Thursday for Dinner

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

Green Beans with Potatoes or ‘Fasolakia me Patates’ in Greek is a vegetarian village classic Eva (and other Greeks) grew up with. As with many of Eva’s dishes, this recipe requires only a few simple ingredients and makes a great meal or side dish. Keep in mind the length of time the beans need to cook depends on not only your beans, but also how soft (or crunchy) you want them, so be sure to sample them as this delicious dish is cooking.

Flat green beans
2 medium sized potatoes
1 cup crushed tomato or tomato juice
1 medium sized onion
1/3 cup of water
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 table spoon of salt
Pinch of pepper
1/2 cup of white wine

Cut the edges off the green beans and slice each down the middle leaving the ends still connected. If your green beans are narrow, there’s no need to slit them down the middle. In a separate bowl, peel the potatoes and chop them into fours. Chop the onion and fill a cup with either crushed tomato or tomato juice.

Preheat a large pot on the oven at a high temperature. Once sufficiently heated add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Allow the oil to heat up and add the chopped onion. Saute the onions slowly till they receive a light brown color. Once ready, add the beans to the pot. Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium and allow the beans to cook for roughly 5 minutes.

At this point add a table spoon of salt, a pinch of pepper and 1/3 cup of water. The water is necessary to allow the beans to precook before we add the tomato juice. Cover the pot and allow the beans to cook for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. During this time stir the beans periodically until the water has completely evaporated.

At this point add 1/2 cup of white wine, the potatoes and the crushed tomato (or tomato juice). Work the ingredients together and cover the pot. Turn the heat on the stove to low and cook the beans till they become soft. This should take approximately 20 minutes. That said, periodically come back stir the contents and test to see how the beans are coming along. When the dish is ready all the juice should have evaporated with only the oil remaining.

Enjoy!

We had a wedding this past week in the States and only got back a couple days ago. We’ll be back next week with a great video!

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

Spanakopita makes a wonderful side dish at a family meal and it also makes a perfect appetizer for parties. In this video, Eva shows us her take on the traditional Greek dish. Instead of using phyllo, Eva uses puff pastry, which you can find in the frozen section of your local grocery store. It is a lot easier to use and makes a delicious spanakopita.

1 package of frozen spinach
1 cup of chopped green onions
½ cup of chopped red onions
½ cup of chopped dill
½ cup of chopped parsley
1 cup of feta cheese
1 cup of ricotta cheese
Pepper to taste
3 eggs
1 package of puff pastry
Flour to work the dough
1/3 cup of butter melted
About 2 tablespoons of milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Allow the frozen spinach to defrost and squeeze out all the excess water. Coarsely chop the spinach and place it in a large bowl. Finely chop the green onions, red onions, dill, and parsley and add this to the spinach. Add the feta cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs to the mixture and season with freshly ground pepper. Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients together.

Allow the puff pastry to defrost and separate it into two equal parts. Flatten the pastry with a rolling pin (the same way you would with pizza dough) to fit the size of a medium size pan. Butter the pan and lay out half of the puff pastry on the pan. Brush some melted butter on the dough and add the spinach mixture on top.

With your fingers, lightly dampen the top edge of the pan with a little water.

Place the second half of the puff pastry on top of the spinach and cheese mixture. Fold in the edges. Use a fork to help you fold in the edges. Butter the top layer with butter and brush a little bit of milk on top as well.

Cut the dough into squares (but don’t push your knife all the way down, just pierce the top layer).
Allow it to bake in the oven for 1 hour. Afterward allow the spanakopita to cool for a few minutes before you serve.

Enjoy!

We are Greek Orthodox and this weekend is our Easter. For those that celebrate we say Xristos Anesti (Christ has Risen). We’ll be back next week with a new video! Take care.

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

This soup is a twist on traditional corn soup. It is very common to see soups like this on restaurant menus in India. Instead of just salt and pepper, we will also use grated ginger and green chilli. In addition to this, we will add some noodles, to give the soup a heartier feel. I am choosing to use vermicelli noodles, however, you may also use Asian style dinner noodles. This is a great dish to pick you up after a long day!

