GREEK RECIPES

 

 

I was inspired by the "bobota" we used to eat during the difficult years of the Italian and German occupation in Cephalonia, during World War II. I added spices and two kinds of Greek cheese to make a fantastic round bread. 

 

                                                             BOBOTA

Dry ingredients:

2 cups maize flour

2 tbsp baking powder

A very little salt and

Freshly ground white pepper to taste

A tiny pinch of cinnamon

Grated nutmeg to taste

A pinch of Cayenne pepper

 

1 cup of feta crumbled

1 cup grated San Mihalis

 

Wet ingredients:

3 eggs

1 tsp brown sugar or Greek honey

200 g (1 small tub) Greek yogurt

1 cup of milk

2 tbsp of butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 200 C (375 F) and butter a 30 cm (12 in) round Pyrex dish. 

 

Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well together, repeat the same procedure with wet ingredients.  Stir the two mixtures together until very well combined. 

 

Spoon into the prepared Pyrex dish, level the surface and bake for 25-30 minutes until it turns golden and it shrinks from the sides of the dish.

                                                   MUSHROOM SOUP

 

This is a delicious vegetarian soup if prepared with olive oil and vegetable stock, which reminds us of "magheritsa" the Greek Easter soup.

 

500 g (1 lb) fresh mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped

6 dry porcini, soaked and chopped, soaking water strained and reserved

2 tbsp olive oil or butter

1 medium-sized onion, peeled and grated

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp dill or fennel, finely chopped

The tender leaves of 1 cos lettuce, shredded

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

1.500 liter (6 cups) tasty stock

Lemon juice and salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

In a medium-sized saucepan, saute the onion in 2 tbsp of olive oil or butter.  Add the mushrooms, porcini and garlic and cook until the liquid evaporates.  Add the flour and cook stirring for 3 minutes more.  Then pour in half the wine and keep on stirring until it evaporates.  Pour in two ladlefuls of stock and the reserved porcini liquid and simmer for about 15 minutes, it should have the consistency of a thick mushroom sauce.      

In a large saucepan, saute the spring onions in the remaining butter or olive oil, add the shredded lettuce and cook for 3 minutes more.  Pour in the remaining wine and let it evaporate add the remaining stock and simmer until the vegetables are almost done and combine with the mushroom mixture.

Add the chopped fennel or dill and cook the soup for 5 minutes more.  Add a little hot water if the soup is too thick.  Bring the soup to a simmer and sprinkle with freshly ground white pepper, and serve immediately.     

  

                           LEG OF LAMB COOKED IN BAKING PARCHMENT

This is a delicious meat dish and very easy to prepare.

A 2 kg (4 lb) leg of lamb trimmed of extra fat

1 lemon, juice only

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ tbsp chopped rosemary

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

150 g (5 oz) kephaalotyri cut into small sticks

50 g (1 ¼ oz) butter

 

Place the leg of lamb on a large piece of baking parchment.  Rub it with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary to taste.  Make small slits all over the meat and fill them with garlic slices and cheese sticks.  Dot the lamb with butter and fold with the baking parchment and fold again in foil. 

 

Roast the leg of lamb in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 1 ½ hour then uncover the meat and cook for 15 minutes more until golden brown.  Serve with roast potatoes and a green salad.      

 

 

 

                                                       WALNUT CAKE

 Do prepare this delightful Greek dessert.

100 g (3.5 oz) plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

350 g (12 oz) walnuts, blitzed

6 eggs, separated

350 g (12 oz) sugar

1 vanilla

Syrup:

500 g (1 lb) sugar

600 ml (2 ½ cups) water

1 tsp cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and butter a 30 cm (12 in) round loose-bottomed cake tin.  

Blitz the walnuts to fine crumbs, and then mix them with the flour, salt, and baking powder. Crack the eggs and beat the egg yolks with 150 g (5 oz) of sugar until pale and creamy.  Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, add the remaining sugar gradually, whisking constantly.  Fold the walnut mixture into the whipped egg whites and pour the mixture into the prepared tin.  Bake for about 40 minutes until the top is brown and crisp.

 

Meanwhile, prepare the syrup by simmering the sugar, water, and cinnamon for about 10 minutes.  When the cake comes out of the oven, pierce it all over with a skewer, and pour the syrup evenly over.     

 

                                                      MOUSTALEVRIA

A fabulous grape juice jelly dessert. As grape juice is usually sweet you can prepare moustalevria without sugar.  It's your choice.

 

5 cups of fresh grape juice

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

½ tbsp mastic powder

½ tbsp grated nutmeg

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp semolina

Pinch of salt

Sugar to taste, if using 

 

1½ cup roasted almond flakes

 

Place the grape juice in a saucepan and slowly stir in the flour, then the semolina, spices, sugar, if using, and salt and bring to a simmer for ten minutes until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Then pour into a tin and allow to cool until firm.  Sprinkle with almond flakes and serve cut into portions.