SPRING RECIPES

Here are a few recipes for delightful spring soups, dishes and desserts.

                                        CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

Greek asparagus are of an excellent quality.   You can use either the white or the green variety to prepare this soup.

500 g (1 lb) fresh Greek asparagus, trimmed

1 onion, peeled, chopped and sautéed in a little butter with

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ litre (6 cups) chicken stock or more if necessary

2 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp plain flour

250 ml (1 cup) milk

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

250 ml (1 cup) cream, separated

1 ½ tbsp. parsley finely chopped

Snap off the asparagus tips and set aside.  Chop the tender part of the stalks and reserve.   Also chop and reserve the tough parts.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil, add 6-8 asparagus tips and simmer for 5-7 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.   Add the chopped tough stalks to the stock and cook for25 minutes.   Remove the stalks and discard.

Add the remaining asparagus tips and the tender parts and the sautéed onion and garlic to the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, and set aside to cool.   Blend the vegetables with the stock and sieve.  Return the soup to the saucepan and keep hot.

Melt the butter add the bay leaf and stir in the flour and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.  Add the milk to the roux and cook whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens.  Discard the bay leaf.   Mix the sauce with a cup of warm soup and sieve back into the saucepan and stir until well combined.  Correct the seasoning with salt and freshly ground white pepper, if necessary, stir in part of the cream and heat the soup without boiling.

Serve garnished with chopped parsley and the remaining cream and asparagus tips.

                                               SMOKED SALMON TART

This is a lovely tasty first dish.

Pastry:

(Recipe for 2 tarts)

200 g (1 tub) plain Greek yogurt

1 egg

200 ml (4/5 cup) olive oil

500 g (1 lb) self-rising flour (you will not need is all)

Filling:

200 g smoked salmon slices, cut into small pieces

2 spring onions, trimmed and very finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped dill

1 cup finely grated Parmesan

3 medium-sized eggs, whipped with

200 ml (4/5 cup) cream

First, prepare the pastry. Whisk the yoghurt and egg until smooth.  Add the olive oil and stir until very well combined.  Stir in 250 g flour, adding more gradually until a thick but pliable dough is formed (you might not need all the flour).  Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.  

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180 C (350 F), roll out the dough, thinly, between two pieces of baking parchment and line a 30 cm (almost 12 inches) buttered tart dish.    Cut off the pastry that is hanging over the edge of the dish and crimp the sides into a pretty pattern, reserving the remaining dough for another tart.    Pierce the dough with a fork, cover with crumpled foil and bake blind for 10 minutes.  Discard the foil, bake for 6 minutes more, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Cover the cold pastry shell with Parmesan, place the smoked salmon and chopped spring onion pieces evenly over, and sprinkle with chopped dill.  Pour in the egg and cream mixture and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 30 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Serve with a green salad.

                                   MEATBALLS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

A delicious main dish which I hope you will enjoy.

1 kg (2 lb) minced meat

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 tsp finely chopped mint

1 tsp finely chopped dill

Zest of ½ lemon

1 slice of bread soaked in milk and squeezed dry

1 tsp of curry powder

1 tsp of ginger

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp coriander

½ tsp cayenne

½ an egg yolk

120 g (4 oz) feta cheese grated

Sunflower oil for frying

Mix everything well together and knead for 3 minutes or more until the mixture is well combined and fluffy.  Cover and set aside for 30 minutes at least.  Shape into walnut sized balls and fry in sunflower oil until crisp and juicy.  Place of kitchen paper to drain.

Tzatziki Sauce

Meanwhile, prepare the tzatziki sauce

1 tub yoghurt

1 tsp finely chopped dill

1 tsp finely chopped mint

½ grated cucumber  

250 g ( ½ lb) feta cheese, grated

Freshly ground white pepper to taste

125 ml (½ cup) olive oil separated  

Place all the ingredients (half the olive oil) in a blender and pulse until smooth.  Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the remaining olive oil.

Serve the meatballs with the tzatziki sauce and a green salad.

                             GREEK YOGHURT STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

 A delightful iced dessert.

500 g (1 lb) ripe but firm strawberries, washed and hulled

A few drops of lemon juice to accentuate the taste

400 g (2 tubs) Greek yoghurt

150 g (¾ cups) sugar or more

The tiniest pinch of salt

First, blend the strawberries with the lemon juice and refrigerate for 1 hour, until cold.  Add the yoghurt and sugar and salt and blend until smooth.

Spoon the mixture into a bowl, cover and freeze for2 hour at least.  Then remove from the freezer, stir vigorously and return to the freezer.  Repeat the procedure twice more, then transfer the ice cream into a container, cover and freeze.  Alternatively, pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions,     

ForYou Dear Reader