Garlic Preserve (2 in 1 ) Edible gifts

Hi dolls

If you are the only person who eats garlic in your household,we share a common problem: You buy a whole bulb of garlic and you end up throwing it away because you can't use it up quick enough or it has started to sprout.
In our local food store they sell those appetizing jars of garlic in oil for a huge load of money,but they gave me the idea to try to preserve garlic my way.

You need:
1 bulb of garlic or more (peeled)
olive oil
peppercorns
chilli flakes
cheap vinegar
laurel leafs/bay leafs
optional :a twig of rosemary or thyme
airtight jars/bottles
bamboo skewer


Place your peeled garlic cloves and 5-10 laurel leafs (rosemary) in a small pot cover them with vinegar.Bring to a boil and let it boil on high heat for 7 minutes.
Meanwhile add about a teaspoon of peppercorns and chilli flakes in each jar.
Once the garlic is done,drain the vinegar and let the garlic and spices cool for 10 minutes.Now put the garlic cloves on a bamboo skewer,cut the skewer,so it will fit into the jar and place the laurel leafs in the jar.
Now just fill up the whole jar with olive oil and you will have amazing garlic on a skewer (for the easiness of taking it out of the oil).Once you have used up the garlic,don't throw away the oil,because the oil has absorbed all the amazing flavors.The oil can be used for garlic bread,salads,pasta and soups to add a kick of aromatic freshness.
The preserved garlic can be used just like fresh garlic :)
This also makes an awesome gift,especially in a bottle.(and not in an ugly jam-jar like mine )



Huggies and Happy Preserving

cookingchinchillas

Creamy Celery Pork (χοιρινό με σέλινο) my way

Hi dolls

One of my favorite 'Sunday/Celebration' dishes is a Greek dish with pork and lots of celery.
But this dish is rather a winter dish and sometimes it's a pain to eat it because you will need tons of toothpicks to battle the amount of celery in your teeth.Yup right! Eww!
I came up with my own spin on this dish to accompany my pasta.

You need:
3 pork schnitzel (cut into bite size chunks)
a good hand full of celery green (coarsely chopped)
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 spring onion (finely chopped )
500 ml vegetable stock
pepper salt
150 ml heavy cream (lightly whisked )
1 tablespoon fresh dill (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon of parsley (finely chopped)
olive oil

2 portions of pasta(boiled)

Season your schnitzel with pepper and salt and quickly seal it in a hot pan with olive oil.Add the spring onion,lemon juice,vegetable stock and celery green.
Simmer for 10 min.
Now add parsley and dill.Simmer for 3 min
Add the heavy cream and season again.
Simmer again for 3 minutes and mix with your pasta!Serve!

Quick and delicious!

The original version of this recipe is nice,but the celery is slightly overwhelming and like I mentioned above: Toothpick alert!
I have to say that I prefer my version,because it has more layers of flavor and the heavy cream takes away that 'in your face' celery flavor.

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Lahanodolmades aka stuffed cabbage with Avgolemono sauce

Hi dolls,
Stuffed cabbage is internationally known.I am familiar to it from Germany,but the Greek version is one of my favorites.I think it is the sauce that does all the magic.
Lahanodolmades are pronounced :"La-ha-no-dhol-ma-dhes
You need:
A big head of white cabbage
500 gr minced lamb or beef
1/2 finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
pepper salt
50 gr boiled rice
a dash of cumin and cinnamon
water


For the sauce:
1 egg 1 egg white
the juice of 1 1/2 lemons
pepper salt
4 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the root of the cabbage and clean off any dirt. Take off the hard outside leaves,but don't throw them away.
In a very large pot bring 2 liters of water to a boil,once it boils switch off the stove,but don't remove the pot.Add the whole cabbage and leave it for 10 minutes.
Let the cabbage cool so you will be able to touch it
Try to peel off the leaves and try not to tear them.I always carve out the hard stem part of the cabbage to reduce the danger of teared leaves.
In a frying pan,quickly saute the minced,onion,parsley and rice and don't forget to season.Saute for 3 minutes.


Now take one cabbage leaf into the palm of your hands and take about 1 teaspoon of the stuffing and place it on the cabbage leaf.By carefully folding the cabbage leaf,create a little parcel.
I usually first fold the sides,then I roll it.
This is a bit time consuming,especially the first time,but once you get it right you will need 10 seconds for each parcel.


