Fakesoupa | Comfort Greek Style

Come rains and I think about soups. Nothing can beat the comfort provided by soups on rainy night. Though tomato is a regular favourite, I try to make something or other always. This time is the Greek style lentil soup - "Fakes" soup adapted from Souvlaki For the Soul. An easy to make simple yet perfect with brown lentils, basic stock and spices and drizzle of red wine vinegar and Olive oil to round it off.

Ingredients:

Whole Brown Lentils (whole masoor dal): 1.25 cups

Onion: 1 finely chopped ~ 1 cup

Carrot: 1 finely chopped ~ 1 cup +

Garlic: 3 medium cloves finely chopped

Dried Bay Leaves:1-2 big leaves or 1 tsp as per taste

Dried Oregano: 2 tsp

Water: 4 cups +  as needed

Tomato Puree : 1 cup 

Tomato Paste : 1 tbsp

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Red Wine Vinegar + Extra Virgin olive oil: for drizzling

Parsley: for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

In a deep pan saute onion, garlic and carrot in little olive oil till transparent.

Stir in the picked, washed and drained lentils. Add in the rest of the ingredients except oil and vinegar and bring to boil on medium heat.

Reduce to simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes or more until the lentils are cooked yet the teexture is to our taste and the flavours mingled well. 

Serve garnished with red wine vinegar and extra evoo and fresh parsley.

If you find the time too much, you can use precooked lentils and add them to the onions and thus reduce the cooking time. If you don't have tomato paste, then add more tomato puree based on your tanginess quotient.

Greek oregano is much preferred in this though you can go for the regular Italian one like I did. Taste will be slightly different in this case. But still the soup was great and we lapped it up. 

You can play around the ingredients and add small pasta, potatoes, choice of herbs etc.

Ladenia | Greek style Pizza

Originating from Kimolos island in Greece, this is a simple onion and tomato flat bread spiced up with Greek oregano. The olive oil flatbread is supposed to be the forefather of modern pizza.This recipe was in drafts for a long time and finally seeing the light of the day. When I tried this for the first time, thanks to bad yeast I goofed up. But second time it turned out perfect. 

 I have adapted this from Kalofagas (-a must visit blog for authentic Greek recipes) post on the same. I couldn't find much information about the dish apart from the fact that is now enjoyed across several Greek islands. I have just halved the recipe and I served it as a snack. 

Ingredients:

Warm Water: 1.5 cups

Sugar: 1/2 tsp

Instant Yeast: 1.5 tsp

Olive oil: 2 tbsp

All Purpose Flour: 3-3.5 cups + more as needed 

Salt: 1/2 tsp

Topping: 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 4 tbsp

Onions: 2 large sliced 

Tomatoes: 2-3 big , firm and just ripe , cut in half and then crescent slices

Salt & black pepper : as per taste

Greek Oregano : 2 tbsp

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: for drizzling

Preparation:

In a big bowl, mix in sugar and yeast in warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes or more until frothy. 

To this add in olive oil, salt and 2 cups of flour and mix well. You can do this in the processor as well. Add in more flour as needed to get a workable dough. 

You can transfer the dough to a floured counter and continue kneading till you get a pliable non sticky smooth dough.

Drizzle and spread little olive oil onto a round/square baking dish and sprinkle some semolina flour also.

Roll out the dough in this dish to fit the circumference or perimeter of the dish making sure it is slightly thick and not too thin. 

Let the dough sit for atleast 30 minutes in a warm area covered with a plastic wrap/kitchen towel until it rises. You can divide the dough into small pieces and then go for smaller dishes or even place all the pieces in a baking sheet. I went for a square ladenia in a 8x8 dish and a smaller 4" round one.

Meanwhile prepare the toppings and set aside.Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

Spread the ExtraVirgin Olive Oil onto the dough and layer it with onions. Top the onions with tomato slices and then sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano.

Bake in the middle rack for about 40-45 minutes until the sides are brown and the top has light brown colour. 

Take out and drizzle with with more EVOO. Serve as a hot or cold snack for four or more or a lunch for atleast 2. 

A quick and easy pizza. The combo of onion,tomato and oregano take it a notch higher though these are the regular everyday ingredients. The bread is pizza dough only and came out excellent. You can use your own dough recipe if you have any.

