Elite life
Cyprus (Cypriot Recipes)
Ingredients:
Four tomatoes, sliced in segments
One sliced onion
1/2 sliced cucumber
Some olive oil
Lemon juice
Chopped parsley or coriander
Sliced feta cheese (a white, salty cheese made with goats milk)
Salt
Pepper
Oregano seasoning
Olives
Cooking Instructions:
Mix the ingredients together and spread the oil over them. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and oregano.
Ingredients:
Four medium size eggplants/aubergines
Three garlic cloves
1/2 cup of olive oil
Cooking Instructions:
Put the eggplants in the oven, and cook until they feel very soft(about 40 minutes in a normal oven). Using a sharp knife, slice in half, and using a spoon, remove the inside 'meat' and place in a bowl. If the eggplants are well done, the inside should come out very easily. Put the garlic cloves in a garlic press and spread the garlic on top of the eggplant. Using a fork, start mixing the garlic and the eggplants together, and spread the oil a little at a time. When the oil is absorbed, the salad is ready. Put in a fridge to cool and serve with sprinkled parsley. Eggplant salad (also called poor man's caviar) is eaten with pita bread.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
4 medium slices stale bread, crusts removed, soaked in water for 10 minutes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary
Cooking Instructions:
Squeeze excess water from the bread, but do not leave it too dry; it should be moist. Put the bread, garlic and vinegar in the liquidizer and blend well; add the olive oil a little at a time and blend. Season with salt. If the mixture appears too dry, add the water. The sauce should be of a runny consistency by the time it is finished. Serve separately in a bowl, with fried vegetables such as slices of fried aubergines, with fried fish or sometimes with boiled chicken. Its sharpness varies according to the amount of garlic, from mild to really hot and burning.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small sprig of rosemary
1 kg tender beef, cut into large cubes
900 ml water
2 tablespoons tomato puree
Salt
Black pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4-6 tablespoons vegetable oil
700 gr. small onions (the pickling size), peeled and left whole
1 small glass red wine
5 cm cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon demerara sugar
5 grains allspice
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and brown the meat in it. It will produce a lot of moisture but persevere until it has all evaporated and the meat starts to turn golden. Slowly pour the vinegar over it and, when the steam subsides, add the wine. Then add all the remaining ingredients except the vegetable oil, onions and sugar, cover and cook slowly for 1 hour or until the meat is almost tender.
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and add as many onions in one layer as it will take. Sautee them gently for about 15 minutes, shaking and turning them over until they brown lightly. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and spread them over the meat, distributing them evenly. Repeat until all the onions are done. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions, cover and cook very gently for 30 minutes, until the onions are soft but not disintegrating. Do not stir once the onions have been added, but rotate the saucepan occasionally to coat them in the sauce.
Ingredients:
500 grams of Greek yoghurt or natural full, dairy yoghurt
Three garlic cloves
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 sliced cucumber
Cooking Instructions:
Put the yoghurt in a bowl. Put the garlic through a garlic press and using the edge of a knife, spread the garlic coming out of the press on the yoghurt. Take the cucumber and peel the skin. Slice it thinly, Mix the ingredients with a mixer (or a fork) and slowly add the oil. The oil will be absorbed, and when it is , the tzazki is ready. Serve with a spoon and a few olives spread on the top.
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
14 gr. fresh yeast, or 6 gr. dried yeast
300 ml warm water
0.5 teaspoon sugar
230 gr. plain flour
0.25 teaspoon salt
300 ml corn oil, for frying
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
Syrup:
8 tablespoons honey
Cooking Instructions:
Dissolve the fresh yeast in half a teacup of the warm water, add the sugar to it, to activate, and let it stand for about 15 minutes in a warm place, until it starts to froth. The liquid must not be too hot as it will kill the yeast cells. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and empty the dissolved yeast or the dried yeast into it, mixing continuously. This can be done with an electric mixer. Start adding the warm water, beating all the time. The mixture should be thick but elastic. When almost all the water has been added (it may take 2-3 tablespoons less than the 300 ml), beat it for a few minutes until it starts to bubble. Cover it with a thick towel and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours, until it rises and almost doubles in size. Have a cup of cold water ready into which you can wet a teaspoon and also the fingers of your hand each time. Heat the oil until very hot but not smoking. Wet the teaspoon so that the dough will not stick on it, take a teaspoon of the dough, and, using your hand, push it down into the hot oil (take care not to burn yourself!). Within seconds it puffs up and rises to the surface. Repeat this process, wetting the spoon each time, for about 6-7 loukoumades at a time. Turn them over so they become golden all around - it only takes 1 minute. Take them out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve 4-5 loukoumades on each plate, pour a tablespoon of honey all over them and sprinkle on a lot of cinnamon. They should be eaten immediately and also they should not be left waiting once the syrupy honey bas been spread on them. Loukoumades that are served cold and soggy have no relationship with real loukoumades.
