INTERESTING RECIPES

 

I am giving you below several  interesting recipes:

 

                                                      CORNBREAD

This is a lovely bread with Greek connotations.

 

2 cups cornmeal

2 cups plain flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

 

200 g (1 tub) Greek yogurt

2 eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and brush a Pyrex dish with butter.  Mix the dry and wet ingredients well together and spoon into the prepared baking dish, even the surface with a wet spoon and bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden.

 

 

                                     QUICHE LAURENT WITH VEGTABLES

Crust:

125 g (  ) butter, diced

1 ½ cup plain flour

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp cold water

 

Filling:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and grated

2 carrots, scraped and cubed

2 courgettes, scrape and cubed

1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced

 

3 eggs

125 ml ( ½ cup) milk

125 ml ( ½ cup) cream

115 g (  ) feta crumbled

Grated nutmeg

A little salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 200 C (390 F).  Rub the flour with butter with your fingertips until no lumps remain,  Add the water and mix well until the ingredients stick together and form a stiff dough.  Roll out the dough and line a buttered 30 cm (12 in) springform tin and set aside.

 

Sauté the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes, add the carrots and simmer for 10 minutes more.  Finally, add the courgettes and cook for 10 minutes more until the vegetables are slightly coloured. Season to taste and cool.  Spoon the cold vegetables into the unbaked piecrust.

 

Whip the eggs with the milk and cream and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste, pour over the vegetables, sprinkle with the crumbled feta and bake for 25 minutes until the pastry crisp and the filling thickens.             

 

 

                                            PRAWNS WITH SPAGHETTI

500 g spaghetti

500 g (1 lb) prawns, shelled and deveined shells and heads reserved

Salt and pepper to taste

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

500 ml (2 cups) tasty vegetable stock

1 cup cherry tomatoes 

 

Sauté the heads and shells of the prawns in olive oil, pour in the wine and when the alcohol evaporates pour in the vegetable stock, boil for 20 minutes and strain.

 

Sprinkle the prawns with lemon zest and sauté in the remaining olive oil with the garlic for 2 minutes on each side and set aside.

 

Boil the spaghetti in the prepared stock until “al dente”, strain and drizzle with a little olive oil.

 

Serve the spaghetti covered  with the prawns, cherry tomatoes  and sprinkled with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.     

  

 

                             ROAST VEGETABLES WITH BUKWEAT SALAD

 This is a delightful salad.

800 g (1 lb + 8 oz) pumpkin, peeled deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 onions, peeled and cut into 16 wedges

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Thyme

¼ cup olive oil divided

 

2 cups buckwheat boiled in salted water

 2 tbsp mint, chopped

3 tbsp parsley, chopped

Pepper to taste

Olive oil

1 cup pomegranate seeds

 

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and place the vegetables in a tin lined with baking parchment, season with salt, pepper and thyme, drizzle olive oil and bake for 30 minutes until tender but not falling apart.

 

Meanwhile, mix the buckwheat seeds with the chopped herbs and season with black pepper.

Combine the roast vegetables with the buckwheat mixture drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.  

 

                                      CHEESE ROLLS IN KOUROU PASTRY

700 g (1 lb + 5 oz) kourou pastry sheets

Melted butter

 

500 g (1 lb) feta, crumbled

250 g (½ lb) anthotyro or ricotta, crumbled

1 egg

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

(Mix all the ingredients well together)

 

Sesame seeds

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a baking dish with buttered baking parchment.

Cut each pastry sheet into 4 pieces.  Add 1 heaped spoonful of filling on each piece and neatly roll up.   Place the rolls in the baking dish brush with water, sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds and bake for30 minutes or until crisp and golden. 

 

 

                                     ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATOES

1 chicken, at room temperature

 

10 potatoes, peeled and quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp mustard with honey, divided

Lemon juice

2 oranges quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

Chopped thyme

Chopped oregano

 

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).  Wipe the chicken with paper and season with salt and pepper and a place 1 tbsp of mustard with honey and the cloves of garlic and ½  the orange pieces in the tummy cavity.