Quick Feta Patties

What do you do when you are planning a vacation and life gives you Feta cheese? Especially if you r not sure about freezing what with the powercuts and the feta needs to be used within 24 hours and you are less than 10 hours away from a 5 day vacation? Ofcourse you may have several ideas but this one from about.com is the one that turned out to be my saviour.The recipe has nothing much to do and takes few minutes only atleast less than 15 minutes.Read on:

Ingredients:
Feta cheese : 1/2 cup atleast
Panko/ Fresh bread crumbs: 1/4 cup + as needed
Pepper: as per taste
Olive oil: 1-2 tbsp

Preparation:

Take handful of feta -which is usually crumbled and try to shape into a patty within wet/damp hands. You can also do this using plastic wrap.But I prefer hand and it was okay. 

Mix bread crumbs and pepper in a flat dish and roll each patty into this mix until it gets coated on all the sides and the edges.

Place a tawa or skillet on medium heat and once hot add in 1-2 tbsp of oil and swirl to coat. Place the coated patties on the skillet and cook around 1-2 minutes per side or until it turn golden brown. You can add more oil in the skillet if necessary. 

Once done drain on paper towels  and serve warm stuffed within rolls/rotis/breads/buns or with other veggies as well.

 These patties actually can be refrigerated for about 1 week. or frozen for few months. So make these, freeze them and then when you are short of dishes especially snacks roll em up and snack on.

Those who have tried the feta knows its saltiness and these patties are salty as well. So rather than giving your tastebuds a saltshock use them along with something or in a gravy and then enjoy them. I stuffed them within hotdog rolls along with tomato sliced and served with sauce/dips etc.

Pantzarosalata -Greek Style Beetroot Dip

As you know, I like trying out several cuisines. The moment I read about Pantzarosalata -actually came across,nit too much info,I wanted to try it out. Somehow, I could not do so immediately and even during AWED:Greek. Something or other happened and I kept on postponing until I saw a recipe perfect for me in  Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.

Pantzarosalata is an  easy salad/dip made using boiled beets,olive oil and red wine vinegar. There are several versions and variations available -some with boiled and sliced beets,some having beet greens,some with potatoes,some fully mashed like a dip  etc. It is usually  served in the appetizer or mezze course as a dip/sauce for bread /fritters etc. 

Ingredients:

Beet root: 1 big one boiled and then peeled
Walnuts: 3-4 tbsp
 One Day old bread :about 2-3 tbsp
       OR
 Boiled and peeled potato : 1 small about 3-4 tbsp (I used a potato)
Garlic: 1 small clove
Olive Oil: 4-6 tbsp
Red Wine Vinegar: 1-2 tbsp
Salt: to taste

Preparation:

Chop the boiled and peeled beet coarsely.In a blender add all the ingredients and blend to a thick smooth puree. Serve as dip with spiced fritters or tortilla/pita chips.

 You can adjust the quantity of oil and vinegar to get your choice of smoothness and the acidity/sourness needed. What I got was a sweet -sour dip which pairs very well for spiced chips/fritters or even meat. The sweetness of beets balances the sourness of the vinegar while giving you the comfort of potato which are used instead of bread in the dip.Or at least thats the way it should be. But I must confess that my family members did not take too  much to this though I loved it. So if your sourness taste buds have to be tickled do try this at least once. I am planning to make this again at least for me.

Watermelon & Feta Salad

In my childhood days, summer meant the arrival of watermelons and holidays. Or rather when you see lots of watermelons on the sides of the streets, you knew summer is not far away. Though I preferred the holidays more,the melons meant the expectations towards the hols and also a tension for the approaching annual exams. Even now, the melons are abundant in the summer but they are available throughout the year.Usually I like to have these as  such or occasionally in a soup. However the once I tried the gazpacho and knew that it was palatable, I decided to further experiment and obviously the next recipe was the classic Greek watermelon and feta salad.I was actually vary of trying the combo of fruit and cheese especially melon and feta. But I could not resist trying the recipe from food and wine esp after I saw this pic and it turned out GREAT. All the flavours intact it was irresistable.

Again this is not a traditional recipe of the salad. Hot sauce or even harissa can be added to this,but all those elements have worked together to make this a winner.I have adapted it slightly that I used mint instead of parsley.