Ingredients:
8-10 chard leaves
1 large onion, chopped
850 ml/1-1/2 pints water
350 g/12 oz long-grain rice
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Plain yogurt and crusty bread, to serve
Cooking Instructions:
Cut the white ribs and stems from the chard; discard or store the stems in refrigerator for later use. Wash the leaves well and tear into large pieces. Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear; drain. Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until transparent. Stir in the rice, tomatoes, parsley, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil and stir in the chard, cover tightly and cook gently for about 15 minutes over a low heat until the rice is just tender. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve with yogurt and bread.
Ingredients:
450 g/1 lb lambs' or calves' liver
4 tablespoons corn oil
2-3 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds
Plain flour
4 tablespoons red wine
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Cooking Instructions:
Cut the liver into 1 cm/1/2-in slices, removing any skin or tubes if present. Cut each slice into 2-3 pieces. Season the flour and coat the liver with it just before cooking. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the liver slices and cook for about 1 minute on each side until browned but still a little pink in the middle. Remove to a plate. Add the wine and vinegar to the pan and bring to the boil. Return the liver to the pan and sprinkle with the coriander. Toss over the heat to warm the liver. Serve immediately.
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
pinch of cayenne
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt to taste
3 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Rest of dish:
2 pounds firm white fish fillets
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Juice of two lemons (about ¼ cup)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Lemon wedges
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add garlic and let it sizzle a minute. Add cayenne, cumin, coriander and salt, stirring for a few minutes, being careful not to burn. Add bread crumbs and stir so they are coated with spices and oil. Continue to stir until the crumbs are golden and crisp. Add chopped basil and stir for another minute, then remove from heat. Rinse fish fillets in cold water, pat dry with paper towels and place them, skin side down, in an oiled baking dish. Spread the chopped tomatoes evenly over the fish. Sprinkle on the garlic, parsley, and then the lemon juice, and add a little salt and pepper. Top with bread crumbs, completely covering fish. Bake, uncovered for about 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with a rice or bulgur pilaf and a green salad dressed with olive oil, vinegar and garlic. Fresh fruit would be a good dessert, or serve a pastry like baklava.
Ingredients:
2 l chicken broth
50 g white rice
2 eggs 1 lemon
7.5 ml salt or more to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Bring the broth to a boil, and add the rice and salt. Let rice cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove pot from stove and let it cool for a while. Separate the whites from the egg-yolks, and beat the whites in a large bowl, until they thicken a little. Add the yolks and the juice of the lemon and beat until you get a uniform mixture. Now carefully, using a ladle, pour some of the warm broth into the egg mixture, while beating continuously. When your bowl is full, pour the contents back into the remaining broth, and stir
until you get a uniform mixture.
Ingredients:
1 Cucumber
3dl strained yoghurt
3 garlic cloves
1tlsp oliveoil
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Grate the garlic and mix it with salt and vinegar. Peel the cucumber, grate it and squeeze it until all its water is removed. Put the yoghurt into a bowl and add the cucumber into it. Then mix the yoghurt with the mixture of grated garlic. Whiz the content until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add some oil. Yoghurt dip can be served in a normal temparature but it is rather prefered cold.
Ingredients:
1.75 dl taramas, fishrow
3 dl wetted bread
1.75 dl oliveoil
2.5 dl lemonjuice
1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, finly shopped
parsley finly shopped
Cooking Instructions:
If the Taramas is not ready in a jar , put it in fingerwarm water for 10 minutes to de-salt. Rinse well. If it is Tarmas from a jar crush good until creamy. Put in a bowl and mix with the bread, lemonjuice and oliveoil whip thurely until you get a thick nice cream. Garnish with parsley and maybe some black olives.
