GREEK RECIPES 1
GREEK RECIPES 1

OPA!














Back To Top

Arni A La Hasapa - (Baked Lamb With Tomatoes)

(Makes: 4 Servings)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. baby Lamb Chops
3/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt
freshly ground Pepper
2 1/2 cups canned Tomatoes
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation:
Place lamb chops in a baking dish.
Add salt, pepper, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice.
Bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven for about 1 1/2 hour.
Serve with fried potatoes.
Back To Top

Arni Skaras - (Broiled Lamb Chops)

Ingredients:
Lemon
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon, crumbled Oregano
2 lbs. chops Lamb
Salt & Pepper
Parsley

Preparation:
Mix together lemon juice, oil and oregano.
Place chops in a shallow pan, pour over marinade, turning chops to coat well.
Marinate 2-3 hours, turning occasioally.
Barbecue over hot coals, turning chops once and basting with remaining marinade.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
Serve with fried potatoes.
Back To Top

Avgolemono Sauce - (Egg & Lemon Sauce)



Ingredients:
1 to 2 cups chicken or meat broth
2 eggs
1 whole onion
juice from 1 lemon
some flour

Preparation:
In a saucepan over medium heat,
mix a little flour with the lemon juice
then add the eggs and beat well.
Slowly add the broth while continuing to beat.
Remove from heat before the sauce thickens.

Note:
Egg and lemon sauce is used as a finishing touch to many Greek dishes.
For example serve with greek meatballs and sprinkled parsley.
Back To Top

Avocado Salad - (Salata me Avokato)



Ingredients:
5 large avocados
lemon juice
salt
dried mint
3-4 spring onions, finely chopped

For The Dressing:
2 teaspoons mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed, or garlic powder
1/3 glass vinegar
3/4 glass olive oil

Preparation:
Peel and slice avocados carefully lengthwise.
Place the slices in a serving dish and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt.
Sprinkle with mint and top with onions.
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the salad.

Note:
This salad may be prepared a few hours before serving.
Cover and chill. Just before serving, pour the dressing over.
Back To Top

Baklava 1



Ingredients:
1 pound phyllo pastry
3/4 pound almonds, pounded into crumbs
1/2 pound butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Syrup:
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup water
cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon clove sticks

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a bowl, mix the pounded almonds, the sugar and the cinnamon.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a Jelly Roll Pan (15.5" x 10.5" x 1") with melted butter.
Then open the phyllo dough and layer 6 whole leafs (or 12 half leafs) in the pan, buttering each layer as you go. (The edges will extend over the side.)

Next, spread a small amount of the almond mix over the phyllo layer.
Continue by making successive layers of phyllo and almond mix of about equal thickness.

Finish with a thicker layer of phyllo sheets, about 6 to 8 sheets, brushing each sheet with butter.

Trim the edges off.
With a sharp knife cut the baklava into diamond shaped pieces. Cut halfway through the layers using the pattern shown.
(Note: Do NOT cut from corner to corner.)
This is done now since it will be very fragile after it's been baked.



Brush the top with the remaining butter and bake in the oven for about an hour or until golden brown.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup as follows: In a pot, place the water, the honey, the sugar and the spices and boil them over a strong fire for about 15 minutes.

When the baklava is ready, remove from the oven and finish cutting through the layers.

Pour the sauce over the hot baklava.

Cool. Let it sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered but not in the refrigerator)
Back To Top

Baklava 2



Ingredients:
1 pound filo pastry
7/8 pound ground almonds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of clove
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup thyme honey
lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation:
Mix the almonds, cinnamon and clove.
Butter a pan and place 4 buttered sheets of filo.
Spread a thin layer of the mix and then two more sheets of filo.
Repeat until you have 4 sheets left, which you use for the top layer.

Cut the baklava in squares, all the way to the bottom of the pan.
Top with the remaining butter and bake in medium oven for 45 minutes.
Mix the sugar, honey, vanilla, lemon juice and 1 1/2 cup of water in a pot and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove any froth off the top and pour over the baklava. Serve cold.
Back To Top

Baklava 3

Pastries like this sweet Greek Baklava, made using filo pastry together with a nut filling are popular all over Greece, Turkey and the Middle East.

