Tasty Dreamzzz: greek

Mediterranean Baked Orzo

greek 3:50 π.μ.

Summer has officially kicked in and I am truly lucky to have a grandma with the most amazing garden of all! Ripe, juicy tomatoes, fragrant, crispy peppers and crunchy cucumbers have made their appearance once more to accompany the greener and sweeter than ever zucchini and plethoric, "meaty" eggplants.The herbs are a whole new story.When you walk by a pot with basil, thyme or fresh rosemary the aroma hugs you and travels you to the crystal clear beaches of a Greek island or the mysterious streets of Italy!

That's what I wanted you to feel like when you create this dish.I wanted to travel your taste buds to the most amazing places in the Mediterranean and create a whole experience not just for your mouth but also for your soul (some deep stuff right here, I'm telling you).Crushed tomatoes, garlic and onion sauteed in high-quality extra virgin olive oil are here to accompany the basil, oregano, thyme and bay leaves.Finishing touches are fragrant whole allspice berries and freshly crushed black pepper for that extra bit of spice.This dish is a definite pleaser and it will seize to satisfy even the pickiest eater.

One final thing, you can definitely make this with spaghetti, rigatoni, fusilli or any other pasta you prefer.The end result will be as tasty as the original recipe.Good luck and remember if you recreate the recipe comment below and tag me on instagram.I'm looking forward to seeing your kitchen skills at work!

Mediterranean Baked Orzo

Serves: 3 people

Prep. Time: 10'

Cooking Time: 35'

Total Time: 45'

Ingredients:

400 g orzo pasta
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
5 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped tomatoes or passata
1 tbs chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
4 whole allspice berries (1/8 tsp ground allspice)
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F).Dice the onion.Heat 1 tbs of oil on medium heat and saute the onion till translucent (~4 minutes).Mince the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.Add the tomatoes, spices, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
In a deep oven dish, add the sauce, the orzo and the remaining 4 tbs of olive oil.Add boiling water.The water should cover the orzo and be 3 fingers above the surface of it.Bake it for 25'.Enjoy!

Moist Syrup Cake (Ravani)

cake 2:32 μ.μ.

Moist, fluffy and extra syrupy.The most suitable words to describe this out-of-this-world dessert!With hints of lemon and orange, bits of coconut and a generous amount of fragrant syrup, it truly resembles heaven on a plate.We (Greeks) call it Ravani and it is a staple in every house that likes to keep it traditional.I used to "help" (rather cause chaos) my mother make it when I could barely put a sentence together.I have so many childhood memories of me and my mother baking cakes, syrup desserts and pies I believe that's the reason I grew to LOVE baking!I especially love the smell of a baked good and I admit that I can stand in front of an oven and watch a cake rise and get "golden brown" whether it'll be 20 or 30 minutes (I know I'm crazy).What more can I say than scream out loud: I LOVE DESSERT!

The ingredients you are going to need are very few and can be found pretty easily.That's what I love about cooking, you can make absolutely anything from scratch with just some imagination and whatever is left in your fridge.

This recipe calls for semolina, which can be found at any grocery store here in Greece.To be honest, I have no idea if you can get your hands on this specific ingredient where you live but I'm pretty sure you can order it online.I'm telling you it is really worth your time and money cause this cake is one the best ones you've ever had.

That's it from me till now, I hope you give this recipe a shot (it is sooo worth it) and if you do please comment down below and tag me on Instagram to see your amazing creations.And remember to enjoy every little bit of it, because you deserve it!

Moist Syrup Cake (Vegan)

Serves: 16 generous pieces

Prep. Time: 40'

Baking Time: ~40'

Total Time: ~1 hour and 20'

Ingredients:

Syrup:

2 cups sugar (any kind will work)
1 1/2 cups water
peel of 1/3 lemon
peel of 1/5 orange
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves (optional)

Cake:

250 g vegan butter
250 g sugar (any kind will work)
250 g soy yogurt
500 g fine semolina
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
zest of 1/2 a lemon
zest of 1/2 an orange
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
1 tsp baking soda

Method:

Place all the syrup ingredients into a small pot, stir and bring to a boil.Bring down the heat to medium and let the syrup simmer for 5 minutes.Set aside to cool.
Preheat your oven to 180C (350 F).Preferably use the fan setting.If your oven does not have a fan setting you might bake your cake for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Place your butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy (~4 minutes).Into the same bowl add your semolina, shredded coconut and soy yogurt and beat again.Lastly, add the lemon and orange zest and the lemon and orange juice with the baking soda poured into one of them (when you add the baking soda into the lemon or orange juice act quickly because the liquid gets foamy rapidly).Beat again until just incorporated.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking tray, flatten with a spatula and bake for ~45 minutes.After the time has elapsed test with a toothpick or a knife to see if your cake is ready.If the knife or toothpick comes out clean that means it is ready to get out of the oven.
When you get it out it of the oven and it is still hot, pour the cold syrup slowly and let it sit for at least 2 hours at room temperature so it soaks all the syrup.Cut in pieces and enjoy!

