Greek Recipes for Theme Dinner

[Nanci]

I just finished reading the thread on entertaining and need some input from Jeanne, Gail and Venus and anyone with a Greek recipe to share.

I am going to my CookLinght Dinner group near Chicago. The theme is Greek food. I was thinking of making a spinikoppitta (?sp), but the recipe is from an elderly Italian woman. So . . . I thought I'd open it up for suggestions. I love Greek food. Since by SO will also attend I was thinking an appetizer and a side dish, but a dessert would also be great.

I am looking forward to all of your suggestions!!!!

Nanci

[Gail]

Check out this thread from last month for starters: www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/000658.html (http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/000658.html)

Another place to look would be: www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20000714-1-000117.html (http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20000714-1-000117.html)
which contains at least 3 variations on spanakopita. I believe CL printed a variation on the classic spanakopita which added sundried tomato and rice, which was very well received by readers.

Those should get you started! Good luck. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 09-25-2000).]

[Susann]

Nanci-Greece was my country of the month last month. If you do a search, you should find Gail's eggplant puree recipe, which is top notch. I would also recommend the gyro recipe and the spanakopita recipe. Greek food is so good!

[venus]

Hey Nanci,

I just posted two recipes for MightyH under the "Favorite Party" topic. One is for Souvlaki, the other is for Tzatziki Sauce. The Tzatziki can easily be made with lowfat or nonfat yogurt and tastes just as good.

The Greek half of my family has reunions and events at a restaurant in Astoria, NY. For an appetizer they serve Tzatziki Sauce, Hummus and Taramosalata together with toasted pitas and Kalamata olives. I don't care for Taramosalata but I think it would be excellent with Baba Ghanoush or a similar roasted eggplant puree instead.

Hope this helps!

[venus]

Gail,

I just checked out the thread that you posted. Wow! What a lot of recipes. I've never heard of putting dill in tzatziki before. Are you Greek, or is someone in your family? If so, I'd be interested to know what part they are from, since many of the recipes are slightly different from region to region.

[AndreaU]

This is a quick and easy salad that can be prepared the night before.

Greek Pasta Salad

2 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta (16 ounces)
4 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup Italian (or Greek vinaigrette) dressing
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cup)
2 cans (15-16 oz. each) garbanzo beans/chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 oz. each) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 cup crumbled Feta cheese (4 ounces)

Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water; drain.

Mix pasta and remaining ingredients EXCEPT cheese in glass or plastic bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors but no longer than 24 hours.

Top salad with Feta when ready to serve.

(about 10 servings)

[Gail]

Originally posted by venus:
Gail,

...Are you Greek, or is someone in your family?...


Actually, I'm more Cuban than anything else.
We just eat a lot of Greek food. How interesting that none of the Greeks in your family uses dill in tzatziki. All the recipes I've ever tried have suggested either dill or mint and having tried both variations, I thought the recipes with dill came far closer to what we had while traveling in Greece. --and hey, I for one would LOVE to have an absolutely postively authentic family recipe spanokopita-- or anything else for that matter! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 09-25-2000).]

[venus]

Hey, your wishes are granted. This is my Great-Aunt's spanakopita recipe. All the proportions are approximate since my mom translated this from Greek, but I've tried to get them as close to correct as possible. I use salted butter for the phyllo, because I like the taste of it, but if you like you can use unsalted. This is NOT a lowfat recipe--but you can make it slightly less fattening by incorporating skim milk ricotta and light feta. There is no help for the butter--margarine just doesn't taste right and is just as bad for you.

Spanakopita

For the filling:
2 pounds fresh spinach
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
2 medium leeks, white parts only, minced OR
1 bunch scallions, white parts only, minced
1 large bunch fresh dill, large stems removed and finely chopped
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
½ pound feta cheese
tiny dash nutmeg

For the crust:
1 package phyllo dough, thawed
2 sticks butter, melted

Wash and sort the spinach, removing any thick stems. Place it in a large pot and steam the spinach until it is fully cooked, using no more water than what was left on the leaves from washing. Drain the spinach in a colander. Place a plate that is slightly smaller than the colander on top of it. Press the plate down on top of the spinach and squeeze all the water out of it. When the spinach is as dry as you can get it, remove it to a cutting board and chop coarsely. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until they begin to turn translucent. Add the dill and stir together. Add the spinach and sauté for one to two minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Add the ricotta cheese and egg to the spinach mixture. Using your fingers, crumble the feta cheese and add to the spinach/cheese mixture, mushing it into very small pieces. Mix the spinach and cheese together until it is evenly distributed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Take one piece of phyllo dough and lay it in the bottom of a 9X12 lasagna pan [my grandmother actually had an extra wide lasagna pan that she used just for this]. Keep the additional phyllo close by, covered with a towel or cloth. Using a pastry brush, brush the first sheet with the melted butter. Brush the outer edges of the sheet first, to seal it down and then work your way into the middle. Lay the second sheet over the first and repeat the process, being careful to butter all the edges. After you have finished half the sheets in the box, pour the spinach mixture over the phyllo in the pan and spread it out evenly. Repeat the above process with the remaining sheets of phyllo. Pour any remaining butter over the top of the last layer.

Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and bake for another ten minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least fifteen minutes before slicing into squares. Serve hot or cold.

I hope this works as well for you as it does for me!

[lorilei]

alright, venus:

I must warn you. You'll develop a following around here if you keep posting luscious sounding Greek family recipes.

So, if you want out, do it now http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Gail]

Thank you soooo much, Venus. I am so excited to get something like this. Pretty much since I've been around here, I've been nagging everyone to death for family recipes, specifically of international variety. If I had the ability to write Efharisto poli (phonetically, mind you) in Greek, I would!

BTW, if you're of Greek origin, shouldn't that be Aphrodite? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Jeanne G]

Hi Nanci!!
I'm guessing you're speaking to me, when you mention Jeanne (although there are others!) to bring Greek recipes(in veg. entertaining I mentioned my favorite veg. meal is Greek). I do have a wonderful Dolmakakia Yialandji(it's Greek to me! for Meatless Stuffed Grape Leaves)-recipe. Spanikopita was already posted and I won't try to compete b/c I do mine from a recipe book with my own additions/subtractions and I'm not Greek, just love the food! If you want the Stuffed Grape Leaves and know it takes LOTS of time to prepare I would be happy to post the recipe, but give me a couple days, I'm hosting a party Tues eve. It's a wonderful recipe and I've had friends who have been to Greece say it's incredible, but it is time-consuming. Let me know if you want the recipe and I'll post it. I also have a great taboueli recipe and hummus (both!) that I would share with any interest. Call upon me and I will help!!
Best of Luck,
Jeanne

[Nanci]

Thank you so much for all the great suggestions! I didn't realize how much was already out here! Gail's eggplant puree is a much try and Jeanne if you would post the taboulei and hummus recipes when you get a chance I would appreciate it.

I am trying my Italian version of spanikopita this weekend and will post the recipe if it turns out. It sounds quite a bit different than the ones previously posted and published.

Thanks again for all the input -- dinner is Oct 15th. So, I'll let you know!

[venus]

Originally posted by Gail:

BTW, if you're of Greek origin, shouldn't that be Aphrodite? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif [/B]

hehehe. You guys are great. I'll have to tell my friends to give me a new nickname. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif
Lorelei, we can be eachother's mutual fan club http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

I hope the recipe works for you. You must let me know how it turns out. I love swapping recipes too--I'm always looking for new and different things to cook. I will gladly keep posting recipes, as long as I can use everyone elses!
Jeanne, I would love to see your grape leaf recipe and your hummus recipe, if you don't mind posting them.

[Terri-Lynn2]

A great Greek cookbook that we use all the time is "Greek with Gusto" by Nicholas and Julie Roukes. It has a number of appetizers such as Tzatziki, Humus, Taramosalata, Skiordalia, Melitzanosalata (eggplant dip), Saganaki, Kalamarakia, Dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves), Loukanika (Spicy Pork Balls), Keftedakia (Greek Meatballs), Sikotakia Tiganita (fried Liver), Patates Psites Fournou (Oven Fries), Kolokithokeftedes (vegetable patties), Greek Salad, and it has a great list of greek olives and cheeses to use as an appetizer.

As a side there is Orzo Me Pligouri (orzo and bulgar), Bulgar Pilaf (pligouri), Lahanorizo (Cabbage rice Pilaf), Rizi Pilafi (tomato rice pilaf), Briami (vegetable casserole), Bamies me Domates (okra and tomatoes), Fassolokia Feta (green beans and feta), Kounoupithi me saltsa (braised cauliflower), Melitzanogalaktopita (eggplant custard), Kolokithakia Feta (zucchini with feta), Papoutsakia (little shoes), Imam Baildi (baked eggplant), Melitzanes me Feta Fournou (eggplant and feta), Patatosalata (greek potato salad), Yemista (stuffed tomatoes), Rice Pilaf (Spinach, eggplant, or artichoke).

For dessert Baklava, Galaktoboureko (custard pastry), Krema Karamelle (caramel custard), Karithopita (walnut cake), Pantespani (greek sponge cake), Floyeres (flutes), and Kataifi (shredded rolls).

I love this book, I hope this gives you some ideas. If you can use any of these for your party and would like me to post just let me know.

Terri

[Jeanne G]

As requested......

