HOT AND COLD

Boiled or fried potatoes? Don’t hurry to answer. French fries are without second thoughts much more delicious… there is no reason to compare them, but what about all these fats and calories? (I am not sure if it is allowed to speak about calories and health issues in a food blog.) On the other hand   those who live a healthier lifestyle will defend boiled potatoes. This meal tastes like French fries but without so many calories since boiled potatoes don't need so much oil for frying.

Try to serve it with this quick sauce! 

Ingredients

For potatoes

Some small-medium potatoes (about 1 kg.)

1 tbsp. mustard

Salt

Oil for frying

A pinch of pepper

A pinch of oregano

1 tsp. mild paprika

For sauce

1 strained Greek yogurt (250 gr.)

2 tbsps. mustard

1 tbsp. olive oil

A pinch of pepper

A pinch of salt   

Steps

Peel potatoes and then boiled them in slightly salted water till you can easy poke into but they are still firm. Drain the water. When they are cold enough cut it in large chunks. Heat a frying pan and pour some tablespoons oil as to cover the bottom of the pan. When it heats quite add the potatoes. After a couple of minutes mix the oregano, the mustard and the paprika, season with salt and pepper and stir occasionally. Cook till they are all golden and crispy.

For the sauce just mix all the ingredients together thoroughly till your sauce seems homogeneous.

Hope you enjoy it!

DRUNK AND COLORFUL CHICKEN

It is said that the more colors has your food, the more nutritious it is. Of course I am talking about the color that comes natural… I am not sure if it is true but it makes sense to me… Furthermore the colors attract the eye and make our dish more stylish…but enough with the appearance of this recipe, let’s focus on the taste.  The chicken is combined perfectly with the vegetables and the sauce makes the recipe great leaving a slightly spicy taste in your mouth. 

Serve it warm with steamed rice and a glass of white wine.  

Ingredients

4 servings 

4 fillets of chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces

1 yellow bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 peeled carrots 

1 cup Portobello mushrooms

½ cup Greek olive oil

4 tsp. mustard

½ cup white wine

2 spring onions

½ cup cherry tomatoes

Juice of one lemon

A pinch of salt

Pepper

A pinch of oregano

Steps

Heat oil in wok on medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until golden.  Chop the peppers, the carrots and the onions; add them and stir-fry 2-3 minutes more; add the cherry tomatoes and the Portobello mushrooms.  Add oregano, salt, pepper and stir all of the ingredients together.  In a bowl mix the mustard, the wine and the lemon juice and stir well. Pour the mix in the wok and fry until the sauce thickens. 

BEFORE PIES GREW UP

In Greece there are so many (maybe hundreds) recipes for little cheese pies that is so hard for me to pick my favorite. At the same time it's always so easy to find a reason for you to bake some! This time the occasion was a weekend at a camping in Halkidiki. So apart from the necessary preparation of special equipment such as tents, mattresses, mosquito sprays and sunscreens, it was necessary to prepare some delicacies for breakfast outside the tent or for some evenings after some beers when you want desperately something to snack. The little cheese pies (or in Greek tyropitakia) are so tasty and can be kept several days without refrigeration, are made quickly and everyone liked them ...seemed really good idea to me. Even if it was difficult as I told you to pick one recipe, I decided this time to do the following that was in an old recipe notebook that I keep. (However I intend to post other recipes of tyropitakia in the future.)

Ingredients

For pastry  

500 gr self-raising flour

1 egg 

A pinch of salt 

3 tsp. olive oil

1 cup of water (or maybe less)

For filling

250 gr feta cheese

250 anthotyro or cottage

2 eggs

A pinch of salt 

A pinch of pepper

Beat the egg in a big bowl. Then add the flour, the salt, the oil while continue beating. Pour half cup of water in until well combined. Continue pouring the rest of water until the dough is soft but no longer sticks to your hand. (Unfortunately I cannot give you exact proportion of water because it depends from the flour that you will use.) Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.  Preheat your oven at 220 C.