Grease a pot with some olive oil and add the hard outside leaves of the cabbage on the bottom.This step will prevent your Lahanodolmades from burning on the bottom of the pan.Even some cabbage left overs can be used.Sometimes I place whole carrots on the bottom,if I don't have enough leaves.

Carefully add the little parcels on top of the cabbage leaves and stack them into layers if necessary.
Almost cover them with water and add a generous drizzle of olive oil
Take a plate that fits into your pot and place it on top of the lahanodolmades.
Bring to a boil,reduce the heat dramatically until you reach a simmer.
Cook for 30-45 minutes with a closed lid.Remove from heat.

Now it's time to prepare the sauce:
Take a few tablespoons of the 'juices' from the pot and let them cool for 2 minutes.
Now beat the eggs until foamy and gradually add the lemon and the juices.

Remove the plate from your pot and slowly add the sauce,while slightly shaking the pot.
You don't want to stir,because this would break your little babies.So just shake the pot from left to right.
Let the lahanodolmades absorb the sauce for 5-10 minutes and serve.


I enjoyed mine with some pan fried potatoes (boiled potato leftovers cut into slices,fried in olive oil) and a tiny bit of salad.




Huggies CookingChinchillas

German Lebkuchen married with Greek Karidopita (Καρυδόπιτα)

Ηι Dolls!

What happens if you marry the German Lebkuchen (Leb-koo-chen) with Greek Karidopita (Ka-ree-doh-pita)??? I don't know how you can call the result,but it is yummy! The juicy,aromatic lebkuchen which oozes Christmas spirit and the walnuts and fluffiness of the Karidopita.

You need:

250 gr sugar
5 eggs
300-400 gr honey
2 tablespoons black molasses or maple syrup
200 gr finely ground walnuts
150 gr coarsely chopped walnuts
20 gr cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
500 gr flour
120 gr butter
1,5 teaspoon baking powder
a dash of salt
a dash of pepper
some orange zest or orange blossom extract (optional)
and some milk or other liquid

Decoration: Caster sugar,sprinkles,chocolate (anything possible)


Beat the eggs,sugar,butter,honey,molasses and the spices with an electrical mixer until smooth and foamy (approx 5 min).Fold in the flour,baking powder and the walnuts.If the dough is too stiff,add some milk and mix well.
Let the dough rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Line a large baking tray with non stick paper and spread the dough.Bake for 12-20 min on medium high heat (175* Celsius).Make the tooth pick test to be sure the cake is done in the middle.

Let the cake cool and cut it into little squares.Decorate however you wish :)

Huggies and a happy,safe and healthy holiday season!

CC258

Marinated Anchovies ( γαύρος μαρινάτος ) Gauros marinatos

Hi Huns!

This is one of my favorite comfort foods.I can gobble down tons of it and it makes me forget all my sorrows.If you can find cleaned anchovies that would be great.I didn't have the luxury to do so.
The recipe requires 1 kilo of anchovies.But I tripled it.......So there was a lot of heads,guts and scales to clean.

You need:
1 kg very fresh anchovies (rub off scales,fillet,remove bone,remove head and guts)
6 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
2 liters of white whine vinegar(You actually won't need that much,but with 2 liters you are on the safe side)
2 tablespoons dried oregano


In a  large tupper wear container add one layer of anchovies and cover them with a few garlic slices.Cover with vinegar and sprinkle some oregano on top.
Continue like this until there are no more anchovies left and make sure they are all covered in vinegar.Add some salt if you like them salty.
Place in the fridge for at least 10 hours.I let mine marinate for 24 hours,then they are perfect.


The rice is a perfect company for this dish.It is basmati rice with a quick tomato sauce and some sun dried tomatoes in it.I also added one grated carrot.



I can't  get enough of it.XD It is supposed to be eaten tomorrow,but who cares *gobble gobble*
3 kilos of this stuff in my fridge makes me feel like a millionaire.

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Diples (Greek sweet treat with syrup and walnuts)

Howdy!


This recipe is not for beginners.You should know the basics of handling pastry in order to succeed with the diples.
Diples are crunchy and sweet and they certainly capture the flavors of Greece.
In Crete they call them Kserotigania.I actually ate my first dipla in Greece and I totally didn't expect this kind of flavor explosion in my mouth.
I tried tweaking the recipe,but the results were not that great.Vanilla tastes horrible in diples!

