Greek recipes

Being from a Greek fishermen family I first taste kakavia fish soup while on a 3 days fishing on a remote island in the Dodecanese. We where 3 fishing boats all working together. After having put our nets we where returning on a small bay we used as anchorage. My Grand father used to make the Kakavia on the beach putting the pot on the fire we had made with small wood and dried bushes the so called in Greece “Frigana” .Here is the ingredients he use to put in to the soup and the way he was cooking it. All you need are many different kind of small fishes as more kind of fishes you have as much tasty is the soup. We had a lot of fish from the morning cutch so that was easy to collect the ones we needed. Now to make the soup you just need except the fishes a tomato a large onion water salt and pepper. He was putting the Onion and the tomato chopped in the pot with just a few drops of water, the juice of the tomato was doing its job so the onion becomes tender when that is done you add water and the fishes be sure the water is not a lot just covers the fishes add the oil and salt with pepper and close the pot. To check when the soup is ready just open the pot and put your hand over the steam, if your fingers fill gluey then Kakavia is ready, you can add lemon juice if you like as many Greek fishermen do.  The fish soup Kakavia was invented mainly by the fishermen  because its an  easy to make food and because they have fresh the main ingredient, namely the fishes. Every Greek fishing boat on a journey always has with all the essential things for cooking, a huge cooking pot, some forks and knifes, olive oil, tomatoes lemons  and onions, bread, olives Greek coffee and food in tins. Of course the women of the family will cook for them some portions of the food of the day to take with but after some days you have to cook by your self. Because Kakavia is made mainly from small fish and might have fish bones inside there is a trick you can do, if you can find a tiny net from string put all the fishes inside the net that will keep all the bones within, alternatively you can use boneless bigger fishes but try to use many different kinds of big fishes so the soup will be more tasty.

Melitzanakia toursi (baby aubergines) is one of the most tasteful pickle of the Greek cuisine. The Greek pickles (Toursi) are eaten as appetizers but mostly during the days of feast like the 40 days before Easter Sunday and especially at the Clear Monday of Apokria. Melitzanes toursi or Melitzanakia is an excellent side delicacy dish for bean soup or lentil soup.
Ingredients: In order to make a big jar or bowl of Melitzanakia toursi we will need about 20-30 baby eggplants, 1 garlic, 3-4 carrots, 2 bunches of celery, olive oil and vinegar.
Method: Cut the upper side of the aubergine, make a cut from the top to the bottom almost to the half of the aubergine, clean the carrots and the celery and put all together to boil in a pot until they become tender. Take out all ingredients and drain them in a colander. Chop the carrots and garlic in tiny pieces and mix them in a plastic bowl. Start filing the mixture to the aubergine, after you fill the aubergine tight it with a small and thin branch of the tender celery. Place one after the other the baby aubergines in the jar or the bowl. After you finish add vinegar and oil (more vinegar than oil) up to the surface of the jar. Close the Jar or the bowl and live it for a week. After one week your pickle will be ready. Kali Orexi.

Pilafi me Saltsa (rice with tomato sauce)
This is a very easy to make Greek food.
You will need for 2 persons :
half kilo of Carolina rice,one tin of choped tomatoes
and 50gramms of tomato paste,
cinamon,glove,1 onion, some fine chopped garlic,salt
,pepper,and a tea spoon of sugar
prepare the sauce:
Fried in cooking oil the chopped onion and garlic
until they become tender and bit brownish, add the
copped tomatoes and then add one tea cup of water.
When it will start boilled add two big spoons of
tomato paste and sturr it, add a little bit of groun
cinnamon and a couple of gloves, salt, pepper and a
tea spoon of sugar.Live it to cook for 30 minutes 150
dgrees temperature.
Prepair the rice.
This is easy you just boill the rice as hard or soft
you like.After is ready add some butter. You can form
it by using a mug or cup in ball shape. Serve it on a
plate and add the sauce. Alternativelly you can spread
parmesane cheese over the rice before you add the
sauce. Kali Orexi

Fasolakia is a very easy to cook Vegetarian Greek food . It takes about half an hour cooking in 200 degrees.
The ingredients are simple you need half kilo of fresh green beans, an onion graded, some garlic, olive oil, tomato past, a tin of pealed tomatoes, salt and pepper.
There are 2 ways of cooking the fasolakia, if you like them heavy you fried first the graded onion with the garlic and as soon they will be brownish you pore 1 litter of water, wait until is boiled and then add the green beans the pealed tomatoes , 2 spoonful of tomato paste salt and pepper and cook for half an hour.
The easy and not heavy way is to boil first the water and add all the above ingredients together. Additionally you can add potatoes together with the green beans.
use the salt and pepper according to your personal taste. The green beans (Fasolakia Ladera) is mostly a summer food because is not heavy plus is a very healthy food.