Ingredients:
700 gr minced lamb
700 gr aubergines
175 gr onions
225 gr tomatoes
150 ml olive oil
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp chopped parsley
425 ml bιchamel sauce
Salt
Ground black pepper
Coating:
1 egg
large pinch grated nutmeg
75 gr Cheddar cheese
Cooking Instructions:
Wipe, top and tail, but do not peel the aubergines. Cut them into slices about 6 mm. (thick. Put into a colander with a light sprinkling of salt between the layers and leave to drain for half an hour. Peel and slice the onions: peel, de-seed and chop the tomatoes. When ready to cook, pat the aubergine slices dry with paper. Heat 3tbsp oil in a frying pan over a low heat and, when hot, fry the aubergine slices gently until tender, in batches, turning once. Lift out and drain on absorbent paper. Add extra oil between batches as necessary. When all are fried, make the oil in the pan up to 30 ml. again. When this is hot, fry the onions gently for about 5 minutes, until soft and pale gold. Add the meat and fry. Add the tomatoes, allspice, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, cover and cook very gently for 25 to 20 minutes. Heat oven to 180 C., gas mark 4. In a deep, ovenproof dish, arrange alternate layers of aubergines and meat, finishing with aubergines. Warm the sauce over a low heat. Separate the egg and, off the heat, stir the yolk, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste, into the sauce. Reserve the egg white for use in another dish. Pour the sauce evenly over the surface of the dish. Grate the cheese over the sauce. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the topping is golden and bubbling.
Ingredients:
8 medium tomatoes
8 medium peppers
4 medium potatoes
5 dl rice
3 onions
Mint
Spoon of sugar
Parsley
3.5 dl oil
Salt
Pepper
Optionally:
Raisins
Minced meat
Cooking Instructions:
Slice-off the top of the tomatoes and the peppers. Use a spoon to remove the inside part of the tomatoes and the peppers. Try to leave the empty tomatoes as thin as possible but be careful not to score their skin. Save the inner part of the tomatoes you have removed. It will be used for the stuffing. Mash the inner tomato parts with a blender and mix half of the tomato mash with the rice the onions (chopped), the mint, the sugar and the parsley. Pour olive oil and boil the rice mixture. Add salt and pepper as desired. Do not overcook the stuffing. The rice should not be soft. It will soften later during baking time. Stuff the tomatoes and the peppers and lid them with their tops. Place them in a pan, surround them with the potatoes (sliced) and pour the rest of the tomatoe mash. Add olive oil and bake for about 1 1/2 hour in 180 C oven . Add water if required during baking. Optionally: You can add raisins in the stuffing if you desire. Also, alternatively you can stuff tomatoes and peppers with some minced meat. Try to experiment and create to stuffings, one with rice and one with minced meat and fill half of the tomatoes and peppers with each stuffing. For the alternative stuffing just replace rice with minced meat or use both in equal portions.
Ingridients:
1 kilo okra (also called ladies fingers)
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup of olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 chopped onions
1 can of pulped tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Sprinkle salt, vinegar and pepper. Put this to the side (for 1 hour approx.) while you prepare the rest. Fry the onions in the olive oil till broan, add the tomatoes, sugar, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer until the tomatoes are dissolved fully. Add the okra to the mixture, add some more water, and boil for about 30 minutes or until okra are tender, adding water.
Ingridients:
500 gr Finely ground fatty pork
500 gr Finely ground veal or lamb
1 Onion finely chopped
1 dl Finely chopped parsley
2 tsp Salt
250 gr Panna (caul fat from pig)
Cooking Instructions:
Combine pork with veal or lamb, onion, parsley, salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Dip panna into a bowl of warm water for a minute or two, remove and carefully open out a piece at a time, laying it out flat on work surface. Cut with kitchen scissors into pieces about 10 cm square. Take a good tablespoon of meat mixture and shape into a thick sausage about 5 cm long. Place towards one edge of piece of panna, fold end and sides over meat and roll up firmly. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Thread sausages on flat sword-like skewers, leaving space between them. Number on each skewer depends on their length. Cook over glowing charcoal, turning frequently. Do not place too close to heat as sheftalia must cook fairly slowly so that the inside is well cooked and the outside nicely browned without being burnt. The panna melts during cooking, keeping the meat moist and adding flavour. Excessive flaring of fire can be controlled by a sprinkle of water on the coals. Serve sheftalia as an appetizer or a main course.
Ingridients:
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 oz vermicelli, broken
8 oz cracked wheat
1 ½ cups hot water or chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Greek yoghurt
Pomegranate seeds
Cooking Instructions:
Prepare the pork: Marinate the pork overnight in marinated in dry red wine and crushed coriander seeds. Lift the meat out of the marinade and brown in a pot without oil for a couple of minutes. Then add the oil and brown the meat for 8-10 minutes. Pour in the marinade and water to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, and cook until the pork is tender and most of the liquid has reduced, about 30 minutes.
Prepare the pilafi: Heat the oil and sauté the chopped onion and broken vermicelli. Add the cracked wheat and hot water or chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper, cover tightly and let stand for 10 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Serve the Afelia with the pilafi and a dollop of plain Greek yoghurt, and garnish with pomegranate seeds.
