Classic Greek family recipe

If you are a beginner cook, this real simple and scrumptious recipe will take all your friends to your kitchen table. The combination of meatballs with potatoes results in a complete dish, while the herbs give the dish an extra flavour and make it even better.

Ingredients

4 servings

Meatballs dough

500g medium ground beef

500g medium ground pork

1 egg

2 onion, finely grated

3 medium slices of day-old bread

1/2 cup red wine

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano 

Black pepper

Salt

Roast Potatoes

6-7 medium potatoes

1 tbsp mustard

1 tsp oregano

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

Salt

Pepper

Steps

Soak the slices of bread in wine for a minute or two. Strain and grade them by hand.

In a large bowl mix all meatballs ingredients with your hands until combined very well.

Put the bowl in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 200 ° C or 390 Fahrenheit.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 4 even-sized pieces.

In another bowl add all potatoes ingredients except for water and combine them well to marinate the potatoes. 

Pour the water to a deep roasting tin (one big enough to take the potatoes in a single layer) and add the potatoes.

Cover the roasting tin with baking paper and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven. Make large finger shape meatballs and line meatballs over potatoes. Cook for thirty minutes more without the paper.

Serve it with Greek Salad and Feta!

THE OTHER SIDE OF PEAS

Strange as it may seem, peas are a traditional main dish in Greece. They are healthy, delicious and not to mention easy and quick. Serve with crusty bread and feta cheese! 

Ingredients

4 servings

1 (500g-or 1 lb) bag frozen garden peas

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 potatoes peeled and quartered (optionally)

2 carrots peeled and cut into rounds

A pinch of garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

1-2 cups hot water

Steps

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook about 2-3 minutes till transparent. Add peas, potatoes, carrots, tomato paste, sugar and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Add hot water enough to cover the half peas. Cover and cook until the peas are tender and the water is absorbed (only the olive oil to remain)  -about 30 minutes.

Good luck!

A RECIPE TO KEEP YOU WARM

18 of November is arrived and it is cold. One really popular Greek dish in the winter time to keep you warm is noodles with chicken legs and tomato sauce!

Ingredients

4 servings

1/2 kg. wide noodles (or Greek xylopites)

4 chicken legs

1/2 cup sun-dried red wine

1 dried bay leaf

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 carrots

2 green peppers

1 sprig of fresh oregano

5 ripe tomatoes

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Cinnamon powder

Dried oregano

Process

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken legs and cook them for 10 minutes. Then add the chopped onion and let it go translucent. Peel the carrots and chop finely. Add the carrots to the skillet. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Pour the sun-dried wine and wait until it evaporates.

Place the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Τhen remove them from the hot water and rinse them with cold water. This process will help you to peel the tomatoes easily. After peeling the tomatoes, chop the tomatoes. Chop the peppers too and add them to the mixture. Add the bay leaf. Salt and pepper. Season with oregano and cinnamon (Note that too much oregano and cinnamon make foods taste bitter.) Pour 2 cups warm water in the skillet, cover with the lid and let it boil for an hour over medium heat. 

Boil noodles in salted water. When they are ready, drain them and (optionally) sprinkle them with  olive oil.

Place the noodles and the chicken drumsticks on a serving plate. Add some sauce and garnish with a fresh sprig of oregano.

Tips

• If the water has evaporated before the chicken is boiled, just add some hot water.
• If you do not have sun-dried red wine you can use another type of red wine but I definitely recommend the sun-dried wine!