Cookenjoy: GOURMET RECIPES

Here are a few recipes for delicious dishes and biscuits which I hope you will enjoy preparing and serving to your family and friends.

ICED PEACH SOUP

One could add some cream to this soup.

390 g (13 oz) chicken stock, plus more if necessary

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 1 sprig of thyme + 1 sprig on parsley)

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

¼ tsp or less Cayenne pepper

1 tsp honey or sugar

1 kg ripe peaches, peeled, stoned and cubed

1 shot tsipouro or Metaxa brandy or vodka, optional

Mint leaves for garnish

Simmer the first six ingredients for 20 minutes, discard the bouquet garni, cool, blend and sieve.

Meanwhile, blend the peaches and combine with the chicken stock mixture, sieve once more, add the honey or sugar and stir well together. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or honey if necessary, cover and place in the refrigerator.

Add the liquor, if using, and a little iced chicken stock, if too thick, and serve iced, in tall glasses garnished with mint.

SPAGHETTINI WITH SHRIMPS OUZO AND FETA

This dish really reminds one of Grek summers,

500 g (1 lb) spaghettini or any other pasta of your choice
2 tbsp melted butter

750 g (1 1/2 lb) shrimps, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp olive oil
62.5 ml (1/4 cup) ouzo
5 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 clove garlic peeled and finely chopped
62.5 (1/4 cup) dry white wine
125 ml (1/2 cup) tomato juice
3 large, ripe but firm tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 tsp sugar, if necessary
2 tbsp chopped, fresh basil
150 g (5 oz) crumbled feta
Salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste
Grated kefalotyri, San Mihalis or Parmesan for serving

Boil the spaghettini in salted water until cooked al dente, strain, add half the butter and keep hot, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.

Simultaneously saute the shrimp in 1 tbsp olive oil until they change colour, sprinkle with a little salt, pour in half the ouzo and ignite. When the flame dies down, remove the shrimps and keep hot.

Saute the spring onions and garlic in the remaining olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook until soft. Then pour in the wine and stir for a few minutes, add the tomato juice and cook 10-12 minutes more. then add the cubed tomatoes and the Cayenne pepper. Taste for seasoning and add a little sugar if necessary, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add the feta, chopped basil and the remaining and simmer gently for a few minutes. Retaste for seasoning and add salt, if necessary, and freshly ground black pepper.

Combine the shrimps and the spaghettini with the sauce and pour in the remaining ouzo, toss thoroughly and cook for a few minutes more. Add a little spaghettini cooking liquid if necessary and sprinkles with grated cheese.

CRAB AND FENNEL QUICHE

A superb quiche that I owe to a dear friend from Ireland, Cynthia Lynch.

Crust:
180 g (6 oz) plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
90 g (3 oz) butter

Filling:
180 g (6 oz) cooked crab meat, flaked
1 tbsp fennel leaves, chopped
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup cream
3 medium-sized eggs
Anchovy essence
1 tsp tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oven to 190 C (375 F). Mix all the ingredients for the pastry together, gather into a ball and flatten out, cover with cling film and refrigerate for30 minutes at least. Then roll it out thinly and line a buttered 15 cm (7 in) flan tin.

Spread the crab meat over the base of the pastry case and sprinkle, evenly, with the chopped fennel leaves. Whisk the milk, cream, eggs, a few drops of anchovy essence, salt peppers and tomato puree well together and pour this mixture over the crab and fennel. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes. Then lower the heat to 180 C (350 F) and bake 25 minutes more.

Remove the flan tin from the oven and garnish with sprigs of fennel.

PHYLLO POUCHES FILLED WITH VEGETABLES AND CHEESE

You can use any vegetable that combines well together for this delightful vegetarian dish. Children just love it.

3 medium courgettes, scraped and finely sliced

2 large potatoes, peeled, cubed and parboiled in vegetable stock

2 medium-sized carrots, peeled cubed and parboiled in vegetable stock

2 tender celery stalks, trimmed and chopped

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised

120 g (4 oz) feta, grated

3 tbsp kefalotyri, San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

125 ml (½ cup) olive oil or

125 ml (½ cup) melted butter

6 sheets phyllo pastry

1-2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs

6 spring onion stalks, blanched until pliable or

6 chive stalks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the courgette, spring onions, celery and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil, add the potatoes and carrots and cook gently, until the vegetables are tender. Use some of the stock from the potatoes and the carrots if necessary.

