Greek Charoset

Admin :: Edit

1 Orange, unpeeled, seeds removed
cut into 8 pieces

1/2 c Raisins
1/2 c (14) pitted dates
1/3 c Cherry preserves
1/2 c Sweet red Passover wine
1 ts Ground ginger
1 pn Cayenne pepper
2 tb Pine nuts


In food processor,chop orange coarsley.Add raisins and dates and process until finely chopped.Transfer to medium size saucepan and stir in preserves,wine,ginger and cayenne.Bring to a simmer.Cover and cook over lowest heat for 8 to 10 minutes until thick,stirring often to prevent any sticking.Stir in pine nuts.Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Greek Baklava

Admin :: Edit

1 lb butter
1 lb filo, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tb cinnamon
3 cups finely chopped pecans
Syrup: 2 cup sugar 1 cup water
1/4 cup honey
slice of lemon
strip of orange rind
stick of cinnamon


Combine nuts, sugar, and cinnamon and set aside. Melt butter and brush bottom of pan. Add 7-8 sheets of filo brushing each with butter. Sprinkle with nut mixture and repeat process until all the nut mixture is used. Add remaining filo and brush top sheet with butter. Cut into diamond shapes. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 45min. Lower heat to 300 degrees and bake 15min until golden.

Boil all syrup ingredients, except honey to from a light syrup--about 20min. Remove from heat and add honey. Remove lemon, orange, and cinnamon. Let cool some and spoon over pastry.

Galactoboureko: Greek Filled Custard Dessert

Admin :: Edit

1 Box filo
2 Sticks butter melted

Custard

1 qt Milk
5 Eggs
1/2 c Farina cereal
1/2 c sugar

Syrup

1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Water
1/2 c Honey
Grated zest form a lemon


First make the custard: scald milk, remove from heat, add sugar and farina and beat together well. Return to heat until thickened. Remove from heat.

Beat eggs well in seperate bowl. Using beater, slowly mix some of the hot milk mixture into egg mixture on medium speed. Then add all egg mixture into milk mixture and blend well. Slowly cook mixture on low heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 20 minutes. Take care with the custard - it will curdle if the addition of the egg is not handled carefully. Cool completely and chill. Mixture will be thick and creamy.

Assemble: butter 6 whole filo sheets and overlap each in a buttered 9 x 13 pan so part of filo laps over edges of pan. Spread on all of filling. Flip edges of filo over to cover filling. Cover with 6 more buttered filo sheets and overlap and cover as before.Work quickly so filo doesnt dry out. Score 2/3rds through filo prior to baking. Bake in a 350 oven for 20 to 30 minutes or golden. Prepare the syrup by boiling all for 10 minutes. Pour hot syrup over cooled pastry. This is a very special Greek pastry.

Greek Roasted Potatoes

Admin :: Edit

6 md Potatoes, cubed 1/2 c
Fresh lemon juice
1/3 c Vegetable oil
1 tb Olive oil
2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Black pepper
1 1/2 ts Dried oregano
2 ea Gralic cloves, pressed
3 c Hot water
Chopped fresh parsley


Toss potatoes with lemon juice, oils, spices & garlic in a deep flat pan. Add water. Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours at 475F. Stir every 20 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Allow the potatoes to evaporate the water during the last 20 minutes till only the oil is left. Garnish with parsley & serve.

Impossible Greek Spinach Pie

Admin :: Edit

1/2 c Green onions, chopped
1 tb Butter
1 pk Spinach (chopped) -thawed and drained
1 c Cottage cheese
1 c Milk
1/2 c Bisquick
3 Eggs
1 ts Lemon juice
1/4 ts Pepper
3 tb Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/4 ts Nutmeg


Cook onions in butter. mix in spinach. In greased dish layer spinach and cottage cheese. Put last 7 ingredients in blender and mix well. Pour over casserole. Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes, until knife comes out clean.

Cauliflower in Fenugreek Leaves

Admin :: Edit

1 md Cauliflower -- broken into flowerets
1 lg Bunch of fenugreek leaves
1 Bunch of green garlic
2 tb Ghee or oil
1 sm Onion; minced
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger -- minced
3 Green chilies; minced
1 ts Ground cumin seeds
1 ts Coriander powder
1/2 ts Turmeric powder
1 lg Tomato; diced
1 Handful of sliced coriander -- (leaves)
Salt; to taste
Chili powder; to taste


Slice fenugreek leaves and garlic. Heat ghee or oil and cook onion and ginger until soft. Add fenugreek leaves, garlic and chilies, and cook until almost dry. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients (except cauliflower) and cook until tomatoes are soft. Mash mixture with the back of a wooden spoon, then add cauliflower. Add two tablespoons water to pan, cover, and simmer over low heat until cauliflower is done.