In the meanwhile prepare the filling. First beat the eggs for a while and then add the rest ingredients of the filling and stir them well. 

You can use a rolling pin to make little cheese pies (as we do in Greece) but in case you don't have one don't worry! :) Take a small bit of pastry and make a small and thin cycle (try not to make them too big as they will get bigger while baking). Take an empty glass of water and use it to make all the circles that you made same. With other words, press the glass backwards on the pastry so as to cut the dough.

Put some filling in each pie using a spoon press with a fork around the edges to avoid opening while baking. Fold over and place on a baking tray without touching each other that you have already sprinkle it with some oil.  Brush the tops with a beaten yolk and put the temperature of the oven about 20 degrees down and bake until golden!

READY!!!

I have to confess something...The truth is that when I baked them, their smell made ​​them irresistible, as a result I took only a few pieces with me at camping... Please keep it a secret!!!

THE KING OF THE SUMMER

Have you ever thought which fruit would win if there were elections for the king of the summer? Definitely, it is a bit paradoxical to combine the word "kings" with "elections" at the same sentence ... But it doesn't matter. The answer for me is easy. Watermelon.  Today I will give you a recipe for watermelon sorbet which is very tasty and cool especially when the temperature reaches up to 40 degrees Celsius. Plus it is lighter than ice cream. I highly recommend it for the hot summer days that are still ongoing in Greece!

Ingredients

• 2 cups watermelon pulp
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 gelatin sheets soaked in cold water
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Steps

1. Boil the sugar and the water for 5 minutes.
2. Add the two gelatin sheets and the lime juice in the pulp, beat the mixture in blender for 2-3 minutes.
3. Place the mixture in the refrigerator.
4. After two hour beat again the mixture and refreeze.
5. Enjoy!

Tips

• To prepare watermelon pulp remove the seeds from the watermelon, cut into small pieces and beat them in blender. Pour the mixture into a strainer to remove the seeds which are not removed before manually.
• You can use this sorbet to make an awesome summer cocktail! In a tall chimney glass, fill with watermelon sorbet, add rum and lime juice, stir well. Garnish with mint and lime and serve!

STEAK IT

This recipe is a simple way to grill juicy steaks using (once again) tomatoes! The truth is that when I experiment with steaks in the kitchen I don’t always manage to grill juicy steaks, so when I want to be sure for the result I just follow this recipe. Serve it with French fries or boiled-fried potatoes and a Greek salad!  Mmmm! I think I am hungry!

Ingredients

2 kgs. ripe tomatoes

4 Steaks

2 tbsps. olive oil

A pinch of salt

A pinch of pepper

2 sprigs of rosemary

A pinch of oregano

4 servings

Steps

Wash the tomatoes and slice them. Salt them slightly and place a layer of tomatoes on the bottom of an oven dish. Salt and pepper the steaks, add the oregano (be aware not to overdo with oregano because too much oregano will bitter your dish). Top with a layer of tomatoes slices. Sprinkle the oil (you don’t have to add water as tomatoes will drain from their waters while grilling).  Add the two sprigs of rosemary and bake in a 200-degree Celsius oven for one hour and a half. Βake for about one hour and a half. Garnish the steaks with some grilled slices of tomatoes.     

Voila!!!Juicy and delicious steaks!

FROM TREE TO TABLE

In Greece the weather favors the growing of many fruit trees that's why almost very household make jams. This time I will write you an apricot jam recipe, which is a perfect choice for an energizing and delicious breakfast. I add a secret ingredient that in Greece is called amparoriza and it is widely used at many recipes that use as main ingredient the fruits. I think its scientific name is Pelargonium roseum and if you dare to try it, it will scent your jam uniquely.

