Recipes for Happiness

YES HAPPINESS COOKING BOOK Recipes for happiness... INDEX Greek menu Starters Ntomatokeftedes 4 Kolokythokeftedes 5 Tzatziki 6 Choriatiki Salata 7 Main dish Mousakas 8 Dessert Ryzogalo 10 Turkish menu Starters Mixed mezes: 12 Beet, garlic & yogurt Dip Mixed olive salad Marinated roasted bell peppers Yogurt carrot dip Red lentil soup 15 Main dish Sish kebap 16 Dessert Semolina halwa 18 1 German menu Starters Light potato soup 20 Field salad with schmand 21 Main dish Beef goulash with spätzle 22 Dessert Mixed red fruit dessert 24 Catalan menu Starters Escalivada 26 Gazpatxo 27 Main dish Fideuà 28 Dessert Mel i mató 29 2 GREEK MENU 3 Starters Ntomatokeftedes (Tomato Fritters) Ingredients ● 3 large ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded and finely diced or grated) ● 1 large onion finely chopped ● 2 spring (green) onions finely sliced ● 1 cup all-purpose flour ● 1 teaspoon baking powder ● 1 teaspoon oregano or mint ● Greek olive oil for frying ● Salt, pepper Instructions 1. Cut the tomatoes in half. Remove the seeds and grate them. Pour the grated tomatoes in a sieve (fine colander) and let them drain from liquids for about an hour. 2. Put the grated tomatoes in a large bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients. The mixture must be rather thick. If it isn’t thick enough, Add a little more flour. Do not add oil. 3. Heat the oil very well in a pan. Take large spoonfuls of the mixture and put them in the sizzling hot oil. Fry them until golden brown on both sides and serve immediately! 4 Kolokythokeftedes (Zucchini fritters) Ingredients ● 2 cups zucchini (grated, and squeezed to drain) ● 1 handful fresh herbs (such as parsley, dill, mint chopped) … ● 2 green onions (chopped) ● 1/4 cup of feta (crumbled) ● 1/2 cup of flour ● 1 egg ● Salt and pepper to taste ● 2 tablespoons oil Instructions 1. Mix the zucchini, herbs, green onion, feta, flour, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl. 2. Heat the oil in a pan. 3. Spoon the zucchini mixture into the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. 5 Tzatziki Ingredients ● 1/2 a large cucumber, peeled or unpeeled ● 1 1/2 cups plain full-fat Greek yogurt ● 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced ● 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ● 1 tablespoon white vinegar ● 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) ● a pinch of pepper (to taste) ● 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill if you like Instructions 1. Grate the cucumber and drain through a fine mesh sieve. Remove water by pressing the grated cucumber between your palms. 2. Combine the yogurt, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 3. Transfer the grated cucumber and fresh dill to the yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Serve chilled. 6 Choriatiki Salata (Greek Village Salad) Ingredients ● 2 tomatoes mature but firm ● 1 cucumber sliced ● 1 green pepper sliced ● 1 onion sliced ● Kalamata olives ● a few capers if you like the taste ● 100 gr feta cheese in a big slice or in cubes ● vinegar ● olive oil ● salt ● oregano Instructions 1. Rinse and drain the vegetables. 2. Cut the tomatoes in pieces, Slice the cucumbers, the onion, the pepper, and put them in a salad bowl. Add the olives, (the capers) and the feta cheese on top. 3. Season with salt, olive oil, vinegar, oregano and serve. Note Greek salad is made with pieces of tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, onion, feta cheese, and olives (usually Kalamata olives), typically seasoned with salt and oregano, and dressed with olive oil. Common additions include green bell pepper slices or berries of capers (especially in the Dodecanese islands). Notably, the Greek salad is often seen as a farmer's breakfast or lunch, as its ingredients resemble those that a Greek farmer might have on hand 7 MAIN DISH Mousakas Ingredients ● 3 eggplants, ● salt ● 1/4 cup olive oil ● 1 tablespoon butter ● 1 pound lean ground beef ● salt to taste ● ground black pepper to taste ● 2 onions, chopped ● 1 clove garlic, minced ● 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon ● 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg ● 1/2 teaspoon fines herbs ● 2 tablespoons dried parsley ● 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce ● 1/2 cup red wine ● 1 egg, beaten ● 4 cups milk ● 1/2 cup butter ● 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour ● ground white pepper, to taste ● 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Greek Kefalotyri (or Parmesan) cheese ● 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 8 Instructions 1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain. 2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg. 3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper. 4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 9 DESSERTS Ryzogalo (Greek Rice pudding) Ingredients ● 1/2 cup of Carolina rice ● 1 ½ cup of water ● ¼ teaspoon of salt ● 4 cups of Fresh milk ● 2 tablespoons of corn flour ● 1 shot of vanilla powder ● 1 cup of sugar ● Cinnamon powder for sprinkling Instructions 1. Rinse the rice. Put the water and the salt in a pot and bring it to the boiling point. When it starts boiling, add the rice and stir briskly. Lower the temperature and let it simmer until the rice absorbs all the water and starts to look creamy. 2. Take ¼ of a cup of the milk and dilute the corn flour in it along with the vanilla powder. Warm to the boil the rest of the milk and add it together with the sugar in the rice pot. Stir briskly and let it simmer for 20’ min. 3. Add the mixture of milk and cornflour in the pot and continue cooking and stirring continuously until our “ryzogalo” thickens. 4. Take the pot off the heat and serve the ryzogalo in small individual serving bowls. Let it cool off and we serve it with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder on top. 10 TURKISH MENU 11 STARTERS Mixed Mezes: Beet, Garlic & Yogurt Dip Mixed Olive Salad Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers Yogurt Carrot Dip A Turkish meze platter is sure to impress everyone. The freshness, color, taste and not to mention the health aspects will leave you wanting more. You can have, one, some or all of the dishes. It’s a great way to start off a dinner party. In this set, you will experience different textures, colors and tastes. The earthiness of raw beets (beetroot) in a yogurt-based dip, kindly provided to us by a Fethiye market vendor from whom we bought many of our vegetables over a period of months. An olive-based salad that might just have become our favorite salad ever (we thought that Asian-based salads held that title). The combination of the salty olives and the sweet molasses was a delight to savor. Roasted and then vinegar-marinated red bell peppers (capsicums) that are truly gourmet. Another yogurt-based dip, this time with carrots and finally mixed olives, simple, elegant and juicy. Apart from the finishing garnishes and dressings, the dishes can be prepared in advance. 12 Ingredients ● Beet, Garlic & Yogurt Dip ● 2 beets (beetroots) medium, washed, raw* ● 4 cloves garlic crushed ● 2 cups yogurt Turkish or Greek style* ● 4 sprigs parsley ● Mixed Olive Salad ● 1/2 lb olives good quality, mixed* ● 1/2 salad (red) onions medium, thinly sliced ● 2 cucumbers, Lebanese small, halved lengthways, de-seeded ● 2 tomatoes medium, de-seeded, cubed ● 1/2 cup parsley flat leafed, roughly chopped ● 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses * ● 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin ● 1/3 cup walnuts roasted, crushed ● Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers ● 6 red bell peppers (capsicums) medium, whole ● 2 cloves garlic peeled, crushed ● 4 tbsp vinegar good quality* ● 1 tbsp oregano, fresh, leaves finely chopped* ● salt, ground sea ● 2 tbsp parsley flat leafed, finely chopped ● Yogurt Carrot Dip ● 6 carrots medium, grated ● 1 tbsp olive oil ● 1 cup yogurt Turkish or Greek style* ● 2 cloves garlic chopped finely ● salt, ground sea ● 2 olives green* ● Mixed Olives ● 1/2 lb olives good quality, mixed* 13 Instructions Beet, Garlic & Yogurt Dip 1. Trim and peel the raw beets and then grate them. 2. Place in a bowl. Add the garlic and yogurt and mix all ingredients together. 3. Add some parsley as a garnish before serving. Mixed Olive Salad 1. Using a small knife, pit the olives and place the olive cheeks in a bowl. 2. Add the salad onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley. Toss. 3. Just prior to serving, dry roast the walnuts until golden in a small pan. Then crush and add to the salad.

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