Ingredients:
Watermelon slices : sliced into thick rectangles: few
Black kalamata Olives: chopped/sliced into rings
Red Onions: finely chopped : almost 1/2 cup +
Feta Cheese: 3-4 tbsp crumbled
Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley/Fresh mint leaves: little or as per liking chopped up + for garnish
(I used mint)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2-3 tbsp
Lemon Juice: equal qnty as EVOO
Hot sauce: 1/4 -1/2 tsp

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:
Whisk together the oil and lemon juice till it emulsifies. Whisk in the hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Arrange the watermelon slices in the serving dish. Top with onions,mint,olive rings and crumbled feta in that order. Drizzle the dressing on top and serve immediately.

An excellent starter this is and much preferred during hot summer months but equally best in other seasons as well. You make it and taste and see how the flavors mingle and play with your taste buds. The sweetness of melon gives way to the heat of the sauce and the tanginess of the olives and then leaves with us the citrus flavours and the freshness of mint. Adjust the quantities as per you need.A super trouper salad.

Tzatziki- Greek Yogurt & Cucumber Dip

Tzatziki is a Greek strained yogurt and cucumber dip which is served also as a sauce with appropriate main course. I had tried tzatziki while in US using thick Greek Yogurt but somehow found that it was very liquidy or watery (similar to normal raitha) and felt something amiss. After coming back I saw Chef George Calombaris explaining how to make a perfect tzatziki in MasterChef Australia and tried it with regular yogurt available here. It definitely worked and here is the simple dip in my words.

Ingredients:
Cucumber: at least 1 medium peeled
Yogurt: atleast 2 cups

Garlic: 1/2 small clove finely grated
Shallots/ pearl onions: 1 small coarsely grated
Fresh Dill : small bunch finely chopped
Zest of 1 small lemon
Cayenne Pepper: a small pinch

Olive Oil: 2-3 tbsp atleast

Preparation:

Strain the yogurt by pouring it in a cheesecloth and letting the whey/liquid flow out into a bowl. Keep this overnight in the fridge or atleast 2-3 hours. I did this overnight. You can use this post for straining the yogurt.

Coarsely grate the peeled cucumber and squeeze out liquid from this.You can grate it on top of a tray covered with cheesecloth so that the liquid drains away.To this,mix in little salt and cover it with  another clean cloth,leave for 5 minutes and then squeeze out the remaining liquid.To simplify, I squeezed out the grated cucumbers,mixed in salt, after few minutes again squeezed out. Make sure most of the liquid is removed from cucumbers and the yogurt as it affects the consistency of the dip which should be very thick.

To the thickened yogurt,mix in grated shallot, grated garlic,chopped dill,lemon zest and cayenne pepper.Add the squeezed out cucumbers and stir until combined.Add olive oil and mix well. Serve topped with more olive oil and dill leaves as a dip with chips/fresh veggies or as per choice.

Delectable dip this was and almost same as the tzatziki I had tried or seen. Perfect for the hot weather as well. Make your own and enjoy.

Pita Bread

Pita is a  round pocket bread that is prevalent in Middle East and Mediterranean cuisine.The pocket in pita is formed when the steam puffs up the dough while cooking and when cooled there is  a pocket in the middle. I had never attempted a pita before but was tempted to when I found an excellent recipe at Peter Minakis' Kalofagas.He had adapted the recipe from Vefa's Kitchen by Vefa Alexiaduo.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 3 cups
Salt: :1 tsp or as per taste
Instant Yeast: 2 tsp
Sugar: 1 tsp
Olive oil:2 tbsp

Warm Water : 1 and 3/4 cup or as needed.
Corn meal : for dusting
Vegetable oil for greasing the pan


Preparation:

In a bowl add water,oil,yeast,salt and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes or until active.Add in flour in to the bowl and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and leave in a warm spot for rising about 30 minutes.

Divide the risen dough into 6 pieces.Roll out each piece into 1/4 inch  thick 8-10 inch rounds.Dust with corn meal and poke each round with the tines of the fork gently.

Heat a pan on medium heat and spray with little oil.Place a pita on the hot pan/skillet and cook for a few minutes till you see it puffing up.Flip to the other side and cook till done.

Stack the pita one on top of the other and keep wrapped in foil or warm towels till serving time.Serve it with your choice of gravy or loaded with salad or your choice of filling.

