I am not a great cook!
The idea of spending unlimited hours
in the kitchen preparing elaborate meals, leaves me cold.I would rather spend time in the garden, or with the family or even in front of my computer.
And yet I like good food.
I have reconciled the two by adopting the easy, fast, greek recipees which provide good eating and lots of time to enjoy it.
We are blessed with plenty of fresh fish, vegetables and fruit. Red meat is rarely eaten in our family reserved for Feast days, when we eat lamb, and pasta dishes for the sauce. This of course is our choice.There are plenty of meat dishes in Greek cookbooks.
For protein we eat, apart from fish, chicken and turkey. And of course the appetizers, of which I keep a supply always handy in the fridge, to use as side dishes or "Meze" with drinks. Below I give some quick "meze" which you can whip up in no time.
Tarama Salata
Ingrendients: ( serving at least 4)
200 gr.( 7 oz.) Tarama ( fish roe, found in Greek- selling Groceries, or at a pinch, tinned fish roe)
The same weight in boiled potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces.
1 whole onion chopped
The juice of one big lemon or two smaller ones.
Olive oil.
Put everything in the blender except the oil and mix thoroughly. Start the machine again and pour the oil little by little through the opening until the ingredients look like a smooth cream. Do not overdo the oil. Your tarama salata is ready. Serve it as an dip with drinks, accompanied by fresh crusty bread cut in chunks, or as a side dish with grilled or barbecued chicken or fish. It can keep refrigerated for up to 5 days
Rice summer salad
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked (boiled) rice.
1/2 cup cooked sweet corn.
1/2 cup cooked petits pois fines ( Very fine french peas).
1 tin tuna fish in brine.
3 or 4 pickled gerkins cubed.
150 gr.( ca. 4 oz.) Emmental cheese, cubed.
A bunch of flat leaved parsley, chopped.
Vinegrette sauce:
The juice of 1 1/2 lemon( or the equivalent amount in vinegar if you prefer it).
3 tablespoons of virgin olive oil.
1 tablespoon water.
3 cloves of garlic, mashed.
I teaspoon of french mustard.
A dash of tabasco.
2-3 drops or Worcester Sauce.
A generous pinch of oregano.
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Drain the tuna fish from the tin, and run some fresh water over it to get most of the salt off. Combine all the solid ingredients in a bowl.
Prepare the vinegrette by blending everything in the blender until the sauce emulsifies. ( A few seconds). Pour it over the salad, and toss well.
Decorate with a few black olives.
(P.S. For the peas and corn you can use tinned ones after you drain them well and pass them under running water).
This salad goes well with Summer barbecues.
Baked cheese and tomato "Saghanaki"
This dish I make in individual ceramic or glass ovenproof dishes because I found that if I make it in one platter someone always hogs the lot before the others can get to it. So, the proportions are for individual servings.
For each person you will need:
1 medium-sized tomato.
2-3 slices of "Feta" cheese (This is a semi hard ewe's lamb cheese. If you can't find "Feta" you can substitute any other white cheese you fancy).
Garlic powder.
Oregano.
Worcester Sauce
Freshly ground pepper
A trickle of oil.
One round or oblong ovenproof shallow dish.
Cut the tomato in two and slice it finelly.
Crumble one slice of cheese on the bottom of the dish and put a layer of tomato slices on top.Dust with some galic powder and freshly ground pepper ( No salt, as the cheese is salty ). Repeat the process with the tomato slices and put the rest of the cheese on top. Dust
again with garlic etc. add two drops of Worcester Sauce a pinch of Oregano and a drizzle of oil. Bake into a preheated oven in 200 d.C.(medium), for about 12-15 minutes or until you see the cheese melting on top.
Serve as a starter or side dish. The wine for this is, of course, "Retsina", but any white semi-sec will do.
I adopted my houseplant from the Gayla's Garden Houseplant Adoption Center!
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Page last updated: September 18, 2008.
