We are happy to present here recipees for some traditional Greek dishes. We would like to thank especially our HSA member, Irini Kokkinou, for her kindness and generosity to reveal to us her secrets about cooking! Good luck and we hope you enjoy it!
Grate the cucumber- if it's too watery, press it with your palm and drain the water out.
Mix all the ingredients together and serve on a plate.
You may drizzle 1 or 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to taste.
Tip: you may want to make it 2-3 hours before you plan to eat it and place it in the fridge so that the flavors mix well together.
Defrost the puff pastry according to directions and for an extra 1/2 hour. In a big pot put about two fingers of water and the frozen spinach. Boil until completely defrosted. Drain and rinse pot. Chop leek into 1cm -wide rings. Chop parsley. In the same pot, add olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the leek and saute for 2-3 min, while stirring. Add the spinach and chopped parsley and saute for an additional 2 min. Let it cool for approximately 15 minutes. Beat the egg and add it to the spinach mixture. Crumble the feta and add it to the mixture. Stir. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. In a 9"x13" baking pan, add 1 tsp. of oil and spread it (so that the dough won't stick). Place one layer of puff pastry. Leave approximattely 1 inch of dough on each side of the pan, so that you can fold it over afterwards (like a pie). Add spinach mixture. Cover with second layer of pastry. Fold corners over and close. Poke the top with a fork so that it doesn't rise too much. Bake for 45 min in a medium oven (375F). Let cool for 20-30min before cutting. If the pastry is not large enough, you can roll it out. Dust counter with flour. Put pastry on top. Dust with flour. Press with roller until it's the right size for your pan.
Cut the top off the vegetables (for zucchinis and eggplant, tilt them to the side and then cut the top off). Keep the tops. Empty the vegetables with a spoon or a mellon ball cutter. In a blender add the insides of the vegetables, the onion, and the parsley. Blend well. In a pan add 3-4 tbsp of oil. When hot, add the rice and saute for 1-2 min. Add the blended mixture, 1/2 cup of water, salt and pepper to taste, and boil until the liquid is mostly absorbed. In a baking pan, add 1/2cm of olive oil. Peel and slice potatoes 1cm thick and add to the bottom of the pan. Stuff the vegetables with the rice mixture and re-close the vegetables with their tops. Place on pan on top of potatoes. You may sprinkle the tops with breadcrumbs. Add about 2 cm of water. Cover the pan with foil and bake in a medium oven until the vegetables are soft (about 2 hours). Check every half hour if the water has completelty evaporated. If it has and the vegetables are still hard, add more water and olive oil.
Peel and cut potatoes. Put in baking pan. Add spices and mix. Add olive oil, lemon juice, and enough water to almost cover the potatoes. Cover pan with foil. Bake in 400F oven for about 1 hour until potatoes are soft. Uncover and cook until the top of the potatoes turns golden.
Combine 1/2 of the ground/chopped onion, 1/2 tsp cumin, the parsley, bread, beef, garlic, egg, appr. 1/2 tsp or salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper
in a bowl and knead until completely mixed and the mixture is soft.
Form meatballs the size of a medium apricot and roll them so that they have an elongated egg shape.
Roll them in flour and fry them lightly on all sides.
Put them in a plate over paper towels (so that they drain).
In a large pot, add 2-3 tbsp of olive oil, and sauté the rest of the onion.
Add the can of tomatoes, the rest of the cumin, the cinnamon, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for appr. 10 min.
Add the wine, wait until the sauce boils again, and add the meatballs.
Simmer for 15 minutes, until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked and have absorbed some sauce (so they are softer).
The bay leaf, garlic, wine, and cinnamon are optional. The cumin is absolutely necessary!
Serve over rice (parboiled rice, like uncle ben’s brand, is better).
Wash beans and put them in a pot, covered with water. Boil for 1 min and let them soak overnight. Make sure NOT to add any salt, as the beans will harden. Chop the onion, the carrots and the celery and put them in a pot with 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil, salt and pepper, the tomato paste and the beans. Add water (enough to cover the beans and then twice as much). Boil the soup in low temperature until the beans, carrots, and celery are tender .
Mix the ground beef, bread, rice, parsley, celery, mint, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, and knead thoroughly. In a large pot, bring about 2ltrs of water boil. Shape the meat into little round balls (about the size of apricots) and gently drop them into the boiling water. Lower heat to medium and boil for 1/2 hour. Turn off the stove and let the food cool off for about 10-15 min. Beat the whites of 3 eggs until frothy (not as thick as marengue). While beating, add the yolks and then the lemon juice (very slowly). With a ladle, slowly pour 2-3 cups of the broth from the meatballs into the egg and lemon mix, while beating. Pour the mixture in the pot with the meatballs and turn on the stove to medium. Simmer the meatballs until the sauce thickens.
Ingredients:
Ingredients for bechamel sauce:
Instructions:
Step 1: Pretreat the eggplants
Wash eggplants and trim off stems.
Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1-2 cm slices.
Put slices in a large bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes.
This is important because it reduces the bitterness.
Rinse well, drain, and pat dry.
Brush slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and broil for 2-3 min on an ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned and soft.
Be very careful not to burn the eggplants (i.e., check them every 30 sec).
Remove and set aside to cool.
Step 2: Prepare the meat sauce
In a large frying pan, skillet, or pot add 2 tablespoons of oil and increase the heat to medium low.
Saute the onions until they are translucent.
Add the meat and continue to saute until lightly browned.
Add tomatoes, 1/2 the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, wine, and tomato paste, and mix well.
Reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick (if used), and set the mixture aside, uncovered.
Step 3: Prepare the bechamel sauce (you can do this while the meat sauce is simmering)
Dissolve the cornstarch in the milk.
In a large saucepan, add the butter and once it’s hot, add the milk-cornstarch mix, the salt and the nutmeg.
Stir continuously with a whisk.
Once it boils, lower the heat to medium, and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens.
Add the beaten eggs and whisk very quickly (so the eggs don't cook) until well blended.
Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, mix well and set aside, covered, until ready to use.
Before using, whisk thoroughly.
Step 4: Combine ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
Lightly oil a baking pan (I use pyrex).
Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of the oil.
Peel and slice the potatoes (1cm thick) and cover the bottom of the baking pan.
Place a layer of eggplant slices on the potatoes (it's ok to overlap) and spread the meat mixture evenly on top.
Cover with the remaining eggplant slices, and carefully pour the bechamel sauce evenly over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the cheese over the top, and continue to cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove the moussaka from the oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.
Note: If you don’t have time to follow all the steps at the same time, you can prepare the meat sauce and pretreat the eggplants the day before.