You need:

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
a dash of salt
the zest of 1/4 orange
the juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 teaspoon baking powder/baking soda
300 gr all purpose flour
100 gr pastry flour
50 gr ground walnuts (finely ground)

1 liter of oil for frying

For the syrup:

250 gr Almond blossom Honey
250 gr Thyme blossom honey
1 cinnamon stick
50 gr brown sugar
75 gr sugar

For garnish: 50 gr walnuts (roughly chopped,don't appear in the pic used sesame seeds instead)

With a mixer beat the eggs,yolks and baking soda for 10 minutes.(yap 10 min)
While still beating the mix add orange zest and juice very slowly.Add finely ground walnuts.

With your hands (gloves :D) knead in the flours,until you have a semi firm dough.
Chill it for 3-4 hours in the fridge wrapped in saran wrap/cling film.

Dust your working space with flour.Better too much flower than too little!!!!
While working the dough,keep your hands dusted the entire time!!!!!!

Cut the dough in 2 portions and with a thin rolling pin roll out the dough very thinly and evenly.
With a pastry cutter cut the dough into rectangular strips that are 5,9 inches (15 centimeter) wide and 11,8 inches (30 centimeters long).

If the dough is sticky,dust hands,rolling pin and working surface with flour.

Heat up the oil in your deep frying pot/deep fryer.Wrap each strip around a fork,dip the dipla in the frying oil and fry until it starts to puff/rise and gets a light golden color.

Coool the diples on a cooling rack.

Boil the syrup ingredients on medium low heat for 8-10 min while stirring every once in a while.
You can either dip your diples into the syrup or pour the syrup over your diples while they are stacked in a bowl.

Sprinkle with walnuts.

If you are not a fan of syrup,you can skip the syrup steps and use pure honey instead.


Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Rustic Bun with Onion,Carrot and Bacon

Hello Beauties!

I had to put an end to my bad mood by beating up some dough.I once ate a french bun with a lot of onion,carrot,zucchini and some sort of bacon.I loved this bread and I regret that I don't remember a name.I know I ate it in the touristic are of Paris in a small bakery shop.

The buns turned out amazing.I already had 2 of them with cream cheese and dill.

You need:

200 ml milk
400 gr flour (all purpose)
50 gr melted margarine
1 pck dry active yeast (suitable for 500 g flour)
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
100 gr instant mashed potato powder

4 slices bacon (diced)
1 shallot (diced)
1 carrot (grated)

Some extra milk (like 4 tablespoons) to brush the buns
some rolled/old fashioned oats


Mix milk,egg yolks,flour,salt,instant mashed potato powder and yeast and knead for 1 min.Mix in the margarine and knead for 2 min.
Add bacon,carrot and shallot,knead again until the goodies are spread evenly.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 20 min.Or heat your oven to 40 degree Celsius and let the dough rise there.Always grease the bowl you let the dough rise in and always cover the dough with a towel.
Shape little buns and place them on a baking tray lined with non stick paper and let them rise for 10 min in the oven.Brush them with milk and sprinkle some oats on top
Bake until golden brown (15-25 min depending on size and shapes).


And enjoy.

Those buns are superb with cream cheese,but also with a good glass of whine or a good cheese on top.
They can be served with soups or chowders.

I might run into the kitchen and get another one.........
Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Pasta Salad with a Greek twist

Hellooo

I don't like the usual pasta salads that combine mayonnaise with Pasta,but this one is different.It is quick,light and healthy.

You need :
200 gr whole wheat Spaghetti
100 gr low fat yogurt
1 small cucumber (removed seeds,grated)
1 carrot (peeled,grated)
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1 red/orange/yellow bell pepper (half grated,half sliced)
1 egg (boiled 7 min)
pepper,salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill (finely chopped)

Mix yogurt,carrot,cucumber,grated bell pepper and garlic.Add the dill and lemon juice.Mix well and season.
Boil your pasta until it is al dente.In a sieve rinse the spaghetti with cold water.Shake/toss out all excess water.
Mix with the yogurt immediately.
Season again if needed.
Garnish with egg and bell pepper slices and serve.

YUUUUUM!

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Baked Semolina Pudding with prunes

Let's talk about sweet lunch baby!


I love this recipe,because it includes my favorite things that are needed for a sweet lunch.It is easy,can be eaten hot or cold and it reminds me of my childhood.

