Greek Country Salad

(Horiatiki Salata)

 

 

3 red firm tomatoes

1 fresh cucumber

1 red onion

1 green bell pepper

10 or as many-as-you-like black Kalamata or green olives.

6-oz. (170 gr.) Greek Feta cheese - sliced or crumbled.

½ cup olive oil

4 Tbs red wine vinegar

Oregano, salt and pepper

 

Cut the tomatoes into small wedges. Peel and slice the cucumber into thin slices, repeat the same with green pepper and red onion slices.

 

In a deep salad platter arrange the tomatoes, then the cucumber, pepper and onion. Place the crumbled or sliced feta cheese on top and sprinkle the oregano.

 

Last, whisk in a bowl the vinegar with salt and pepper. Add in a steady stream the olive oil.

 

For extra flavor add 1 tsp fresh lemon juice and dress the salad only when you are ready to serve it. You do not have to toss it.  The dressing makes its way all over!

 

 

 

Greek Country Salad

 

 

(Horiatiki Salata)

 

3 red firm tomatoes (from the farmer's market)

1 fresh cucumber

1 red onion

1 green bell pepper

10 or as many-as-you-like black Kalamata or green olives.

6-oz. (170 gr.) Greek Feta cheese - sliced or crumbled.

½ cup olive oil

4 Tbs red wine vinegar

Oregano, salt and pepper

Cut the tomatoes into small wedges. Peel and slice the cucumber into thin slices, repeat the same with green pepper and red onion slices.

In a deep salad platter arrange the tomatoes, then the cucumber, pepper and onion. Place the crumbled or sliced feta cheese on top and sprinkle the oregano.

 
Last, whisk in a bowl the vinegar with salt and pepper. Add in a steady stream the olive oil.

For extra flavor add 1 tsp fresh lemon juice and dress the salad only when you are ready to serve it. You do not have to toss it.  The dressing makes its way all over!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cucumber and yogurt dip

(TZATZIKI)

1 large cucumber - peeled and grated (cheese grater)

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

2 cloves pressed garlic.

2 TBS red wine vinegar.

4 TBS olive oil.

Few mint leaves

Salt and white pepper to taste.

Start by squeezing the grated cucumber to get rid of all the moisture.  Gently fold yogurt into cucumber, add the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Continue mixing very gently until all is mixed.  Cover and place in refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.  It is really good cold.  Serve by folding in some mint leaves and keep a few for the top. You can keep tzatziki for up to three days.  Enjoy, but make sure everyone at the dinner table has a little taste otherwise the garlic will influence the quality of the fellowship the rest of the evening.

 

 

 

 

CHICKEN WITH POTATOES (KOTOPOULO ME PATATES)

 

 

1 whole chicken cut up in six pieces
6-8  large potatoes
juice of two fresh lemons
3/4  cup olive oil
4 fresh cut up garlic cloves
½ tsp oregano

A handful of fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

Clean the chicken and wash it very well.  Peel and wash the potatoes and cut them in medium size chunks .  Place the chicken in a roasting pan, arrange the potatoes around it together with the garlic.  Sprinkle the oregano, rosemary,  salt and pepper.  Pour the olive oil and lemon over the chicken and potatoes and toss together.  Add about 1/8 cup water at the bottom of pan and cook for at least 1 ¼  hour at the mid  lower rack of your oven.  Temperature should be  375F.  When the potatoes and chicken have a nice golden color and they are tender to the fork  you are done.  Make a Greek salad, you will find the recipe later, tzatziki dip and fresh country bread  will put a big smile on everyone's face.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPINACH PIE (SPANAKOPITTA)

 

 

SPINACH PIE

SPANAKOPITA

1 pound fresh spinach

1 package of Athens Phyllo dough (1 pound)

2 large leeks, thinly sliced

4 green onions, sliced

4 beaten eggs

1 cup olive oil.

½ cup fresh dill, chopped

½ cup chervil, chopped

½+ pound Greek feta cheese

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

 

Clean and  roughly chop the spinach. Prepare the leeks and green onions and chervil.  Place all  the s in a deep bowl add salt, pepper and in a way "knead" the greens until a some  liquid starts coming out.  When that happens stop! It will look wilted and dark, that is fine; this is what we are looking for, less volume.

 

Add the eggs, half the olive oil and crumbled feta cheese and put the mixture aside.  Take a 9x13 baking deep, lasagna pan baking dish and brush it with olive oil.  Open the package of the  phyllo dough, cover it with a damp towel and start layering one sheet at a time by brushing them with the rest of the

olive oil. Allow part of the dough to go up on the sides of the pan, because later you will fold them in. You want this to be a closed pie.   When you have used half of the dough spread the spinach mixture in it.  Continue by finishing up with the rest of the dough. Finish by brushing the top final layer with olive oil.  Take the bottom dough that overlies on the ends of the pan and bring in over the top layers of dough.  Pat it down and brush with more olive oil.    Now you understand that as you start the layering the dough that is larger from the pan.  That is ok` we like that.  Let that extra dough hang outside the pan and you finish with layering all of it, go back and turn in by folding it at the ends.  As you work with this pie you will find out some other little way you like to do this or that remember!!!  It is your pie; your dough and you are the boss!! 

 

Now before you bake it you HAVE to score it in diagonal pieces.  If you do not you will have to find a new way to serve it because the dough gets real crisp and there is no way to cut it in pieces.  Bake it in an already heated oven 350 f.  For at least one hour or until the phyllo has a light golden baklava color like.   Place your rack pretty low, or maybe in the middle rack, since when you use phyllo dough the top gets cooked faster than the bottom. 

Enjoy this pie as an appetizer serving it in diagonal pieces in a nice platter or as a main meal if there is nothing else to eat.

 

 

 



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