Greek Food – Greek Cooking – Greek Recipes by Diane Kochilas | November 25, 2013 RECIPES WATCH DIANE’S VIDEOS BUY BOOKS COOK IN IKARIA GREEK FOOD INFO BLOG WHERE’S DIANE THANKSGIVING No Comments Greek Flavors for Thanksgiving Greece was wonderful, Diane’s cooking classes were wonderful, Ikaria was wonderful. A very warm and welcoming week – we cooked, tried lots of interesting foods, met goatherds and beekeepers. Really may have been in my top 3 vacations ever in my life! — Carolyn Schott, July 2013 SEARCH Search site here... Diane Kochilas On November 19, 2013 Traditional Greens and Pumpkin Pies from Ikaria (Pitarakia) Ingredients (for 50 yields) For the dough: 4 1/2 cups flour 1 scant tsp salt 4 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp vinegar 300 gr. water For the filling: 1 pumpkin, about 1 ½ kg, peeled and diced 4 onions, chopped ½ cup olive oil 1 bunch of fennel, chopped 1 bunch of mint, chopped 1 cup of fresh oregano, chopped Salt and pepper Prepare the dough: 1. In a bowl or mixer bowl, combine the flour with the salt. Then, add the oil, the vinegar, and the water. Mix until the ingredients are very well combined. 2. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding flour or water until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for at least one hour before using it. Prepare the filling: 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2. Place the pumpkin in a shallow baking pan, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until softened and all liquids are absorbed. 3. Cook the onion in a large, heavy, dry saucepan, over low heat, for 8-10 minutes, without adding any oil, until it produces its own liquid and gets softened. 4. Add the oil and turn off the heat. 5. Transfer the pumpkin to the saucepan with the onion. Add salt, pepper and the herbs. Stir and set the mixture aside to cool. Prepare the pies: 1. Divide the dough into 4-5 equal balls. Flatten a bit with the palms of your hands. Then, flour a working surface and roll them out to thin sheets. 2. Cut into squares, fill each square with about 1 tbsp filling, wrap the sheet so as to form oblong rolls, and place in oiled baking pan. 3. Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes or until golden colored. Serve warm, at room temperature. Spicy Carrot Soup with Orange, Honey and Tahini Serves 6 Carrot soup is an adopted Greek recipe. I sometimes make it with olive paste, too. In this recipe, with ginger, honey, oranges and tahini, the soup has an underlying texture and density that makes it perfect for a main course. Serve with a bit of good whole grain bread and a salad, and you don’t need much else to make a meal. Tahini is a great source of calcium and is used in many Greek Lenten dishes as a replacement for dairy. Ingredients: ½ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil 1 leek, trimmed and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 small fennel, trimmed and chopped 8 large carrots, peeled and diced large 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 small knob of ginger, about 1-inch / 2/5 Carrot Soup with Ginger, Honey, Tahini, and Orange cm big, peeled and finely chopped 1 tsp. ground cumin ½ tsp. ground turmeric ½ tsp. ground coriander Pinch of cinnamon Generous pinch of cayenne 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only Juice and zest of 1 orange 2 tsp. Greek honey 4 tbsp. tahini Salt and pepper Raw shredded carrot, lemon slice, a pinch of hot pepper flakes, and olive oil to garnish each serving Instructions: Place the olive oil, leek, onion, fennel, garlic, ginger, and carrots together in a large, heavy soup pot. Cover the lid and sweat the vegetables over low heat for about 8 – 10 minutes, checking and stirring occasionally so they don’t burn. Add all the spices and thyme to the pot and stir together with the vegetables for a minute or so to release their flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the orange juice and 1 ½ quarts / liters of water, cover the pot, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer the soup for about 35 – 40 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Add the orange zest, honey and tahini and stir until dissolved. Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Place back in the pot, add water if necessary if it’s too thick, taste for salt and spices and add accordingly. Serve the soup hot, garnished with a drizzling of olive oil, grated raw carrots, a pinch of hot pepper flakes and/or a small slice of lemon. Carrot Soup with Kalamata Olive Paste Serves 6 On a chilly Sunday in Athens, still worn out from a marathon of holiday cooking, and too spent to have gone to the supermarket with the Saturday crowds, I cooked with what was left in the fridge. That turned out to be a bunch of carrots, a little ginger, a dollop of the only Kalamata olive paste I’ve found that doesn’t numb your tongue with saltiness, and a Greek salad for the winter table, that came straight from a jar. The olive paste and the Greek salad are new discoveries; Peloponnese makes them. I found them at the Hellenic Gourmet Shop at the Athens airport. I do have a few other specialty foods that are always on hand, one of which is my all-time favorite vinegar, which is so good you can drink it. Vassilis Vaimakis makes it in Ioannina and you can find it at a few select gourmet shops in Athens, among them the Pantopoleion. Ingredients: 10 carrots 1 one-inch knob of ginger 1 large red onion 2 garlic cloves 1/2 cup extra virgin Greek olive oil 1 heaping teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon cumin 6 – 8 cups water 1/3 cup rice Salt to taste 2 – 3 tablespoons sweet Greek vinegar or good balsamic A few drops of Habanero or Chipotle Tabasco (to taste) 6 teaspoons Kalamata olive paste, preferably from Peloponnese, because it isn’t too salty Olive oil for garnish One jar of Greek salad in a jar (I used Peloponnese, again because it was flavorful without being salty) Pinch of dried Greek oregano Instructions: 1. Peel and chop the carrots and ginger and chop the onions and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pot and add the carrots, ginger, onions, and garlic. Cover the pot, keep the heat on low, and let the vegetables cook without water for a few minutes, steaming in their own moisture. Stir in the spices and toss all together for a minute. 2. Add the water to the pot. Add the rice. Season with salt. Cover, raise heat to bring the soup to a boil then lower it again, simmer for about 45 minutes, or until all the vegetables are extremely soft. 3. Use an immersion blender or empty the soup into the bowl of a food processor and process until very smooth. Return to the pot if using a food processor. Adjust the consistency with a little water and adjust the spices to taste. Reheat for a few minutes, and add enough vinegar to balance the soup. Stir in the hot sauce, if using. 4. Serve the soup in individual bowls, spooning in a little of the olive paste and drizzling in Greek extra virgin olive oil. Drain the Greek salad and place in a small bowl. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and a little oregano over it, and Voila, lunch is ready. Pumpkin Soup with Greek Yogurt and Honey Serves 8 I can’t get enough of pumpkins during the holiday season! The sweetness of this all- American vegetable goes amazingly well with Greek yogurt, Greek honey, Greek olive oil, and Greek kefi! There are a surprising number of pumpkin dishes, sweet and savory, in Greek cooking. Ingredients: 2 pounds/1 k pumpkin Salt and pepper to taste 4-5 fresh sage leaves or 1-2 sprigs of dried Greek sage tea (faskomilo) 2 tbsp. Greek extra virgin olive oil 2 leeks, white parts only, chopped 1 large carrot, finely chopped or thinly sliced 3 shallots, chopped Add a touch of Greek yogurt and Greek honey to pumpkin 2 large onions, chopped soup 6 cloves garlic, melted 3 tbsp. Greek thyme or pine honey, or more to taste 8 cups vegetable broth 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme and parsley tied together) 4 tbsp. unsalted butter 1/2 cup strained Greek yogurt Ground nutmeg For the garnish: ½ cup. crumbled feta cheese Balsamic Syrup for garnish Olive oil for garnish Mint leaves for garnish Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 °F/180 ° C. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with fresh or dried sage, and brush with oil. Place pumpkin in a nonstick baking pan and bake for about 50 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven, let it cool slightly, and remove the flesh with a large spoon. Coarsely chop the flesh. 2. In a large skillet, heat oil and saute the leek, carrot, onion and garlic until soft. Add the chopped pumpkin, salt and pepper. Pour in the honey and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and herbs and cook all together for 30 minutes. 3. Remove the herbs with a slotted spoon. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.