Ingredients

1 kg. diced apricots

700gr. sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

Some leaves of Pelargonium roseum ( amparoriza)

Steps

First of all, pick apricots that are without spots and bruises but are ripe enough. (I have a passion for organic fruits; their smell and flavor outweigh the difference in price.)  Divide the appricots and take out their kernels. In order to sterilize the canning jars and the lids, wash them with hot water and soap, then boil them in a pot for about a quarter. Place one third of the apricots in a large bowl and sprinkle with one third of sugar. Repeat twice. wait 5 hours until sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture in a pot and boil on high heat for about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime stir occasionally. Add the lemon juice and the leaves of amparoriza. The jam will be ready when most of the water has evaporated. Keep in mind that the density of the jam seems only when it cools down. If you aren’t satisfied with the result you can add some water and boil it again on low heat for a while to dilute the excess water of your jam, however in case you boil it too much, the jam will darken and lose its deep orange color. Remove the leaves.

Wait to cold down a little bit (as to avoid cracking the jars), pour the mixture in jars overfilling them and press the surface softly with a spoon (to expel the air). Turn them upside down to seal. 

You don’t have to put them in fridge until you open them.

Perfect!

BACK TO SCHOOL AND VILLAGE

When I was child, I considered myself to be terribly unlucky to come from Greece, famous for its beaches and islands but born and lived my childhood so far from the sea. This may be surprise for many people since it is widely believed that Greece is only islands and Athens. Over the years I have appreciated more my village. Nowdays, when I have enough time, I visit my little village which has only some  dozen residents where I enjoy the beautiful forest its serenity, the sounds of birds and the smell of the earth. The calmness that it provides is priceless. On my return to city I always carry with me a lot of local products such as fruits, vegetables, greek yogurt, pies, eggs, cheese and goat milk.  The last time I went to my village I returned with 4 storage boxes full of very juicy and sweet plums. After I gave some to my friends, I decided to make a jam and a plum cake with nuts and chocolate. Plum cake is energizing and delicious and ideal for snack or breakfast for the children  (since schools have opened again!) Give it a try and you won't regret it!!

Ingredients

For cake

1 ½ cup green plums chopped at small pieces
1 cup mixture of nuts
1 tablespoon of baking soda
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup vegetable butter
½ cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 cup hot water
A pinch of salt
A pinch of cinammon

For chocolate icing

225 gr. bitter chocolate¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brandy (optionally)


Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter a regular cake pan. Chop the mixture of nuts in a food processor. Put the chopped plums in hot water and wait till the temperature of water gets room temperature. Strain the plums for a while. Dissolve the baking soda in lemon juice. Beat the eggs slightly. Pour the sugar, the flour, the cinnamon and the pinch of salt in a bowl and combine them together till mixed well. Add dissolved soda to the mixture. Add the mixture of nuts and process using a mixer. Add butter, plums and milk and process some minutes more. 

Spread the mixture in the cake pan and bake for 50 minutes or test it using a toothpick. (Poke the toothpick in the middle of the cake and if they toothpick is dry it means that it is ready.) 

Melt chocolate in a bain-marie at low heat. Add butter, cream and brandy and mix well using a wooden spatula till your mixture becomes smooth. When cake and chocolate icing cool, spread chocolate icing over cake.

BACK IN TIME

In an effort to clean my house, a photo caught my attention. It was an image of a little girl who laughs and holds an ice cream. I have changed so much since then. The photo was taken at my fifth birthday party!  My mom used to make little ice creams (that look like sandwiches) that everybody loved. The scent of vanilla drove me crazy. We never sat down to eat them,we just ran around holding an ice cream; the melted ice cream dripped onto our clothes and the carpets of the house made my mom mad.... Nonetheless she always cooked them again every time I asked her (with my help of course). In nostalgic mood I called her to give me the recipe which I post. I would like to mention that although I usually change the recipes she tells me, this time I followed it step by step. The process was really easy and I didn’t have to use an ice cream maker. It was so yummy! I have to admit that a little friend of mine was much more excited than I was... I guess this recipe was written for children... there is no other explanation I can give!