Tabouleh

1 ½ c bulghur
1 ¾ c boiling water
2 cucumbers, pelled, seeded & choppd
4 seeded, minced tomatoes
1 c chopped green pepper
2 carrots, shredded in food processor
1 ½ c chopped fresh parsley
1 c sliced green onions
¼ c each: olive oil & veg oil
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
ground pepper
½ t oregano
¼ t garlic salt

Pour boiling water over bulghur in a bowl, stir & cover with a plate and set aside about 30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess water with hands

Add veggies to bulghur.

Mix remaining ingredients together, pour over bulghur and stir well.

Chill & serve.

Hummus bi Tahini

5 c cooked garbonzo beans
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
7 or 8 T fresh lemon juice (approx 6 lemons)
1 ½ t salt
Taratour Sauce, recipe below

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and mix until consistency is right.

Taratour Sauce

¾ c tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
¾ t salt
1/3 c cold water.

Stir tahini with all ingredients with a fork, (almost beating it) until it does resemble a rather solid mayonnaise.

[Jeanne G]

Nanci,

WHERE are you!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Try this one:
www.soulis.com/recipes/greek1.html (http://www.soulis.com/recipes/greek1.html)

Good luck.

[Nanci]

Thanks everyone for the great recipes. Our supper club was a huge success. We made the roasted lamb from this month's issue. It was really good.

We ended up making my version of Spanokopita and here it is:


* Exported from MasterCook *

Spanakopita

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Casseroles Pies & Pastry
Vegetable Vegetables


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
10 sheets phyllo dough, frozen
1 cup ricotta cheese, fat free
1 cup mozzarella cheese, part skim milk -- shredded
4 cups spinach, frozen chopped Dominick's
3 each egg whites
1 cup feta cheese
3 cloves garlic -- crushed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt -- to taste
pepper -- to taste

Defrost phyllo dough in the refrigerator over night

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Defrost spinach in microwave. Squeeze to remove excess water and place in a large bowl. Add ricotta, feta and mozzarella cheese to spinach. Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic, oregano and salt and pepper to mixture.

Lightly beat 3 egg whites and mix with cheese and spinach.

Cover phyllo with damp towel to keep moist. Place one sheet of phyllo half way across a 9" x 11" pan coated with cooking spray. Add a second sheet to cover bottom of pan. There should be plenty of extra dough hanging over sides of pan. Spray with no cal butter spray, cooking spray or brush lightly with egg whites all over. Repeat process with 3 other phyllo sheets.

Spoon spinach and cheese mixture on top of phyllo. Cover with remaining phyllo coating with butter spray as you build layers. Roll edges into pan and spray with butter spray. Cut 3 - 5 diagonal vents in dough.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool about 5 minutes then slice into 4 x 3 squares.

Description:
"Grandma Tarico's Recipe"
Yield:
"1 each"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 159 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat; (27% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 20mg Cholesterol; 362mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

I also made Melitzanolsalata from one of the threads someone suggested. It was great -- lots of comments like, "I don't even like eggplant."

MELITZANOLSALATA
(Puree of Eggplant)
2 to 3 medium eggplants (about 3 pounds total)
2 to 5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup walnut meats, coarsely chopped (optional)
Black olive or parsley for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Wash eggplant, pat dry, and puncture skin in several places with a fork. Bake whole in an ungreased pan for about 1 hour, until skin is shriveled and eggplant is soft to the touch. Remove from oven.
2. While eggplant is still hot, cut off stemand peel off skin. Cut lengthwise in half. Remove and discard as many of the seeds as possible.
3. Using a pestle, crush garlic, preferably in a wooden mortar. Add eggplant pulp to mortar and continue mashing. Slowly add olive oil and vinegar, alternating between each, and continue mashing. Add sugar, salt, and walnuts, and continue to pulverize. Place in a small bowl, garnish with ablack olive or parsley,and serve at room temperature.
Yield: About2 cups
Note: The amount of olive oil,vinegar and sugar may need to be varied slightly depending on the bitterness of the eggplant.
(From: The Food and Wine of Greece)
Variation: (I made the following which isn't as "Greek" by virtue of cream cheese)
Olive oil
1 eggplant
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fine-chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup yogurt
1 3-ounce package cream cheese
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Brush a baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Slice the eggplant in half, the long way and place it, cut side down, on the oiled baking pan. Bake at 375º for 45 minutes or until soft.
Cut the eggplant, including the skin, into small pieces and place in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and garlic. Blend until smooth.
Add the yogurt, cream cheese, and bread crumbs. Blend again, and add salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
Use as a dip with bread, crackers, fingers etc.
Makes 2 cups
(From The Frugal Gourmet)

Thanks again for everyone's help!!!!

Nanci

[venus]

Hi Nanci! I'm glad your supper club was a success. Your spanakopita recipe sounds much healthier than mine http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I will have to try it.