A SEVERE TERRITORIAL INCIDENT

On Thursday, the 1st March 2018, A Greek patrol, comprised of two military men, were captured and imprisoned by a  seven-member Turkish patrol, for accidentally entering into their territory.

This is an unprecedented incident, where a member of NATO captures and imprisons an officer and a soldier of a fellow member state.  The  Greek government complained to the European Union and NATO for this very offensive and serious occurrence.

Greek public opinion is alarmed and very angry by the recurring Turkish attacks against our country.    Nevertheless, we should be unanimous, composed and tolerant, during this extremely dangerous period.





Here are a few recipes for typical Greek dishes.

                                                     MELITZANOSALATA

Greek Aubergine Salad

This is an aubergine salad which does not have the consistency of a mayonnaise and is delicious and comforting.

1 ½ kg (3 lb) aubergines

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

1 garlic cloves. peeled and minced

1 large tomato, peeled, deseeded and finely cubed

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup chopped parsley leaves only

Prick the aubergines and bake them, in an oven preheated to 180  C (350 F), until soft and charred.

Peel the aubergines, while still hot, chop the flesh into tiny pieces and place in a bowl.  Add all the other ingredients and fold in remaining ingredients.  Taste and season with more salt, pepper and vinegar, if needed.

Serve in a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with Kalamata olives and extra parsley.

                                                 PICKLED CUTTLEFISH

Ready to Cook

It is certainly not a pickle, as it only lasts for three days in the fridge, but it's a very tasty appetiser.
Squid needs to be cooked for 2-3 minutes only to prevent a rubbery texture.  Nevertheless, if simmered gently in a soup it needs about an hour to become tender.


1 1/4 kg (2 1/2 lb) cuttlefish, heads removed from the body, including the ink sac, and reserved for another dish. The body sacks thoroughly washed and sliced into rings

1 litre (4 cups) water
250 ml (1 cup) good quality vinegar
Virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Boil the cuttlefish in water until half has been absorbed or evaporated.   Then add the vinegar and simmer very gently until there is almost no cooking liquid left.

Place the cooked cuttlefish into a bowl and drizzle lavishly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serve with a potato or rice salad and a mild green salad.

                                                     MOUSSAKA

                                    
           

Moussaka is one of Greece’s national dishes.   The traditional dish is made only with aubergines, but alternatively, it can be prepared with potatoes and courgettes or a mixture of all three vegetables.  

1½ kg (3 lb) aubergines in 1 cm (½ inch) slices

Olive oil for brushing over the vegetables before baking

Ground Meat Sauce:

750 g (1½ lb) ground beef or veal
2 tbsp butter or olive oil

1 onion, peeled and grated

1 carrot, peeled and grated
4 rashes, bacon, fat removed and finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Nutmeg to taste

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

2 large ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded and grated, skins discarded

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped


Béchamel sauce

175 g (6 oz) butter (reserve 1 tbsp for baking)

100 g (1 cup) flour

1 bay leaf

1.5 litres (6 cups) hot milk

125g (4 oz) kephalotyri or Parmesan, grated

4 eggs separated, whites whipped into soft peaks with a pinch of salt

Salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste

2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs for baking

Sauté the ground meat in butter or olive oil until transparent and add the grated onion, carrot and bacon, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes crumbly.  Season with pepper and nutmeg, pour in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, sprinkle with sugar and parsley, cover the pan and cook for about 30 minutes, over low heat, until all the liquid is absorbed. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

In the meantime, wash the aubergines and pat them dry.  Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and bake for 10-12 minutes until soft and golden brown.

Prepare the béchamel sauce.  Melt the butter, add the bay leaf and the flour and cook for 5-6 minutes stirring constantly.  Add the hot milk gradually, stirring each time, until the sauce boils and thickens. Remove from the heat, and discard the bay leaf.   Stir in the cheese and set the sauce aside to cool.  Add the beaten egg yolks and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites.

In a large baking dish, arrange 2 alternate layers of eggplant slices covered with meat sauce and sprinkled with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Pour over the béchamel sauce, sprinkle with bread crumbs, the remaining cheese, and dot with butter. 

Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for about 1 hour or until golden brown.  Cool slightly and cut into portions.

                                                          PASTITSIO

                                                                     

 Pastitsio, baked macaroni with minced meat, is a popular Greek dish and a great meal to feed a large, hungry family.

The recipe given below is not the traditional way of making Pastitsio, but my family like it.  You can, of course, prepare it by placing two layers of macaroni, with the minced meat sauce or the mushroom sauce in between.  You could, also, use summer vegetables for preparing this dish.

500 g (1 lb) thick macaroni

60 g (2 oz) grated kephalotyri, or San Mihalis or Parmesan 

2 tbsp hot, melted butter

Minced Meat Sauce:

1 kg (2 lb) minced beef

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely grated

4 rashers of lean bacon, fat discarded, cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

80 ml (1/3 cup) brandy,

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

3 ripe tomatoes, halved, deseeded and grated, skins discarded

1 tsp sugar or more

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup parsley chopped, optional

Or

Mushroom Sauce:

500 g (1 lb) white mushrooms, trimmed, patted dry and finely chopped

1 dried porcini mushroom, soaked and finely chopped, soaking water sieved and reserved

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

A large onion, peeled and grated

4 rashers of bacon, fat discarded, finely cubed

90 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) brandy

250 ml (1 cup) or more chicken or vegetable stock

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper, optional

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped parsley

Béchamel Sauce:

150 g (5 oz) butter

150 (1cup) cornflour

1 bay leaf

1¼ litre (5 cups) or more hot milk

Nutmeg

100 g (3 oz plus 2 tbsp) grated kephalotyri, San Mihalis, Parmesan or a mixture

4 eggs separated, yolks mixed together, whites whipped into soft peaks with a pinch of salt

1 tbsp butter and dried breadcrumbs for the baking dish and

2 tbsp grated cheese
A small amount of butter, cubed 

First, prepare the ground meat sauce.  Sauté the onion, carrot and bacon in olive oil until the onion is transparent.  Add the ground meat and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring until well browned.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and Cayenne.  Pour in the brandy and stir for a moment or two.   Pour in the wine and cook for 5 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.  Then add the grated tomatoes, sugar and enough hot water to barely cover.  Simmer until the meat is cooked and almost dry, about 30 minutes.   Taste and add salt, pepper and sugar, if necessary, sprinkle with parsley, if using, and set aside.

Or

First, sauté the mushrooms and the garlic over high heat, stirring constantly, until slightly brown and dry.  Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Lower the heat and add the grated onion and chopped bacon and cook stirring for 5-6 minutes more.  Return the mushrooms to the saucepan and stir and simmer for two minutes more.  Then pour in the brandy and cook stirring until the alcohol evaporates. Add the stock and the reserved porcini water and sprinkle with Cayenne pepper and a little salt, if necessary.  Stir and simmer very gently until the sauce thickens.  

 Prepare the béchamel sauce.  Melt butter, add the bay leaf and cornflour and cook for 5-6 minutes stirring constantly.  Add the hot milk and stir for 10-12 minutes until the sauce bubbles and thickens.   Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.  Stir in the cheese, cool a little and then add the beaten egg yolks and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Finally,  gently, fold in the whipped egg whites.

Cook the macaroni in boiling, salted water until “al dente”.  Drain and return to the saucepan, sprinkle with grated cheese, pour the hot butter over and swirl.   Add the ground meat or mushroom sauce, and about 2-3 cups of béchamel sauce and mix gently but thoroughly together.

Butter a baking dish and sprinkle with dried breadcrumbs.   Add the macaroni mixture and level the surface.   Cover with the remaining béchamel sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese, dot with butter and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for about 50 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown.   Cool slightly, cut into portions and serve with a large green salad.

                                                    SOUTZOUKAKIA

Prepared With Love 

This was one of Aleco's favourite dishes.

500 g (1 lb) minced beef or veal
2 thick slices of stale bread,  crusts removed, soaked in dry white wine and squeezed dry
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of crushed and  sieved cumin seeds


Water
2 tbsp butter
125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine

Sauce:
750 ml (3 cups) fresh tomato juice
250  ml (1 cup) unsalted meat stock
Salt  and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tiny pinch of cumin powder
1 bay leaf or
5 small basil  leaves (use at the end of the cooking period to prevent the herb from losing its aroma)


In a bowl, mix the minced meat with the soaked bread, minced garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper and the crushed cumin until very well combined.

With wet hands, form sausage-shaped oblongs, 5 cm (2 inches) long and place them in a dish.   Boil about 3 cups of water in a large, deep frying pan, stir in the butter and add the soutzoukakia,  one at a time, and turn around to cook on all sides.   When the water has evaporated and the meat has started to sizzle in the butter, pour in the wine and swirl the frying pan once or twice, for 2-3 minutes, before turning off the heat.

Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the sauce together and bring to the boil.   Pour this mixture over the soutzoukakia and simmer gently for 12-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  Taste the sauce and season, with more salt pepper and sugar if necessary. discard the herbs.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and a rocket salad.

                                                     LEMON MOUSSE

Lemon Mousse Garnished With Lemon Zest

This is a lovely light dessert.

250 g (½ lb) double cream, whipped stiff with

1 tbsp icing sugar or more if necessary and

A tiny pinch of salt

200 g (1 tub) thick Greek yogurt

One 395 g (13 3/5 oz) tin sweet, condensed milk

150-200 ml (5–7 fl. oz) lemon juice

The grated rind of 1 lemon

Extra grated lemon rind for garnish

Beat the yogurt to make it creamy. Also, whip the condensed milk with the lemon juice and the grated rind until it combines and resembles a glossy cream.   Add the yogurt and mix until well combined.

Finally, fold in the whipped cream.   Place in small glasses and serve sprinkled with grated lemon rind.