Summer crop

Hello dear friends,

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. 

We are back home as from last night. Today we cooked spaghetti with a simple tomato sauce and grated parmezan cheese. We also had tomatoes freshly picked from our container garden. They taste different when warm, and more like tomatoes than the store bought ones.

 On our way home yesterday, we also picked some figs. Our dessert, today! 

I love figs and grapes in the summer.

I hope to tell you about our summer over some posts in September. 

My way to keep summer a bit longer... 

Be happy,

When in doubt...bake a pie

Here I am...back from our summer holidays. Here, but yet not so here.

School season already? Yes, but only in a couple of weeks. 

It is still Summer. We just hit the upper 90s. We are on water shortage mode. No running a bath or washing dishes from 9 p.m. to 7a.m.

Am I supposed to feel like it is Autumn? No, not until September at least. 

Do I need to define the seasons? Not necessarily. 

So, I made pie. With all kinds of cheese: feta, guda, edam...Home comfort in a plate.

Here, here to the

Summer- Autumn season!

Today we are cooking "gemista"

Traditional Greek cuisine is based on fresh products. Until recently, that is up to my mother's generation, housewives would not dream of buying frozen or out of season goods, first because they were not widely available, and second because even when they became available, they thought they were of inferior value.

Summer, when the weather is generally hot and the crops abound, is the right time to apply the principles of traditional cooking that is widely known as "Mediterranean". Scientific research has shown  that eating a diet based on fresh vegetables, grains, pulses and olive oil with some fish and a little dairy, offer an equally tasty but healthier alternative to the meat eating mainstream of current Western culinary habits.

There are some comprehensive cookbooks out there that may help you get started on a more varied diet. There is The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health, Mediterranean Light: Delicious Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine, and the recently published  The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook (ADA). And then there are some perenial favorites with emphasis on Greek diet, like the classic The Greek Cookbook: The Crown Classic Cookbook Series (International Cook Book Series) by Sophia Skoura, queen of the 60s and 70s, and Vefa's Kitchen by Vefa Alexiadou, last decade's Julia Child, who started a whole movement of magazines and TV shows on cooking.

Contrary to what you'll hear about how complicated or allien this kind of cooking can be, and how rare the ingredients are, Greek cooking is very straight forward, quite unlike other, mainly Eastern and Arabic traditions.

My recipe for gemista, meaning stuffed (vegetables) is even lighter, because of my sensitive stomach, and meat-free, not only because we are trying to be "green", but also because C does not like his gemista stuffed with meat. (But I am going to give you links to meat-stuffing recipes below).

Depending on the size of your household and your family's appetite, you will need some vegetables to stuff. Tomatoes are the basic ingredient, but I love peppers, too. You may also stuff zucchini, zucchini  flowers, and eggplants. In general you must count two veggies per serving. However, gemista are great, even better, my husband would say, the day after, as the ingredients have bonded and settled. So it is worth to make some extras. Plus you may eat them straight off the fridge, which makes them perfect for late night snacking as well, with a cold glass of white wine :)

You will need some ripe TOMATOES, of a  large, round variety.

these are the ones I used, rather medium size

Some GREEN PEPPERS will be yummy, too

As with the tomatoes, you will need to cut the top part so as to create a lid. It's best not to remove completely the lid, but it's going to be ok even if you do

You will need to empty the peppers of their seed cluster

As a rule, don't go for perfect, shiny vegetables. They are probably genetically manipulated and loaded with persticides. Go for normal, and hopefully nice smelling ones.

Apart from the veggies, you will need

RICE

I am afraid I cannot help you with the name of the variety I use, but it is long grain, and if you click on the photo you can see it clearly enough and check your food counter to compare!

This is the brand I used, supermarket's own brand.

ONION

chop as finely as you can, especially for younger ones who don't like coarse stuff in their food. My electric food processor broke down some time ago, so I do the chopping by hand, but I really enjoy it!

 ( plus some fresh onion, in Spring or early Summer, to add some zest)

GARLIC, the king of Greek cooking, excellent for lowering blood pressure and taking care of your heart

PARSLEY

I grow parsley in a pot on my balcony. It goes with everything and is easy to keep. The more you cut, the more it grows. It really makes you feel self-sufficient foodwise, in its own little way!

