Greek Recipes by Patty Apostolides


Greeks are a social people, and wherever they are gathered, there will certainly be food! Since food is an important element of the Greek culture, I have included it often in my novel, Lipsi's Daughter. 
Food is not only nourishment for the body, but also for the soul. It is a social event, bringing people together, strengthening communities and families. 

Everywhere one goes in Greece, one is bound to find grape vineyards gracing the landscape. Why? Because wine is another important element in Greek cuisine. When I visited Lipsi island for the first time in the 1980's, I noticed that everyone drank wine, even the children. It was preferred over water. 

On the island of Lipsi (in the 1980's), where the novel begins, cooking was done with limited means. For stove-top cooking, like heating milk or coffee, the typical islander used "amphiali" burners. They look similar to the ones we use here for camping. For meals that required baking, the islander would take the uncooked meal to the local baker. The local baker played an important part on the island. There, one also bought freshly baked bread, cheese-pies (tiropites) and other baked goods.  

Mmm, I can still smell the scent of freshly baked bread!
All my recipes use organic ingredients for a better tasting experience. Enjoy the recipes below!


APPETIZERS


ARTICHOKE DIP

1 small jar marinated artichokes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup parmesan
1/4 cup mozzarella



Chop artichokes into bowl. Add rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Bake in small casserole dish for 20 minutes, 350 degrees or until golden on top.

SPANAKOPITA

2 pounds Fresh Baby Spinach (or 2 - 12 oz frozen chopped spinach)
1 pound Feta Cheese, cut into small cubes
1 chopped Onion
2 eggs
1/4 cup Olive oil
Dill
Salt and Pepper
1/2 pound Fillo sheets
1/4 pound Butter

Lightly saute the onion in olive oil in pan under medium heat. Add spinach until cooked. Remove from heat. Add feta cheese dill, salt and pepper, and eggs. Mix well. Butter a fillo sheet and place in casserole dish. Do this 8 times. Then add spinach filling. Butter 8-10 more fillo sheets and place each one on top of filling. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool. Slice into small portions. (Also can be used as part of main meal - just slice into larger portions).

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MAIN COURSE



LENTIL SOUP

2 cups lentils, sorted,rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk (or 1 tsp celery seed)
12 cups water or stock
1 cup tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
Salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vinegar

In a large pot filled with water, heat the lentils for ten minutes. Then pour the water out and add fresh water. Add all ingredients except vinegar. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until lentils are soft. Discard bay leaves. Add vinegar just before serving. Serve with warm homemade bread.


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4-6 pound lamb
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
chopped spices (oregano, rosemary, or mint)
7-8 Potatoes, cut in large cubes

Remove most of the fat from the lamb. Leave a little fat for juices. Rinse lamb in water. Place in roasting pan, fat side up. Add remaining ingredients except potatoes. Place in 350 degrees oven for 2-3 hours. Baste occasionally with juices. Add potatoes and cook one more hour. Lamb should break apart easily with fork when well done.

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DESSERTS


FAMOUS BAKLAVA

1 pound walnuts finely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pound phyllo (thawed, if frozen)
1 pound butter, melted and warm
Syrup (below)

Combine nuts, sugar and spices.  Trim phyllo to size of 13X9 inch baking pan. Place a phyllo in the pan, brush generously with melted butter.  Place five more phyllo sheets in the pan, brushing each sheet with butter.  Sprinkle a thin layer of the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo.  Cover with 4 buttered phyllo sheets. Continue, alternating nut mixture with 4 buttered phyllo sheets. Top with 8 buttered phyllo sheets. Freeze fifteen minutes.  Take sharp knife and slowly cut into squares or diamonds, using fingers to hold phyllo down. Sprinkle lightly with cold water.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Lower oven to 300 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer or until golden brown.
Pour warm syrup over hot baklava. Let stand for several hours or overnight. Store in air-tight containers. Also freezes well.
Serves 24.

(Syrup)
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons honey

Combine sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and lemon juice and gently boil 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in honey.




KOULOURAKIA

2 1/2 cups butter
1/2 cup Coconut oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons baking powder
8 to 9 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg for glaze
2 tablespoons water

Cream together butter, oil, and sugar. Slowly add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in orange juice - it should fizz up. Add to mixture, beating well. Sift baking powder and flour together and add gradually to mixture. When it gets sticky, start kneading. Keep adding flour until dough is pliable and not sticky. Knead well.

Roll out 1 tablespoon of dough into 4-inch rope. Fold in half, twist legs together into a braid. Beat egg white with water, and brush on top of cookie. Place on greased sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Turn off oven, let sit in oven for another 4-5 minutes, or until brown on top. Don't overbake.

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RIZOGALO (Simple version of Rice Pudding without eggs))

1 cup long grain rice
6 cups milk
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large saucepan, heat milk at medium/high temperature for 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally. Add the rice, sugar, and salt. Cook 25 to 30 minutes or until rice is done, stirring constantly. Cool.  Add vanilla.  Pour into individual dishes.




PATTY'S HOMEMADE YOGURT
(Note: Good yogurt has live acidophilus cultures, which means that any sugar in the milk will be nourishment for the bacteria. Any yogurt you buy at the store should list its sugar content less than 12g (which is the sugar for milk) and that shows that there's a live - and hungry - acidophilus culture at work! This yogurt is quite nourishing and delicious!)

6-7 Tbs Plain Whole Milk Yogurt (has living cultures. Seven Stars is a good one)
8 cups Whole Milk

Turn on oven to warm. Place yogurt in large bowl. Set aside at room temperature. Warm milk in large pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Use thermometer to measure temperature to 160 degrees. Don't let it boil. This should take about 20 minutes to heat. Remove from stove. Let cool to 110 degrees F. Temperature is important! If too hot, the yogurt will curdle. Should take around 25 minutes to cool. Meanwhile, turn off oven. To aid in cooling, place warm pot in pan with cold water. When right temperature (110 degrees F), stir about 2-3 TBS warm milk into the yogurt. Then stir yogurt/milk mixture back into the milk. Pour into glasses and place in a pan in the oven for four hours. Leave glasses uncovered for best results. If not ready in four hours, reheat oven at warm temperature for a couple of minutes, then turn off oven and wait 30 minutes or so. Refrigerate. Should last 10 days in refrigerator. Enjoy alone or with toppings, like granola or honey!

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GreekCuisine.com

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EatGreekTonight.com

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