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!

Pasta with courgettes, dill and parmesan

This is something you can prepare very quickly, some sort of “eat and go but enjoy it” dish!

I think I used tricolore wholemeal pasta with this one, but any pasta would be ok I suppose. Pasta is the ultimate comfort food, I guess nobody would say no to that!

Now here are the ingredients:

Serves 2

200 – 250 gr pasta
50 gr parmesan
1 – 2 courgettes (chopped two cm thick)
1 -2 garlic cloves (crushed)
fresh dill
olive oil
plain yoghurt (side dish)

1. Heat the pan, add some olive oil then the garlic and the courgettes, keep the pan on the smallest hob, turn the courgettes occasionaly in order to avoid burning.
2. Whilst cooking the courgettes, boil some water, add the pasta, cook for about 7 – 8 minutes. (Add some salt to the water)
3. Chop the dill and grate the parmesan into different bowls.
4. Once the courgettes are a bit brownish, they are ready. (possibly8- 10 minutes.)
5. Put the pasta in bowls then the courgettes and parmesan and the dill at the top to serve. I like to eat it with some yoghurt as well.

Note: Alternatively you can roast the courgettes in an oven heated 180 degrees. Now, that’s the healthier option!

Enjoy!

İzmir Köfte (meatfree)

This is a success story! Having just finished a plate full of this lovely dish, I am contemplating another one. And yet, it is meat free! Eureka! My recipe, my technique, I did it and am very proud of myself too. Since I became semi-vegetarian (no meat. just a bit of fish from time to time) a couple of years ago, this dish particularly was in my head. Soya mince or quorn mince are not necessarily better than meat, but as it is proven here, are good substitutes.

I think the combination of the spices is the secret.. Oh, and the well-known juice you get at the end which is unmissable.  (You can clean up this juice with some bread left in your plate afterwards!)

Now here we go:

Serves 4 – 6

250 grams of soya mince
3 -4 tomatoes (cut into eighths)
1 big or 2 medium size bell peppers (remove the seeds then chop them into long slices)
2 – 3 medium size potatoes (cut into eighths or more)
1 onion (grated nicely in a bowl)
1 egg
handful of parsley (chopped)
breadcrumbs (as much as the kofte dough needs)
two or three spoonfuls of tomato or pepper paste
black pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, curry powder, salt, thyme

1. Slice the potatoes and keep them in a bowl full of water (this keeps the potatoes from going brown)
2. Take a medium sized salad bowl, put the soya mince, egg, chopped parsley, grated onion and spices, stir them and add the breadcrumbs until it makes a nice dough. Here. it is up to you, if it is too dry, wet it with a few spoons of water, if too soft then add more breadcrumbs.  You have to decide, I am afraid!
3. Heat the oven to 200ºC.
4. Make kofte balls from your dough, there should be approximately 15 pieces. I usually take a piece of dough, roll it in my palm, then press on it slightly.
5. Brush an oven dish (like a tray or glass casserole dish around 2 inches deep) with oil then place the potatoes, tomatoes, kofte balls and peppers onto it.
6. Dissolve the tomato or pepper paste in three glasses of water then pour over the oven dish. Drizzle with oil.
7. Cook in the oven till the sauce starts boiling then bring the oven down to 180º C or so.
8. Cook a little bit more, then your Izmir Kofte is ready, enjoy!

Stuffed Redpepper (with bulgur wheat)

Now, I think this recipe is apparently an healthier option then the normal stuffed pepper as bulgur (bulgar wheat) is used to fill it. Without getting frantic about whether healthy it is or not, I tend to use bulgar in a lot of dish anyway, I find it very tasty.Once you get used to doing it, you can try using the same stuffing for different vegetables like this one stuffed aubergine.aubergine

Here we go:

4 – 5 spoonful of olive oil
5 – 6 preferably small or medium size redpeppers (you can use pointed redpeppers as well, they look quite sweet on the plate)
1 water glass of bulgar wheat
2 tomatoes (or equivalent of canned and chopped tomatoes)
2 onions
2 – 3 spring onions
a bit of salt, blackpepper, mint and allspice
2 spoonful of currant and pinenuts

1. Wash the peppers, cut the heads (do not throw them away you will use them!) and clean the seeds.
2. Heat some water, pour a bit over the bulgar to soak.
3. Chop the onions and spring onions then stir and fry them in a little bit of water. (I try not to fry olive oil as it gets very unhealthy when it is burnt)
4. Then add the bulgar wheat into the pan, stir well, then add the chopped tomatoes, currants and pinenuts. (some people like to fry the pinenuts slightly in another pan, tastes nice)
5. Season well with allspice, mint, blackpepper and a little bit of salt (I sometimes don`t use and actually try to compensate it with spices usually in many recipes), fry a bit more , then leave it cool down.
6. Once it is a bit cool, stuff your peppers with this mixture, put their heads on, and place in a deep or wide pan.
7. Pour some boiled water over them, close the lid and cook for 20 minutes, then check occasionally until the peppers get soft.
Serve warm or cold. and with yoghurt!

Enjoy!

Time to prepare: 15 – 20 mins
Time to cook     : 20 – 30 mins (depends on how hard the redppers are)