Halwa – Helva- Semolina for weddings and funerals

Here we are with a very special recipe indeed… For weddings and funerals… to sweeten our mouths…

500 gr semolina
250 gr butter
1 pint (568 ml) semi skimmed milk
500 gr sugar (may be less)
pine nuts (as much as you like)
ground cinnamon

1. Heat the pan (I used an iron casserole) at maximum level, add the butter, once it is melted, add the pinenuts and roast them until they turn brownish.
2. Lower the heat on the hob, add the semolina and begin stirring it. Now this will take 35 – 40 minutes so you better have a good podcast on or some nice music or a book on the other hand!
3.  Once the colour of the semolina begins turning yellowish, switch the hob off.
4. Add the whole milk and continue stirring, because it is too hot, the semolina will absorb all of it.
5. Then add the sugar, switch the hob on (make sure it is the smallest one) continue stirring, it will look slurry, do not get disheartened it will taste delicious! Stir until the sugar melts and is absorbed by the semolina, it takes about 5 minutes so do not go anywhere otherwise you might burn it!
6. Switch the hob off, put a kitchen towel in between then close the lid, let it cool down a little bit.
7. Place the desert on a glass serving plate with the help of a big spoon. Serve with cinnamon!

Enjoy!

Puy lentils, cous cous and greens

Summer is coming and here is a dish which you can not refuse on a hot day served with some cider! Yummy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
250 grams of puy lentils (washed and boiled, leave it in a bowl nicely peppered)
250- 300 grams of wholemeal cous cous (try to find slightly bigger ones or risi might work! use 100 gr for each person as a main dish)
1 red, 1 yellow pepper
4 – 5 pieces of spring onions
2 – 3 cloves of garlic (I added some dried garlic as well)
half or a whole can of dried tomatoes
a glass of white wine
thyme
salt and pepper
redpepper flakes or tabasco
olive oil

1. Boil the puy lentils for about 20 minutes till they get crispy, but soft. Add generous amounts of blackpepper, then let it cool down.
2. Boil some cous cous with a drizzle of olive oil and again, cool it down.
3. Chop the peppers and fry them gently with a bit of olive oil and dried garlic.
4. Once the peppers are soft enough add the dried tomatoes with chopped garlic, stir them gently for a couple of minutes.
5. Mix the puy lentils, add generous amounts of thyme, stir it, then pour some white wine, simmer it down for 5 – 10 minutes.
6. Add the cous cous and stir well, then pour this mixture into a bowl.
7. Finally add the chopped spring onions then serve with  a drizzle of lemon juice on it and some yoghurt aside!

Enjoy!

Solar Cooker

This is something I came across today…
wonderful idea! and good for tackling the
climate change! Hoorah!
(wonder if I can cook borek with it?!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7991654.stm

Spanakopita – Spinach and Feta pie

This traditionally Greek recipe is nothing too different to beautiful Borek but gives a nice pie feeling in the mouth when cooked with puff pastry and is very easy! I changed it a little bit but this recipe comes from my Irish friend (as I recently found out that his lovely Greek girlfriend cheated us saying she cooked it: )

I think the spinach is in season right now and tastes great so I suggest popping into Blackheath Farmer’s market and buying some.

Here we go:

1 pack of Puff pastry
1, 5 or 2 blocks of feta cheese
2 packs of spinach (I used two bunches of spinach bought from the farmers)
3 eggs
Half an onion (I used a whole onion)
Chopped parsley
Chopped dill
Pepper
Sesame seeds (I used black seeds which you can find in Middle Eastern shops)

How do I cook spanakopita?

1. Handful by handful, wash the spinach, leave in water, add some drops of apple cider vinegar  as it kills the left over germs, drain.

2. Finely chop the onion and gently fry it in some butter until it turns
soft, then leave that aside to cool a little, do the same with drained spinach.

3.In a big bowl crumble the feta until it’s all broken up, then add the
three eggs, a handful of chopped parsley, a generous amount of dill, the
fried onion and lots of black pepper. Using your hands, mix it all
together until it’s evenly mixed.

4. Butter your pie dish then cut the puff pastry into two, you have to open it up in the shape of your pie dish. Then add the bottom layer of pastry.

5. Fill the filo with the mixture and spread it out as evenly as possible, then cover with the rest of the pastry. Add some milk to the bowl that contained the feta mixture then brush the liquid over the top of the pie. Finish by sprinkling sesame seeds on top. (or blackseeds)

6. Cook at 180 degrees until the top goes brown, then cover with foil and
cook for a further 20 mins or so.

Like a lot of food it tastes better after it has been cooled and
reheated later : )

Enjoy!

broad beans, artichoke hearts and peas

Normally I cook this incredibly healthy dish without peas, but when a friend suggested it, I tried and actually they all go well together.
It is yet another Mediterranean dish mostly cooked around the Aegean Sea.

Ingredients:

250 gr artichoke hearts
200 gr broad beans
100 gr peas
a bunch of dill (be generous)
1 big size onion (I prefer to use spring onions, 4 – 5 of them, it is up to you)
1 – 2 spoonful of flour
olive oil
1 big lemon
1 desert spoonful of sugar
salt
yoghurt

Recipe:

1. Put all the vegetables in a bowl, pour 5 – 6 glasses of water, squeeze the lemon add the half of the juice into the bowl, then add some flour and mix. Let them rest for 5 – 10 minutes. The vegetables won’t get darker by doing this.
2. Chop the onions, cook them in a very little amount of water, then add the vegetables and water in the bowl, (you can add the used lemon skins as well) then add 2 – 3 spoonful of olive oil. 
3. Chop the dill then add it into the pan.
4. Cover the lid then bring it up to the boil  then simmer it down, add some sugar and salt.
5. If you use canned food, it should not take more than 15 minutes to cook, if frozen possibly half an hour. If totally from fresh, 40- 45 minutes maximum. Serve with yoghurt!

Enjoy!