Greek Cooking

Greek cooking is a mixture of old and new, western cooking and Middle Eastern influences.  They borrowed coffee from the Turks, and they borrowed yogurt, rice, and many pastries from the Persians.  Some of the country's best loved foods are their juicy lemons, tangy olives, fresh herbs, and vegetables.  Now, let me tell you about the different regions of Greece.

 

            This is a Greek fisherman.  Fishing is one of, if not the most important export.  So naturally, fishing and seafood dishes are favorites.

 

 

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Ingredients
  • cups cooked white rice
  • pound ground lamb or beef
  • ½ cup finely chopped scallions
  • ¼ cup currants
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1-pound jar grape leaves
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 10½-oz. can beef broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 lemons, cut into wedges

 

 

 

 

Directions

1.Cook rice according to directions on the package                                                                     2.Place lamb or beef in a large skillet. Cook meat over medium-high heat until brown, stirring to break up into small pieces                                                                    3.Remove meat from heat. Drain off fat and set aside.                                                                      4.In a large bowl, combine meat, rice, scallions, currants, nuts, salt, parsley, and olive oil. Stir gently with a spoon.                                                                   5.Drain grape leaves in a colander. Carefully rinse the grape leaves in cool running water. Drain on paper towels. Cut stem off leaves with a sharp knife.                                      6.Place on teaspoon meat mixture on a grape leaf and fold. Repeat until all filling is used.                                      7.In a large saucepan, arrange the rolls in layers, seam side down. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over each layer.                                                                       8.Pour any remaining lemon juice, the beef broth, and the water over the rolls.

 

 

 

 Egg and Lemon Soup

Ingredients
  • 3 10½-oz. cans of chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup rice, uncooked
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 thin slices lemon for garnish
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

 

 

 

Directions

1.In a heavy saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Turn down heat. Add rice and stir.                                                                          2.Cover pan and simmer 12 to 15 minutes or until rice is tender.                                                                                  3.While rice is cooking, beat eggs and lemon juice together with a wire whisk. Set aside.                                                                      4.When rice is cooked, remove pan from heat.                                                                              5.Carefully add two cups hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly. (If you add the broth too quickly or don’t keep whisking, the eggs will curdle.)                                                                                      6.Add eggs mixture to the remaining broth and rice and whisk together. Carefully reheat the soup, but do not boil.                                            7.Serve in soup bowls with a thin slice of lemon and sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley floating on top.

 

 

Stuffed Tomatoes with Feta Cheese

Ingredients
  • 4 ripe, medium tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup (about 3 ounces) finely crumbled feta cheese
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

 

 

 

Directions

1.Carefully cut tops off the tomatoes. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out pulp and seeds.                                               2.Coarsely chop the tomato pulp.             3.Preheat oven to 350° .                              4.In a small bowl, combine tomato pulp with scallions, parsley, feta cheese, bread crumbs, and olive oil.                                           5.Spoon mixture into the hollowed out tomatoes. Place tomatoes right side up in a 8- by 8-inch baking pan and bake 15 minutes.                                              6.Serve stuffed tomatoes steaming hot.

 

 

 

          Baklavá

 

 

Ingredients for Pastry
  • 4 cups (1 pound) finely ground walnuts.
  • 2 cups (½ pound) finely ground blanched or unblanched almonds.
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1½ cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 1-pound package phyllo pastry, thawed

 

 

 Ingredients for Syrup:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 ½-inch-thick slice lemon
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 cup honey

 

 

 

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 300º.                                           2.In a large bowl, combine walnuts, almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.                                         3.Butter a 9- by 13-inch pan with 2 tablespoons butter                                                              4.Place 4 sheets of phyllo in the pan, brushing each with melted butter before adding next. Butter fourth sheet also.                                                                    5.Sprinkle ½ to ¾ cup of nut mixture over the phyllo.                                                                     6.Top nut mixture with 2 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each sheet well.                                              7.Continue alternating nut mixture with 2 sheets buttered phyllo until both are used up, ending with phyllo. Brush top with phyllo.                                                      8.With a sharp knife, trim off any excess phyllo on the sides of the pastry.                                                    9.With a sharp knife, cut 1½-inch-wide lengthwise strips in the dough. (Do not cut all the way through the dough. Cut through the top layer only.                                 10.Make 1½-inch diagonal cuts to create diamond-shaped pieces. (Again, cut through the top layer only.)                                                              11.Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.                       12.Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.                                                                    13.Cut through diamonds completely with sharp knife. Immediately pour the cooled syrup over hot pastry.                                                                  14.Cool and serve on dessert plates.

 

 

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