The pita puffed up excellently and you can see the pocket here :)

The pita tasted fine with the salad I stuffed up inside.The texture was right and same as that of shop bought ones. You can also cut it into small pieces and bake into pita chips.Thanks Peter for the keeper recipe.

Welcome to TastyCurryLeaf Greek Taverna

The AWED :Greek conducted here whole of March presents a simple round up with delectable vegetarian and vegan dishes. These are presented in 4 courses and I hope you enjoy the menu.

Mezze -
Meze or Mezzethes is the collective name of small dishes which are more than appetisers.These are served with wine or ouzo and can generally range from snack to light meals and includes dips,sauces,small sandwiches,etc.

1. Kolokythakia Tiganitas from PJ or crunchy zucchini battered in flour and soda water and deep fried to perfection


2. Tzatziki from Cooking Foodie -a classic Greek Dip made using thick Greek Yoghurt,cucumber and dill -perfect coolant


3. Spanakopita starters from Sumathy -Filo rolls with spinach and feta cheese filling baked and presented as a filling starter.


4. Greek Sauce from Niloufer a delicious sauce made with cucumber and yoghurt and she also sends


5. Greek sandwich -made with falafel,olives ,tahini and greek sauce rolled in Pita bread Hearty indeed


6. Bourou bourou from yours truly - a simple veg and pasta soup from Corfu

Simply Salads

1. Pantzaria Salata from Priya - Chilled Beet & Garlic salad perfect for summer and can be made quickly


2. Corn and Olive Salad from Marina -hearty and filling salad made from black olives,corn and white beans with salty feta this is simple and filling

Sensational Sides

1. Fasolia gigantes me plaki stou fourno from Ivy - a hearty dish made from lima beans baked in tomato sauce,this is a staple in almost all the Greek taverna and must not be missed.


2. Patates stou fourno from DK -the Chief Chef of Awed has baked lemony and garlicky potatoes thats another staple side in the tavernas or if you ask me this mouthwatering dish can be served even on its own.


3. Greek roasted potatoes from Priya Mitharwal is a perfect dish as a side or stuffing or snack or whatever way you like it and from what I read is definitely kid friendly.


4. Arakas me Anitho from Yours truly is simply sensational dilled peas with bell peppers and a perfect side or as itself.

Tantalizing Mains

1. Kritariki me Fakkes by Peter Minakis -a hearty combination of orzo pasta and lentils this is the dish perfect for lent and or any season comfort food as per me.
   
2. Whole grain Spanakopita Pie from Yasmeen - made from scratch using whole wheat flour rather than the easier filo sheets and filled with lots of healthy greens and low fat feta this is heaven and is guilt free main course.


3. Spankopita Pie from Nisha Thomas - never a great fan of Greek cuisine,she fell in love with this and made from the tradiotional filo and spinach-feta filling this has become a regular in her brunch sessions and I suppose she may be trying other Greek recipes as well :D


4. Vegetarian Moussaka from Swathy- A classic three layer dish of eggplant,meat and bechamel sauce she used a combo of potatoes,mushrooms and zuchhini replacing the meat layer and reduce the amount of cheese to make it less in calories but definitely hearty and filling and more tasty.A time consuming preparation but hearty and a must try.


5. Vegetarian Moussaka from Cooking foodie - A tasty twist on the classic dish this one has eggplant,potato and zucchini and the meat layer is replaced with split yellow lentils which makes the dish more more hearty and filling.


6. Greek Macaroni and Cheese from Lisa -A Greek touch to the tasty mac and cheese makes it more hearty.Made from a combination of cheeses like Gruyere and feta along with fresh spinach and kalamata olives this is an excellent main course.


7. Couscous Salad from Nayna -she fell in love with it whilst on a holiday in Greece and later tried at home.A hearty and simple and filling salad made with couscous,cucumber,bell peppers,etc this is another dish that can be put together easily.


8. Spanakorizo-Greek Spinach Rice from Yours Truly - a hearty rice dish made with long grain rice and fresh spinach,dill and parsley this is mouthwatering and filling.


9. Lagana-Greek Flatbread for Lent from Yours Truly - the finest of Greek breads attempted here and though amateurish the bread was hearty.

