Little Cooking Tips - Low Calories/Diet

Preparation Time:

30 minutes

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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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:

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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Mouthwatering, Greek style oven baked feta (Guest Post)

littlecookingtips — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 17:00:23 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

144

Servings:

serves 2

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

getting close to vacation

It’s hard to believe that July is already coming to an end! The days seem to fly by this summer. We’re getting close to our vacation, and it’s ever harder to keep our minds together and not spend several hours each day, thinking of the beaches, the tryout of new recipes, the serene nights with fresh cold fruit on the veranda in Evia... all those relaxing days one desperately needs after a hard, busy winter season.

Just watching the starry sky every night when in the country, right before going to sleep, seems to connect one with body, mind, and spirit, doesn’t it? It’s these magical summer moments when you supercharge with relaxation and happiness that help you endure the hardships of everyday life.

We’re indulging ourselves with movie nights in the balcony in Athens and short trips to Athenian beaches for the time being. It helps, but it’s just not the same when you know that on Monday another full working week awaits you, right?

If you’re following us on our recently created Instagram account, you might have seen our video on “Stories”, where we visited a beach last Sunday, only to find out that the Aegean wasn’t in the right mood: huge waves (!) and winds prevented us from taking a short swim. The road trip, however, was compensating enough; we lowered the car’s windows and allowed the summer breeze, full of the aroma of wild thyme and pine trees to fill our lungs, listening to the cicadas as we traveled through small country roads where nature seemed to be still untouched by the modern civilization. Of course, on the next day, when we came back to Athens, the wind calmed down and we got really high temps again. Murphy’s law in action :)

guest posting at Easy and Delish

We felt so honored when Denise, from Easy and Delish asked us a few weeks back, to be part of a guest post series on her blog. You see, we have been following her work for quite a few years now, from the early days of her previous blog From Brazil to You, where she introduced us to her awesome, authentic and delicious Brazilian recipes! Denise has been an inspiration to us throughout the years and taught us so many things about cooking. For that, all her beautiful posts and her constant love and support, we'd like to take this opportunity and publicly say a huge THANK YOU to her, from the bottom of our hearts.

oven baked feta

Denise's theme in this guest post series was easy weeknight meals or quick desserts. Most Greek foods often take a little time to prepare, so we considered some of the simpler recipes we could use for this post, and after discussing this with Denise, we both agreed on an easy and yummy appetizer, which can also be served as a light meal, along with a salad and/or some crusty bread. This dish is the Oven Baked Feta! Some people also call this dish Feta saganaki, even though Cheese saganaki is mostly a fried slice of cheese.

You can find oven baked feta at almost every tavern in tourist locations throughout the country, especially in the summer. It's one of the most popular dishes, and it's usually one of the dishes people order as an appetizer, or a side in order to accompany grilled meats and tempura-style fried veggies.

The ingredients are very easy to find, are very simple, and the result is really delicious. Since the ingredients are only a few though, we suggest you use the best quality you can purchase. For instance, authentic sheep's milk feta is highly recommended as well as organic tomatoes and peppers.

To prepare the dish, you simply make a small "tray" from foil, add feta, onion, tomatoes, pepper, thyme, oregano and EVOO and broil it for a few minutes. The texture of the feta completely changes to slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside. The veggies and the oregano add a lot of flavor and texture as well.

With the quantity described in this recipe, you can serve 2. You can easily, however, make a few more trays of foil with the same combo and serve A LOT more people. This is super convenient if you’re having people over, for a BBQ for instance. While the meat is being grilled outside, you can prep a cookie sheet/baking dish with as many as 6 of these small foil trays and broil them at the same time. It’s guaranteed that everyone will love them; this is one of the best recipes with feta cheese.

Ingredients:

Click here to jump over to Denise’s Easy and Delicious for the ingredients and the recipe!

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Vegetarian

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.

Meal:

Method:

Cuisine:

Season:

Main Ingredients:

Special Characteristics:

Healthy

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:

Cooking Time:

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 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:

1 hour

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.

Meal:

Method:

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Season:

Main Ingredients:

Special Characteristics:

Healthy

Vegetarian

Greek rice with Leeks (Prasorizo)

littlecookingtips — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:19:01 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

830

Servings:

Preparation Time:

Cooking Time:

30 minutes

This is a wonderful, simple, old fashioned dish: Prasorizo. One of the most common vegan Greek dishes, prasorizo literally means "rice with leeks".

Like spanakorizo (rice with spinach) and lahanorizo (rice with cabbage), those dishes are among the ones you won't prefer as much as a child, but you'll definitely appreciate much much more when you grow up.