Sprinkle the vegetables with both kinds of grated cheese and stir until the feta melts, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and stir again. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if necessary, and freshly ground black pepper. Discard the garlic

Line an ovenproof dish with baking parchment. Fold each phyllo sheet in two breadthwise and cut it two equal pieces. Brush each piece with olive oil or butter Place one piece of phyllo on top of the other, forming a cross and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Add 1/6 of the filling in the centre of each phyllo piece, bring the ends together and tie with the spring onion or chive stalks, to form a pouch. Brush the pouches with melted butter and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) until the pastry turns crisp and golden. Serve with a green salad of your choice.

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE No II

This is a fudgy, moist chocolate cake of which I have no words.

195 g (1 ½ cups) self-raising flour

65 g (½ cup) cocoa powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

225 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) sugar

Pinch of salt

Tiny pinch of Cayenne pepper

1/3 cup sunflower oil

1 vanilla

1½ tsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup water

Icing sugar for dusting over

Preheat oven to 180 C (350F) and line the base of a round tin with oiled baking parchment. Also, brush the sides of the tin with oil.

Mix all the dry ingredients together and stir in the wet ingredients until well combined and smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake shrinks from the edges of the tin and a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Reverse on a dish and serve dusted with icing sugar.

APPLE TART

I don’t remember who gave me the recipe for this is a lovely lenten dessert.

Pastry:

390 g (3 cups) plain flour, mixed with

1 tsp baking powder

¾ cups margarine

A pinch of salt

1/3 tsp cinnamon

Grated rind of 1 orange

5 tbsp sugar

1 liqueur glass brandy

1 liqueur glass orange juice or a little more, if necessary

Filling:

1 cup apricot jam

½ cup chopped walnuts

6 apples, peeled, sliced and drenched with the

Juice of 1 orange

Process the margarine with the flour, until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the salt, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest and whiz until well combined. Pour in the brandy and orange juice and blend until a soft, pliable dough is obtained. Flatten out the dough, cover and refrigerate it for at least half an hour.

Roll out 2/3 of the dough and line the base and sides of a greased tart dish and reserve the remaining dough in the freezer, for further use. Spread the apricot jam over the base of the tart and sprinkle, evenly, with walnuts. Neatly arrange the apple slices on top, overlapping each other, and grate the reserved frozen dough, evenly, over.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 40 minutes, then lower the heat to 160 C (340 F) and bake for 20 minutes more.

MARY’S APPLE CAKE

Apple and Walnut Cake

My dear friend Mary Xenakis often prepared this delicious, juicy cake for us when we started learning bridge, so many years ago.

112.5 g (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened

400 g (2 cups) or less sugar

2 eggs

260 g (2 cups) plain flour, reserve 1 tbsp for dusting the walnuts

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

4 small apples, finely diced

75 g (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped walnuts, dusted with the reserved flour

Sift flour with salt, baking powder and spices.

In a large bowl mix the butter, sugar and eggs, until just combined. Then add the flour mixture, finally, the apples and walnuts and stir, until just mixed.

Spoon the batter into a buttered baking dish, level the top and bake in a moderate oven pre-heated to 180 C (350 F) for about 1 hour.

UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

A Cake with Apples and Spices

This cake can also be prepared with fresh peaches or tinned pineapple slices

Topping:

170 g (3/4 cups) butter

150 g (3/4 cups) sugar

1 tbsp powdered cinnamon

Grated nutmeg

3-4 apples (according to size), peeled, cored and sliced

Cake:

4 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiffly with a pinch of salt

200 g (1 cup) sugar

130 g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger powder

First prepare the topping. Place the butter, sugar and spices in a baking tin, in a warm oven. When the butter has melted, remove from the oven, stir well, so that all the ingredients are well blended, and spread evenly over the baking tin. Cover with sliced apples, slightly overlapping each other, forming neat circles and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy. Combine the flour with the baking powder and spices and sift over the eggs, a little at a time, stirring gently with a rubber spatula. Finally, fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter over the apples, level with a wet spatula, and bake in an oven preheated to 190C (375 F) for 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, and overturn onto a serving platter.

APPLE PIE

Delicious Apple Pie

This is one of the best apple pies. Use hard, juicy, aromatic apples for the best results. As the ingredients are measured by volume and not by weight, I use a 250 g (8 oz) tub of margarine and the same tub to measure the sugar and flour.

