are blooming and the trees are getting greener and greener, like in the spring!

On February, we visited another mountain village, called Seta. Like Steni, mentioned in the last post, this one is also located high up in Dirfi Mountain, in Evia (yeah we know; we’re obsessed with this mountain!). That’s where the photos with the snow that you see in this post are from.

Unfortunately the road was closed right after the village, and we couldn’t visit a spectacular place nearby, with wild cherries, walnut trees, a medieval church and natural springs. But it was really nice to take a walk along the mountain range and breathe some fresh air. After all, we only get to see snow for only a few days each winter.

The good thing about this mild and warm winter we’re having is that it allows for long walks in the city and its groves nearby. Moreover, there were wonderful exhibitions and festivals we got to visit taking advantage of those high temperatures. We also visited a unique farmers market which takes place about once a month, where producers sell amazing vegetables and other products, like jams, honey, rusks, cheeses, olives, wine, handmade sausages and many more delicacies.

The prices are very low, as they sell directly to customers, and there’s tons of people visiting the venue and leaving it with big smiles and packed bags of goodies. We always try to limit our spending when we visit this particular market, but somehow we always buy more than what we originally planned for!

So, we bought delicious homemade-style marmalades, honey, various olives, like the ones you see in the photos of this post, cheeses, fresh sausages (most of them were put right in the freezer for BBQ parties and spetzofai , Chios mastic halva, excellent pasta and other yummy products. There’s nothing like buying fresh stuff straight from the producer. By the way, if you never tried quince or fig marmalade before, you’re missing out. They’re our new favorite choices for breakfast.

But let’s get back to cooking; it’s been some time since we posted a recipe for something simpler than a main dish. We noticed that all our posts in the last months are main dishes, which often take some time to cook; our online friends on the other hand, sometimes want quick and easy recipes, something they could use for a delicious, quick lunch. So, this time we are posting a healthy tuna sandwich, enriched with avocado! If you're looking for healthy sandwich ideas, you hit the spot.

Avocados are rarely used in Greek households, as they're an exotic fruit for us here. Up until a few years ago, all the avocados in the market were imported from the Americas or Africa. This started to change though recently, with wonderful domesticly grown avocados, produced in the island of Crete. They’re mostly Sharwill or Hass avocados (the rounder varieties) and they’re much more interesting than those imported, which were usually Fuerte (pear-shaped).

We only started using avocados about a year ago, after learning how important they are for one’s health. Avocados are actually one of the healthiest foods you can eat. There are numerous studies that associate avocado consumption with cardiovascular benefits, and that’s because avocado is high in good fats (like omega 3), antioxidants AND it’s anti-inflammatory! So, even though avocados are not a common in Greek dishes, we try to eat as much of them as we can; we make a lot of delicious guacamole (in countless variations), we add them in salads, in sandwiches...you get the picture!

In this avocado recipe, we combined the avocado with canned tuna. Avocado and fish in general, work really great together. We often serve our grilled salmon with guacamole and make avocado tuna fish sandwiches. Those are rich and yummy tuna salad sandwiches that are perfect for a filling breakfast, a picnic lunch, or a creamy snack you can enjoy throughout your day.

For this recipe, we peel and slice avocado quarters and dip the slices in fresh lemon juice. This enhances the flavor and keeps the avocado from browning. If you haven’t tried to slice avocado before, here’s a great video with wonderful instructions for this.

The tuna used, is simple canned tuna. You can use tuna in oil or tuna in water. We prefer tuna in olive oil ourselves. We open the lid and press it into the can, squeezing the tuna, to drain it from the oil. We then mix the tuna with mayonnaise, a little lemon juice and paprika. So far it's a straight forward, tasty tuna salad recipe right? We used smoked paprika for this recipe though, as it adds a lot more flavor. If you never tried smoked paprika before, buy some and give it a try, you won’t regret it. You’ll be adding it soon in sandwiches, dips, stews and even pasta. Amazing stuff!

For a healthier sandwich, you can also use Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Simply substitute part of the mayo with yogurt, the result is equally delicious. You can also ditch the mayo all together and go full Greek yogurt.
If you want a rich, decadent snack though, you can also substitute the mayo with sour cream. It also makes for an amazing tuna sandwich!

We also added a few salad leaves in the sandwich; you can use any type of lettuce, arugula or salad greens. After all, you only add a few of them, to add some crunchiness.

You should’ve seen our faces, stuffed with those sandwiches right after we finished taking some shots for the blog; pure happiness! This truly is one of the best tuna salads we ever had.

We bet that if you have any kids and are looking for tuna sandwich ideas, this one is one they'll love. Plus you get to give them something tasty AND healthy, without fuss!

So let's see how to make these easy, delicious avocado tuna sandwiches!

