Greek Casserole: Yuvetsi

 

 Yuvetsi is a famous dish in Greek cuisine. It can be made with chicken, beef or lamb. A traditional yuvetsi recipe is easy to find and make. It is very juicy, delicious and filling as well. Easy to make, perfect choice for family dinners or guests. This is how I made it for two this time with a delicious summer 'Briam'. You can also find the briam recipe on my blog here.

Ingredients:
Serves for 2-3
300 gr beef (chopped into small pieces)
3 tomatoes
1 cup of orzo
1 cup of boiling water
A little less than 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil 
Salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg

How to:
1. Put the tomatoes into a food processor and process well. Put the tomatoes (with the juice and all), beef pieces, olive oil and hot water into a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and bake in 200 degree oven for 50 minutes. Be careful with the size of the tray. This recipe is for 2-3 people, if you are going to cook for more, double the ingredients and use a medium size, deep baking dish/oven tray.   
2. After it has cooked in the oven for 50 minutes, take your tray out and add a cup of orzo, with another cup of boiling water (if it looks dry, add 1/2 cup of water). If you are unsure about the amount of water, you can check in 10 minutes. The orzo will definitely soak up some water.

  The beef is soft and almost cooked; it is time to add orzo.

3. Once the orzo has softened and cooked, the beef is underneath the juicy caramelized tomatoes, take it out of the oven and serve warm. Because this is a Greek recipe, it is generally served with some feta cheese on top. I like to sprinkle it with chopped parsley and dry thyme.
With or, without crumbled feta cheese, this dish is yummy and sure to get you compliments from your friends. Very easy to make, so it is a good cheater's home cooking. :) 

Yuvetsi with beef and briam, all it need is a little bit of tzatziki or yoghurt. They go so well together!

Also, try this recipe with chicken thighs like I did on another day. 

I added chopped onions with tomatoes because I thought the chicken would need some extra ingredients.

My first ever yuvetsi!

Summertime Potato Salad

 

Everybody knows a potato salad and I think most people love it. It is a good salad, complimentary to many dishes. Lots of different cuisines have lots of different types of potato salad. In America, they make it with mayonnaise for instance. In Turkish home-cooking, a potato salad generally consists of potatoes, spring onions or white onions and parsley. This summer I made many different potato salads using fresh potatoes. Today's recipe is the one that I call 'Summertime Potato Salad' because it has got nice summer peppers, full red juicy tomatoes in it. A bit of fresh mint with fresh lemon juice and there you have it -perfect summer taste!

Ingredients:
Serves for 4

2 big potatoes
2 medium size tomatoes
A handful of fresh mint leaves
1 medium size onion
2 medium size sweet red peppers
2 medium size sweet banana peppers
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil (As always!)
Salt, pepper
A clove of garlic

How to:
1. Peel and wash the potatoes, chop them into chunks and put them in a pot to boil.
2. Meanwhile, wash and chop the peppers, tomatoes, fresh mint leaves and put them in a salad bowl. Add the chopped onions on top and leave aside.
3. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a small bowl, then grate a clove of garlic in it. You can also chop the garlic but I tend not to use the garlic crusher as I want the crunchiness of the garlic without the flavor being too strong. Add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and mix well. This is our salad dressing. 
4. Once the potatoes are cooked (check with a toothpick or a knife), chop them into smaller pieces and add to the salad mixture in the bowl. Pour over the dressing and mix well. Our salad is ready. Yum!

 

I like to decorate it with a sprinkle of dry mint before I serve.

Various Dips With Yoghurt

                                      

How many different dips can you make by using yoghurt? For me, a dip sauce with yoghurt is kind of inevitable/irresistable with crisps, bread sticks, snacks or savory biscuits. I have created and tried many different dips over the years, so today I wanted to share some of them, mainly the favourites.
It is easy to find your own dip sauce and prepare it the way you like it -make it spicy, sour, creamy or soppy. The clue is to use Greek yoghurt or Turkish 'suzme' yoghurt, whole fat or no fat, doesn't matter really. You will get the smooth, creamy result every time. Chop, mix, dip and enjoy!

SPICY DIP:
one of the most common, basic dip sauce for crisps (here in Istanbul)
A bowl of yoghurt
1 teaspoon of dry mint
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of dry roasted sweet chilli pepper 
1 teaspoon of thyme
A pinch of salt and black pepper

  I love the colour! Perfect with crisps or breadsticks.

