Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Department of Agriculture Traditional Dishes of Cyprus Lefkosia, Cyprus 2012 Prepared by: Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment in cooperation with the Press and Information Office Text: Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Editing: Demetris Hasikos Press and Information Office Design: Dora Cleanthous-Farside Press and Information Office Photos: Stavros Ioannides Press and Information Office Cover photo: Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplate of Aphrodite Christos Avraamides Press and Information Office Preparation of dishes: l Higher Hotel Institute l Press and Information Office P.I.O. 129/2012–8.000 ISBN 978-9963-50-098-7 Published by the Press and Information Office Printed by Konos Ltd Copyright © 2012 FOREWORD This cookery book contains recipes for traditional Cypriot dishes and sweets. It is primarily intended for those who wish to prepare meals they tasted in Cypriot restaurants and especially liked or for those who want to become acquainted with the best of Cypriot cuisine. In selecting the recipes we took two considerations into account. The dishes and sweets have been carefully chosen to contain ingredients that are available in supermarkets in most countries. The very few that might not be available can be found in Cypriot food shops anywhere. They are also relatively easy to make and do not require any particular skills or experience. We tried to include recipes for a wide range of dishes, grouping them into the following sections for convenience: starters, soups, rice - pasta, vegetables, dishes with minced meat, meats, savouries, sweets. We hope you will find pleasure in trying out the recipes and above all preparimg dishes you can enjoy with your family and friends. Please write to us at: Publications Section Press and Information Office Appelis Street 1456 Nicosia Fax: +357 22664001 e-mail: [email protected] CONTENTS STARTERS............................................................................. 7 DISHES WITH MINCED MEAT....................................... 29 - Chickpea purée (hummus).................................... 8 - Stuffed vine leaves (koupepia)............................ 30 - Mushrooms in wine.................................................. 9 - Meatballs or rissoles (keftedes)............................ 31 - Artichokes with eggs.............................................. 10 - Shieftalies..................................................................... 32 - Fried aubergines with tomatoes......................... 11 - Baked macaroni with minced meat (pastitsio)... 33 - Beetroot salad............................................................ 12 MEAT DISHES...................................................................... 35 - Cypriot salad............................................................... 13 - Lamb or kid with cauliflower............................... 36 - Fish savoro................................................................... 14 - Lamb stew (tavas).................................................... 37 - Fried pork in wine (afelia)...................................... 38 SOUPS.................................................................................... 15 - Beef stew (stifado)................................................... 39 - Lentil soup................................................................... 16 - Pork souvlaki with pita bread............................... 40 - Egg and lemon soup (avgolemono).................. 17 SAVOURIES.......................................................................... 41 RICE - PASTA........................................................................ 19 - Halloumi cheese turnovers - Cypriot tortellini (kaloirka)..................................... 20 (bourekia me halloumi)......................................... 42 - Halloumi cheese ravioli........................................... 21 - Koupes.......................................................................... 43 - Olive patties (eliopittes)........................................ 44 - Burghul (bulgur) pilaf.............................................. 22 - Lentils and rice (moudjendra).............................. 23 SWEETS.................................................................................. 45 - Anari cheese turnovers (bourekia me anari)...... 46 VEGETABLES....................................................................... 25 - Cypriot curd cheese pie (anaropitta)................ 47 - Potatoes in tomato sauce....................................... 26 - Cypriot doughnuts (loukoumades)................... 48 - Deep fried potatoes with lemon and - Ladies’ fingers (daktyla)......................................... 49 coriander (antinahtes)............................................. 