And my secret ingredient: either some FETA or KEFALOTYRI cheese used at the bottom of your vegetables. Cut it in small cubes, if using feta, or you may use it grated.

Avoid salt and add a distinct Greek flavour by adding some goat's cheese,  like kefalotyri (which also comes ready grated) and lasts long.

Prepare the vegetables:

Wash your vegetables. If using eggplants, you'll need to rub them with salt and put them in cold water first, until you are ready to stuff them; they thus lose their bitter taste.
Slice the tops of the tomatoes and peppers. Cut a small piece off the tops of the courgettes. It's good to leave a small piece attached to the base of the tomato to act as a hinge for the tomato top. This helps to keep the tops matched to the bottoms. In a large bowl, scoop empty the tomatoes of their juice and seed. Be careful not to pierce through the skin of the tomatoes  Add the rice to soften, approx. one 500gram. packet per dozen of large tomatoes. Sprinkle a few grains of sugar in each tomato cavity to help reduce the acidity.

In the tomato and rice mixture, add two finely chopped onions and at least two cloves of garliψ, parsley, a little pepper. Save the extra tomato juice; we shall be using it later.

Gather the vegetables in a deep baking pan, close together to keep them upright.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put a slice of cheese at the bottom of each begetable and stuff them about 3/4 full. Pour a teaspoon of olive oil inside each stuffed vegetable. Put back the caps and sprinkle the tops with some bread or rusk crumbs (I use rusk, to absorb extra juice and oil and create a crusty top). Add he remaining pulp puree (some add here potatoes cut in squares; I like adding any remaining rice) in the bottom of the pan and season the vegetables with salt and pepper, if desired.

Bake for about an hour or until the vegetables have become tender and cooked through. For best results you can lower the heat to 275 and let the vegetables slow roast for a few hours.

The flavors develop as the vegetables sit so they can be enjoyed even more as leftovers the next day, here served with a slice of mousaka (recipe coming next week!)

Read an article on Vefa Alexiadou here  and visit this website by the one and only Elias Mamalakis. You may find a good recipe for tomatoes stuffed with minced meat here and a meatless alternative here.
Enjoy your meal!

Menu Plan Monday-Fasting weeks

As we approach the end of the Great Lent, I thought I'd give you an idea on what we eat during these days of fasting, which is roughly what we shall be eating in the next couple of weeks until Easter. There were days when we followed the Church's guidelines, and others when we did have cheese. So far we managed to keep off meat and fish.


*Breakfast:
Cereals, mostly oats and brans with soy milk.


*Snacks: 
Fruit, apples, bananas, freshly squeezed orange juice. Pasteli (this is our family favorite).

When in need of something more substantial, bread with money and tahini.


*Main course:

Spinach and rice with onion and either tomato sauce or served with lemon.

Spinach pie. That one was ready made and frozen.
Rice and pasta are always welcome, and there is so much to do with different sauces.

With mushrooms, garlic and parsley.

With peppers and garlic.


*Salad:

Cherry tomatoes. The kids love them and they are easy to wash and toss in a plate.

Mixed steamed greens. Served with olive oil and lemon juice, or with an olive oil and mustard sauce.

Horta are very much part od a traditional Greek diet. When i was a kid they were my favorite food. So easy to digest. In our Western societies we usually avoid bitter and thse leafy greens can be bitter, so that is an element worth considering. There is a recipe here and a very nice discription of their nutritional value here. 

Their juice, served with olive oil and lemon, makes adelicious entree.


Dinner:
As the weather is still cold, a soup is always welcoming.

This is small pasta with a sauce of onion and tomato, served with olives. Dairy-free.
And these are cheese filled tortellini.

And cheese and olive topped bread.

This is a trahana mix with dried vegetables.

And then there is ready made when we run late.

Dessert:
Spoon sweets are low in fat, and dairy-free.

This is quince, made by a customer and offered to us. (Thank you!)
As the green saying goes: There is plenty to eat without choosing meat! Don't you think it is worth the try?

With Thanks to Organizing Junkie for hosting!

"Live" Greek Christmas patisserie

As promised yesterday I am posting below a clip from one of our favorite TV shows. These clips show how to make a traditional Greek sweet for Christmas, melomakarona.
The directions are very straight forward and better shown live, so I am only posting here the ingredients.