The Greek version of the Mediterranean diet considers those dishes important. Plus they can become a full meal with some help from a good chunk of barrel aged feta and some fresh, crusty, artisan bread and contain lots of nutrients.

Indeed, the combination of this prasorizo (and spanakorizo or lahanorizo) with feta is fantastic! If you have to have some meat however, then by all means use this recipe for a side dish. Especially if you are having a barbecue with grilled sausages! It's really so good, combining those two! A match made in heaven :)

But let's go back to our humble but nutritious meal: Prasorizo (and spanakorizo, and lahanorizo) are the Greek cuisine risottos. The rice used is Karolina, a short/medium grain variety that's locally grown in Greece. You can use Arborio or Carnaroli abroad, the result is equally creamy.

Since the rice is high in starch, this dish doesn't take long to cook and requires your attention. Because of the starch, if you don't stir the food often, the rice tends to stick at the bottom of the pot (just like with the Italian risotto). So, for those 30 minutes it will take to cook, be around the kitchen and take care of the food, so it'll take care of you in return.

In this dish, we used parsley. Others may prefer dill, or fennel leaves. The end result is different and equally interesting, so feel free to try either one. Many people also cook this dish adding a bit of grated tomato and/or tomato paste. We provide the simplest version here, which is served with a few drops of fresh lemon juice. You can also try adding some tomato to get a different (equally tasty) result. In this case, add the tomato along with the water.

Make sure to find the best quality feta to accompany this dish (unless you're a vegan), and some good crusty bread. Sprinkle a chunk of feta with extra virgin olive oil and black pepper or dry oregano and serve the creamy, soft rice with leeks.

Ingredients:

- 600gr / 21.1oz/ 1.3lb leeks (2 large ones), sliced in half lengthwise and cut in 2.5cm/1in pieces (see preparation below)
- 180gr / 6.3oz onion (1 large onion), roughly chopped
- 100gr / 3.5oz spring onions (2-3), sliced in thin slices
- 160-170gr / 5.6-6oz (2/3 cup) Karolina or Arborio or Carnaroli rice (or any other short/medium grain rice)
- 25-30gr / 0.8-1oz parsley, finely chopped
- 250ml (1 cup) olive oil
- 750ml (3 cups) water
- 250ml (1 cup) white wine
- 2-3 garlic cloves (optional)
- 1-2 tsp coriander powder
- salt, pepper

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Preparation:

Cut most of the green part of the leeks and the root end. Slice lengthwise and then chop them in 2.5cm/1in slices. Put the pieces in a colander and rinse thoroughly to remove any dirt that may be trapped in the green part (pic. 1).

Pour the olive oil in large pot and put it on medium to high heat. Once hot, add the onion and the spring onions (pic. 2).

Sauté for 3 minutes, until they become soft and then add the leeks (pic. 3). Cook for about 10 minutes, until they soften well, stirring often.

Add the rice (pic.4), stir for half a minute and pour the wine. Allow most of it to evaporate, about 2 minutes, and then add the water (pic. 5).

Once the water starts simmering, reduce the heat to medium/low and cook for about 20 minutes. You must cook the food in a low simmering. Stir often, especially during the end when there's less water left in the pot.

At this point the prasorizo is ready (almost all of the water must have been absorbed). Turn of the heat and add the parsley. Stir for 1 minute and add salt and pepper. Be generous, this food requires lots of both.

That's it! Sprinkle some fresh parsley and fresh lemon juice on each dish and serve with feta and good crusty bread. Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. As mentioned above, don't be afraid to add a bit more salt and pepper in this food, it requires it.
2. You can also use dill or fennel leaves instead of parsley.
3. You can use this dish as a side for sausages or grilled burgers.
4. You can also add grated tomato and/or tomato paste along with the water for a different result.

Meal:

Method:

Cuisine:

Season:

Main Ingredients:

Legumes / Pulses / Rice

Special Characteristics:

The authentic Greek Salad (Horiatiki)

littlecookingtips — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 17:21:05 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

275

Servings:

Cooking Time:

15 minutes

This is our favorite salad and a staple in every Greek household. It's the salad every Greek grew up with;everyone here knows how to make it. That's why there is no meaning in publishing this recipe in Greek as we do with all our recipes.

This salad is really simple and delicious; and it's one of the cornerstones of the Greek cuisine.

Being native Greeks ourselves, it was rather strange for us to read recipes for "Greek Salad" which had nothing to do with the salads the way we make them here. We noticed that every salad that contains feta cheese and/or olives may be labeled as a "Greek Salad" abroad.