27 - Semolina cake (kalon prama).............................. 50 - Runner beans in tomato sauce............................ 28 - Semolina pudding (halvas nistisimos).............. 51 5 CONVERSION TABLES Metric to Imperial Imperial to Metric Weight: 1 gram = 0.035 ounce Weight: 1 ounce = 28.3 grams 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds 1 pound = 454 grams Length: 1 centimetre = 0.394 inche 1 pound = 0.454 kilogram Capacity: 1 litre = 1.76 pints Length: 1 inch = 2.54 centimetres Capacity: 1 pint = 0.568 litre 6 Starters 7 CHICKPEA PURÉE (hummus) l 1/2 kg chickpeas (soaked overnight) - Drain chickpeas, spread on a tea towel and roll a bottle over them to remove the husks. l 1 cup tahini (beaten) l 5-6 garlic cloves, crushed - Boil the chickpeas until soft. Dry and mash. l 1/4 cup lemon juice - Beat the tahini and combine with the chickpeas. l 1/2 cup olive oil - Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. If the l salt, paprika paste is very thick, add liquid from the chickpeas. l finely chopped parsley - Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley and pour a little olive oil over the purée. STARTERS 8 MUSHROOMS IN WINE l 1 kg mushrooms - Wash the mushrooms well, drain and cut. l 1/2 cup oil - Sauté in oil until golden brown, add wine and coriander. Cover l 1/2 cup dry red wine and cook until liquid is absorbed. l coriander seeds, crushed - Add salt and pepper, mix and serve hot. l salt, pepper STARTERS 9 ARTICHOKES WITH EGGS l 8 artichokes (medium size) - Peel the artichokes and place in cold water with salt and lemon juice. l 4 eggs l 8 tablespoons oil - Drain and cut into small, thin slices. l salt - Fry in oil until golden brown. - Beat the eggs just enough to blend the yolks into the whites and add salt. - Pour out excess oil from the pan, add the eggs and stir a little, taking care not to overcook them. - Empty the mixture into a dish and serve. Note: Courgettes can be cooked in the same way. Cut the courgettes in round slices, fry and follow the recipe for the artichokes. STARTERS 10 FRIED AUBERGINES WITH TOMATOES l 1 kg aubergines - Wash the aubergines, peel and slice or cut into quarters, sprinkle with salt and leave to stand for 1-1½ hours. l 2/3 cup olive oil l 3 cloves garlic, chopped - Wash out aubergines and pat dry. Fry a few at a time and drain on absorbent paper. l 3 onions, sliced - Sauté the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes, and simmer l 4 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped uncovered for a few minutes. Add the fried aubergines and a l salt little water and cook over a low heat until the aubergines are soft and the sauce has thickened. STARTERS 11 BEETROOT SALAD l 1 kg beetroot - Wash the beetroot and boil in plenty of water until cooked. l 5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped - Peel and cut in slices. l olive oil - Place in a salad bowl and add garlic, salt, olive oil and vinegar l wine vinegar according to taste and mix well. l parsley (optional) - Garnish with finely chopped parsely. l salt STARTERS 12 CYPRIOT SALAD l Lettuce, coriander leaves, rocket leaves, - Chop finely the lettuce, coriander leaves, rocket leaves and cabbage cabbage, cut the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and aubergine and slice the eggs. l 3-4 tomatoes - Reserve some of the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and egg l 2 onions slices and mix the rest in a bowl. l 1 aubergine (optional) - Add salt, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice according to taste and l 3 hard boiled eggs (optional) toss salad. l black olives - Garnish with reserved items. l olive oil l wine vinegar or lemon juice l salt STARTERS 13 FISH SAVORO l 1 kg fish (small or medium size) - Fry the fish and place in a dish after draining on absorbent paper. l 5 tablespoons olive oil l 3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped - Sauté the garlic. l 2-3 sprigs rosemary - Dissolve the flour in a little of the vinegar and then combine with the remaining vinegar (+water). Add the garlic and l 2 cups wine vinegar rosemary and stir until the sauce boils and thickens. Pour over (+ 1/2 cup water, if weaker vinegar the fish to cover and refrigerate when cool. Serve cold. is preferred) l 1-1 1/2 heaped teaspoons flour STARTERS 14 Soups 15 LENTIL SOUP l 1 cup lentils - Wash and drain the lentils. l 5 cups water - Place in a pan with water and let them cook over a low heat. l 2 carrots finely chopped - When the lentils are nearly cooked add all the vegetables and l 1 onion finely chopped simmer until cooked. l 3 lettuce leaves finely shredded - Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more l 1/2 bunch coriander leaves, finely minutes. chopped l 1/4 cup olive oil l 1/4 cup wine vinegar l salt, pepper SOUPS 16 EGG AND LEMON SOUP