Ingredients:

- 4 bread slices (115gr/4oz), preferably rye/whole wheat/multi-grain, toasted
- 125gr/4.5oz (half) ripe avocado, cut into thin slices
- 100gr/3.5oz tuna, canned (drain the water or oil from the can)
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon paprika, preferably smoked
- a few salad leaves
- salt and pepper

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Preparation:

Put the lemon juice in a small container (pic. 1) and keep a teaspoon from this apart (you will need it later in the tuna mix). Slice the avocado in half, then cut the half in two quarters, and peel them (pic 2).

Slice each quarter into thin slices (pic. 3). Put the slices in the container with the lemon juice (to keep them from browning). Toast the bread slices (pic. 4). You can use a toaster or you can broil them in the oven broiler.

In a large bowl add: the mayo, the lemon juice (the 1 teaspoon you saved earlier), the paprika, salt and pepper and the tuna (pic. 5). Mix well with a fork (pic. 6) to mash the tuna and combine the ingredients.

Assemble the sandwiches:

Add a few salad leaves on a toast (pic. 7). Add half of the tuna mixture (pic. 8)

Add a few avocado slices (pic. 9), from those left in the lemon juice. Add a little extra paprika (optional, pic. 10).

Cover with another bread slice and press lightly (pic. 11). At this point you can also carefully slice the sandwich in half (into triangles).

That’s it! Make the 2nd sandwich with the rest of the tuna mix and ingredients and enjoy them! Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can also use 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of sour cream or Greek yogurt. The result is equally delicious!

2.Try to use smoked paprika in this recipe, it’s so much flavorful than common paprika.

3. You can use the rest of the avocado, sliced, with some salad leaves and a simple vinaigrette to make an easy, healthy salad side.

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Easy homemade cinnamon cookies

littlecookingtips — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 17:25:08 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou

Calories (per serving):

Servings:

12+ slices/pieces

Cooking Time:

1 hour

One of the things we've learned this autumn is that sometimes the harder you search for something, the less likely you'll find it, especially in this economy. As you may know from our previous post, we're looking for a new place to move into, but nothing good came up so far.

So, it seems we'll be staying at the same apartment for the winter (after all, who wants to move in the winter, during the Holiday season!). We won't let this bring us down of course! :)

We will keep cooking and doing all the things that make us happy! As a couple, we always try to have a positive attitude and see the good side of things. Well, one of the good sides of staying at the same place is that we'll continue to live close to a wonderful grove where we often take long walks. As you may see from the photos in this post, the place has pines, sycamores and even a small vineyard!

While walking you can listen to the birds singing, enjoy the smell of the trees and see all the wonderful colors of the autumn in the leaves. You may stumble upon a turtle here and there, mushrooms popping up from the ground, bushes of wild thyme with tireless bees around them... This is really a place to relax and get in touch in nature while staying within the city limits.

The autumn always make us crave for comfort food and one of the things we love is baking cinnamon cookies. Greece has its own versions of cookies which are called koulourakia. There are many variations of those, but all of them are crispy, with the exception of moustokouloura (yes we know; how the heck is any non-Greek supposed to pronounce that!), which are made with grape must and may also be soft and chewy.

So, we grew up with crispy cookies ourselves and aren’t big fans of chewy soft cookies. Don't worry if you like them this way though, there's a trick; if you keep the time suggested in this recipe, your cookies will be crispy, but if you prefer them softer, simply reduce the baking time by 5 to 6 minutes (depending on your oven of course).

This is actually an older, easy cinnamon cookie recipe, which is perfect for those who aren't used to baking and want to make their first batch of cookies. We posted this recipe a couple of years ago and it was very popular, but both the text and the photo were…well…let’s just say we weren’t very proud of them. It was of the posts we had on our list for a redo. So this time we'll show you how to make cinnamon cookies from scratch, with clear, easy to follow, instructions, so you won't have to worry about a thing.

These are cinnamon cookies without eggs and only contain the essential ingredients of the basic cookie dough: butter, sugar, flour and baking powder. To those we added cinnamon (we LOVE this spice, plus it's good for your body) and a little brandy. Almost all the alcohol will be vanished while baking. Feel free to leave it out though, if you want to share those cookies with your kids and add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract instead. We don't have any children (yet) ourselves, so we added the brandy with a big smile on our faces :)

You can also make those cookies with brown sugar; it won't mix with the butter very well, but you don't have to worry, as the sugar will melt during baking.

Make sure to refrigerate this dough for 20 minutes before using it. It will make it easier to handle and you'll be able to cut the cookies without any issues. As for rolling it out, you can either do that with your hands, by pressing with your palms in an outward direction from the center of the dough, or use a -dusted with flour- rolling pin. Do not press the pin hard on the dough; roll it gently over to spread it. Then, you can use a cookie cutter or even a glass to cut the cookies and place them on a lined with parchment baking pan/tray. Make sure to leave some space around each cookie (about an inch) as they'll expand while baking.