You need :
100 gr Butter
100 gr sugar
500 ml milk
100 gr fine semolina
200 gr cream cheese
2 eggs
1 can/jar prunes
1,5 teaspoons vanilla extract
30 gr brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a hand full breadcrumbs or crumbled cookie


For the sauce
the juice of the canned prunes
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons sugar
a dash of cinnamon

First of all you start by draining the prunes and keeping the juices.Sprinkle the prunes with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Bring milk,cream cheese,butter and vanilla extract to a boil and add the semolina.Boil for 2 minutes,while constantly stirring.Remove from the heat and stir in the two eggs.If the mixture is too runny/liquid,you can add some more semolina.
Wipe an oven proof dish with some oil or butter.Pour the mixture inside it and add the prunes by "sinking" them with your finger.A few prunes can peek out on top.Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake at 200 degree Celsius (medium high) for 30-45 min.When the top has a light golden color,you are ready to take it out.

For the sauce you mix the cornstarch with 3-4 tablespoons of the prune juice.Bring the rest of the juice to a boil with cinnamon and sugar.
Mix in the cornstarch,stir well-DONE =)


Huggies
Chinchillachannel 258

My big fat Greek Sandwich

Hello *nom*nom*

My hubby came home today with the brightest smile on his face and the biggest Sandwiches I have ever seen.
I know I promised I would cook my potato-babies,but how could I say no to such a sandwich.
It had :
Cheese
Burger patty
Tomato
Cucumber
Salami
Egg
Mayo

I managed to eat 1/3 and then I was ready to explode.
This sandwich wasn't even 'dirty' low quality street food.The ingredients were all super fresh!
And it costs 3 Euro!!!!
The Sandwich place is located in Varh ( Βάρη ) and is named Popeye.

Ι am currently baking some muffins <3

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Bifteki roulade with amazing potato mash

Hello Hello

Sorry for not posting any recipes the last days.I was eating very unhealthy junk food from different well know junk food places.
This recipe blew me away.It was once again a experiment which turned out great.The bifteki (beefsteak in English) is baked on a bed of potato dice which are later mashed.And all the yummy juices infuse the potato mash with a wonderful light taste of the Mediterranean herbs and the Feta cheese.

For the Bifteki roulade you need
400 gr ground beef
150 gr Feta cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon of cream cheese
a few slices of leeks
1 teaspoon oregano (split in half)
a pinch ground rosemary
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
 pepper salt
aluminum foil

for the mash you need
1 small sweet potato (diced into 1/3 inch size)
2 medium potatoes (diced like the above)
50 ml milk
25 gr butter
1 tablespoon chopped chives
pepper salt ground nutmeg


First of all you want to prepare the filling.Crumble the feta and add the creamcheese and the leeks.Next you add one egg yolk.Add the herbs and season,but be careful with the salt.Feta is quite salty by nature.
Now season the ground beef with pepper salt and oregano,add the egg white.Spread a large piece of aluminum foil on your work space and place the ground beef on top.Spread the ground beef with a rolling pin until it is 1/3 inch thick and has a rectangular shape.
Spread the filling and roll it up with the help of the aluminum foil.Set aside

Boil your potato and sweet potato dice for 7 min.Drain the water and spread the potatoes in an oven proof deep dish.Put the bifteki roulade on top.Bake for 20-30 min.
After you are done baking mash the potatoes with milk,butter,chives and season with pepper salt and nutmeg.

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Sweet Potato Mash (mediterranean style vegetarian)

Hello

This dish includes all the fabulous things of the Mediterranean area : Herbs,extra virgin olive oil,veggies and cheese.
You need
1 large sweet potato (peeled,diced)
1 red bell pepper (sliced)
2 carrots (diced)
1 spring onion (sliced)
fresh rosemary twig
a dash of dried thyme
a dash of dried oregano
50 gr Feta cheese (crumbled)
1 glove garlic (peeled,whole)
1 teaspoon olive paste
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
50 ml milk
Salt Pepper

Boil the sweet potato,red bell pepper,carrots and spring onions in salted water for 13-15 min on medium high heat.
Add the rosemary twig and the garlic clove to the boiling water.
Drain the water and put the veggies back into the pot.
Add milk,feta,olive oil,olive paste,thyme and the oregano and mash the veggies.Season if needed.
This was easy!
You can add feta cheese and olive paste/olive oil on top and sprinkle with oregano.

Tip:
I am not a big fan of spending a lot of money for products to cook with.The only exception is olive oil.
A good bottle of olive oil can last you quite long.Don't use it for frying!
Use it to drizzle salads and other dishes or use it to remove make up or give your hair a little moisture.


Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Orange Granita with pink Grapefruit

Hot Hot Hot summer!

