Other stuff !
SKORDALIA
Makes 450ml
5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ tsp salt
2 potatoes, about 200g total weight, cooked and peeled
50g day-old breadcrumbs
4 tbs red wine vinegar
5 tbs water
120ml olive oil
Process all the ingredients in a food processor at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and thoroughly mixed. If the sauce is too thick, add some more water and process for 1-2 seconds more, or until the required consistency is reached. Great with beetroot or salt cod
OLIVE PASTE
This is a delicious meze served with ouzo.
Makes 250ml
50g cashew nuts
400g stoned black olives, sliced
3 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs red wine vinegar
½ tsp dried oregano
1 small garlic clove
Put the nuts into a food processor and grind to a smooth paste.
Add the remaining ingredients and process for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well blended. Serve with crackers, spread on sandwiches, or use as a sauce for cooked pasta.
TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large slices of crusty bread
3 cloves fresh garlic, 2 roughly chopped
800g very ripe tomatoes
Greek Extra virgin olive oil
100g Greek black olives
2tbsp salted capers, soaked and rinsed
A small bunch of fresh oregano, marjoram or thyme
150-200g crumbled feta cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of brown sugar
A few drops of balsamic vinegar
Method
1. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, steep for about 20 seconds; drain them and make a small slit in each tomato, peel off the skin over a bowl, catching any juice.
2. Quarter each tomato, and chop into small cubes.
3. Destone the olives and roughly chop, with the capers. Warm 100ml of the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic, cooking for about 2 or 3 minutes on the lowest possible heat.
Add the olives, capers and herbs and continue to cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and season with plenty of black pepper, salt (be careful, because the capers will be salty) and the sugar. Let the tomatoes sweat gently in the warm oil for about 10 minutes , then season with the balsamic vinegar. Taste and check if the tomatoes need more salt or pepper.
4. Toast the bread over a griddle pan or under a grill until blackened in parts and then rub with the remaining garlic clove. Drizzle generously with more of the olive oil, put on individual plates or one big platter and top with the tomatoes and feta cheese.
GREEK BEETROOT SALAD
Serves 2
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Ingredients
Bunch beetroot/4-5 uncooked
1 lemon
4 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion
250g green beans
2 vine tomatoes
10g flat-leaf parsley
About 10 mint leaves
100g Greek feta cheese
Method
Trim stalks from the beetroot and boil, covered, in salted water until tender to the point of a knife. Allow about 30 minutes, more if they are very large. Drain, rub off the skin and cut into big chunks. Place in a bowl and dredge with the juice from half the lemon and 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, finely slice the onion. Top and tail the beans, break in half and boil in salted water for 2 minutes. Drain. Tip the beans onto a platter, top with the beetroot and its juices. Cut the core out of the tomatoes in a pointed plug shape. Quarter lengthways then halve the quarters. Pile the tomatoes over the beets. Drain the onions and scatter over the top. Chop the parsley leaves and mint and sprinkle over the salad followed by a crumble of feta. Dredge with the remaining lemon juice and olive oil. Good with anything but particularly with grilled sardines.
PASTA WITH WALNUTS AND DILL
Serves 2
Ingredients
12 walnut halves
2 garlic cloves
10g dill
About 8 mint or basil leaves
200g pappardelle pasta
4 tbsp Greek or other fruity olive oil
100g Greek feta
Rocket salad to serve
Method
Roast the walnuts in a heavy frying pan, tossing them around for a couple of minutes until aromatic and slightly darkened in colour. This intensifies their flavour. Cool slightly and break into chunky pieces. Crack the garlic, flake away the skin, chop finely, then crush to a paste. Tear the leaves off the dill stalks and chop. Shred the mint or basil. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions in plenty of salted water. Drain and add 2 tbsp oil and the garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes until aromatic. Return the pasta and stir to mix. Add the walnuts, dill and mint or basil. Crumble the feta over the top and mix. Serve with a generous splash of olive oil. Serve with a simple rocket or lettuce salad. Also good with lemon and olive oil-splashed, grilled white fish.
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Put the rinsed and dried tomatoes whole into a large bowl and squeeze and manipulated them with the hands, until they turn into a pulpy substance. This is the only way to do it as you need the skins to give some substance. Next, mix all the ingredients together, apart from the flour. Add enough flour gradually to make a thickish but moist paste. You will probably not need all the flour. The mixture can now wait until it is time to be cooked and eaten. |