This recipe is for 25-30 cookies (depending on how large you cut them), so you'll either bake those in the same pan/tray in two sequential batches, or you'll bake them at the same time in two pans/trays (in this case switch them over halfway through).

Your home will smell amazing while those are baking; the cinnamon aroma will make it very hard to wait, but don't open the oven door often, you know this isn't right! Right? :) And the -even hardest- part is waiting for a few minutes after you remove them from the oven, while they cool in a rack. But after part is also over...pure heaven! Yummy goodness in each bite! We love dunking those cookies in hot coffee of warm milk; they soak it up and become even more amazing!

So let’s finally see how to make these wonderful cookies!

Ingredients:

- 200gr/7oz (1 cup) granulated sugar

- 170gr/6oz butter or margarine (1 1/2 stick or 3/4 cup), in room temperature

- 250gr/9oz (2 cups) all-purpose flour

- 60ml (1/4 cup) brandy

- 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

- 6gr/0.4oz (2 teaspoons) baking powder

- 1 tablespoon caster sugar (for serving, optional)

- a little flour to dust the surface and handle the dough

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Preparation:

Add the sugar and the butter in a large bowl (pic. 1) and whisk using a handheld or kitchen stand mixer. It's better to leave the butter out of the fridge for half an hour before using it, to allow it to soften. Always start the mixer at a low speed and gradually increase it. Use circular motions to combine the materials easier. Whisk for 8-10 minutes. The end result should be a soft, smooth mixture (pic. 2).

At this point, lower the speed and add the brandy, the baking powder and the cinnamon (pic. 3). Whisk at low speed for a few seconds, until they are incorporated into the mixture. Start adding the flour, one tablespoon at a time (pic. 4).

Once you have added half the flour, remove the mixer. Continue adding the rest of the flour, mixing with a spatula, until all of it is incorporated into the dough (pic. 5). Cover with film and put it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on a clean, flat surface, also put some on your hands; empty the bowl with the dough on the surface (pic. 6).

Using an -also sprinkled with flour- rolling pin (or your palms) flatten the dough to about 1cm/0.5in thickness (pic. 7). Don’t press the pin hard on the dough. Gently roll it over. Using a 5cm/2in diameter cookie cutter -or even a glass of the same diameter- cut the cookies from the dough (pic. 8).

Start placing them on a lined with parchment baking tray/pan (pic. 9). When you cut the first 15 cookies, mold the remaining dough into a ball and roll it flat (on surface dusted with flour again) to cut the rest of the cookies from it.

You’ll make two batches, in order to leave enough space between the cookies (about 15 cookies will be placed on each sheet). Don’t overcrowd the pan/tray, and make sure there’s at least 3-4cm/1 inch of space between them. As mentioned in the beginning of the post, you'll either bake those in the same pan/tray in two sequential batches, or you'll bake them at the same time in two pans/trays (in this case switch them over halfway through, to allow them to bake evenly).

Bake on preheated oven, in 180 C/360 F, for 18 minutes, using the fan setting. Remove (pic. 10) them and let them cool for at least 5 minutes on a rack (pic. 11) before serving them. You can also dust them with some caster sugar.

Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. You can also use brown sugar instead of granulated. Don’t worry if it doesn’t combine perfectly with the butter, it will melt during baking.
2. In order to sprinkle some caster sugar, you can use a small strainer.
3. Keep them in an airtight container or a cookie box/jar, lined with parchment. They will keep for 5 days, but you probably won’t be able to let them in the box for that long! :)

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Creamy Spicy Hummus and Paprika Pita Chips

littlecookingtips — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 10:36:47 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

609

Servings:

serves 6

Cooking Time:

1 hour

This fall has been really tough (and we know the same goes for many of you). Long hours at the office, plus we’re looking for a new place to move into… it’s been really exhausting!

So, we had to “escape” to Evia for a couple of days, to enjoy the garden and take a breath (click here to learn more about the place)! The fall is already transforming the place, with green, yellow and red colors. Some of the summer plants are still productive (like the peppers and the eggplants), because of the mild September. But the weather hasn’t been that warm in the last week; it started raining and it seems that a temperature drop is just around the corner.

Panos’ parents have already planted broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, spinach, lettuce, arugula and other greens. Walking between the rows of the vegetables and the trees and simply looking at them is enough to take all the stress away!

