Pork with rice and peas

This is one of my favourite dishes, its easy enough but looks and tastes really good! I usually make it with pork, but I m sure chicken would be really good too!  

Ingredients 
500 gr. pork cut into bite-sized pieces (chicken can be used too)
a little olive oil
1 large onion,  finelly chopped
3/4 cup peas
1 large carrot sliced
1 handful of chopped dill
3/4 cup pilaff rice
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
some lemon

How To Make

Heat the olive oil, throw the pork slices in and cook until they whitened on all sides. Continue with the onion, cook until soften. Then, add peas, carrots, dill and all spices with water to cover them and boil for 30-35 minutes until peas and pork are almost cooked.

 

Meanwhile, rinse the rice well and when peas are almost ready add a glass of warm water and the rice and let it cook for about 10 minutes. From now on you must check the pot constantly to add a little more water if needed, so that the pilaff will be cooked perfectly.
When rice is ready, cover with a clean towel and leave it aside for 10 minutes before u serve it!

 

Applepie (Milopita: greek version)

One of my favorite deserts, especially in winter is this apple pie. This recipe is similar to many in circulation, but my mother always made it like this and with some tiny changes I make it too! The greek name milopita just means applepie (Milo is apple and pita is pie!).

Ingredients
2-3 apples
3 tbsp cinnamon
3 tbsp granulated sugar
150 gr. butter

For the dough
1 apple, cut into cubes
200 gr. butter
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 handful of raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
 

How to Make

Preheat oven to 180. Prepare the dough by putting in the mixer butter to hit well, the eggs and sugar alternately until homogenized, cinnamon, and finally the flour alternately with milk. From the flour keep aside 1-2 tbsp. Let it hit for 3-4 minutes.

Put together a pan with removable bottom covered with wax paper and put it 150 gr. butter, 3 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp cinammon and place it in the oven until the butter melts. At the same time, cut the apples into small cubes (can be made into rings, depending how we like it).

Then, chop chop the apple for the dough and mix these pices with the raisins. Use the remaining 2 tbsp of flour to cover them. Add them to the dough and stir well with a spoon.
Remove the pan from the oven, add the apple cubes and then the dough. Bake at 180 for 50 minutes to 1 hour. To see when it is ready, dip a toothpick in the cake. If it comes out clean, you re ready to go!

 

Remove from the oven and turned over on a platter. After you carefully remove the baking sheet, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve!

Find it in greek here.

 

Penne Pasta with Cheese and Bread Crust

Lately, I ve been overwhelmed with Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals! This dish is based on his recipe with some adjustments to our taste, enjoy! 

Ingredients

Penne pasta
5 slices of cold cuts
5 slices of cheese that melts  
100 gr. feta cheese
2 tbsp greek yogurt
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp from the water that we boiled the pasta in
salt
 
3 slices bacon
3-4 slices stale bread
a little olive oil
a little oregano or any other herb you prefer

How To Make

Boil the pasta in the usual way and at the same time cook the bacon slices to a nonstick pan. Chop finely the cold cuts and all cheese. In a pan add the boiled pasta, cold cuts and cheese. Mix together well yogurt and sour cream and pour this to the pasta. Add 2 tbsp of the water and stirr all these together.

 

In the food proccessor add bacon, bread, oregano and some olive oil until you get a well crushed mixture. Cover pasta with this.

 

Bake at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until crust gets golden. This dish smells incredible and taste really really good!
FInd it in Greek here.

Rizogalo (Greek Rice Pudding)

This is one of my favoyrite deserts! My dad used to make this really often when we were little and we all loved it! Its name literally means rice - milk (as in Greek, rizi means rice and gala means milk). 

Ingredients (for about 6 little bowls)

1/2 cup short grain white rice
1.5 cup  water
3.5 cups milk
1.5 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
cinnamon for serving
optional: zest of 1/2 lemon

 

How to Make

In a saucepan boil 1.5 cup of water and add the rice. Let it cook until rice is done for about 7-10 minutes. The rice must be soft - if needed add little hot water. Then add 3 cups milk, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest (opptional) and let it warm up.