 

Place the potatoes in a baking tin and season with salt, pepper and add the remaining mustard, sprinkle with the herbs and drizzle with lemon juice.  Cut the remaining orange into small pieces, place evenly between the potatoes and drizzle with melted butter,  Arrange the chicken on top, brush with butter, cover first with baking parchment and then with tin foil  and bake for 1 hour until the chicken is crisp and golden brown and potatoes delicious.

 

 

                                                  CHICKPEA CURRY

A delightful vegan curry.

 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and grated

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cups tomatoes peeled deseeded and diced

1 ½ cup coconut

1 ¾ cups soaked chickpeas boiled in salted water and drained

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime

Chopped parsley

 

Sauté the onion in olive oil and a pinch of salt, stirring frequently, until soft and starting to brown.  Reduce the heat to medium add the garlic and ginger stir and cook for 10 seconds until fragrant.  Stir in the spices and salt and simmer for 30 seconds, until they release their aroma.

 

Add the tomato, stir well and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 3-5 minutes or until the tomato thickens a little.  Pour in the coconut milk and stir in the chickpeas.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the curry for about 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, season to taste with extra salt, if necessary.

 

Serve hot over steamed basmati rice and garnish with chopped parsley.

 

                            SQUID STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS AND RICE

This is a superb recipe that differs from the traditional one by adding mushrooms to the stuffing.

1 ½ kg (3 lb) small squid washed, tentacles removed and chopped

60 ml ( ¼ cup) dry white wine

 

Stuffing:

62 ml ( ¼ cup) olive oil

1 onion, peeled and grated

250 g ( ½ lb) mushrooms, trimmed and chopped

1 liqueur glass METAXA brandy

Salt freshly ground black pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste

Squid tentacles

60 g (2 oz) long-grain rice,

1-2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

1 tbsp parsley chopped

½ tbsp tomato paste diluted in

125 ml ( ½ cup) dry white wine

250 ml (1 cup) water

 

Simmer both the sacs and the tentacles of the squid in wine for 5 seconds and reserve.

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes, Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.  Drizzle with brandy, season with salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper and simmer until almost cooked.  Add the rice, tentacles, pine nuts and chopped parsley and stir until well combined. Taste and add extra salt and pepper, if necessary.

 

Stuff the sacs of the squids half full with the above mixture and secure with toothpicks.  Lay the stuffed squid in a single layer in a large, shallow saucepan, pour in the tomato-wine mixture and the water.  Cover with baking parchment and the lid and simmer for 45 minutes or until the squids are tender.  Discard the toothpicks and serve with a zesty green salad.

 

      

                  TOMATOES AND PEPPERS STUFFED WITH CRACKED WHEAT

Cracked wheat is used in Mediterranean cooking for the last 4000 years and it has high nutritional value as it contains proteins, vitamins and vegetable fibres.  Cracked wheat is used in Greek cooking instead of rice

 

8 medium-sized tomatoes, ripe but firm

2 medium-sized yellow peppers

2 medium-sized orange pepper

2 medium-sized green peppers

Stuffing:

1 medium-sized aubergine, peeled, cubed and sauteed in olive oil

12-14 tbsp cracked wheat, soaked overnight and drained

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

3-4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

½ -1 tbsp chopped mint

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Vegetable stock

 

Slice the stem part of each pepper.  Discard the seeds and add a pinch of salt to each pepper cup. 

Proceed the same with the tomatoes, remove and reserve the flesh and sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar to taste.

 

For the stuffing, finely cube the tomato flesh, in a large bowl, add the chopped onions, the aubergine cubes, the cracked wheat, herbs, olive oil and salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste. Mix everything well together, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary and stuff the vegetables with the mixture.

Arrange the stuffed vegetables in a shallow, oven-proof casserole and pour 500 ml (2 cups) of stock and the remaining olive oil around the vegetables.  Cover with baking parchment and the lid and simmer gently until the cracked wheat is almost cooked, adding more stock if and when necessary.

 

Remove the lid and baking parchment and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly brown.