A well in the garden and the surrounding area

Since we were tired, we didn’t want to cook something fancy that would take long. We wanted to enjoy a tasty and healthy snack. That’s why we made a delicious hummus with some pita chips on the side. Hummus is not a usual spread/dip here in Greece. Even though we love garbanzo beans AND all types of spreads, hummus is an unknown dip to most people here. Perhaps the reason is the variety of the other available spreads, like skordalia (garlic spread), tzatziki (yogurt-garlic condiment), fava (split pea pudding), pepper dips (like this one), pantzarosalata (beets and yogurt spread), taramosalata (cod roe spread), melitzanosalata (eggplant spread) and many many more.

The oranges are still green, but the eggplants are loaded with produce

This hummus is also NOT a traditional one; the classic hummus has tahini (which isn’t one of our favorite ingredients to work with). Ours is a creamy hummus with Greek yogurt and spices! The yogurt makes this spread smoother and the taste of the garbanzo beans milder. In order to make it more interesting, we added some of our favorite Indian spices: turmeric, garam masala and smoked paprika! If you can’t find garam masala, don’t worry, you can make this at home and use it in stews, dips and countless other foods. We have the instructions under the list of ingredients.

The best part is that this dip is also healthy since four of the key ingredients are the Greek yogurt, the garbanzo beans, the turmeric and the olive oil! So, this is an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and nutritious, vitamin-rich food! Did we tell you that it’s also gluten free? Yep! Just skip the next part, which is the pita chips and choose a gluten free alternative ;)

Panos with our “nephews”, Bruno on the left and Melita on the right.

For the pita chips we used a type of pita we call “Arabic” here in Greece. They’re very similar to Naan and are used in bakeries, as an alternative to tortilla wraps. They’re served in grill houses, stuffed with gyros, souvlaki and other meats and veggies. If you can’t find thin pitas abroad, then you can use any type of pitas you prefer like pocket-less pitas. If they’re thicker, simply bake them a bit more, until they’re crunchy.

We made a simple mix with olive oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika in order to add flavor to the chips. We brushed the pitas with this mix (just one side of them), cut them in triangle wedges and baked them for 12 minutes. The result was amazing; they were the perfect “vessel” to scoop the hummus off the plate!

One more fantastic thing about this recipe is that you can make this ahead. In fact, you SHOULD make this ahead, to allow the flavors to develop. If you make this hummus a day before, it’ll be much tastier and the texture will be better as well! So, if you’re having people over, or you want a healthy snack when you’re watching sports or your favorite TV show/movie, go ahead and try this one out! We guarantee that you won’t be disappointed!

The magic moment

So let’s see to make this delicious treat!

Ingredients:

For the pitas:

- 4 medium sized (or 2 large) thin Middle Eastern style pitas*

- 60ml (1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil

- 1/2 tablespoon paprika (preferably smoked)

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon pepper

* if you can’t find thin pitas then use tortillas instead. You can also use Naan or Greek style pitas (for souvlaki and gyros). The Greek pitas are a bit thicker and they’ll need to bake for a few more minutes.

For the hummus:

- 500gr / 17oz / 1lb cooked or canned chickpeas*

- 200gr / 7oz Greek yogurt

- 60ml (1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 2-2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala **

- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

- 1 teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked)

- 60ml (1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

*if using dry chickpeas you will need about 220gr / 8oz / 0.5lb (about 1 cup). Soak them in cold water overnight. The next day, drain and let them simmer in 8 cups of water (2lt) for 1,5-2 hours, until they’re soft. You can also cook them for 25-30 minutes in a pressure cooker, to save time and energy!

** 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

Pita chips

Add all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl (pic. 1). Whisk for a few seconds (pic. 2).

Brush each pita bread (just one side) with the mix from the bowl (pic. 3). Stack each oiled pita on top of the others.Hold the pitas and cut them into 8 triangle shaped wedges (pic.4).

Arrange the wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet (pic. 5). Bake in preheated oven at 200 C / 390 F for 12-15 minutes, until they’re crispy. Preferably, use the oven fan setting. Remove and set aside to cool, for a few minutes. Very easy, wasn’t it? Let’s move on to the hummus now.

Hummus: Drain the cooked garbanzo beans and add them in a food processor. Add the lemon juice (pic. 6).

Add the olive oil (pic. 7). Pulse for a few seconds to get a thick, smooth result. Empty the food processor’s contents in a large bowl and add the Greek yogurt, the garlic, the turmeric, the paprika, the garam masala, a little salt and pepper (pic. 8).

Stir with a large spoon until all the ingredients are blended. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to develop.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve with the pita chips! Deee-licious!Kali Oreksi!

Tips:

1. This is the perfect appetizer/snack if you have people over. Plus, it’s healthy!

2. it’s better if you make the hummus in the previous day. Cover with cling film and store in the fridge. The next day, it will taste even greater!

3. You can store the pita chips in a sealed container like a cookie box and serve them in the next day as well.

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Legumes / Pulses / Rice

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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:

serves 4

Preparation Time:

1 hour

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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