Ingredients

• 9 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 2 ½ cup peaches and cream corn kernels
• 1 heaping tbsp salt
• ¾ tsp grated ginger
• ½ tsp grated green chilli
• 1 ½ tbsp corn starch
• pinch black pepper
• 3 spirals vermicelli noodles

Directions

1. Using a food processor or chopper, blend the corn kernels. You can buy a bag of frozen corn kernels from the grocery store. If you cannot find peaches and cream corn kernels, any will do, but peaches and cream would be better because of its natural sweetness.
2. Boil the water.
3. Once boiling, add the blended corn, ginger, green chilli and salt. Keep the stove on high until boiling, once boiling turn the stove down to medium and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. In a bowl, mix the milk and cornstarch. Ensure that no lumps remain.
5. Add in the milk and cornstarch mixture.
6. Turn the stove on high and until the soup is boiling. Now turn the stove down back to medium and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes.
7. Add the pepper and noodles. Using your hands crush each spiral as you add it in.
8. Mix and allow the soup to simmer on medium for another 10 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally so that the noodles do not stick.

Enjoy!

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

Souvlaki has become the quintessential Greek dish. You may prepare souvlaki with pork tenderloin, chicken breast, lamb, as well as pork shoulder. It is wonderful in a pita, or served with a side of rice, Greek salad, and tzatziki sauce. If you are planning to serve this dish, be sure to marinate the meat at least 24 hours before you start the barbecue.

2 to 4 pounds of pork tenderloin (depending on the number of people)
1 clove of garlic
½ cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of oregano
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
½ cup of wine
wooden skewers

Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl. Combine the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, lemon juice, and wine together in a small bowl and mix well. Pour this mixture over the meat, making sure that all of the meat is equally coated. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Skewer the meat, placing about 4 to 5 pieces of meat per skewer. Fire up the barbecue! Once you’ve placed the souvlakia on the grill, lower the heat to medium and allow the meat to cook, turning the meat over periodically. Allow the souvlakia to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked to taste.

Enjoy!

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

Tzatziki is a popular Greek sauce that is often used as a dip with pita bread or enjoyed with various types of meat dishes such as souvlaki and gyros. It is best made with yogurt, but if you prefer not to use yogurt you may substitute it for sour cream. Keep in mind that the yogurt needs to strain for about 8 to 10 hours, so it’s best to begin the preparation the day before you plan to serve it. Some tzatziki recipes call for a bit of chopped dill or mint, but in this video Eva shows us how to prepare her version of this delicious sauce.

1 tub of plain yogurt
2 cloves of garlic crushed
Half a cucumber
1 tablespoon of olive oil
a pinch of salt (or to your taste)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

To begin you need to strain the yogurt. Place a cheese cloth or a few sturdy paper towels on a strainer and place the strainer in a bowl. Scope out the yogurt into the strainer and allow the water to strain for at least 8 to 10 hours in the fridge. Once the yogurt has been strained, discard the excess water and place the yogurt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the crushed garlic to the yogurt. Peel the cucumber, slice it in half, remove the seeds, and shred the cucumber using a cheese grater. Squeeze out any excess water from the cucumber and add it the yogurt mixture. Add the olive oil, salt, and fresh lemon juice. Stir the mixture well. Garnish with an olive or a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

In this video Eva shows us how to prepare another family favourite: Yiouvarlakia, more commonly known as meatballs with tomato sauce over rice. Like many of Eva’s recipes, this dish requires only a few simply ingredients and is not overly complicated to make. We hope you enjoy!