Greek Vegetable Casserole

Admin :: Edit

1 Eggplant
2 lb Zucchini
4 md Potatoes
2 Green peppers
1 Red pepper
2 md Onions
1 c Olive oil
4 md Tomatoes
2 Garlic cloves
1 ts Sugar
Salt & pepper; to taste


Prepare the vegetables: Cut the eggplant, zucchini and potatoes in bite sized chunks (do not peel the zucchini or the eggplant). Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers and slice them into strips. Peel and slice the onions. Dice the tomatoes.

Saute' the vegetables except the tomatoes in the olive oil in small batches. Saut' each batch for 2 or 3 minutes, then remove from the pan, trying to drain some of the oil so that enough oil is left for the next batch. When done, most of the oil should be gone from the pan.

Place the saute'ed vegetables in a baking dish and toss them briefly so that you won't get only one kind of vegetable in one place. Add the tomatoes into the pan and saut' for a couple of minutes. Crush the garlic and add to the tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another minute.

Pour the tomato sauce on top of the vegetables and bake at 350 F until the vegetables are tender.

Greek Moussaka

Admin :: Edit

2 md Eggplants
1/2 lb Ground beef
1 c Chopped onion
1/4 c Burgundy wine
1/4 c Water
2 tb Parsley flakes
3 tb Tomato paste
1 ts Salt -Dash pepper
1/4 c Bread crumbs
2 Beaten eggs
1/4 c Grated sharp American -cheese
Dash cinnamon
1/4 c Bread crumbs
3 tb Butter or margarine
3 tb Flour
1 1/2 c Milk
1/2 ts Salt
Dash pepper
Dash nutmeg
1 Beaten egg
1/4 c Shredded sharp American -cheese


Oven temperature - 350 degrees. Pare eggplants; cut into slices 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with a little salt and set aside.

In skillet, brown meat and onion; drain off fat. Add wine, water, parsley, tomato paste and 1 teaspoon salt and dash pepper. Simmer until liquid is nearly absorbed. Cool. Stir in 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 2 beaten eggs, the first 1/4 cup cheese and cinnamon. In sauce pan melt butter, stir in flour and milk and stir until thickened. Add a little of the hot sauce to the one beaten egg; return to hot mixture. Cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Brown eggplant slices on both sides in a little hot oil. Sprinkle bottom of 12 x 7 1/2 x 2 inch baking dish with remaining bread crumbs. Cover with layer of eggplant slices; spoon on all meat mixture. Arrange remaining eggplant over meat. Pour milk-egg sauce over top with remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Bake in over for about 45 minutes.(Greece Moussaka)

Greek Roasted Chicken

Admin :: Edit

5 lb roasting chicken, skinless
1 lemon -- quartered
1/4 c olive oil
salt and pepper
12 cloves garlic -- crushed
2 ts dried oregano -- plus 3 TB dried oregano
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
2 ts cracked black pepper
6 boiling potatoes -- wedged : and chunked
1 c water -- or 1/2 c lowfat chicken broth -- as : needed
1/4 c flatleaf parsley -- chopped


Consider placing sliced root vegetables (carrots, turnips) and onions in the bottom of the pan that will take the place of a rack and add flavors. Roasting at two oven temperatures gives chicken a crispy outside, and a moist inside. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Rub chicken inside and out with cut lemon quarters, 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and ground pepper. Place the lemon quarters,4 garlic gloves and 2 teaspoons oregano in the chicken cavity. Place chicken on rack in a roasting pan.

In a small saucepan, combine remaining olive oil, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oregano, coarsely cracked pepper and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer3 minutes. Remove from heat

Place potatoes and the remaining 8 garlic cloves around the chicken and sprinkle them with remaining 1 tablespoon oregano. Spoon a little of the lemon-oil mixture over the chicken. Pour 1 cup water or broth evenly over potatoes and place in oven. Roast 15 minutes. Baste chicken with some of the lemon-oil mixture and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Roast, basting with lemon-oil mixture every 10-15 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a fork or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh, not touching bone, reads 180 degrees, about 1 1/4 hours.

Transfer chicken to a warmed platter. If potatoes aren't golden, raise heat to 450 degrees and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, adding more water or broth if necessary to prevent sticking. Garnish with parsley.

Quick & Easy Greek Chicken

Admin :: Edit

2 lb Chicken tenderloins
1 pk Shake 'n Bake coating
1 tb Vegetable oil
2 c Sour cream
1 ea Lemon
1 ds Salt/pepper


Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil bottom and sides of baking dish. Wash and dry tenders. Dip tenders in sour cream, cover well. Roll tenders in coating mix. Place in baking dish, squeeze lemon over chicken. Bake 35-40 minutes.