In the meanwhile mix cornflour and the remaining 1/2 cup of milk until fully homogeneous and throw them in the pot too. From now on, lower the heat and boil for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickens. Divide into small bowls and let cool well. When cool, sprinkle with cinnamon and refrigerate.

Find it in Greek here.

 

Fasolada (Traditional Greek Bean Soup)

Fasolada is one of the most basic dishes of Greek cuisine. To make this soup you’ll need beans, onions, tomato paste, celery, carrots, olive oil, salt and pepper. This means that it is made from materials that you can find everywhere. The preparation method is very easy because all ingredients just need to boil together. Fasolada is one of the foods that none of us appreciated as a child, but growing up we realized its nutritional value and mum was right to insist on finishing our whole plate.

Some combinations that are tasty and healthy follow:
With feta cheese. Apart from the wonderful flavor that feta cheese gives it also supplements the dish with amino acids, known to be the basic protein components.
With olives. They provide mono-unsaturated fats in the body and vitamin E. The ideal way to serve olives is with lemon. Vitamin c that lemons contain enhances significantly the absorption of beans’ iron.
With pickles. Pickles contain fiber, salt and little energy (about 30 calories a portion). Prefer the pickles that are preserved in oil, rather than brine.
With salted fish. Three pieces of salted fish provide 150 calories. Before serving, wash them very well, because they are kept in too much salt.
With raw salad. The salad, because of the fiber that contains, facilitates bowel function, so the beans cause less indigestion.

 

Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 cup of beans (200 gr)
1 tbsp baking soda
olive oil
1 large onion
2 carrots
4 tbsp tomato sauce
1 / 3 tsp black pepper
1 / 2 tsp red pepper
1 bunch celery
1.5 tbsp salt

Optional
1 small chili pepper
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
some lemon
 

How to Make

Soak beans overnight with little baking soda in plenty of water. Next day, put onion and celery in the chopper and chop the vegetables (carrots and peppers optional). At the same time drain and beans. Put olive oil in a pot to cover the bottom well, and turn on the stove. When olive oil gets hot, add onion and celery, after 1-2 minutes carrots and peppers (personally I prefer everything chopped in small cubes) and leave for a while to soften all vegetables. Then add beans, black and red pepper. Then, add the tomato sauce and stir well. Fill the pot with water until it covers completely the beans and let it boil until tender. 

 

In the pressure cooker it takes 25 minutes from the time the valve whistles, and a simple pan around one and a half hour.When beans are ready, add 1.5 tsp salt and a little lemon juice and stir well. 

Find it in Greek here.

 

Chionati (Snow White) - Cake with chocolate and coconut topping

This is a desert that I first had at my godmother's several years ago. Since then, my mother makes it a lot and now I do too! The name Chionati, means Snow White in greek and its taken this name from the coconut topping that looks like snow - obviously! Basically its a really tasty cake wrapped in chocolate and coconut!

Ingredients

3 eggs

7 small coffee cups sugar

4 small coffee cups corn oil

9 small coffee cups flours (all puprose)

4 small coffee cups milk

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 large cup water

1.5 large cup sugar

250 gr. dark chocolate

2 tsp butter

200 gr. coconut

How to Make

Beat the eggs with the sugar until they get fluffy and then add corn oil gradually. Continue with flour, baking powder and milk alternatively. Grease well a medium baking pan, pour in the mixture and bake at 175 (Celsius) for about 40-45 minutes. Let it cool.

 

Prepare the chocolate by putting water, sugar, dark chocolate and butter in a sausepan and let it boil for about 10-15 minutes until chocolate melts entirelly. Cut the cake into cubes and dip them in the chocolate, then cover with coconut and refridgerate.

 

Put the remaining edges of the cake with some of the chocolate together and use coupe pates to give this mixture shape. Cover these again with chocolate and coconut.

 

Fish Soup

Fish soup is one of my best soups! I find it really tasty and healthy! Usually, I use fish fillets for convenience, but whole fish can be used as well!