Click here to view.

For the dough

 400 gr. orange juice

 530 gr. olive oil (you may partly substitute with sun flower oil)

 1200 gr all purpose flour

 30 gr. confestionner's sugar

 ½ teaspoon cooking soda

 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

 1/6 teaspoon  clove

 50 gr sheep's butter, melted. γρ.

For the Syrup:
 500 gr water

 700 gr. sugar

 1 orange cut in half

 2 cinnamon sticks

 100 gr honey

To decorate

walnuts (or if you are allergic to walnuts, almonds, thinly cut)

 honey

 For the filling

 200 gr dried fruit (figs, apricots, sultanas)
~100 gr. honey

~220 gr. seasami seeds
~1 lemon peel grated

I may even be tempted to make some myself...

P.S. there are plenty more recipes in the sidebar. If you are interested in making another one, let me know in the comments and I shall publish the English translation here. Emjoy!

New recipes I'm trying

Found and shared today: One to be cooked this week, one to wait until the weekend.

A.Tomato and leek Risotto

Our little J loves a similar soup with small pasta. I, however, am a rice addict so discovering this recipe was a pleasant surprise. It's not exactly a soup, but it sounds tasty, and as it is meat and dairy free (I shall replace the chicken stock with organic vegetable one), it is perfect for a little Lenten experimentation.

(Credit: Souvlaki for the Soul)

Ingredients

a good amount of olive oil to coat your pan or pot plus a small knob of butter

1 leek, washed and thinly sliced (green stalky ends discarded)
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 large grated carrot
500 grams of cooked tomato sauce or 2 cans of pureed tomatoes
2 cups of chicken stock
1 and 1/2 cups of basmati rice
1 teaspoon of ground chilies
1 teaspoon of smoky paprika
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
a handful of finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Method


Saute the leeks, garlic and carrot in some olive oil and butter until they become translucent.
Add the tomatoes and cover allowing it to cook for about 15 mins or until the sauce begins to thicken.
Add the remaining ingredients except the rice and bring to a boil.
Add the rice, stir thoroughly and reduce the heat.
Cover the pot and let it simmer on a low heat for 15 mins until the rice is just tender BUT the liquid has NOT all been absorbed.
Remove from the heat and place a kitchen towel between the lid and the pot and let it rest until the rice has swollen. The residual heat will allow this to cook a little further.
Serve at room temperature with an optional dollop of Greek yogurt (if you prefer). Kids love the rice and yoghurt combo, C's idea.


B. Doughnuts

There is a little story about these daughnuts. When we were living in Athens and F was a little over 1, I discovered ready-made, jam filled daughnuts at a huge super market (huge by Greek standards, and taking into account that large German chains had not shown up yet) a few miles away from our home-and the in-laws. Our finances were very tight as I was not working and I was expecting D. However, once a month, C would drive us to this super market (french chain Carrefour) to get the following necessary amenities:
Raspberry jam filled daughnuts
Two bunches of flowers (unheard of and still not to be found in our city)
International press (thankfully I now subscribe and there are two spots of international press in this city)
I tell you, that was bliss. The closest to a civilised bath in the desert.
When we got back home, I'd put the flowers in glasses, and in our room ( show not the world the extravagance), we'd share the daughnuts (there were four in the packet), and I'd get to read my newspaper or magazine.
I am sure I have somewhere a photo of F with confectioner's sugar all around her mouth!

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried yeast
1/4 cup (50 ml) lukewarm milk or water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sour cream or vegetable oil
A pinch of salt
2 or 3 drops of vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups (250 g) flour, plus a little more if necessary
Oil for deep-frying
Apricot, red-currant, or raspberry jam
Confectioners' sugar to sprinkle on

Method

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk or water with 1 teaspoon of sugar and leave for 10 minutes, until it froths. Beat the rest of the sugar with the egg and the yolk. Add the sour cream or oil, the salt, vanilla, and yeast mixture, and beat very well. Fold in the flour gradually, and continue beating until you have a soft, smooth, and elastic dough, adding more flour if necessary. Then knead for 5 minutes, sprinkling with a little flour if it is too sticky. Coat the dough with oil by pouring a drop in the bowl and turning the dough in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

Knead the dough again for a few minutes, then roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4-inch (1/2-cm) thickness. With a pastry cutter, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) rounds. Make a ball out of the scraps so as not to waste them, roll out, and cut into rounds. Put a teaspoon of jam in the center of a round of dough, brush the rim with a little water to make it sticky, and cover with another round. Press the edges together to seal. Continue with the rest of the rounds and arrange them on a floured tray. Leave them to rise for about 30 minutes.