Well, of course one can create or "adjust" a salad according to the flavors one prefers. And that's great, as we often do the same. In this post however, we want to share with you the authentic recipe for the Greek Salad, the one that everyone uses here in Greece.

If you visit Greece and order a Greek Salad (or if you're served one in occasions like backyard parties etc) they will serve you the Horiatiki salad version. Horiatiki, means "from the village". There are "modernized", non-traditional versions as well (in fancy restaurants, mostly in Athens), but the recipe we are sharing here, is the classic, traditional and authentic recipe used in 99% of all cases.

The authentic Horiatiki Greek Salad is a very specific salad, with very specific ingredients. Those are:
- Tomatoes (not cherry tomatoes;whole tomatoes, cut in wedges)

- Cucumbers (peeled and sliced)

- Red Onions (thinly sliced)

- Green Bell Peppers (thinly sliced)

- Kalamata olives (whole, not pitted)

- Traditional Greek Feta (in a big slice or chunk, never crumbled)

- Extra virgin olive oil (for dressing)

- Dry oregano

The above exist in any authentic Horiatiki Greek Salad you'll be served throughout Greece.

There are only TWO (2) optional ingredients in addition to the ones above:

- Caper seeds (added mostly in Horiatiki salads that are served in Greek islands)

- Red wine vinegar (some people also like to add some extra acidity in their salad)

Since this is a very simple salad, the quality of the ingredients has a huge impact in flavor and will determine the final result.

That's why most Greeks prefer making this salad only from late spring to early autumn as the ingredients must be fresh, ripe and in season. The best Greek Salads are made during the summer, when the tomatoes are really ripe and juicy and the peppers and the cucumbers add their freshness and their wonderful aromas. If affordable, always prefer ripe organic tomatoes for this salad. Organic tomatoes have a vastly superior taste and since they are the main ingredient of this salad, you should really consider buying some.

Also choose real feta for this salad, meaning feta made from sheep or sheep & goat's milk, the way it's made here in Greece. Any "feta" made with cow's milk, is not really feta. And you need the real thing for this salad! The more mature the feta, the better it tastes when combined with tomatoes.

This salad is perfect with fried veggies (like batter-fried zucchini or eggplants), grilled or fried fish and seafood (batter-fried squid -"Kalamari"- is amazing with this salad!) and grilled meats or burgers. We LOVE serving this salad when we make Greek zucchini fritters; it's also fantastic if you're having Greek burgers (called biftekia).

During the summer, many of us often have a Greek Salad as main dish, with some fresh baked bread or rusks on the side. It's a filling and delicious meal on its own. What we always do here in Greece, is dunking some of the bread in the juices of the salad, to soak up all the flavors. The taste of this is divine! You MUST try it at least once in your life, with some good artisan-style bread.

So let's see how to make the authentic Greek Salad: Horiatiki!

Ingredients:

- 3 medium sized tomatoes, 700-750g / 24.5-26.5oz

- 1/4 of large cucumber (or 1 whole small), 130-170g / 4.5-6oz

- 1 small green bell pepper (or 1/2 a large one), 50-60g / 1.8-2.2oz

- 1 small red onion (or 1/2 medium sized), 40g / 1.5oz

- 1/2 tablespoon dry oregano

- 6-8 Kalamata olives (whole)

- a big slice of feta, 100g / 3.5oz

- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

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Preparation:Peel and slice the cucumber. Cut the green bell pepper and the onion in thin slices. Cut the tomatoes in wedges.

In a medium sized bowl, mix gently the tomatoes, the cucumber and the olives with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and a pinch of salt (pic.1 & 2).

Put the mixture in a serving bowl/dish, and add the pepper and onion slices on top. Add the feta slice on top of everything and drizzle with the rest 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Sprinkle with the oregano and serve with fresh baked bread. Kali oreksi!

Tips:

1. This salad is not a make ahead one. If you like, you can wash the veggies some time before, but always cut them and prepare the salad right before serving. After all, it’s very easy and very quick to prepare. Do not let it stay for more then 30 minutes before serving it.

2. If the tomatoes are in room temperature, their flavor is enhanced. If you like them chilled, just remove them from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cutting the salad and they will still be cool but also much tastier.

3. As mentioned before, use fresh, ripe and preferably organic tomatoes for this recipe. Also use real (sheep) feta. A barrel aged one, if possible.

4. If you like Greek salad, you can also try out an easy puff pastry pizza with the same flavors. It's a quick pizza we love to make often for ourselves.