Ingredients

300-400 gr of fish fillet (cod, monkfish, halibut, red snapper)
2 carrots
3 potatoes 

1 zucchini
1 onion
2 green peppers
3 tbsp white rice
1/3 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
a little olive oil
chopped celery (about 3-4 tbsp)
lemon juice

How to Make

Boil the fish fillets for 15-20 minutes. Use a sieve to strain the fillets, keep the broth and check the fillets for remainig fish bones. At the same time boil carrots, potatoes, zucchini, onion and pepper until soften and keep aside.

 

In a pot, pour the fish broth (about 5-5.5 cups), add little olive oil, salt and pepper and let it boil. Then, add the white rise and let it cook for about 7-8 minutes. Cut carrots in slices and 1 potato in cubes. Put the rest of the potatoes, onion, zicchini and pepper in liquidiser. Add this mixture to the pot along with the cut carrots and potatoes. 

When the rice is ready, add little lemon juice and the fish fillets.
 

Find it in Greek here.

Pork with Leeks (Praso-tigania)

This is a dish that combines perfectly perfectly pork with leeks and because of its ingedients, is a meal that contains everything! Protein, vegetables, flavour! Its name praso-tiganiA mean exactly what it is. Praso is leek and tiganiA means fried pork cut in small portions.

Ingredients

500 gr. pork cut in small portions
little olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground red pepper 

1 tsp oregano

500 gr leeks washed and cut
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
little olive oil
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp salt

How to Make

In a large skillet put little olive oil in and when it starts getting hot put the pork and with a wooden spoon turn them around again and again until they get brown on the outside. Pour the wine and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Add oregano, black and red ground pepper and water to cover everything, cover with a lid and let it boil for about half kour until the pork is cooked. Check now and then the water, and add boiling water if needed.
 

Continue with the leeks. In a pan put little olive oil and when hot add the leeks. Turn them around for a while, add tomato sause and spices, water to cover them and let them cook for about half hour until soften. When ready, add the cooked pork and let them cook together for another 5-10 minutes.
 

Find it in Greek here.

Liebster Blog Award

Few days ago I received this award twice! First from Soni and her Food for Thought, and then from Anita and her Recipes with Pictures. I would like to thank them both for awarding my blog! As I read, Liebster is German and translates to the English word“dearest”or” favorite”. It’s meant for up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.”

There are some rules that come with the award!
1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog (DONE)
2. Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you (DONE)
3. Copy and paste the blog award on your blog (DONE)
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve
to be noticed. (Some say just 3 or more blogs of less than 200 followers each) (FOLLOWS)
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog (WILL DO)

This part is really tough, but I ve reached a decision! And the Liebster Blog Award goes to.....
1. Eri - It all tastes greek to me
2. Helen Gr - Travelling and Cooking
3. Angela - Soap Mom's Kitchen
4. Anna - At Anna's Kitchen Table
5. Rita - Sage Cuisine

Faki - Greek Lentil Soup

I guess everyone can make a lentil soup and there is nothing extraordinary in the greek way of cooking lentils. I just want to present the method that we cook it and I ve learnt it from my mother and my grandmother.

Ingredients (for 2-3 portions)

250 gr. lentils 

1/4 cup olive oil and little more

1 onion finely chopped

1-2 carotts cut into cubes or rounds

2-3 bay leaves

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground red sweet pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

2-3 tbsp tomato sause
 

opptional: (I use these in spring or summer when I can find fresh home growed tomatoes and peppers)

1 tomato grated

1 green pepper chopped

1 red pepper chopped

How to Make

Put lentils in a pot with boiling water and let them boil for 2-3 minutes. Wash out the lentils. 

In a pot pour a little olive oil and let it get a little hot. Continue with the chopped onion until softens and then put in the lentils. Stirr well for a while and add carrots, peppers and tomatoes (optional), tomato sause, bay leaves and all spices except salt. 

Add water to cover everything and let them boil for about half hour, until the lentils are cooked. Check the pot every now and them to see if it need more boiling water.When ready, add salt and slowly  the 1/4 cup of olive oil while stirring constantly.

Find it in Greek here.