Ingredients

Some biscuits with rectangular shape

400gr sweetened condensed milk

400gr evaporated full fat milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

Steps

Chill the heavy cream in the fridge for about one hour before use and the evaporated milk in the freezer for about half an hour. In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream, the vanilla extract and the sugar with mixer for about 10 minutes. Pour in the bowl the sweetened milk and beat with the mixer on high speed for 5 minutes more. Remove the evaporated milk from the freezer and add to the bowl, beat with the mixer on high speed for 10 minutes. Pour this mixture into a metal bowl; place it to the freezer for about half an hour. Take the bowl out of the freezer and beat the ice cream until it’s creamy once again. Repeat the previous step twice. Do this again so that you have beaten the mixture a total of 3 times while freezing in meantime. Put the ice cream back into the freezer until it’s quite soft but not too hard to handle. Take one biscuit and spoon ice cream over top of the biscuit, use the back of a spoon to press evenly. Place over the ice cream another biscuit and refreeze until set.

Tips

• To succeed without ice cream to harden and without making crystals, it is very important to beat the cream very well.
• In case you want to avoid all this process of beating and freezing so many times you can use an ice cream maker. 

NAVY TREND IN GASTRONOMY

Is navy style in fashion? I am not sure.... (Yes, I admit it, I don't have idea about  fashion), but even navy isn't in fashion, it looks pretty smart at table, doesn't it? I decorated the table like this yesterday when I was in marine mood. As for the meal, I cook it often, there are many reasons why. The recipe is really easy and tasteful. Sardines are healthy due to Omega-3 and cheap this season at Greece. So take a look below and don't hesitate to cook it!

Ingredients

(4 servings)

1kg sardines

500gr potatoes

8 tsp olive oil

50 gr parsley

50 gr crumbs rusks

2 pinches of salt

4 tsp white flour

1 lemon (only the juice)

1 tsp mustard

1/2 cup of water

Steps

First of all, clean the sardines (I hate this step - it is too boring...), then sprinkle them with salt and put them in refrigerator. Put the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Take a roasting tray and rub it with the half of the olive oil, then sprinkle it with the half of the crumbs rusks. Peel potatoes, cut them into slices and place them on board avoiding the overlapping. Sprinkle over a pinch of salt and the mustard after pouring the water in the tray. Roast them for about 40 minutes. Then lay the sardines on the top of potatoes so that they meet but not overlap. Sprinkle with flour. Finely chop the parsley and place them up to sardines. Sprinkle them with the juice of the lemon and the rest of the olive oil as not to see the flour. Roast for about 20 minutes and it is ready! 

WHEN CHINA MET ANCIENT GREECE

It wasn’t a love at first sight thing…but they live happily together ever after. This is the story of a classic Chinese fried rice recipe and saffron (Crocus Kozanis).

First of all, let me introduce you Saffron (Crocus Kozanis).

Crocus is a flower whose stigmas are used as spice known as Saffron. Saffron was one of the most common spices of ancient Greece due to its properties. It was used for pharmaceutical, aphrodisiac and cosmetic reasons. At the same time its smell and color make it an excellent ingredient for cooking. However the thing that fascinates me more is the origin of the name Crocus. According to Greek mythology Crocus was a friend of god Hermes who accidentally killed him. Devastated by his friend’s death, Hermes created a small purple flower at the point that Crocus was killed and Crocus’ blood colored the three stigmas of the flower. There is also a second version of the origin of name Crocus. According to this one, Crocus was a young man who was crazy in love with the Nymph Smilax. When their affair went to a dead end Crocus turned to this beautiful flower. No matter which of these stories you prefer one for sure….it’s a Greek tragedy!

Time for cooking!

Ingredients 

(4 servings)

•        500 gr breast of chicken
•        240 gr scented rice
•        a pinch of Crocus Kozanis (saffron) in stigmas
•        1/2 cup frozen peas
•        1/2 red pepper, deseeded, diced
•        1 carrot diced
•        2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
•        Salt
•        Pepper
•        1 medium onion, diced
•        2 teaspoons soy sauce
•        2 eggs

Steps

1. Boil the chicken while removing the foam that accumulates.
2. Remove the chicken from the pan and then add the rice and the salt to the chicken broth and boil until the rice becomes “al dente”. Drain the rice.
3. In a deep wok heat the oil and stir-fry the onion as soon as they soften for about 2 minutes. 
4. Add the frozen peas, the red pepper and the carrot and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Throw in the rice and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often. 
5. Cut the boiled chicken breasts into small pieces.
6. Add the chicken in the wok. 
7. Stir until heated through (about 2 minutes), using a spatula to turn and move the rice around the pan. 
8. Stir in soy sauce, and pepper. 
9. Beat the eggs and fry them for some minutes. 
10. Cut the omelet into small pieces and add the pieces in the wok.
11. Taste and add seasoning if desired.