6 apples, peeled, cored and diced

the juice of 1 lemon or more, if preferred

Crust

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar
A pinch of salt

1 cup self-raising flour

Sprinkle the apples with lemon juice and arrange them evenly in a pyrex dish. Whip the butter, sugar and salt together until light and fluffy, and fold in the flour. This is a thick batter, not a dough, so spoon it carefully over the apples, without leaving gaps in between, and level the surface with the back of a wet spoon.

Bake the pie in an oven preheated to 180 C for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is crisp and golden.

APPLE PIE

A Wonderful Apple Pie

My dear niece Maria-Liza Cocali, Dimitris' wife. gave me this recipe for a superb, crispy apple pie.

Pastry:

250 g (½ lb) plain flour

125 g (¼ lb) butter

A little water

Filling:

1 kg (2 lb) apples, peeled, cored and cubed

200 g (almost 7 oz) butter, cut into small pieces

200 g (almost 7 oz) sugar

First prepare the pastry. Gently rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add just enough water so that the pastry comes together. Flatten the dough, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Meanwhile, arrange the apples in a baking tin. Place the butter, evenly over the apples and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.

Roll out the dough between two pieces of baking parchment. Drape the pastry sheet over the cool apples, cut the excess pastry and tuck it neatly down the sides of the tin. Bake the apple pie for 30 minutes more or until the pastry is crisp and golden.

APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

Applesauce Muffins with Raisins

This is a very popular and healthy small cake.

260 g (2 cups) plain flour

2½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp powdered cloves

½ tsp ginger powder

¾ cup raisins

2 tbsp sun flower oil

150 g (¾ cup) brown sugar

62.5 g (¼ cup) apple sauce

125 g (½ cup) milk

2 large egg whites, stiffly beaten with a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Stir in all the dry ingredients together and add the raisins.

Beat the sugar and oil together. Stir in the apple sauce and the dry ingredients in three parts with the milk. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Half fill prepared muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.

APPLE AND ONION CHUTNEY

Golden Delicious

This is the very first chutney I made. One could alternately use pears or quince to prepare this delicious, spicy, chunky chutney.

1 kg (2 lb) apples peeled, cored and cut into cubes (try Golden Delicious)

500 g (1 lb) onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp grated ginger

500 g (1 lb) sugar

250 ml (1 cup) good quality vinegar

Salt to taste

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper or more, if preferred

1 cinnamon stick

Place all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Lower the heat and simmer very, very gently stirring occasionally, until the apple mixture thickens and reaches the consistency of jam. Remove the cinnamon stick, ladle the chutney into prepared, sterilized jars and seal.

APPLE SPOON SWEET

Firiki spoon sweet

“Firikia” are small, sweet green apples with a delicate aroma. You could stuff each apple with a toasted almond if you wish.

1 kg (2 lb) firikia or any other small apples

2 lemons, the juice

1 kg (2 lbs) sugar

600 ml (2½ cups) water

Cloves (one for each apple)

1 cinnamon stick

Wash, peel and core the apples and cover with water and the juice of a lemon to prevent discolouring.

Meanwhile prepare the syrup. Boil the water and sugar with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the cinnamon stick, for 5-10 minutes. Drain the apples, pierce the top of each with a clove, and place them in the hot syrup and simmer gently until they are tender. Remove the saucepan from the fire and set aside for 24 hours.

The next day, discard the cinnamon stick and simmer the spoon sweet until the syrup thickens. Taste, and add little more lemon juice, if necessary.

Cool the apples, before placing them in prepared jars.

SPICED APPLES

If you have hard, unripe firikia or any other small apples, try preparing this gourmet delicacy.

1 kg (2 lb) firikia apples, peeled, cored and rubbed with lemon juice

Cloves

500 g (1 lb) sugar

500 ml (2 cups) white vinegar

A large pinch of salt

1 rind of ½ a lemon

2 tsp allspice berries

A small piece bruised ginger

A stick of cinnamon

(all tied up in a piece of cheesecloth or sterilized gauze)

Stud each apple with a clove. Place the sugar, vinegar and salt in a saucepan, add the spice pouch, simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the apples and simmer very gently, turning them over once, until they are tender enough to be pierced by a wooden skewer; this might take from 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and pack into sterilized jars. Discard the spice pouch and simmer the cooking liquid until turns into syrup. Cover the apples with the vinegar syrup and seal the lids. Serve with meat, poultry or cheese. Bon appétit!

Cookenjoy

Friday 28 August 2020

GOURMET RECIPES

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