Delicious Desserts

1. Revani-Greek Semolina Cake with Syrup from Priya - A rich semolina cake which is soaked in lemony sugar syrup and is perfect with a cuppa or post lunch dessert.
   


2. Loukomades- Greek Honey Puffs from Priya -a deep fried pastry drizzled with honey or served with sugar syrup this is a gastronomers delight. I can't wait to try this out


3. Galaktoboureko-Greek Custard filled phyllo pastry from Priya - A milk or custard pie this has buttered phyllo/filo layered in a pan stuffed with a rich custard made with semolina,eggs and sugar flavoured with orange or lemon and baked -a rich lipsmacking dish indeed.


4. Halva Moraitikos-Greek style Semolina Halva from Yourstruly -a fuss free dessert made from semolina,butter,sugar and water spiced with cinnamon and baked studded with almonds.

Complete Platter

Kalyani of Adiruchi celebrates Greek cuisine with a delectable platter having Pita bread,Hummus, baba ghaoush and Mujjadara. Greek was her favourite cuisine but when she found she has not cooked much Greek she went ahead and gave us a complete feast.

The taverna has 17 chefs who has ready a total of 29 dishes what more do you need to enjoy one of the finest cuisines of the world.Hearty Thanks to all the contributors and do let me know if I has missed anyone or given a wrong link.

Do stop by at AWED: African Cuisine all this April after a hearty Greek feast
Hope you enjoy heartily from this simple taverna with a delectable hearty menu.Kali Orexi!

Halva Moraitikos -Greek style Semolina Halva

If you thought halva/halwa is an Indian dish then you are wrong.As per wii,Halva has spread throughout Asia and Europe and is a part of several delectable cuisine.The rava kesari of South India has got relatives not just in Northern India(Sooji ka halva) but even in Greece or Azerbaijan etc.Each of these cuisine have own version but basically a halva is a halva and is a delightful hearty dessert mostly rich in fats.

Even in Greece there are several regional versions or versions based on the method of cooking like stove top or oven baked etc.Once such version have tried is the Halva Moraitikos from this site.I am not sure how the name came upon though a google search reveled that Moraitika is a resort in Corfu,Greece.Well,forget how the name came about, the halva was delightful.

Ingredients:
Semolina (Rava/Sooji/Farina): 1/3 cup


Water: 1 cup
Butter: 2 tbsp
Sugar: 7 tbsp+/-


Blanched Almonds: 2 tbsp + chopped

Topping:
Whole Almonds


Cinnamon Powder
Sugar (optional)


Preparation:

In a thick bottomed pan,mix well water,butter and sugar.Stir till the sugar dissolves and bring to boil.Reduce to a simmer and add in semolina to the boiling water stirring well to prevent the formation of lumps.Add little cinnamon powder and chopped blanched almonds and let it simmer till the mix thickens and when the mix pulls away from the sides of the pan remove from the heat. Pour the entire mix into a greased pan and spread it evenly.Let it cool and then mark into squares or choice of shapes.Put a whole almond on each square/shape.

Bake the halva in a preheated oven at 350F for 15 more minutes.You can see the butter bubbling and I suppose this thickens the halva more.

Take out and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar.I actually added little cinnamon while making the halva and so I sprinkled more cinnamon at the end and since The sugar I added was enough for me,I avoided garnishing the halva with sugar.

The halva was sweet,rich and perfect dessert or snack whatever way you chose to serve it and halva is my fifth and final entry to AWED:Greece, an event by DK and hosted by yours truly.

Today is the last day of AWED:Greece officially,but I will be accepting Greek Vegetarian/Vegan entries till 4th April 2010 as I will be publishing the Round up on Monday,5th April 2010.

Lagana - Greek Flatbread for Lent

Lagana is a flatbread traditionally made during the lenten season or especially during Clean Monday or Kathera Defthera in Greek, the first day of Lent. The dough is similar to Focaccia and is topped with sesame seeds.I adapted the lagana recipe from Kalofagas to make my own lagana.I divided the original recipe by four and still divided the dough to obtain two laganas.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 1.5 cups +2 tbsp
Instant Yeast: 1.5 tsp
Coarse Sea Salt: 1 and 1/8 tsp
Sugar: 1/4 tsp

Room temperature Water: 3/4 cup +

Sesame seeds

Preparation:

In a big bowl,mix the dry ingredients of flour,yeast,salt and sugar.Add in water and with a ladle stir together the dry items to form a sticky mass.If dough the looks dry then add water one table spoon at a time. Cover the bowl with a lid leaving it little ajar for the gases to escape.Let it rest in a warm spot for 3-4 hours minimum.