KEEP THE SUMMER IN A JAR

I love summer... Perhaps because I live in Greece. Here not only the sun, the sea and the beaches are beautiful but also the food...Especially at the summer. There are so many fresh vegetables and fruits that it's hard to choose! One of my favorite vegetables as you will understand is tomato. It's not exaggeration to say that I eat tomatoes every day at summer but I avoid them when they are of season since they don't either smell or taste the same. This shouldn't be a problem since the solution comes from the jars! To be more specific, at the end of the summer I buy a big amount of tomatoes so as to make tomato sauces and sun dried tomatoes that I keep in jars during the winter. If you love tomatoes (or sun dried tomatoes) too or you just like to try something different, take a look at my recipe for sun dried tomatoes that my mom taught to me.

 

Ingredients

• Tomatoes
• Common salt 
• Sea salt
• Jars 

 Process

The first step is and the most important -pick tomatoes!You can use any type of tomatoes but try to find red, mature (but not too much) that are firm when you squeeze them a little and with strong smell. If you can afford buy organic tomatoes it is really better. Slice tomatoes in half, sprinkle with sea salt and put tomatoes in a strainer for a half an hour. Then place tomatoes in an oven dish and sprinkle with salt and optional herbs (as thyme, basil and oregano). Cover with clothe (as tulle) in way as not to touch the tomatoes but to avoid the insects from reaching them and wait till the sun to remove most of the water content from the tomatoes. It usually takes about 15 days but it depends on your weather conditions. Bring them in during rains or when there is too much moisture at atmosphere. When they are completely dried throw them in boiling water for a couple of seconds. Then strained them and sprinkle them once again with salt. Now they are ready to be put in jars with olive oil.

Mission accomplished !!!  

GREEK SALAD

(OR AS WE SAY IN GREEGE…VILLAGE SALAD)
Okay, let’s start with the basics! Greek salad is the most common summer salad in Greece. I don’t know even one Greek tavern or restaurant that doesn’t serve it. If you wonder why, take a look at the recipe below… It’s really simple, quick, delicious and the ingredients are easy to find (at least in Greece).



Ingredients 

4 Servings 

3 tomatoes
2 peppers
1 cucumber
½ red onion
3 ½ oz (100 grams) Feta cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
A pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Some olives (green or black)

Steps

1. Cut the tomatoes into wedges.
2. Cut the peppers into rings.
3. Pill the cucumber and cut into small pieces.
4. Slice onion into rings.
5. Cut the Feta into cubes.
6. Put all the ingredients into a bowl.
7. Add the salt, the dried oregano, the olive oil and the olives.
8. Toss everything together.

Ready!!!

DO!!

• Don’t stick to the vegetables proportion. It doesn’t matter if you use 3-4 tomatoes it is a matter of taste nobody will understand the difference. 
• Try to find biologic vegetables, I know they are more expensive but the smell and taste will be much better. 
• Soak the onions rings into a bowl of water for a quarter. The water will reduce the burning when you eat them (As far for the smell of your breath after eating them sorry I don’t know any tips…) 
• Use low fat feta if you are keeping a low fat diet.

 DON’T!!!

Use the following ingredients: vinegar, lemon, mustard, mint, garlic, pepper, lettuce and basil! Just DON’T! Maybe some of them look really good choices but these aren’t used in Greek salad.

TIP

Combine the salad with fresh, bread and don’t be shy to soak your bread to the bowl!! It may be a rude eating habit but the olive oil with the juices of the vegetables and the bread are so delicious!