GREEK AND INTERNATIONAL DISHES

I am giving you a few recipes for lovely Greek and international dishes that my family love..

                                        YELLOW PUMPKIN PIE

A delicious pie from the Cyclades Islands.

Crust:

500 g (1 lb) plain flour

60 g (2 oz) olive oil

1 tbsp vinegr

1 tsp salt

250 ml (1 cup) tepid water

125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil plus extra for brushing over the pastry

Filling:

1 Kg (2 lb)  yellow pumpkin, grated

1 onion, peeled and grated

300 g (10.5 oz) Naxos white cheese, grated

3 eggs, beaten

Salt, freshly ground pepper and grated nutmeg to taste

For the crust, place the flour and salt in a bowl and make a small hole in the centre and add the olive oil, vinegar and water and stir until a soft pliable dough is formed.  Knead the dough for12-15 minutes, cover and allow to rest for 1 hour at least.

Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing.  Sauté the onion and pumpkin in olive oil until all the liquid has evaporated and cool a little.  Add the cheese and eggs, sprinkle with salt pepper and nutmeg to taste.  Mix all the ingredients well together.

Divide the dough into 6 balls, one slightly larger.  On a floured surface roll out the larger ball into a round that would cover the base and sides of a 30 cm baking tin. Brush with olive oil and roll out the second ball and place over the first, and then roll out the third ball.  Add the stuffing and level the surface with a spoon.  

Roll out the remaining balls into round pastry sheets and cover the filling not forgetting brushing each sheet with olive oil.  Fold the pastry sheets that are hanging over the sides of the baking tin and press well together to enclose the filling.  Slash the top of the pie in portions and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for almost 40 minutes, until crisp and golden.

      CHICKEN LEGS BAKED WITH CYTRUS FRUIT ZESTS AND ORANGE JUICE

A delightful dish 

1 ½ kg (3 lb)  chicken legs, skinned and boned,  bones bailed in salted water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lime, the zest

1 lemon, the zest

1 orange. the zest

Juice of 1 orange

250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 heaped tbsp mustard

1 heaped tbsp Greek honey

 1 cup slivered almonds 

Place the  chicken on a baking tin lined with parchment.  Sprinkle with the grated zests, salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with the orange juice and a little stock.  Then massage the chicken with mustard and honey.  Place the almonds evenly over, cover with a piece of wet parchment and roast for 35-40 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 C (350F) and enjoy.

                             CHICKEN BREAST FILLETS  FRIED IN A CRUST

Lovely fried chicken with an Asian touch. 

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets

Salt and pepper to taste

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp ginger powder

2 cups dried breadcrumbs

6-7 tbsp vegetable oil

Make 4 small slashes n each chicken breast and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Mix lime juice, minced garlic and chopped parsley in a large bowl and place the chicken fillets into the marinade, cover and set asidefor30 minutes, at room temperature.

Beat the eggs in a bowl.  In another bowl combine turmeric and dried breadcrumbs.  Dip the chicken fillets first into the beaten eggs and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Saute the chicken fillets6-10 minutes on each side.do not overcrowd.

Place the fried chicken on kitchen paper to drain and serve with mango chutney and a green salad.  

       

                                                        COQ AU VIN

This is a lovely dish of Provincial France.  Start cooking this dish one day before you intend serving it.

2 tbsp olive oil

8-10 rashers of lean bacon, fat removed and cut into small pieces

20 or more shallots, peeled

2 chickens – 2 ½ -3 kg (5-6 lb)  drumsticks and thighs skinned, breasts, skinned, boned cartilage discarded, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

62.5 ml ( ¼ cup) Metaxa brandy

750 ml (1 bottle) Ayioryitiko Boutari or Pinot  Noir

250 ml (1 cup) tasty hot chicken stock

2 tbsp tomato paste diluted in

62.5 ml ( ½ cup) chicken stock

1 bouquet  garni (2 sprigs thyme + 1 bay leaf + 2 sprigs rosemary)

Salt and pepper to taste

500 g (1 lb) champignons de Paris

½ tbsp olive oil

A touch of garlic

Little salt

Beurre manié:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp plain flour

(Mix together until smooth, cover and refrigerate)

In a large saucepan, sauté the bacon in one tbsp olive oil until crisp.  Place of kitchen paper to drain.  Then sauté the shallots until golden and reserve.

Cook the chicken in batches in the remaining olive oil for 4-5 minutes on each side.. Remove the excess fat from the saucepan and add the garlic and simmer until soft.  Pour in the  brandy and cook briskly, stirring to deglaze the saucepan and remove from the fire.

Arrange the drumb-sticks and thighs in the saucepan.  Pour in the wine and cook for a few minutes more until the alcohol evaporates. Then add the tomato paste, chicken stock, bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper.

Cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 20 minutes.  Place the chicken breasts and bacon on top making sure that they are submerged in the sauce, adding a little more stock, if necessary.  Cover the saucepan and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes  until the chicken is tender, cool and refrigerate.

The next day, cook the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil, over high heat until tender and season with a little salt.  Bring the coq au vin to the boil, add the sautéed mushrooms, taste and season if necessary. Discard the bouquet garni.  Arrange the chicken, shallots, bacon and mushroom attractively, on a hot serving dish, and reserve.

Meanwhile, thicken the sauce with tiny pieces of beurre manié, whisking and simmering the sauce, adding more thickening agent and cooking and whisking until the desired thickness is achieved. Pour the sauce over the chicken, shallots, mushrooms and bacon and serve immediately with creamy mashed potatoes. Garnish with sprigs of the herbs used in the bouquet garni.

                                          BERGAMOT SPOON SWEET

This fruit is not edible raw, but its essential oil is extracted from the rind and used for preparing confectionaries and distilled into an aromatic liqueur.

1 kg (2 b) bergamot peel

1 ½ (3 lb) sugar

1 lt (4 cups) cold water

The juice of 2 lemons

Grate the washed bergamots with a cheese grater, slice into 6 pieces and remove and discard the fruit. 

Weigh the peel and boil in plenty of water until soft.   Drain and place in cold water for 24 hours. Drain once more and cut each slice in half.   Boil the water and sugar for 5 minutes, allow the syrup to cool, add the bergamot pieces and boil for 25 minutes.  After 24 hours, boil them once more until the syrup thickens.   Five minutes before removing from the heat add the lemon juice.

Cool the spoon sweet, place in sterilised jars, cover with round pieces of parchment and seal tightly.

Summer Flowers by Olha Darchuc
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