MUSTARD DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon of (freshly squeezed) lemon juice 
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil  
A pinch of salt and pepper 

Especially for cocktails and snacks! 

  Or you can add some cucumber inside and have a good bowl of snack any time during the day. 

FRESH HERBS DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 tablespoon of fresh mint (chopped) 
1 teaspoon of dry mint
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon of curry mixture
2 teaspoons of apple vinegar 
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil (can be more)
A pinch of salt and pepper 
A pinch of sumac (or chilli flakes) to decorate

GREEK TZATZIKI DIP WITH FRESH HERBS:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 tablespoon of chopped dill 
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint 
1 teaspoon of dry mint
1 clove of garlic (optional)
1 small cucumber (chopped in tiny pieces)
1 small sweet banana pepper (again, chopped in tiny pieces)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of sumac to decorate

It can be served with food as a refreshing garnish; you can adjust the amount of fresh herbs inside. Yum! 

LIGHTLY SOUR DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 tablespoon of apple vinegar 
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil  
1 teaspoon of pomegranate sour
A pinch of salt and pepper

CURRY DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
2 teaspoons of curry powder
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt and pepper

Courgette Patty in the Oven

 It goes very well with some salad the next day for lunch. :)

Now a patty is by definiton something 'fried.' I agree, but this time I made a change in this traditional recipe and I baked it in the oven. For two reasons: 1) I couldn't be bothered to make small shapes and fry them one by one. 2) I thought it would be a healthier, lighter version. It's up to you to try and decide. We loved it! I served it at a family dinner and my family loved it. This recipe is known in Greek cuisine as 'Kolokithakeftedes', which means 'courgette balls/courgette fritters'. However much I like the original fried recipe, I reccomend that you try this one as well. If you want to make fried courgette fritters, then all you need to do is prepare this mixture, then spoon it on a frying pan with some olive oil and fry both sides for 3-4 minutes. Perfect summer recipe! Even better the next day when it is cold. Total indulgence for courgette lovers.

Ingredients:
5 medium size courgettes
1 - 1,5 glass of whole wheat flour or rye flour 
2 big eggs
100 gr of Greek feta cheese or Turkish white cheese
1/2 bunch of fresh mint 
1 teaspoon of dry mint 
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dry curry powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of sweet roasted red pepper powder (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil 

How to:
1. Wash the courgettes thoroughly, then peel and grate them into a big bowl. 
2.Add the flour, egg, salt, pepper, chopped fresh mint leaves, dry mint and the rest of the spices according to your taste. Then crumble 100 gr of feta cheese inside and mix well. 
3. Grease a rectangular shaped baking tray with extra virgin olive oil and pour in the mixture. Press with your spatula to make it even and level. (The mixture should be 1 or 1.5 cm thick in the oven tray. If it is thicker, it might need more time in the oven.) Pour some more olive oil on top to make a crusty and well-baked top, then bake in the pre-heated 175 degrees Celsius oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Eat and enjoy!

 

Ready to go into the oven. 

Courgettes in Olive Oil

 
Another summer recipe! If you haven't tried this, believe me you are missing a lot!

Very easy to make, very healthy and light and very tasty. This dish always reminds me of my English mother-in-law because last summer when she was staying at ours, I would make a whole lot of this and we would finish it between the two of us.

It is very yummy when warm, but also can be eaten when it is cold. So it is very practical. You can keep it in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Have it as a light lunch with a slice of bread and some feta cheese, or eat it as a side dish for dinner.

Ingredients:
4 medium size courgettes
4 tomatoes
1 big onion
4 cloves of garlic
A handful of rice (or bulghur)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Sugar (optional)
A handful of dill to decorate

How to:
1. Wash and scrape the courgettes, cut them into small chunks.
2. Wash the tomatoes and chop them by hand. Then chop the onions and garlic.
3. Start heating a pan and add some olive oil. Put the onions and garlic and start stirring. Once the onions are soft and transparent, add the tomatoes and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Put the courgettes on top and mix everything thoroughly in high heat. Add some more olive oil at this stage. This dish is an 'olive oil' dish, so you have to have a generous amount.
5. Spread a handful of rice (not more than that because as they cook, they get bigger and then you end up with a courgettes in rice).
6. Lastly, add some salt and pepper, mix and sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar on top. Sugar gives it an extra sweetness and taste. You can skip this stage but if you try it once, you can never go without! Add 1 or 2 cups of boiling water. Turn the heat down and leave to simmer.
7. Once the courgettes and rice soak up the water and cook, your dish is ready. Decorate with fresh chopped dill and serve warm or cold. Eat and enjoy!

