I don’t have a favorite food per say, but I am partial to anything made with fresh ingredients from scratch. I do have a love for mediterranean cuisine, especially Greek food. Whenever I have friends over I always to go all out. The other night was just that kind of night and I made some very delicious Greek food.
Greek Salad
Ingredients
- 5 small tomatoes
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1 cucumber
- 1/2 jar kalamata olives
- 8 oz feta cheese
Instructions
Chop the first three ingredients and combine in a bowl. Add olives and feta cheese. Top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Feta Pastries
Ingredients
- 9 oz feta cheese
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp each chopped fresh dill, mint and parsley
- filo pastry sheets, thawed
- 6 Tbsp melted butter
- Pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the feta, nutmeg, and herbs in a bowl. Add pepper to taste and mix.
Brush a sheet of filo pastry lightly with butter and place another on top and brush that too. Do this until you have three or four layers of pastry.
Cut the buttered sheets in half lengthways. Drop and tablespoon of cheese filling at the base of the long strip, fold the corners diagonally to enclose it, then roll the pastry up into a cigar shape. (You can also fold them into little triangles – it’s the method I prefer)
Brush the end with a little butter to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Cool on wire rack.
Moussaka
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups lean ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped or 7 oz canned tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 3 Tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 egg whites
- salt and ground black pepper
For the topping
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 2/3 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cup Kefalotiri cheese
- 2 egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg
Instructions
Layer eggplant in a colander, sprinkling each layer with salt. Drain over a sink for 20 minutes, then rinse the salt off thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread out the eggplants in a roasting pan. Brush them with olive oil, then bake for 10 minutes, or until just softened. Remove and cool.
Make the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and brown the beef. When the meat is no longer pink, and the garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the chopped fresh or canned tomatoes to the pan and stir in wine. Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, leave to cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the chopped parsley, fresh bread crumbs and egg whites.
Lightly grease a large baking dish, then spread out half the sliced eggplant in an even layer on the base. Spoon over the meat sauce, spread evenly, then top with the remaining eggplant.
To make the topping, pat the butter, flour and milk in a pan. Bring to a boil over a low heat, whisking all the time until the mixture thickens to form a smooth, creamy sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season, then stir in the nutmeg and half the cheese.
Cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the egg yolks and the whole egg. Pour the sauce over the eggplant topping and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the dish to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Xo
Images via 97 Sullivan and Pintrest