Greek Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

entree 12:08 μ.μ.

Pies are a HUGE tradition here in Greece.Spinach, potato, pumpkin, feta cheese, meat...Everything can be made into a pie.If you visit Greece you will definitely have the pleasure to taste a marvellous pie that will leave you questioning why you missed so many years of your life without eating it.The old women of Greece are pie experts and keepers of the secrets to make the crispier, tastier and finest phyllo.The process of making the phyllo is quite exhausting, because it requires effort (we are talking hours and hours of struggling with the rolling pin) and delicacy, but the results are definitely worth the hard work.My wonderful grandma tought me how to make phyllo since I was very little and now whenever I have time I love making my own handmade pie.

However, nowadays not everyone has the time and energy to make their own phyllo from scratch, myself included.That's why there are kind companies which come out with pre-made doughs of all kinds. Although, I must admit that there is nothing copmared to authentic handmade phyllo.Now that I rambled enough I am presenting you the best spanakopita ever!

The phyllo is crispy and the filling savory and mouth-watering.It is best enjoyed warm!

The ingredients are all kinds of greens we use in pies here in Greece.If you can't find some of them don't worry I have included common substitutions.That pie is full of green goodness so it is highly nutritious and a great way to get your vegetables in without munching on massive salads.Don't get me wrong, I love my salads, but sometimes my stomach can't handle that much volume of food!

The traditional reipe calls for feta cheese but I follow a vegan lifestyle so I don't do cheese.If you happen to have some authentic Greek feta or a vegan substitution for that, go ahead and add that in.Only beware and add less salt than what the recipe calls for.

The method is pretty simple.You just collect the greens and chop them finely.No particular skills needed.I addeed many tips to the method below so you can make the best pie you've ever had and not worry about anything!

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Serves: 20 medium pieces

Prep. Time: 40'

Cooking Time: 60'

Total Time: 1 hour and 40'

Ingredients:

1 packet of phyllo (I used the one with 6 medium-thickness sheets)
10 cups finely chopped spinach
5 cups finely chopped chard (substitute more spinach)
3 1/2 cups finely chopped cervil (substitute more chard or spinach)
2 medium leeks (not the green leaves)
3 fresh spring onions
1 bunch of parsley (1 1/2 cups finely chopped)
1 bunch of dill
1 cup finely chopped spearmint
4-6 tbs olive oil + more for the phyllo
2 tsp of salt
pepper to taste
sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

1.Thaw the phyllo according to package instructions.

2.Wash all of your greens and herbs.Finely chop the leeks, spring onions, spinach, chard and put into a bowl with 2 tsp of salt.Let it sit for 15'.

3.Meanwhile finely chop the dill, parsley, spearmint and place into a second bowl.When the 15' are up, place the herbs into the first bowl (the one with the spinach) and let them sit again for at least 10 more minutes.Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 F).

4.When the time is up, squeeze the greens with your hands and discard the liquid.You have to do this proccess four or five times until most of the water from the greens has been drained.Add the pepper and 4-6 tbs of olive oil, stir and set aside.

5.Place half of the phyllo sheets (I placed 3) onto an olive oil greased pan, greasing each phyllo evenly with a generous amount of olive oil.Add in the filling.Fold any excess phyllo onto the filling (like the picture above).Place the other half of the phyllo sheets, greasing again each phyllo evenly with a generous amount of olive oil.Cut the excess and use it in another recipe.Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

6.Cut only the upper half of the phyllo into 20 pieces, whichever way you prefer.Put your pie into the oven for 1 hour (I placed mine on the third rack).Enjoy!

Σελίδες

Mediterranean Baked Orzo

Mediterranean Baked Orzo

Ingredients:

Method:

Moist Syrup Cake (Ravani)

Moist Syrup Cake (Vegan)

Ingredients:

Syrup:

Cake:

Method:

Greek Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Ingredients:

Method:

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