If you wanna try something really cool,refreshing and easy this is the recipe for you.
You need :
10 Oranges (large size)
3 Pink Grapefruits
2 lemons
1 1/2-2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice the oranges,lemons and grapefruit.Filter the mixture if needed.
In a saucepan mix sugar,fruit juice and vanilla extract.You should taste the mixture to see how much sugar it needs.It should be a little sweeter than you normally prefer.Heat and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer safe container and cover it with a lid.
Freeze for 1 hour then take out the container and stir with a balloon whisk to break the ice crystals down.
Every 30 min take a fork and start scraping the granita mix .Repeat at least 3 times.
The granita is done when the texture is snow like.
Serve with a straw or a spoon.

Huggies
chinchillachannel258

Greek Omelette with a modern twist

Konichiwa everybody!

After a hard day of physical labor you are hungry.At least I am.So after gardening,washing,pulling weeds,cleaning,chinchilla care I was so exhausted and hungry like a bear.
I wanted something with egg,but the original Greek Omelette is kinda boring.Potatoes and eggs?No not in my kitchen.

You need
3 organic eggs
1 spring onion (sliced)
4 cherry tomatoes (sliced)
1 boiled potato (diced)
3 strips of bacon (diced and fried)
2 tablespoons Feta cheese (crumbled)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
5 tablespoons water
 olive oil,pepper,salt paprika
Cream cheese
Beat the eggs with 5 tbs of water,add parsley,Feta and season.
In a frying pan get some olive oil hot and add potatoes,spring onions,bacon and tomatoes.Fry the ingredients for 1 min.
Now pour the beaten eggs over the ingredients and spread evenly.
On medium heat cook the omelette with a lid on for a few minutes.Flip and cook from the other side until golden brown.
Flipping an omelette is easy.Take the lid from the frying pan and put it on the pan.Lift the pan and flip it over.
Now you should have an omelette on the lid.Let the omelette glide back into the pan.
Flipping it in the air would not make any sense here,because the omelette is too thick.

Serve with a tablespoon of  cream cheese.
Done!

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Stuffed mushrooms Greek style

Geia sas! (that is Greek and means Hello )

When I made those mushrooms I thought it was just an experiment.But oh boy this experiment turned out sooo yummy.The mushrooms are stuffed with cream cheese,feta and a selection of herbs native to the Greek Cuisine.
You will need a mortar and a pestle.

You need
200 gr button mushrooms (medium sixe),remove the stem by gently twisting it
100 gr cream cheese
50 gr feta (crumbled)
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped dill
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped oregano
a bit rosemary
a bit thyme
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
pepper salt
3 cherry tomatoes (remove seeds,slice into thin slices)

Wash the mushrooms to remove any dirt or sand.
In your mortar you crush the garlic,the oregano,the parsley the dill,the rosemary and the thyme with olive oil.Then add the feta and the cream cheese and start mixing.Season well!
Fill your mushrooms with a spoon and place one slice of cherry tomato on top.
Bake/Barbecue for 7-10 min and serve on a salad.

Done
Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Greek Bifteki with an Italian twist

Howdy!


Applebees has this nice burger with basil pesto,tomato and ciabatta bread.Well I love this burger to death,but I am not a big fan of eating bread with a regular meal.It is not that I avoid carbs,but I prefer to eat more veggies or salad with my meal.And bread makes me feel full easy.

For 5 Bifteki you need:
500 gr minced beef (I used a lovely french beef that is very juicy and has the right price)
1 shallot (superfinely chopped )
1-2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
4 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano (chopped)
1 tablespoon tomato puree

pepper,salt,chillipowder
olive oil

Lets start!
You should start preparing the minced meat some hours before you actually want to cook it.So the flavors can develop and the Bifteki becomes more tasty.
Simply mix all the ingredients,season and shape little Biftekia.Any size and shape will be fine.
Rub each Bifteki with a little olive oil and place them in the fridge for some hours.

pan fry or barbecue them until they have your desired color.
Done!

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Pea and potato mousse (Or the answer to fhe Greek Fava)

Ciao
I love Greece,I really do and I have a lot of respect for the Greek food.But Fava?C'mon?Chickpea puree drowned in oil with onions on top.....
This recipe is as easy as 1,2,3

It can be eaten hot,with bread,with sausages.....
For my version you will need:
2 medium potatoes peeled and diced
1-2 hand full frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon heavy cream
pepper salt nutmeg
1 spring onion chopped (you can tell I love spring onions>>>??)