Meal:

Cuisine:

Season:

Main Ingredients:

Special Characteristics:

Cinnamon scented energy bars

littlecookingtips — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 17:55:21 +0000

Photos and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

200

Servings:

12+ slices/pieces

Cooking Time:

30 minutes

Energy bars (also known as power bars) are increasing in popularity everywhere in the world in the last few years. The same goes for Greece.

For us Greeks it was very normal to start eating energy bars, as we already had a similar snack for decades, called "pasteli". Pasteli is a traditional bar with nuts (usually sesame, peanut or pistachio) with honey and/or sugar. It's still sold everywhere here.

Energy bars have partially substituted pasteli, as a more complex solution for a snack, as they contain more grains and other wholesome ingredients, making it a healthier choice.

If you're trying to control your weight and boost your metabolism you can also use energy bars. They are great snack option for any time of day, so they're very useful for those long periods between meals.
They're also perfect for breakfast if you're in a hurry or on the go. Having an energy bar is a wholesome way to start the day! Depending on what you'll add in the bar, they can be very nutritious.

So, after having tried many store-bought energy bars, we had to come up with our own versions. The reasons for making your own homemade power bars are many. Let's see some:
- If you create your own bars you control the ingredients you'll use.
- They don't contain additives and preservatives.
- They're much more affordable.
- You can experiment to create the flavor and texture you prefer.
- If you have food allergies, you will only use what you can eat.

The recipe we'd like to share here, makes a delicious cinnamon-scented oats, all bran and walnuts energy bar. It's iron-rich, it's flavorful and far from boring! For sweetness we added a little brown sugar that adds a caramel flavor and a little honey that's beautifully combined with cinnamon and vanilla.

The recipe is for 12 large 200 calories bars so it’s perfect pre or post work out. If you want to cut back on calories you can slice the same quantity in smaller bars (like half the size with only 100 calories per bar). They are very filling in any case.
Each bar is individually wrapped in some cling film and put in the refrigerator to retain its freshness. We find this very convenient as we can grab a bar and go any time of the day.

And here's the best part: It's very easy to make them! You only need a medium sized saucepan or a small pot (use non stick cookware) to melt the butter and mix all the ingredients together. You bake for 20 minutes and you're ready!

Of course you can experiment with many different seeds (you can add chia seeds or flax seeds for example), nuts and cereal to make those bars your own. You can also use different butters (like almond, peanut), especially if you're a vegan. The possibilities are endless!

So let's see the recipe for those delicious energy bars!

Ingredients:

- 65gr (1 cup) all bran (minimum 40% fiber)
- 50gr (1/2 cup) rolled oats
- 110gr (1 cup) walnuts kernels
- 35gr (1/4 cup) sunflower seeds, shelled, unsalted
- 70gr (1/2 cup) raisins (Black Corinth or Sultanas)
- 80gr (2/5 – 0.4 cup) brown sugar
- 80gr (1/4 cup) wildflower or thyme honey
- 50gr (3 1/2 tablespoons) butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8gr/0.25-0.3oz vanilla sugar. You can also use 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or vanilla powder

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Preparation:Add the walnuts and the all bran in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds (pic.1). Do not grind into powder; you need small pieces of bran and walnuts in your bars for better texture.

Line a 26cmx18cm / 11inx7in baking pan (medium sized, preferably ceramic or glass) with parchment. You can also use any baking pan with the same area.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the sugar and the honey. Stirring continuously for 2 minutes, until the mixture bubbles (caramel is starting to form) (pic.2).

At this point add the oats, the sunflower seeds, the raisins, the cinnamon and the vanilla. Stir well and add the bran-walnuts mixture.
Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until no dry spots remain. It takes a couple a minute or two. Don't worry, all the ingredients will mix together if you keep stirring. (pic.3)

Spread the mixture in the baking pan. You can press some parchment on top and roll a hard glass to spread it (as a rolling pin). (pic.4)

Bake in the middle rack at 180 degrees Celsius/360 Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
Remove and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing the bars. Use a hard spatula or even a pizza cutter to slice the bars.

When in room temperature, wrap each bar in film and keep in the refrigerator. They can easily last for 1 week without any issues.

Tips:

1. As mentioned before, you can substitute with the ingredients you prefer. In this case, make sure the butter is enough to glue the ingredients together.
2. To slice the bars in 12 pieces, slice in the middle horizontally and vertically, creating a cross and then divide each quarter into 3 strips.

Meal:

Method:

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Main Ingredients:

Special Characteristics:

Garlicky green salad with chicken, parmesan and croutons

littlecookingtips — Mon, 19 May 2014 19:29:34 +0000

Photo and text by Panos Diotis and Mirella Kaloglou.

Calories (per serving):

508

Servings:

serves 2

Cooking Time: