Τετάρτη 27 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Spanakoryzo Avgolemono (Spinach Risotto with Egg-Lemon sauce)


This a controversial greek dish. People either love it or hate it. 

It is usually cooked in two versions, a simple spinach risotto on which we drizzle some lemon juice or with tomato juice and it’s definitely vegetarian. 

My version, however, is finished with avgolemono (egg-lemon sauce) which completely transforms it. I’d like to thank my aunt Lefki who made me change my mind about spanakoryzo with this recipe, and my son Chris, who helped me with the photos.

For 4 hungry people we’ll need:

- 1 cup olive oil
- 250 grams spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 finely diced dry onion
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped dill
- ½ cup chopped herbs, I use “kafkalithres” (Hartwort) and “mironia” (Venus’ comb)
- 200 grams rice for risotto (Arborio or Carolina)
- 2 large eggs, preferably organic
- 1 lemon
- 1 lit warm water
- salt, pepper

Put the olive oil in a large deep frying pan, add the diced onion and cook until tender. 
Add the chopped greens and stir lightly until they reduce in size and their juices are evaporated. 
Then add the rice and stir until it becomes opaque white. 
Add a glass of warm water and wait until it forms bubbles on the surface. Repeat this procedure until all the water is added. 
Season well, put a lid on the pan and turn down the heat. 
Let the rice simmer until it becomes as tender as you like. 
When we are satisfied with the texture of the rice, we check the remaining liquid in the pan. It must have the consistency of thick soup, otherwise add some more warm water. Taste the seasoning and take it off the heat. 
It’s time to make the avgolemono sauce.
Pour the sauce over the risotto and mix well with a wooden spoon. 
The risotto must have the consistency of rice pudding. 
Serve warm with some cheese.

Good apetite!

Avgolemono - Egg-Lemon sauce

This is a traditional greek sauce, very characteristic of winter recipes. It is usually added in the pot in recipes such as chicken soup but sometimes it is poured over the served food, such as in dolmades.
Basically you whisk the eggs with some salt and lemon juice and then you add some broth from the soup. Easy, isn't it? Then why do the greek cookers bear the same respect to this sauce as to mayonnaise?
Because as everything concerning raw eggs, it needs total devotion to the procedure and the temperature of the ingredients, or else... goodbye avgolemono, hello scrumbled eggs!
Rule of thumb, the raw ingredients must be at room temperature.

You'll need 2 large eggs or 3 small ones, the juice of one big lemon and a pinch of salt.

Now, the procedure.

While your food is near the end of cooking, start preparing the egg-lemon mixture.

Separate the egg whites and put them in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt and using a whisk, beat them until nice and frothy.

Add one after the other the egg yolks and the lemon juice in a steady stream while continuing to whisk.
You will notice that the mixture thickens and becomes shiny.


Supposing that your food has finished cooking by now, so turn off the heat. Ladle carefully (it's boiling hot) about 1-2 cups of broth into a jug or large measuring cup. Slowly add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture  while continuing to whisk. This will temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling once they are added to the hot pot.
If you are using avgolemono as a condiment, your sauce is ready at this stage. Otherwise, stir the egg-lemon mixture into the pot and heat over very low heat for approximately 5- 10 minutes until heated through. Be careful not to boil it again once the eggs have been added.

Some people who like their soups or sauces quite thick, prefer to add 2 tbs of corn starch into the pot before they add the sauce. But with practice comes perfection, so if you make a good avgolemono then you won't need the corn starch.

Have a nice cooking day!

Recipes with avgolemono:
- Chicken soup
- Lamb with letuce (fricasse)
- Pork stew with leeks and celery
- Yiouvarlakia (Soup with meatballs)
- Dolmades (Stuffed grape leaves with rice or mince)
- Stuffed Courgettes
- Lahanodolmathes (Stuffed cabbage leaves)
- Mayiritsa (Traditional Greek Easter soup)
- Spanakoryzo (Spinach Risotto)


Δευτέρα 25 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Zohos - Sow-thistle

Zohos or Sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)


It is a well-known weed in every field and garden in Europe and N. America. Dioscourides mentions it as an esculent and Pliny records that the hospitable Hecate regaled Theseus before his battle with the bull of Marathon with a dish of sow-thistles.
Sonchus is derived from the Greek word for hollow, and bears allusion to the hollow nature of the succulent stems.
The Latin name of the species, oleraceus, refers to the use to which this weed has been put as an esculent vegetable.

Though in many parts of the world it is considered to be the best food for rabbits, in Greece it is highly estimated in boiled salads with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
It was an excellent accompaniment to fried meat-balls we had for lunch a few days ago.
Zohos can be combined with lamb in casserole dishes (fricassé) or with other plants in pies (hortopita, kalitsounia).

What am I going to cook tomorrow?

It was my dear mum's perpetual headache:
"What am I going to cook tomorrow?".
At that time I was teasing her:
"Oh, mum, you know so many different recipes, just pick one and go on".
Much later, when I was responsible for the daily cooking in my family, I realized the depth of her dilemma. It was not just what to cook, but it should also be something that every member of my family would eat and affordable at the same time since our income  had been seriously restricted.
So I came up with the monthly plan. I take some time at the beginning of the month and I make the menues for all four or five weeks. In each space I write the particular recipe that fits the basic ingredients of that day. This way I know the quantities I need for every recipe and I I buy everything in advance, as soon as we have our monthly paycheck. Not only I keep my cupboard and fridge well-stocked (for our standards, of course) but I can also control my exspenses since I buy what I want in bulk.
Another advantage of this metod is that we avoid eating the same things every other day and that I can take into account what is seasonal in the market. For example, look on Tuesdays, they're dedicated to chicken. How many recipes are there with chicken? Hundreds! How many of those does your family actually like? Maybe four or five. There you are! You have covered four or five days in a month without much thinking. Saturdays are market days, here in our community, so I know I can find fresh fish. If I don't, homemade pizza or a quick cheese pie is a safe alternative. For this reason, I always buy plenty of flour.
You wiil also find that in this way you will reduce (or bannish, as we did) take-out food, from your diet.
Adjust the program to your family needs and then post it somewhere in your kitchen, the fridge door or a cupboard, so that everyone can see it. If you have serious arguments about a certain day, ask them to propose something different themselves. Either they'll provide you with an alternative which you'll have to respect (for once!) or they'll let it be as it is!
So, next month starts in a few days. Give it a try.
Plan ahead and save time and money!


Παρασκευή 22 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

ΣΥΝΤΑΓΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΡΔΙΑΣ: Λικέρ μπανάνα

ΣΥΝΤΑΓΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΡΔΙΑΣ: Λικέρ μπανάνα: Ένα από τα πιο εύκολα στην παρασκευή λικεράκια σας κερνάμε σήμερα! Θυμάστε το λικέρ φράουλα που το φτιάχνουμε σε 4-5 ημέρες? Με τον ίδιο...

Πέμπτη 21 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Canelloni... no resistance!

They are tasty, they are juicy, they are a staple for every family with children... of all ages.
Yet they are a bit time consuming since they require three different sauces and they leave behind them a heap of dirty pots and pans. That's why I avoid making them so often but when I do, I make the most out of them and double-up the recipe!

For a medium size baking dish and 4 people, we need:

- 500 grams dry canelloni pasta
- 1 egg
- 200 grams grated cheese (whatever you like to use with other types of pasta - I like greek pecorino)

a) the meat sauce
- 750 grams of mince/ground beef or pork
- 500 grams thick tomato juice
- 1 diced onion
- spices, 1/4 tsp of each: ground cinnamon, ground clove, nutmeg, 1 bayleaf
- 3 tbs olive oil
- salt* - peper

b) the tomato sauce
- 500 gr tomato juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dry oregano**
- 1 tsp dry basil**
- 3 tbs olive oil
- salt* - peper
(You can cheat and save time by using 1 jar of ready-made tomato sauce, just check the salt)

c) the white sauce
- 4 tbs butter (50grams)
- 4 tbs flour (50grams)
- 1 lt warm milk
- salt, pepper, ground nutmeg.
(and surely you can cheat again and use a ready-made gratin sauce but perhaps you'll need to add some extra milk to it because it must not be very thick but almost at the same consistency as the tomato sauce)

* salt, well you can adjust this to your liking because we like our food on the salty side, so I use 2 level tsp on everything I cook.

** I use dry herbs in the winter and fresh in the summer, so double the portion if you use fresh herbs. To tell you the truth, however, I find dry oregano by far better than fresh one while the opposite goes for basil.

If you are not tired so far by just reading this, then go on cooking.

Prepare the meat sauce. Put some oil in a large frying pan and sautee the onion. Add the neat and stir for 15 minutes or until the juices are evaporated. Add the tomato juice, 1 large glass of water, the spices, salt, pepper, and let it simmer for another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile in a different saucepan prepare the tomato sauce. Just put everything in it and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat, and prepare the white sauce. On medium heat melt the butter in a pan, take it off the heat and add the flour, stirring continuously with a whisker. Keep stirring and add the milk. Put the pan again on heat, add salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Keep on stirring until it thickens lightly.

By now, hopefully, you have everything ready. So it's time to stuff the pasta. Don't forget to turn on the oven at 180 C. Slightly butter a baking dish. (Mine is big enough to hold all the canelloni from the packet in one layer). In a bowl, beat the egg, add half the cheese and 3 tbs of the white sauce. Pour this mixture over the meat sauce and mix it well. Use a teaspoon to fill each canelloni and put it in the baking dish, forming rows. Pour over firstly the white sauce and on top the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the other half of the cheese and put it in the oven for about 30 minutes or until it becomes golden brown on top, as you can see in my picture.        Let it stand for 15 minutes and serve. Be sure to engage someone beforehand to wash the dishes, and enjoy!!!!!



Σάββατο 16 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Culinary Tradition of Greece


Greece is a small country. For thousands of years we have been living at the threshold of Europe and all that time we’ve had many “visitors”. Some came to stay, others just took what they needed and went through. But they all left their mark on this land, our culture and most of all our culinary tradition.

From the Minoan Crete with the big cellars laden with olive oil and wine to Homer’s Ithaca where flocks of sheep roaming the island, providing meat for sacrifices and kings or dairy products for the common people.

From Golden Age Athens where the audience of Greek dramas and comedies not only watched for hours but also ate onions, garlic and dry figs which they didn’t hesitate to throw at the actors if they didn’t like the play! The port of Piraeus was laden with goods from all over the Mediterranean and the Athenian symposiums married good food and wine along with philosophy.

With Alexander the Great, Greek cooks travelled around half the known world of that era. They taught some secrets of their trade but they learned many more from the people of Egypt, Persia and India.

It is said that when in Rome, do as the Romans do, however, the Romans did as their Greek (enslaved) teachers and cooks did. They transformed the Athenian symposiums into imperial feasts where the extravagance of the ingredients competed with the ingenuity of the presentation.

Following the Romans, the cooks of the Byzantine Empire managed to marry the western cooking tradition to the contemporary demands of Christianity, providing exquisite imperial dinners even during the long periods of Fast.

Later the Ottoman cooks adjusted the byzantine dishes to their palate, also introducing their favorite ingredients, such as rice or eggplants.

But what about the common people? They kept on cooking with the few ingredients they could grow in their garden, hunt, fish or gather around their coastal or mountainous villages. Thus the diversity of Greek cuisine, according to the raw materials of every region.

However poor the land, there never was a richest table than that of the poor folk. At the capable hands of long generations of mothers and grandmothers, some flour, a little milk or cheese, some oil,  were transformed into heavenly delicacies. A few garlic cloves, an onion, some wild herbs or vine leaves. A lemon, an egg but always a glass of wine to accompany them.

Meat was for festive days. Chicken on Sundays and special dishes with lamb or pork for Christmas or Easter, baptisms, weddings or funerals.

We celebrate life with feasts and wink to death with farewell dinners just as we did in Homer’s days. We raise our cups and drink to love, joy or sorrow. That’s the Greek way of life (“Εὑ ζῆν” = Ef zin), the good life!

Τετάρτη 6 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Fyllo leftovers=Instant cheese pies

Ok, the family wants spinach pie (spanakopita) today.

I take out my movable surface ("plastiri") and my rolling pins to make the fyllo.
The long one is called "verga" and I use it to make very thin fyllo, for Baklava. The short one "plastis" works better for pies.

I assemble the pie, but the fillo is always larger than the baking tray so I have to cut it.

However I don't throw away those small pieces. Some times I cut them in stripes, sprinkle them with coarse sea salt and sesame and bake saltted cookies.



Most of the times I knead them again and roll out a smaller fyllo.
I add some feta cheese crumbles, a little paprica and oregano.



Then I brush the edges with some water and fold it in the sape of an envelope.
I fry it for a few minutes in a little olive oil, and voila! something to eat until the big tray comes out of the oven!






Τρίτη 5 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Oups! Grams or Ounces? Who needs the scales?

I do, definitely. But sometimes I use my great-great-aunt's recipe which mentions glasses, cups, tbs, tsp and so on. And the gorgeous lemon pie recipe I saw on my favourite food blog comes in ounces and pounds while my scales measure only grams. I won't probably go out and buy a new pair of scales! Digging in my cookbooks I collected the following  useful tips:

Spoons and Cups
Litres (ml)
Ounces
Grams
1 tsp (teaspoon)

1/6
5
1 tbs (tablespoon)

½
15
6 2/3 tbs (a glass of wine)
100 ml
3 ½
100
1 cup (16 tbs)
250 ml less 2 tbs
8
227
1 cup + 1 tbs
250 ml
8 ½
250
2 cups (1 pint)
450 ml
16 (1 pound)
454
4 cups (1 quart)
900 ml
32
907
4 1/3 cups
1 lt = 1000 ml
2.2 pounds
1000 = 1 kilogram
 Cups and ml equivalents
Cups
ml
Cups
ml
¼
56
1 ¼
283
1/3
75
1 1/3
300
½
113
1 ½
340
2/3
150
1 2/3
375
¾
168
1 ¾
400
1
227
2
450


Grams and ounces
Grams
Ounces
Grams
Ounces
Grams
Ounces
25
0.87
75
2.63
100
3.5
30
1.0
80
2.8
125
4.4
50
1.75
85
3.0
150
5.25


I printed it and pinned it on my fridge for a quick reference!

Παρασκευή 1 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Marinated Kalamata Olives


Marinated olives have always been a staple in Mediterranean diet. Plenty of olive trees, natural sea salt, excellent wine vinegar and an abundance of fresh and dried herbs, all contributed to this wonderful food. Nowadays, you cand find them in almost every supermarket around the world, but in my opinion nothing compares to homemade ones.
Every region, every house perhaps has its own preferred recipe. My mom used to make delicious marinated olives, however I never got to have her recipe, since I lost her early. So this year I decided to experiment, and make my own. After a lot of inquiries around helpful aunts and neighbours, plus an extensive research on the internet, I got so confused I didn't know if I wanted to try. Finally, I got to assemble this jigsaw puzzle recipe and it worked! They turned out delicious, just as my mom used to make them, far better than those of the supermarkets. Beginner's luck? Maybe, but why not give it a try?

Ingredients
- Fresh olives, washed in clean water
- Rock sea salt
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Fresh/dried herbs, spices (optionally)
- Big plastic container
- Glass jars
- Patience!

Check every olive for spots from diseases and discard the bad ones. Wear a pair of rubber gloves (olive juice can stain your fingers for days) and use a small fork to puncture each olive in two or three spots around the skin. Dump them in a big container full of clean water. Change with clean water daily for about 15 days. Taste one olive. If it is still bitter, keep changing the water for 5 or more days. Otherwise go to phase two.
Put the olives into a big plastic container with a lid. Fill the container with enough water to cover the olives. Empty this water to a different container and weigh it. This is your liquid net weight and you must calculate the percentage of salt and vinegar according to this. That is 10% of the net weight must be your salt weight, 2/3 of the weight must be vinegar and 1/3 must be water.
For example, I used a small container for 2 kgr of olives. The liquid net weight was 1200 ml. So, I used 10% rock salt = 120 grms, 2/3 vinegar = 800 ml, and 1/3 water = 400 ml.
It's time to prepare the brine. Boil the water, add the salt, stir well and take off the heat. Add the vinegar and let it cool completely. Pour it into the container with the olives and on top add enough olive oil to form a layer of about 1cm over the surface of the brine. Put the lid on and let them marinate for about 20 days in a shady spot. Every 5 days or so, stir the olives with a wooden spoon. You can store them in the same container and remove every time only the quantity you need or you can put them in glass jars with herbs and spices (bay leaves, dill, thyme, peppercorns, lemon slices etc.). However, there must always be a thin layer of olive oil on the surface.

Good luck and Bon apetit! Kali Orexi!

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