Boil your peas and potatoes for 15 min,drain the water.Put into a blender,add cream,olive oil and season well.Mix until silky smooth.Add a sliced spring onion to give the dish some freshness.

Enjoy!

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Tirokafteri (Hot Greek Feta Cheese Spread/Dip)

Hi

First of all a big Thank You to H Thraka( Η Θράκα) in Markopoulo Greece for providing us a free sample of the best Tirokafteri in the whole wide world.
If you like hot dips and the taste of feta,this recipe will blow your socks off.
It is easy and yummy!

You need :
250 gr Greek Feta (roughly chopped)
100 gr chargrilled capsicum
1 small fresh green chilli (roughly chopped without seeds)
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice
black pepper
a dash of oregano

Get your blender ready.
Blend the Feta,the capsicum,the chilli and the black pepper until smooth.Now slowly add the olive oil,while blending the mixture.Add the vinegar/lemon juice slowly.Blend again and sprinkle with some oregano.
Done!
This dip/spread can be used on salads,grilled meat,on sandwiches and as a dip for your tortilla chips.
There is a version of this recipe,that is not hot.It is just Feta,olive oil,oregano and some vinegar.

Yummy!

Thanks Thraka!!!!!! <3

Greek Souvlaki

Ellow^^
If you have been to Greece you probably have seen Souvlaki.(Su-wla-kee).It is something like our national (fast) food.The Souvlaki can come in different sizes,different ways of preparing and different tastes.
Today I will show you how you can make your own Souvlaki-Kalamaki (Ka-la-ma-kee) from a cheaper cut of meat.Only the Souvlaki and the Pita bread are actually Greek.The salad has Greek herbs with a tropical twist.
Usually the Souvlaki is eaten with Tzatziki,tomato,onion,Pita bread and fries......but in my kitchen the word usually is banned.

Today I will be using a cheaper cut of meat.Cheap doesn't have to mean that it tastes cheap.

For the meat
2 cloves garlic
the juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
2 pork neck steaks
olive oil,pepper,salt,
bamboo skewers

For the potatoes
2 medium sized potatoes boiled with the peel
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
sweet paprika,pepper salt,garlic powder

For the salad
2 large carrots
1/4 mango
1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley

Okay lets start with the marinade for the meat.
In a blender add the lemon juice,1 teaspoon olive oil,garlic,oregano pepper and salt.Blend it well.
Cut your pork neck steaks into evenly sized dice.Make sure you remove the little bone.
Now let your pork rest in the marinade for at least one hour.The best thing you can do is to marinade the meat overnight so it can really suck up all that flavor of the marinade.
Grab your bamboo skewers and start putting the meat on the skewer.
You can either bbq the meat or simply fry it in a pan.
For preparing your meat in the pan,use some olive oil to fry the meat until it gets some color.
Add the salt at the end,because cheaper meat tends to release a lot of it's juices when it is salted before cooking.

The preparation of the potatoes is easy.
You can even use leftover potatoes from the day before.
Simply cut the boiled potatoes in thick slices and fry them in paprika and garlic powder flavored butter or margarine and add the parsley at the very end.
Don't forget to season!

The salad is even easier:
Grind your carrots on a cheese grinder,dice your mango,add the parsley,toss the salad-done!
Of course you can add a dressing or some olive oil,but I prefer the pure taste of carrot and mango.
If you don't have mango at home,use an apple or a pear.

Maybe you have some Tzatziki or sour cream in your fridge.......It goes great with the meat.
I used cream cheese Haha ,cuz I didn't have either of the above things to accompany my meat.

Enjoy!

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258

Saganaki of cheese

Hi
The Greek cuisine has some amazing dishes,that are so rich in flavor,yet so simple.
This recipe is very very easy it can be done by everyone.This dish goes well with bread and salads.

You need:
4 slices of semi firm cheese (Greek cheese would be great!)
4 slices of a cheese of your choice.(I used Mozzarella)
1 teaspoon butter
a pinch of salt and pepper
Saganaki means small frying pan in Greek.There are many variations of saganaki.
This one is made in the oven.
You need a small oven safe bowl/mold.

Rub the oven save dish with half of the butter,then place the cheese slices in the dish.One semi firm-one mozzarella.
On top sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put the rest of the butter on top of the cheeses.
Bake the Saganaki at 200 degree until it is golden brown on top.

Huggies
Chinchillachannel258