 This one was made with bulghur but to be honest, it is always better with rice.

Fresh Tomato Salad or Koukouvagia

 

This Cretan recipe is my favourite. As a person who doesn't like eating raw tomatoes in a salad or anywhere, I am a big fan of this dish! So, you can tell it is really very delicious. It can be a very nice salad for any table or alternatively, it can make your breakfast or lunch on its own. The bread is high in fiber, so it is pretty filling. Personally, I like to have it for my breakfast in the summer and I don't need anything else.

It is the combination that achieves perfection and is very common in both Greek and Turkish cuisines: Cheese, tomatoes, bread. Plus, of course, olive oil, olives and thyme/oregano. In Turkey we generally use thyme in salads and dishes, whereas on Crete, they have more oregano from the mountains. It is more pungent, stronger and thus, a very small pinch goes a long way.

The important element in this recipe is rusk. It is not any ordinary rusk bread, it is a specialty in Crete, it is called 'dakos' and it is made from a very heavy rye bread. It is not easy to find elsewhere, so my suggestion for the rusk bread is either buy a thick sliced one, if you can find it, or make your own rusk bread at home. Buy a big loaf of rye bread or whole wheat bread. Cut it into an inch thick pieces, put them in the oven and bake in low temperature until it loses its water and becomes very crunchy. 

One tiny but very important note, you have to grate the tomatoes. Putting them in a blender or chopping with a knife won't do the trick. You have to grate it, so that it gives out its water but still keeps its pulse.

Ingredients:
3 medium size tomatoes
2- 3 pieces of rusk bread
1 slice of feta cheese
5-7 black olives
A generous amount of olive oil
A pinch of oregano

How to:
1. Put your rusk bread on a flat serving plate. Grate the tomatoes and slowly add them on top of the bread, soaking the bread with the tomato juice as much as possible.
2. Crunch some feta cheese on top and wash the plate with extra virgin olive oil. The bread should soak up the tomato juice and olive oil.
3. Add some olives on top and sprinkle with oregano (or thyme). Eat and enjoy!

Home Made Fresh Pesto Sauce

Basil is plenty in this season. It is fresh, it is tangy, it is delicious. We all know the Italian pesto sauce. The basic ingredients are basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese. Pesto sauce is sold all over the supermarkets in small jars and they are not bad. But I like to do my own sauce at home, without any chemicals or preservatives and without too much salt in it. Plus, this sauce is so easy to make, you will feel proud of yourselves! =)

The only thing is that I don't add any cheese to this sauce because I don't want it to go bad. We will keep the sauce in air tight jars that have been sterilized in boiling water. It keeps for at least 4 months unopened in the fridge. After you open your jars, I recommend you to try and consume it in 5-6 weeks at most. That is why when I make this sauce, I put them in small jars.

This is my second year in making pesto sauce and this time it is better than my last year's sauce. So, I will write the recipe that makes two small jars. If you want to prepare more than this, just double the ingredients.

We need a big blender with chopping blades. After we boil our jars that is. This step is very important as it will affect whether your sauce will go bad or not. Do not neglect this step. Believe me, I learned the hard way! Now we're ready to go.

Ingredients:
3 big bunches of fresh basil
75 gr pine nuts (can be more)
1/2 - 1 glass of extra virgin olive oil
6 big cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt

How to:
1. Wash your basil properly and drain them. Peel the garlic and chop them into two-three pieces. Put your basil, garlic, pine nuts and salt into the blender and start mixing.
2. While the blender is on, pour the olive oil from the top slowly until it reaches the perfect consistency. It takes approximately 5 minutes and almost a glass of olive oil to achieve it.
3. Taste your pesto sauce and maybe add a little bit more salt or nuts or oil. It is up to your taste to decide at this step. For me, the ingredients above made the perfect mixture.
4. Pour the sauce into the jars and seal with air tight caps. Put them in the fridge.

SOME DISHES YOU CAN MAKE WITH YOUR PESTO SAUCE:
1. Fettucini with pesto and parmesan cheese.
2. Serve with grilled chicken or beef.
3. Bake chicken pieces with pesto sauce and some milk/cream.
4. Add milk/cream and cheese to your pesto sauce and cook your chicken breast pieces inside it.
5. Spread over bread slices, put some tomatoes and feta cheese on top and toast in the oven for a delicious snack/appetizer in dinner parties.