Ethnic: Tzatziki (cucumber dip) by Recipe Cottage

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	Tzatziki (cucumber dip)

		1 medium cucumber, peeled and grated 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 pint yoghurt 1 clove minced garlic (or more) 1 tsp. lemon juice Drain cucumber in sieve or colander (very important or dip will be watery). Combine all ingredients. Chill at least an hour to blend falvours. Melitzanosalata (aubergine salad) 3-4 aubergines 3/4 cup olive oil 1 small grated onion 1 Tbsp. vinegar 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed salt and pepper 1 large tomato, chopped black olives and green peppers (garnish) Wash aubergines, place in baking pan and bake in moderate oven (about 350F) for about one hour or until soft. allow the skin to turn black so as to give a smoky flavour to the salad. Skin aubergines while still hot and shop in small pieces. Mix with onion, garlic, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Garnish with olives and pepper rings. Serve with roast meat, and grilled or fried fish or as appetizer. Serves six. Salata (greek salad) 3 tomatoes, cut in wedges salt and pepper 1 cucumber, sliced 1/3 lb. feta cheese 1 onion sliced 2 dozen Greek black olives 2 green peppers, cut in rings oregano, dried or fresh 6 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. wine vinegar or lemon juice Place tomatoes, cucumber, onion and peppers in salad bowl. Shake together, olive oil, vinegar, salt and peppr. Top with cubed feta cheese and the olives. Sprinkle with oregano. Souvlaki (grilled skewered lamb) 1 leg of lamb, boned salt and pepper 1/2 cup olive oil oregano 4 Tbsp. lemon juice Cut lamb into cubes (I would suggest a less expensive cut of lamb than leg, but make sure it's a good cut) and thread on metal skewers. Marinate in olive oil, lemon juice, herb mixture about one hour to overnight. Grill meet over glowing coals, turning once, until done (roughly about 10 minutes per side, but could be less). Kotosoupa Avgholemono (egg-lemon chicken soup) 6 cups chicken broth 6 Tbsp. rice or orzo 3 eggs juice of 1 large lemon (or more) Bring broth to boil and add rice or orzo. Cover and cook for 20 minutes (rice) or 10 minutes (orzo). While the rice cooks, lightly beat the eggs and the lemon juice together. Remove the broth from heat. Slowly mix about one cup of the hot broth into egg-lemon mixture. Add to the soup gradually while stirring. Serves six. Arni Kapama (Lamb Stew) 2 1/2 lbs. stewing lamb, cut in cubes 2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 lemon 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup butter small piece cinnamon (optional) 2 lbs. chopped tomatoes 1 Tbsp. sugar (optional) Sprinkle lemon juice over meat and leave for 1 hour. Heat butter in a frying pan and brown meat. Transfer to large saucepan. Put tomatoes in frying pan. Add salt, peeper, cinnamon and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes and add to meat. Simmer covered for 2 hours. Serve with potatoes, rice, macaroni or spaghetti. Serves 4 to 5. Melitzanes Papoutsakia (stuffed aubergines) (Like a reverse moussaka. One of my favorites. Papoutsakia means 'little shoes'.) 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 lb. minced meat (lamb preferred) 1/2 cup grated cheese (what ever greek hard cheese you can get) 1/4 cup butter 2 Tbsp. dry breadcrumbs 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 2 1/4 lbx aubergine (about 12) 2 tsp. salt 1 cup bechamel sauce (recipe follows) 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 egg, beaten chopped parsley 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce Bechamel Sauce (makes one cup) 2 Tbsp. butter 1/8 tsp. pepper 3 Tbsp. flour dash of nutmeg 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup milk Brown onions and meat lightly in butter, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. cook covered for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add parsley, egg, 1/4 cup cheese and bread crumbs. On the 'top' of each aubergine, peel an inch strip from one end to the other and make an incision along strip to within an inch of each end. Place in baking dish and bake in moderate oven (about 350F) until soft and light brown (about 30-45 minutes). Insert knife blade into incision and stuff with meat mixture. Prepare bechamel sauce. Melt buter over low heat; add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg; stir until well blended. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk and return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Add the egg and remaining cheese to the sauce. Pour abouta tablespoon on top of each aubergine. Sprinkle with additional grated cheese and dot with butter. If desired, add tomato sauce to the pan. Bake in a moderate oven for about 35 minutes. Serves six. Avgolemeno 1/2 cup uncooked rice or orzo 7-8 cup stock juice of 1 lemon 2 Tbsp. water 2-3 eggs salt and pepper to taste Prepare a stock by boiling slowly lean lamb, meat bones, or chicken with enough water to cover. Strain stock when meat is done. 1/2 hour before serving, boil stock and add rice or orzo. When orzo is done, reduce heat to simmer. In a bowl, beat eggs with 2 Tbsp. water and the lemon juice. Spoon broth into egg mixture STIRRING CONSTANTLY to prevent curdling. After adding about 5 Tbsp. broth to eggs, add eggs to the broth on the stove STIRRING CONSTANTLY. Remove from heat. It should be slightly thick. Serve immediately. I like this pretty "lemony", so I sometimes add more lemon. Salata 1 head leaf lettuce, torn in pieces tomatoes, cut in wedges cucumber, cubed Calamata olives chunks of good feta cheese Dressing: 1 small clove of garlic oregano dill basil pepper red wine vinegar olive oil Mash the garlic with a mortar and pestle, add herbs and grind. Rinse sides with vinegar and whisk in oil.