To prepare the meat:

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 small onion graded
• 2 medium cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 tablespoon of dried mint (use fresh mint if it is available)
• 1 tablespoon of parsley
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

To cook the meat:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
• 1 cup of tomato juice
• ½ glass of water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• ¼ cup of water

To prepare the rice:

• 2 cups of rice
• 4 cups
• Pinch of salt

Using your hands, combine the ingredients together in a large bowl. Once you have thoroughly mixed the ingredients you may begin to shape the meatballs. Rather than roll the meat into balls, shape small portions of meat in an oval shape.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until light brown in colour. Add the tomato juice and ½ cup of water. Season with salt and pepper and cover the pot with the lid. Once the liquid has come to a boil you may add the meatballs. Carefully place the meatballs in the pot and lower the heat to medium.

In the meantime you may prepare the rice. Eva suggests that you boil the rice for a few seconds and then drain the water in order to remove as much starch as possible. Once you have washed the rice, set the water to boil again and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Remember to use 2 cups of water for 1 every cup of rice.
Once the liquid in the meatballs has begun to boil for a few minutes, lower the heat and allow the meatballs to simmer for 20 minutes.

To thicken the tomato sauce add 1 tablespoon of flour to ¼ cup of water, stir well, and pour the liquid into the tomato mixture (be sure to strain the liquid as you pour it in). Allow the meatballs to cook for another 15 minutes.

When serving this dish be sure to place a generous amount of tomato sauce over the rice. Enjoy!

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

Paratha are a type of flatbread that originated in India. They are made with whole-wheat flour and typically pan fried with ghee (clarified butter) or oil. The stuffing for a paratha can either be mixed into the dough, or placed into a ball of dough which is made into a pocket. In this receipe we are keeping it simple by just mixing the stuffing directly into the dough. For the stuffing we are using a form of spinich called, fenugreek.

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 2 tbsp oil
• ¼ cup chick pea flour
• 3 cloves shredded garlic
• ½ tsp shredded ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 bunch or 1 bag of fenugreek spinich (methi) washed, cut and blended
• pinch of sugar

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Try and get rid of any lumps.
2. Add the wet ingredients (water, yogurt, oil) and work the dough until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Heat a non-stick pan on the stove on medium heat.
4. Make a ball of dough (about half the size of a golf ball) and douse it in some all purpose flour.
5. On a smooth surface, roll the ball of dough to about 8-10 cm in diameter using a rolling pin. Roll with a very light hand and douse the paratha in flour when needed to avoid sticking.
6. Place the paratha on the pan and lightly cook one side. After about 15 seconds flip it over and cook the other side. After another 10-15 seconds flip it over again. Lightly brush this side with oil. Flip it over again and with a spatula, press down on the paratha, allowing it to cook and absorb the oil. Flip over and continue this.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for the remainder of the dough.

** Note – You need not finish all the dough at once. You can store it in the fridge for a couple days.

Enjoy!

Want to watch this video in HD? Click here to watch it!

With thousands of miles of coastline, it is not surprising that Greeks have developed numerous delicious ways of preparing fish. In this video, Eva show us how to prepare fish baked in the oven with onions, carrots, garlic, lemon, parsley and olive oil. We love this recipe for its simplicity and nutritional value. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

• 6 herring fillets (you can use a different type of fish if you prefer)
• 2 medium onions chopped
• 5-6 cloves of garlic (leave whole)
• 2 carrots coarsely chopped
• 4 small potatoes cut into small wedges
• ¼ a cup of chopped parsley
• About ½ cup of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Juice from 1 ½ lemons
• ¼ cup of wine
• 1 glass of water

Clean the fish well and season it with salt, pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice. Set the fish aside in the fridge for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a large pan with a few drops of olive oil and place the fillets on the pan. Place the chopped onion on top on the fish. Add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes to the pan. Season the vegetables with a pinch each of salt and pepper, and the fresh parsley. Add about 1/3 a cup of olive oil, the remainder of the lemon juice, the wine, and water to the pan.

Cook in the oven at 350 degrees. After an hour take the pan out of the oven and turn the potatoes over on the other side. Put the pan back in the oven for another 30 minutes. It is now ready to serve, enjoy!