Heat 1-1/2 inches of oil in a saucepan to medium hot. Drop in the doughnuts, a few at a time. Fry in medium-hot oil for 3-4 minutes with the lid on until brown, then turn and fry the other side for 1 minute more. Drain on paper towels. Serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. They are at their best when still warm and fresh.

VARIATION

An easier way is to fry a thicker round of dough--about 1/2 inch (1 1/4 cm) thick--and when it is cool enough to handle, cut a slit with a pointed, serrated knife and put in a teaspoonful of jam
 
(With thanks to Liberty Post)

Enjoy!

Delicious Bo(u)gatsa

This morning as C left for Thessaloniki with the van, I was left alone in the yet cold shop. Ah, to warm up my cold fingers and empty stomach. God and DH saw to it. I was offered a warm, creamy bogatsa and a cup of hot chocolate. With what to warm myself till C comes back tonight. And I get to walk the kids home in the afternoon, to a late plate of warm cheese spaghetti...

I made a search on the net to find you a recipe that most resembles this blessed food. My mom used to snob it as a low class kind of food. It may be. But I have grown into finding pleasure in both the simple and the elaborate. And I love it. Especially in the morning.

It is actually a rather old kind of food. Its origins go as deep as the Middle Ages, when it was reportedly made in Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman-Byzantine Empire.

(Traditional woman's dress, Florina, Macedonia, Greece. From the collection of the Lyceum Club of Greek Women)

It is also interesting that there is a Greek traditional dance by the same name (Bougatsas) or "Arravoniasmata" (Betrothal).
The first dance of the wedding dinner is led by the best man, followed by the groom and bride, any engaged couples and young people. This dance is named after the bougatsa, not quite like the one we are talking about here, but a type of bread, circular in shape, which was made the days preceding the wedding ceremony. The bougatsa is carried by the best man as he leads the dance. When the dance is over, it is passed on to the bride and groom, who pull at it in a fashion similar to a wishbone. The person who ends up with the larger piece of the bread is said to have the upper hand in the new household. Everyone present at the wedding ceremony is encouraged to partake in the eating of the bougatsa so that the bride will always be satiated or full. Interesting, don't you think?

The most famous bogatsa today is made in Thessaloniki. They make it with either cream filling and meat filling. I like both. We had a late night dinner of bogatsa when we came back from our Christmas holiday in Vienna in 2007. Unforgettable under the Christmas lights.

 Serrai, another Northern city claims the laurel wreath of the perfectly heartwarming sweet treat.

I have found two recipes to share. One is from the Guild of Bogatsa makers in Serrai.

The other one from Aussie Not Quite Nigella where the picture comes from.

However, if you are not that much into making your own phyllo pastry, try this recipe which calls for store-bought phyllo.

Bougatsa with ready made phyllo


Prep Time: 1 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 1/4 cups of whole milk

sliced peel of 1 lemon

1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar

3/4 cup of semolina

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

12 sheets of commercial phyllo dough

6 ounces of butter, melted

-----------

For the topping:

confectioner's sugar

ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Warm the milk and lemon peel in a saucepan. Stir in semolina with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thoroughly blended and thickened. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light and add to the pan, stirring over medium-low heat until it reaches a creamy custard consistency. Remove from heat, take out and discard lemon peel, and allow to cool completely. Stir occasionally to keep the custard from forming a skin on top.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Lightly brush a baking pan (13 X 9 X 2 or equivalent) with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with 8 sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet well with the melted butter. Add the custard filling. Fold the excess phyllo that overlaps the pan in over the custard. Top with the remaining phyllo, brushing each with butter. Use a scissors to trim the top sheets to the size of the pan. Spray the top lightly with water and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon while hot, and serve warm.

Kali Orexi!