SEVASTOPOULOS

Fried Cheese (Saganaki)

Serves 4

• 250 g strong flavoured cheese
• (Kefalotyri kritiko)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Crusty bread to serve
• Parsley to garnish

Cut cheese in 1 cm thick slices.

Cover the bottom of a frying pan with 5 mm oil and place over medium heat.

When warm, fry the cheese slices, two at a time.

Leave to fry 1 minute each side, sprinkle with the lemon juice and serve immediately in the same pan or in dishes.

Serve very hot, together with the bread which can be soaked in the oil of the pan. Garnish with parsley.

This recipe takes its name from the typical Greek pan in which is prepared.

Greek Salad (Xoriatiki salata)

Serves 4

• 4ripe and firm tomatoes
• 200 g “fetta” cheese or 200gr “mizithra kritiki”
• 1 small onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 cucumber
• 1 pinch of oregano
• 8 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil “Giannoulis”
• Salt and pepper
• Kalamata olives (optional)

Wash the tomatoes, cut out the stalks and finely slice.

Peel the onions and slice the thin rings.

Slice open the pepper, remove seeds, and cut in thin strips.

Peel the cucumber and cut in thin slices, or dice.

Mix all these ingredients in a salad bowl, dress with the olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano.

Can be served topped with some black olives.

With slight variations, in Greece this salad is very popular in the summer.

Spinach Pastries (Spanakopitakia)

Serves 4-6

• 450 g fresh spinach
• 1 small onion
• 100 g feta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 8 sheets of “filo” pastry (or “brik”)
• 8 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil “Liohori”
• Salt

Clean the spinach, wash carefully the often. Drain well and chop in pieces.

Peel and chop the onion. Crumb the cheese with a fork.

Place oil in a pan over the heat, stir fry the onion. Before becoming golden add spinach and stir for another 5 minutes.

Transfer to a colander and press to drain off any excess liquid.

In a bowl, mix the crumbed cheese with the parsley and spinach mixture, stirring to blend together.

Cut each sheet of “filo” in 4 strips 8 cm wide.

Taking 2 sheets at a time, brush the top sheet with oil, place 1 tsp filling in a corner of the lower strip and fold to form overlapping triangles.

If “brik” sheets are used, a half moon shape is obtained.

Arrange the pies on the baking tray.

Brush the tops lightly with olive oil and bake in a 180o C preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden.

Serve warm.

Rice with mussels (Mithia pilafi)

Serves 4

For preparation:

• 1.5 kg mussels
• 1 medium onion
• 4 black peppercorns
• 300 ml water

For the rice:

• 1 large onion
• 250 g tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 200 g long grain rice
• 150 ml of the mussels cooking water
• 1.5 dl Extra virgin olive oil “Liohori”
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper

Clean and thoroughly scrape shells of the mussels, removing their beards. Peel and finely slice the onion.

Place mussels in a wide saucepan with the onion, the peppercorns and 300 ml water. Cover and cook on high heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until mussels begin to open. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve. Discard any mussels that have remained closed, save some whole with their shells. Remove and save the meat of the others.

To prepare rice:

Peel and finely chop the onion, tomatoes and garlic.

In a large pan fry the onion and garlic until nearly transparent.

Add the mussels and briefly sauté them in the oil. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves and oregano. Continue cooking for a further 3-4 minutes until thick.

Heat the mussels cooking liquid in a saucepan. When boiling add the rice, stir briefly, cover and cook for 15-18 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Transfer rice to the pan with the mussels and the other ingredients. Add half of the parsley, a little salt and pepper and the saved mussels and shells.

Leave on low heat a few more minutes until rice is ready. Sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and serve.

Boureki with Mantinada

Boureki with Mantinada

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kilo large courgettes
• 1 kilo potatoes
• 1/2 kilo sour mizithra (soft white cheese)
• 8 tablespoons traditional anthogalo (cream)
• 1 bunch mint
• 1 wineglass olive oil “Matinada”
• 3-4 tomatoes
• Salt, pepper, oregano
• All-purpose flour

Execution

Cut courgettes, potatoes and tomatoes into thin rounds and let drain for several minutes, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano.

Toss potatoes and courgettes with flour. In an oiled medium pan, layer half of the potatoes and courgettes.

Then spread half of the mizithra and half of the mint over the top. Repeat the procedure with the remaining potatoes, courgettes and mizithra. Top with tomato slices, then spoon on cream and olive oil and enough water to cover.

Bake in medium temperature oven for about two hours. Serve warm and decorate with remaining mint leaves.

Eggs with tomatoes (Kayana) with Arcadas gold

Ingredients:

• 1/2cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Arcadas Gold”
• 2-3 ripen tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Salt & pepper

You wash and grate the tomatoes. In a big frying pan put the grated tomatoes and the sugar and mix them until the water is soaked up (in low heat).

Add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the eggs, after you stir them in a bowl. Add some salt and pepper.

Check the eggs and the mixture of the tomatoes until they get a brownish colour and take them out of the frying pan (the time depends on your taste).

Serve at a big plate

Cookies with orange with olive pomace oil Pirolio

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups of orange juice
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2-3 packs of farina flour
• Gratings of orange skin

In a big bowl we put the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the sugar.

We mix them with a mixer until it becomes mushy, and the sugar is melt. We add the orange juice and the orange gratings, the cinnamon and mix.

We add slowly the farina flour kneading the mixture until we have a uniform and not tight leaven.

Make small cookies and put them at baking-tins after you have buttered them. Bake the cookies at 180°C for 45 minutes, and until they get a brownish color.

Rooster with wine and extra virgin olive oil “Arcadas gold”

Rooster with Wine

Ingredients:

• 1 Rooster 1500-1900 grams
• 1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Mani Castles”
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 cup of dry red wine
• 4 medium size onions
• 5-6 medium size tomatoes
• 3 spoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup of water
• 3 laurel leaves
• 10 pepper grains
• Salt & Pepper

You wash the rooster and cut in pieces. Wash the pieces thoroughly and dry them off. Pill off the onions and wash them good. You pass the onions from a medium size grater and put them in a bowl together with the pilled garlic.

In a big casserole you put the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and after heating it you add the onions and the garlic until they get a brownish color. At that time you add the rooster and you turn the pieces slowly until both two sides get a brownish color. When you finish with the pieces of the rooster, add the cup of dry red wine and let it boil for 5 minutes.

You wash and grate the tomatoes at the grater. In a ceramic-pot with a cover, place the content of the casserole. Melt the 3 spoons of tomato paste in ½ cup of water and add it with the grated tomatoes in the casserole.

Add pepper, salt, the laurel leaves and two cups of water. Cover the ceramic-pot and put it in the oven at 180°C.

The secret is to simmer the rooster in his own broth at a low fire for about 2 hours. The food will be ready when the meat is soft and the sauce is thicken.

You can serve it with pasta.