Here you can see that there is no kneading of the dough.The original recipe uses the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes idea to make the laganes.The mixing of flour and other dry items with water and forming a sticky mass takes maximum of 5 minutes only.

Once the dough is doubled or risen ,flour hands and gently deflate the dough and put it in a parchement lined baking sheet.Shape it into a lagane - rounded rectangle - by pulling and stretching and adding flour as needed.Here again I went for a medium size lagane.I divided the dough into two and froze one part for later use and the other I shaped into a lagane.

Let it rise again for 45-60 minutes.About 15 minutes prior to baking,poke down the lagane with your finger tips to make indents and sprinkle sesame seeds.Preheat the oven at 375F.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes till the top is lightly browned and then let it cool in a cooling rack.

I do not know how the original lagane tastes like though I got a crusty chewy bread perfect for stews and soups..It is said that lagana is the finest of Greek Breads.Ofcourse the picture does not look like that.The bread look a bit dry and I suppose I should have added more water -atleast 2-3 tbsp.Well,considering my skills I would say my lagana came out perfect and goes straight to AWED:Greece hosted by yourstruly,an event by DK.

Arakas me Anitho - Dilled Peas with Pepper

This is an easiest side dish that I have ever made.On hearing the name if you feel its Greek then sure its Greek but very simple and tasty.The dish belongs to the general category of 'Laderos' which means cooked with olive oil or plainly vegetables in olive oil. I adapted the dish from here and improvised with available ingredients.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil: 2 tsp +

Peas: Fresh/Frozen: 1 cup
Onion: 1 small chopped finely
Red Bell Pepper: 1 small chopped or 1/4-1/2 cup

Dill Leaves: Fresh chopped or dried dill weed: as per taste.
Salt :as per taste

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a pan and saute chopped onions till transparent.Add chopper pepper and peas and dill leaves and salt and mix well.Add little water as needed to cook the vegetables and bring it to boil.Reduce the heat,cover the dish and cook for 15 minutes or more till done.Adjust the salt. and serve warm with your choice of main dish.Garnish with mint/parsley/dill as per choice.

I served this warm with bulgur.The dish is excellent with just the dill being the herb and not even pepper being added.Though I reduced the amount of oil than specified in the recipe,the tanginess of the oil still was there and the combo of peas with dill is perfect.I do not relish dill that much as I find it sharp to my taste,but it is excellent here in combo with peas.

If you do not like dill at all then you can replace it with chopped parsley or a combo of dill and mint as well.Other excellent versions of 'Arakas Laderos' or 'Peas in Olive oil ' are

Arakas Laderos at Kopiaste
Arakas Latheros at Kalofagas

Obviously this a third entry to AWED:Greek,an event by DK and hosted by Yours Truly.Am Expecting your yummy Greek creations by 31st March. Hope you will join my Greek Table.

Spanakorizo - Greek Spinach Rice

This is a simple Greek style spinach rice.Apart from the obvious spinach the dish makes use of other herbs like parsley and dill and there are several versions as usual some with tomatoes or tomatopuree which adds tangy flavour to the already hearty dish.I have used a non tomatoey and easy to make version which I prepared from Kevin's Spanakorizo.

Ingredients:
Long grain white rice /brown rice: 1 cup

Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
Onion: 1 small finely chopped
Garlic: 1-2 small cloves chopped/minced
Spinach: 1 medium bunch

Water:2 +cups
Parsley: chopped 2-4 tbsp
Dill: chopped 2-4 tbsp

Salt & Pepper: to taste

Lemon Juice: 2-4 tbsp
Feta:crumbled

Preparation:
Heat oil in a pan.Add chopped onion and saute till it turns transluscent.Add garlic chopped and saute for another minute.Add roughly chopped spinached and saute till it wilts and releases water.Add stock/water ,rice ,dill,parsley,salt and pepper and mix well and bring to a boil.Reduce and let it simmer on low fire till rice is done.Adjust salt and pepper and serve in bowls,garnished with lemon juice and optionally topped with crumbled feta.