(Makes: 20 Baklava)

cup of white sugar
cup of water
4 tablespoons of runny honey
cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

250 grams / of chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
cup of white sugar

12 sheets of filo pastry
100g of unsalted butter, melted

Sugar Syrup:
Add the sugar, honey, lemon juice and water to a saucepan over a gentle heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, momentarily bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Filling:
In a small bowl mix together the chopped walnuts, cinnamon and sugar for the filling.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F or gas mark 4). Grease a shallow baking tin approximately 30cm x 20cm x 5cm (12 inch x 8 inch x 2 inch) with a little of the melted butter. Cut the sheets of filo in half vertically (longest edge nearest you). Stack the pastry and keep it covered with a slightly damp cloth. Generously butter each pastry sheet and layer 8 sheets of pastry on the bottom of the tin. Spread half the filling over the pastry evenly, then butter and stack another 8 sheets of filo. Put the filo on top and spread on the rest of the filling. Butter and stack the last 8 sheets of filo and put these on top. Brush generously with the remaining butter. Using a sharp knife cut the baklava into 20 small diamonds. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 150C (300F or gas mark 2) and bake for a further 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Pour the cold syrup over the pastry and leave until completely cold. Gently cut through the pastry again with a sharp knife and carefully lift each diamond out onto a serving platter. Serve the Baklava with strong black coffee.

Baklava will keep well for several days in a container, stored in the refrigerator.
Back To Top

Bifteki - (Burgers)



Ingredients:
2 slices of bread, soaked in water for 10 minutes
2 pounds minced beef or pork
1 large grated onion
1 egg
1 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
some chopped parsley
salt
black pepper
1 lemon, to garnish

Preparation:
Squeeze excess moisture from the bread and discard the crusts.
Mix together all the ingredients, in a bowl, by hand.
Let this mixture stand for half an hour.

Make large, round, flattened hamburgers and grill under a hot grill for about 3 minutes on each side; or even better place them on an oiled grid and barbecue them for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, depending on how hot the fire is.

They should be slightly undercooked inside and moist; turn them over once, but do not let them get scorched.

Serve them with quartered lemons on the side of the platter, with some fresh salad.
Back To Top

Cheese Saganaki With Ouzo

Ingredients:
350g gruyere cheese (or any hard cheese)
little flour
pepper
oil for frying
1/3 cup ouzo or cognac
1 lemon

Preparation:
Cut the cheese into 2 slices (finger thick). Coat with flour and pepper.
Heat oil in a heavy frying pan. Fry cheese on both sides. Warm up the ouzo or cognac and add to pan.
Ignite the alcohol. Serve immediately after the flames have died down or even while still lit as it is serves in some Greek restaurants around the world.
Serve with a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the cheese .Delicious!
Back To Top

Classic Roast Leg Of Lamb



Ingredients:
3 to 6 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup olive oil, or more
2 Tbsp. crushed dried rosemary or dried oregano, or both, to taste
Strained fresh juice of 4 lemons, or more to taste
1 cup dry red wine
1 leg of lamb, trimmed, about 5 pounds
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Small new potatoes, whole or halved, optional

Preparation:
Finely chop 2 garlic cloves and combine them in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the dried rosemary and/or oregano, juice of 2 lemons, and dry red wine to make a marinade.

Marinate lamb in mixture, cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours, turning lamb several times.

Remove lamb from refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and lightly oil a large baking pan.
With a mortal and pestle, crush together all but 1 of the remaining garlic cloves and remaining herbs.
Remove lamb from marinade and reserve liquids.

With a sharp knife, make 3/4 inch slits all around leg of lamb and stuff garlic and herb mixture inside slits.
Reserve a small amount of the mixture for step 4.

Rub lamb with olive oil and 1 whole garlic clove, salt, pepper, and remaining herb mixture.
Place lamb in prepared baking pan and arrange potatoes around it, if desired.

Season potatoes with salt, pepper, and juice of remaining 2 lemons.
Pour marinade over lamb.

Place uncovered in oven and reduce heat immediately to 350 degrees F.
Bake for about 30 minutes per pound, or until lamb is tender and slightly rare, and potatoes, fork tender.

Baste every 10-15 minutes with pan juice.
If potatoes need more liquid, add a little water to the pan before cooking.
Back To Top

Cucumber With Feta Cheese & Mint

Ingredients:
1 large Cucumber, half peeled
in lengthwise strips to give striped appearance
1 cup, crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 cup, chopped Mint Leaves
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:
Wash and dry the cucumber and cut it into very thin crosswise slices. Place the slices in a salad bowl, sprinkling with the feta cheese and mint.

In a small whisk the oil and lemon juice with the salt and pepper to make ladolemono (a vinaigrette made with lemon juice). Pour over the salad and toss thoroughly. Serve immediately.
Back To Top

Exohiko



(Makes: 6 Servings)

Ingredients:
2 pounds lamb leg
2 onions, chopped
1 cup butter
1/2 pound kefalograviera cheese
salt and pepper
6 sheets puff pastry

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the lamb in portions.
Simmer the onion in a frying pan with a little water.
Add a teaspoon of butter and brown lightly.

Add the lamb and salt and pepper and brown for a few more minutes.
Turn the element off, add the cheese and separate in portions.

Butter each sheet of pastry and use them to wrap each portion.
Place in a buttered pan, top with the rest of the butter and bake for 45 minutes to 50 minutes or until golden brown.
Back To Top