(If you don't have a mortar and pestle, mince garlic _very_ finely and rub herbs between your hands.) Arrange salad on plates and dress. Chicken Soulvaki 1/2 C olive oil 1/4 C lemon juice (use real lemon) or red wine vinegar (I use half of each) 1/4 C red wine 1/2 t minced garlic (I put more like 1 T. I luvs me some garlic) 1 T oregano 3 Whole Chicken Breasts cut into 1" squares. Let marinade for at least 3 hours. Then take skewers and put onion-chicken-mushroom-chicken-green-pepper-chicken. Do this for until all the chicken is used up. I don't like to make these until the guests come over. Participation required. I also like to use different colors of peppers - orange, red,etc. Grill these and brush with the leftover marinade. Be sure to constantly rotate. Will take about 15 minutes. Grilled Pita: This is absolutely required when making chicken soulvaki. Store bought Pita Bread Olive Oil dab of butter Grill the pita bread until they are kinda toasty on the outside. Don't turn up the burner too high! Pita should be brought to the table warm. Yuvetsi Use lamb shoulder or leg, about 4 lbs in managable pieces and brown all over. Add a minced onion and brown that too. Now add salt and pepper to taste, a 3" stick of cinnamon and 2 tbsp of tomato paste mixed with 1 cup hot water. Cover and simmer for some 20 minutes and then remove cinnamon stick. Now transfer if necessary to a buttered Yuvetsi or oven-proof casserole. Add 1 Qt. of stock (chicken is fine or what have you) Orzo ( Kritharaki to a Greek) 2 cups poured over and leveled out. Now bake at 375F for 40 minutes or so or until the lamb is tender and liquid has absorbed. Stir, uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes or so covered with a dry kitchen towel. The recipe is named for the earthenware pot with the clay-coloured interior and curved handles used to cook this typical dish. The recipe I use may be considered to be in the Cyprus style. Technically a Yuvetsi can be made with any type of pasta, macaroni etc., but to me a real yuvetsi is always made with kritharaki. Pastitsio Thin Cream Sauce 4 Tablespoons Butter 2 Cups Hot Milk 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour 2 Egg Yolks Thick Cream Sauce 4 Cups Milk 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour 4 Eggs Filling 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Onions Dash of ground cinnamon 2 Pounds Ground Beef salt and pepper to taste 4 Tablespoons butter 1 Tablespoon minced garlic 2 Cups Italian Plum Tomatoes 1 1/4 Pounds Tubular Pasta Chopped such as ziti # 2 1 Cup Tomatoe Sauce 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs 1 Teaspoon dried or 1 cup fresh grated kefalatiri tablespoon fresh Parmesan cheese chopped oregano Prepare Thin Sauce Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour and cook until mixture turns golden. Gradually stir in hot milk and cook, stirring until sauce is smooth and hot. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks, then briskly stir 1 cup of hot milk mixture. Pour egg milk mixture into remaining sauce. Stir and remove from heat without cooking the eggs. Prepare Thick Sauce Heat milk to a simmer, and set aside. In a bowl, beat eggs with flour. Gradually stir hot milk into the egg mixture. Return to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is quite thick. Do not boil after the eggs have been added. Main Recipe Brown chopped onions and meat in butter. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, spices and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed. Preheat Oven t0 350 Degrees (they mean Fahrenheit here -- Bill). Cook pasta according to package directions, and drain. Sprinkle bread crumbs into a buttered 11x14x2 inch baking pan. Place a layer of pasta in the baking pan; then add half the thin cream sauce. Add meat. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup grated cheese. Cover with remaining thin cream sauce. Spread thick cream sauce over the top and sprinke it with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden. Let stand for 15 minutes to cool, and cut into squares (Note that you cannot cut the Pastitsio easily unless you cool it for 15 minutes.) When ready to server, reheat in hot oven Note: This dish can be prepared a day in advance, adding the thick cream sauce just before baking the dish. Greek Salad Dressing: 1/2 C olive oil (I don't like too much olive oil flavor so I go half olive oil and half vegetable) 1/4 C red wine vinegar salt, pepper, oregano, 4 T lemon juice, crushed garlic. I let this sit for at least 2 hours before the meal. Salad: FETA - crumble. This is a major requirement. A must buy! Lettuce Tomatoes Green Peppers Onions Mushrooms Tzajiki 1 medium cucumber, peeled and finely chopped 1/2 pint (1 Cup) thick yogurt (you may want to drain U.S. yogurt in cheesecloth/strainer overnight to achieve the Greek thickness) can also use "blender" sour cream made with cottage cheese 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. vinegar 1 clove garlic 1 tsp. chopped dill weed (optional) Mix together and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve as a dip, with fried fish, or with fried eggplant or fried zucchini. Excellent with crudites. If you run whole thing through blender it makes a delicious cold soup. It is also great as a virtually non-fat salad dressing. Tzatziki Makes about 4 servings 1 large cucumber, peeled and minced or grated and drained 2 cups plain yogurt (500 ml) 3 garlic cloves, crushed through a press or 4 green onions, chopped salt and pepper Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl. Mix well and refrigerate. Serve cold. NOTE: To make an extra-thick sauce, use the richest yogurt available. Place in a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl. Do not stir. Let the yogurt drain overnight at room temperature. Tzatziki 1 c plain yogurt 1 cucumber peeled, seeded and shredded 2-3 T olive oil 1 t dill weed 3-4 cloves minced garlic Stir together. Refrigerate for several hours and add salt and pepper to taste.