food Greek beans Vegetarian

Greece has a huge variety of appetizer dishes and salads. With so many kinds of vegetables Greece is a paradise for vegetarians. Here are some famous Greek salads and appetizers

Horiatiki Salata (Greek Country Salad)
Ingredients:
1 kilo tomatoes (not too ripe)
1 medium sized red onion
1 green pepper
1 cucumber
80 gr black olives
180 gr feta cheese
dried oregano
80gr olive oil
vinegar
salt

Method:
Thickly Slice the tomatoes and the cucumber and arrange on a plate. Season with salt. Add the onion and green pepper, both sliced into rings. Arrange thick slice of feta cheese on top and sprinkle with oregano. Arrange olives on top of salad and pour olive oil and vinegar to taste.
Serves 4

Kolokythakia Vrasta (Cooked Courgettes)

Ingredients:
1 kilo small courgettes
fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 teacup olive oil
3 tbspns vinegar
salt

Method:
put the courgettes in a saucepan with water to cover and add salt to taste. Cook until there is no water left, add the vinegar and the mint. Season with salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes and turn the heat off. When cold, sprinkle with olive oil and serve.
Serves 4

Ampelofasoula Salata (Green Bean Salad)

Ingredients:
1 kilo green beans (washed)
150 gr. olives
2 sliced tomatoes
1/2 teacup olive oil
3 tblspns vinegar
salt

Method:
Put the beans in a saucepan with plenty of water and some salt and cook for 10 mins uncovered so as not to lose their colour. Drain and let them dry. Place them in a salad bowl along with the tomatoes and the olives. Season with salt. Beat the olive oil with the vinegar until thick and pour over the salad.
Serves 6

Melitzanes Salata (Aubergine Salad)

Ingredients:
2 medium sized aubergines
1 onion finely chopped
2 sliced tomatoes
1 sliced green pepper
1 sliced cucumber
2 tblspns chives
1/2 teacup olive oil
black olives
salt
dried oregano

Method:
Bake the aubergines in a moderate oven for 40 minutes. When quite cold, peel them carefully and cut into pieces. Place them in a salad bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients.
Serves 4

Melitznosalata (Aubergine Puree Salad)

Ingredients:
1 kilo aubergines
300 gr thick Greek yoghurt
2 cloves garlic
1 teacup olive oil
4 tblspns vinegar
1 tblspn toasted breadcrumbs
finely chopped parsley
salt

Method:
Bake the aubergines in a moderate oven for 40 minutes and when q1uite cold, peel them carefully and mash with a fork. Crush the garlic in a mortar and mix with the yoghurt, the aubergines, the vinegar and the oil. Add the breadcrumbs and salt to taste. Put into a serving dish and garnish with parsley
Serves 6

Taramosalata (Fish Roe Salad)

Ingredients:
200 gr prepared fish roe
250 gr bread
200 gr olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1 medium sized, finely chopped onion
black olives for garnish

Method:
Place the bread in water to soak. Place onion into a blender and whizz until consistency is like a puree. Add fish roe and blend in gently. Drain the bread and squeeze out as much excess water as possible. Leave on kitchen paper to dry some more. Add the bread gradually into the onion and fish roe mix, blending gently until smooth. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, gradually, blending continuously until the salad thickens. Serve garnished with the olives.
Serves 6

Pantzaria Skordalia (Beetroots with Garlic Sauce)

Ingredients:
1 kilo fresh beetroots with leaves intact.
salt vi
vinegar
olive oil.

Method:
Clean and wash the beetroots. Cook for 25 minutes and add the leaves. Cook uncovered for 20 m9nutes more. Drain and when cool, slice and sprinkle with vinegar. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with oil.

For Skordalia (Garlic Sauce)

Ingredients:
1 kilo potatoes
2 heads of garlic
Juice from 3 lemons
1 tbspn salt
1 teacup olive oil

Method:
Crush the garlic. Peel and cook the potatoes. Mash them and add the garlic, half a glass of water and season with salt. Stir in the olive oil and the lemon juice. Continue stirring until the consistency is a thick sauce.
Serves 8
Fava Me Kremydi (Split Peas with Onion)

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo yellow split peas
2 sliced onions
200 gr. olive oil
salt and pepper

Method:
Put the split peas in an ovenproof dish, cover with water and bake in a moderate oven until soft and breaking up. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until golden brown. Add them to the mashed split peas. Mix well. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve with raw onion, olive oil and lemon.
Serves 4

Tzatziki (Cucumber Dip)

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo thick Greek yoghurt
4 cloves garlic
1 cucumber
1 tbspn vinegar
salt
olive oil

Method:
Grate the cucumber and squeeze out juice as much as possible. Crush the garlic. Put the yoghurt, garlic, cucumber and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt. Mix well. Stir in olive oil. Leave in the fridge for one hour to chill.
Serves 6-8