This yogurt, cucumber, and garlic dip is a wonderful, cool companion dish – great for summer!’
Ingredients
• 2 large cucumbers, peeled
• 1 large tub of Greek yogurt
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper to season
How to Make
• Grate the cucumbers using a coarse grater into a colander.
• Place the colander over a bowl and leave overnight to drain (this is VERY important – all the water must drain from the cucumber).
• Add the grated cucumber to a mixing bowl and stir in the yogurt, crushed garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper until all the ingredients are really well blended.
• Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for a few hours so that the flavours develop.
A beautiful pale pink dip, that is a perfect appetiser served with pita, bread or just on it’s own!’
Ingredients
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 tbsp of Taramosalata paste
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 small cup of olive oil
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
How to Make
• Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the fish roe (Taramosalata) and potatoes until smooth.
• Gradually add the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic to make a fluffy, creamy mixture.
• Either use immediately or store in an airtight container until ready to use.
“If you love prawns, feta cheese and brandy you’ll love this!”
Ingredients
Salsa
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled & crushed
• 2 large ripe tomatoes – skinned & chopped
• Oregano
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive oil
1/2 water/wine mix to make salsa
• Fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 500g small peeled prawns
• 150g feta cheese, crumbled
How to Make
• In a small pan heat a good slug of olive oil add the onions and garlic. Let them simmer until transparent and slightly browned.
• Next add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper and a little Tabasco sauce or one small dried chilli (if you have). Cover with half water/white wine and cook gently for 20 minutes with the lid on.
• Remove the lid, check that the sauce has reduced to a semi- thick consistency. Transfer the sauce to a medium sized frying pan.
• Add the prawns (you can use large prawns if you prefer, just make sure you remove the shells up to the tails).
• Crumble the Feta cheese over the top and add the chopped parsley. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the feta starts to melt.
• Next add a good slug of brandy. Flambé the Saganaki until the flame disappears.
• Place in a Saganaki dish or one big enough to share and serve with crusty bread.
“Moussaka is the shepherd’s pie of Greece. The succulent combination of aubergines, delicately spiced beef and rich cheese sauce is irresistible.”
Ingredients
The Aubergine
• 3 medium aubergines, cut lengthwise – 1 cm thick slices,
• Salt
• Olive oil
The Sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 kilo lean mince beef
• 2 medium red onions, finely chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped herbs
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 large glass of red wine
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Water
Béchamel Sauce
• 100g plain flour
• 100g butter
• 1.5 litre hot milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 150 g Kefalotyri (Greek type of cheese) or grated Parmesan cheese
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 tbsp of grated parmesan/kefalotyri
How to Make
• Begin by laying the aubergine slices on paper towels and sprinkling them lightly with salt. Set them aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture.
• In the meantime start to prepare the meat sauce. Heat the oil in a medium sized pan on a medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook these until they become transparent.
• Now add the minced beef and stir occasionally to make sure that the beef and onions do not burn. Once the beef is browned, (pour off any excess fat from the meat – if there is any) add the rest of the ingredients. The meat and onion mixture should now be covered by the red wine, if you need more liquid just add some water. Stir the mixture, cover and leave to simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
• Whilst the sauce is cooking, check on the aubergine slices. They should be wet from the salt action – if not leave a bit longer. Give them a quick wash and sprinkle with ground black pepper.
• Heat a frying pan with enough oil to cover the aubergine slices. Place as many slices as you can in the pan and leave them to become brown, turning over after 1-2 minutes. Remove them from the pan and leave them to drain on kitchen paper.
• Finally, prepare the béchamel sauce. Heat the butter in a pan just before it starts to turn golden in colour, add the flour stirring constantly so that it does not turn lumpy.
• Slowly add the hot milk stirring constantly with a whisk to make sure that no lumps form.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the egg yolk, the pinch of nutmeg, the cheese, the salt and pepper stirring constantly. Once you have a smooth sauce, set the pan aside ready for the last stage.
The Final Stage
• Lightly oil 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass baking dish.
• Arrange half the aubergine slices in a single layer on the bottom of the dish.
• Spoon half of the mince beef sauce evenly over the aubergine.
• Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons the cheese.
• Repeat with another layer of aubergine, sauce 2 tablespoons cheese.
• Finally pour the béchamel sauce over the top and sprinkle with a little nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Bake Moussaka at 180 degrees until heated through and sauce is golden brown on top, 45 minutes.
• Cool for 30 minutes before serving.
The Greek version of lasagne – lots of lovely pasta baked with a mincemeat sauce and creamy béchamel topping.
Ingredients
• 1 kilo thick macaroni
• ½ kilo minced meat
• 2 medium-sized chopped onions
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 ripe diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/4 litre olive oil
• 150 g Kefalotyri (Greek type of cheese) or Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper
Béchamel sauce
• 1.5 litre hot milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 100g plain flour
• 100g butter
• 150 g Kefalotyri (Greek type of cheese) or grated Parmesan cheese
• Pinch of nutmeg
• cayenne pepper
• Salt and Pepper
How to Make
• Sauté the onions in a teacup of oil, until golden. Add the minced meat and sauté with the onions stirring constantly until browned.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaf, salt, pepper and some water. Let everything cook gently for 30 minutes.
• Half cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water, cool and drain and pour over enough oil to coat the pasta (not too much that it makes it really greasy).
• In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce. Heat the butter in a pan just before it starts to turn golden in colour, add the flour stirring constantly so that it does not turn lumpy. Slowly add the hot milk stirring constantly with a whisk to make sure that no lumps form.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the egg yolk, the pinch of nutmeg, the cheese, the salt and pepper stirring constantly. Set aside once ready.
• In a ovenware dish lay out the layer of macaroni and sprinkle with cheese and cover with the minced meat mix, you have already prepared. Mix up the pasta, mincemeat and cheese so that they are evenly spread.
• Spread the remaining minced meat over the pasta mix, sprinkle again with cheese and cover with the béchamel sauce.
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and add a little nutmeg, cayenne pepper and ground black pepper.
• Bake in at 180 c oven for around. 20 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Cut into square pieces.
“One of the most famous Corfiot dishes – beef cooked in a rich tomato sauce and served with spaghetti!”
Ingredients
• 1 kilo Stewing Beef, cut into portions
• 3 big onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons of tomato puree
• Salt & pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 small cup of olive oil
• Spaghetti for 4 people
How to Make
• Place the small cup of olive oil in a big pan, heat and add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the beef to the pan, stir and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Then add the bay leaves, salt, pepper and tomato puree, add water until the meat is covered and stir.
• Cover the pan and let it cook until the sauce is thick and the meat is tender. The cooking time may vary according to the quality of the meat and the thickness of the portions you choose. Just add more water if you need a longer cooking time.
“Briam is a summer favourite. The whole garden seems to be in this beautiful, colourful dish.”
Ingredients
• 1/4 litre of olive oil
• 3 medium onions, peeled and quartered 1 bulb of garlic, cloves peeled & sliced
• 7-8 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
• 7-8 courgettes, thickly sliced
• 2 large green or red bell peppers, trimmed deseeded and cut into chunks
• Salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Oregano
• 3-4 medium tomatoes, skinned & chopped
• 2 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley
• Paprika
• Water
How to Make
• In a large shallow baking pan, place all the chopped vegetables together.
• Season with salt and pepper, oregano, paprika and freshly chopped herbs.
• Pour over the oil and make sure all the vegetables are coated with the seasoning and oil.
• Next add enough water to come half way up the vegetables.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour at 180 degrees, or until all the vegetables are tender.