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Spinach & Feta Pie (Spanakopita)

Ingredients - serves 6

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1kg/2lb 4oz fresh young spinach leaves, washed or 500g/1lb 2oz frozen spinach, thawed
• 4tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 200g/7oz authentic Greek feta cheese
• salt & pepper
• 100g/3½ oz butter
• 225g/8oz filo pastry (keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp tea towel)

method

• To make the filling, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry until soft. Add the fresh spinach, if using, with only the water clinging to the leaves after washing, or the frozen spinach and cook for 2-5 minutes or until just wilted. Remove from the heat and cool.
• When the mixture has cooled, add the parsley, dill and eggs. Crumble in the cheese, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
• Melt the butter and use a little to grease a deep 30 x 20cm/12 x 8-inch baking tin. Cut the pastry sheets in half widthways. Take 1 sheet of pastry and use it to line the base and sides of the tin. Brush the pastry with a little of the melted butter. Repeat with half of the pastry sheets, brushing each one with butter.
• Spread the filling over the pastry, then top with the remaining pastry sheets, brushing each with butter and tucking down the edges. Using a sharp knife, score the top layers of the pastry into 6 squares.
• Bake in a preheated oven, 190 C/375ºF, for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot or cold.

Meatballs (Keftedes)

Ingredients - serves 4

• 450g/1lb lean, finely minced beef or lamb
• 1 medium onion
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 25g/1oz fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• salt & pepper
• 1 beaten egg
• olive oil, for brushing
• rice or warm pitta bread, to serve

method

• Put beef or lamb in a bowl. Grate in the onion, and then add the garlic, breadcrumbs, mint and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients well then add the beaten egg and mix to bind the mixture together.
• With damp hands, form the mixture into 16 small balls and thread onto 4 flat metal skewers. Lightly oil a grill pan and brush the meatballs with oil.
• Preheat the grill and cook the meatballs under a medium heat for 10 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with more oil if necessary, until browned. Serve the meatballs with rice or in warm pitta bread.

Cucumber & Yoghurt Dip (Tzatziki)

Ingredients - serves 4

• 1 small cucumber
• 300ml/10 fl oz Greek yoghurt
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1tbsp chopped fresh mint or dill
• salt & pepper
• warm pitta bread, to serve

method

• Peel and coarsely grate the cucumber. Put in a sieve and squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Put the cucumber into a bowl.
• Add the yoghurt, garlic and chopped mint (save some for garnish) to the cucumber, season with pepper and mix together thoroughly.
• Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving.
• To serve, stir the yoghurt, transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with salt. Serve with warm pitta.

Greek Rice Pudding (Rizogalo)

Ingredients - serves 4

• 125g/4 oz short-grain rice
• 300ml/10fl oz water
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 600ml/1 pint whole milk
• 85g/3 oz caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence or finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
• ground cinnamon, to decorate

method

• Put the rice in a saucepan and add the water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 12 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water has been absorbed. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend the cornflour with tablespoons of milk.
• Add the remaining milk to the rice, return to the boil, then simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is very soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the sugar, vanilla essence or lemon rind and the cornflour mixture, return to the boil, then simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring.
• Spoon the rice mixture into individual serving dishes and set aside to cool. Serve cold, sprinkled generously with cinnamon.

Mousaka

Ingredients - serves 4

• 1 kg aubergines (large or/and elongated variety)
• 160 ml vegetable oil (about 1 teacup)
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 450 gr. minced beef
• 1 glass white wine (not retsina, but aretsinoto)
• 350 gr. fresh tornatoes, 1400 gr. tomatoes, drained of some of their juice and chopped
• teaspoon ground cinnamon
• teaspoon ground allspice
• salt and black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 25 gr. grated parmesan, kefalotiri, or Gruyere cheese
• some chopped parsley

Bechamel Sauce

• 80 gr. butter
• 80 gr. flour
• 600 ml warm milk
• salt and white pepper
• 30 gr. grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese
• 2 egg yolks

Topping

• 60 gr. grated Parmesan,Gruyere or kefalotiri cheese
• 4 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs

method

• Moussaka should be baked in the oven. Use a roasting container, eitber square or oblong, approximately 25x25 cm or 39x28 cm. It is recommended that you spread the work involved over two days for your convinience; one can easily cook the meat the day before, witbout the Moussaka suffering at all. Do not do the same with the aubergines; they should be fried on the day.
• Aubergines. Top and tail the aubergines, without peeling them. Rinse them, cut them lengthways in 75-mm thick slices and immerse them in salted water, for 30 minutes.Take them out, squeeze gently, rinse, then squeeze them again. Drain them in a colander and pat dry. Fry them in hot vegetable oil until they become pale golden on both sides; you can either deep-fry them, which is easier but they absorb a lot of oil, or shallow-fry them. In either case, drain them on absorbent paper on a flat platter before serving, so that most of their oil will dribble away.
• Meat. Sautee the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, until it looks glistening. Add the meat and sautee together, stirring, until all the lumps are broken down and the meat starts to change colour. Pour in the wine, add tomatoes, sliced finely, the spices, salt and pepper and the oregano.
• Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time in case it sticks. Then mix in the grated cheese and parsley.

Bechamel Sauce

• Melt the butter and, away from the heat, gradually add the flour and stir to amalgamate. Return to the heat and gradually add the milk and seasoning, stirring continuously. Simmer for 9-10 minutes, stirring, until it has thickened considerably. Withdraw the pan from the heat, let it stand briefly, then add the cheese and the egg yolks. Stir to amalgamate them. Do not let the sauce boil after this. It should by now be a thick bechamel, to enable it to sit on top of the meat mixture and form a kind of crust.
• To assemble, cover the base of the roasting dish with half of the fried aubergines, then spread half of the meat mixture evenly on top of them and cover neatly with the remaining aubergines. Spread the remaining meat and sauce evenly over the top and cover neatly with the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese all over the top, and the breadcrumbs. Moussaka from Macedonia may contain a layer of thinly sliced roun potatoes which have been fried first. Bake in a pre-heated oven, gas no.4/ 350 grades F/ 180 grades C, for 1 hour, untit a golden crust is formed all over the top. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving, in order to be able to cut it more easily. To serve, cut into square or oblong-shaped pieces, about 8 cm thick. It should be quite dry by then and the pieces should ideally stay intact.

Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolmades)

Ingredients - serves 4

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. white rice
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. dry mint
• 1 T. butter, softened
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
• dill, if convenient
• 3-4 T. lemon juice
• salt
• pepper
• water, if needed
• Vine Leaves

method

• Knead all ingredients in a bowl. If the consistency is too hard, add water, one tablespoon at a time (up to 4 T.). Grape leaves are best picked from Grape Vines in the Spring, while they are still tender. They can be washed and frozen between layers of waxed paper and will keep for a year. They are also available in jars from some fruit markets (especially ones that carry a lot of Greek/Italian imported foods). Depending on the size, you will need 20 to 40 grape leaves (Fila - pronounced fee'-lah). Small leaves tend to be more tender. Boil grape leaves until they are soft, but not tender. The time will depend on the leaves. Fresh ones will only take a minute. Fold grape leaves around small spoonfulls of meat mixture, sealing completely. In a large pot (preferably one with a large surface area on the bottom), melt 1/2 stick (4 T.) butter. Arrange rolled dolmades on top. Do this all at once, not as you roll them. Pour 3-4 cups water or chicken broth over dolmades, cover, and simmer for 2 hour