Brown rice takes about 50 minutes or more than white rice.I used long grain basmati rice and found it perfect for this preparation.The rice is very hearty and comforting .I enjoyed it as such and also with little feta.My clicks are not that great but do check Kevins recipe for excellent clicks.

This is my second entry to AWED:GREEK an event by DK of ChefInYou and currently hosted by YoursTruly. Do send vegetarian/vegan Greek dishes to AWED:GREEK till 31st March 2010.

The dish also visits Healing Foods:Spinach an event by Siri and hosted at present by Divya

Other versions that I have come acrosss are:

Spanakorizo at Kalofagas
Spanakoryzo at Kopiaste
Spanakorizo at SouvlakifortheSoul

Kopiaste to AWED: GREEK & Bourou Bourou

Greek Cuisine is the forerunner of European Cuisine and has a long tradition.It is said that the first cookbook recorded was created by Greeks.The cuisine makes excellent use of seasonal ingredients and it is said that tomatoes and other veggies taste best when in Greece.Greece the 'Hellenic Republic ' as it is known is well developed right from early times what with its ancient civilizations and its contribution to various fields like Administration,Art,literature and even food. The culinary tradition has inspired even neighbouring Italy,Southern France and even the Middle East as well.If the triad of 'wheat,wine and olive oil' formed the basis of ancient Greek Cuisine then the current culinary tradition brings into mind the kalamata olives,the thick yoghurt,the salty feta and Baklava.

AWED - A Worldly Epicurean's Delight an event originally by epicurean DK of Chef In You,takes you through a wonderful journey through world cuisines.The current stop is Greece and lets celebrate Greek cuisine all this month with its delicious vegetarian menu.

Kopiaste to AWED:GREEK

Kopiaste is a Greek Term that generally means welcome. it is said that you are lucky if invited by a Greek for a meal at his house.The table is supposed to be full of culinary delights that you will be at a loss as to what to eat.So I seriously expect you to fill the AWED:Greece Table with your culinary wonders that must follow the rules given below:

• Make any Greek dish -vegetarian (eggs are allowed in AWED) /vegan and post the same in your blog.Feel free to use the logo. The logo is based on the National Emblem or the Greek Coat of Arms.


• The entry should be linked to this post and also to DK's event announcement post.


• Multiple entries are welcome,since more the entries,more the choices available.


• Send me your 'name','recipe','recipe url' and '300 px wide pic' to 'tastycurryleaf@gmail.com'


• All the entries between March 1st 2010 and March 31st 2010 are eligible for the event.


• Non bloggers can send the above details to the same mail address

The cuisine needs no introduction and the links of almost all the dishes are available on the WorldWide Web.But still. some important Greek Blogs are:

1. Kalofagas
2. Kopiaste
3. Mama'sTaverna
4. ClosetCooking
5. MedCooking in Alaska
6. Greek Gourmand

and several other droolworthy blogs/sites some giving even the detailed history behind the Greek Food.

Bourou Bourou

This is a simple vegetable and pasta soup from the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. The dish which I adapted from here makes excellent use of veggies and can be made with whatever veggies you have in hand along with pasta to obtain a hearty comforting meal.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti: 1/2 cup + broken into small pieces.

Potato: 1 peeled and cubed
Tomato: 1 chopped
Carrots: 2 cut into long pieces
Bell Pepper: 1 chopped
Celery: 1 stem chopped


Tomato Paste: 1 tbsp
Chilli Flakes or Hot Pepper : 1/2 tsp +/-
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil: 1 tbsp

Preparation:
Put all the chopped vegetables in water and cook till tender.Add in tomato paste,little salt,pepper,olive oil ,chili flakes and boil for five more minutes.Add in the broken pasta (I just halved the spaghetti),and cook till aldente or done.

The soup was a chunky broth of pasta and veggies.Simple yet hearty and a nice starter soup if served in small bowls.There goes my first entry to AWED:Greece.

Kali Orexi (Bon Appetite in Greek!)

Fassoulatha

Fassoulatha/Fassolada is a simple Greek Soup with white beans and vegetables .It is also known as "national food of Greeks".The basic ingredients are onion,carrots and celery and white beans.A version with black eyed beans is known as "Fassoulatha Mavromatika".I obtained a simple Fassoulatha recipe from here. It is a comforting soup and I made it with no changes at all.

Ingredients:
White Beans: 1/2 cup pre-soaked and cooked in pressure cooker.
Onion: 1 big
Carrot: 1 large
Celery Stalk: 1 big along with the leaves if any
Tomato: 1 medium,peeled and mashed OR 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

Spices as per taste
Chilli Powder/Cayenne Pepper
Oregano
Pepper

Salt

Preparation:
Finely chop the onion,carrot and celery.If using tomatoes,dip it in boiling water for a minute and then in a bowl of ice water and then peel off the skin and mash/paste it.Cook the pre-soaked beans in a pressure cooker or in a Dutch oven for 1.5 hours.I used a cooker.

Heat oil in a soup pot,Add the chopped onions,carrot and celery and saute for a few minutes.Add water,the cooked beans along with the cooked water if any,tomato paste,salt and the spices.Simmer till the vegetables are tender for about 15-20 minutes.Check for taste and adjust the spices and salt.

Serve with bread or anyother accompaniments.

I served it as such and it was a wholesome meal.I love trying out various soups and the ones with beans are always filling and comforting.The above estimate yields about 2-3 big bowls.

A warm bowl of fassoulatha is on its ways to Suganya of TastyPalettes where she is celebrating the Legume Love Affair -VI edition,an even started by Susan.

Another bowl warms Trupti's Winter Treat event along with my Cheesy Vegetable soup.

Simple Spanakopita

Spanakopita is a Greek pastry containing mainly spinach and feta cheese along with onion/spring onions(also known as green onions or scallions) and eggs and seasoning.The filling is wrapped in phyllo sheets buttered and stacked together and baked.I have recreated a spanakopita dish by using a cousin of phyllo dough -puff pastry.

Puff pastry is a dough which is slathered with butter/fat and repeatedly folded in and out.When you bake it,all the butter within the layers will start melting and will hold together the layers and puff up.Normally spanakopita is made by taking a sheet of phyllo,buttering,then topping with another phyllo sheet and repeating the process with as many layers as needed.If you compare the two dough,the puff pastry has more fat content than the phyllo. But workwise it is quicker.

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry Sheet: atleast 2

Filling:

Spinach: 2 cups
Feta cheese: 1/4 cup
Spring onion/scallion/green onion: 1-2

Red Pepper flakes
Oregano
Parsley
Basil

Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

Thaw the puff pastry as per package instructions.Chop onions and spinach into small pieces.

Heat olive oil in a pan,addd the chopped onions,saute for a few minutes and then add spinach.Add all the spices and salt and saute till starts to wilt for 1-2 minutes.Keep aside to cool.Squeeze the cooled spinach and mix with shredded/crumbled feta cheese and little cornstarch.You can ad the spices now as well.This is to absorb the moisture if any.You can add any amount of cheese and any other prefered spices.The must spices are oregano,parsely and basil though nutmeg can also be seen in some versions.I added red pepper flakes for spiciness.

Cut puff pastry sheet into 3 or 4 portions.Take a portion and roll it out a bit to get a rectangle with the shortest side near you.Place a small scoop of filling on the bottom part or the.Fold over the pastry to close the filling within.Press around the filling with wet hands to press out air and close in the filling.Take the bottom right corner of this with your hands and fold over the filling to the left upper side to make a triangle.Then take the bottom left corner of the trinagle and fold it over to the right upper corner to form another triangle.Continue like this till you reach the top and then tuck in whatever remaining portions are there.Place this on a greased baking sheet.Do so with all the puff pastry pieces.Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 10-12 minutes.Serve with your choice of dip/sauce as snacks or appetizers.

The process of folding the spanakopita is from food network.Even for a samosa,I can never get a perfect triangle,so I used the method from FoodNetwork.But I can see various different ways-you can simply cover it up as rectangles or triangles or even make a big spinach pie.Authentic spanakopita recipes can be found in dear Ivy's Blog.

Munching on this appetizer for Reipe Marathon Day #7, lets take a peek into fellow athlete's kitchen:
1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Medha 7)Priya 8)Bhawna 9)Raaji 10)Ruchii 11)Anu 12)Kamala 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)LakshmiVenkatesh 20) Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Kamalika 23)Pavani