Ι wish to thank you all for your lovely messages, either private, here or at facebook. Although I still need some time to grieve, I want to share the following post with you in memory of my late brother. The funeral will be tomorrow at Sydney, Australia.
It will take some time until I feel like blogging again but I am writing this post for my orthodox readers who may want to make this sweet bread (or cake).
In the meantime there are also some happy moments in our life as well. Yesterday, we learned that my daughter has passed at Panteios University of Economics and Political Sciences, in Athens, Department of Sociology. Also, my son who has finished his first semestre of his Master Degree, came first in his class and won a scolarship.
“On August 27th, according to the Greek Synaxarion, we commemorate the Holy Martyr Phanourios. He appeared to people on the island of Rhodes in 1500. Several people had a vision of the saint and then his icon was discovered. The icon depicted a young soldier holding a sword in one hand and a lit candle in the other.
There is a tradition concerning him and his mother, who was a harlot and great sinner. His love for his mother caused him to pray for her incessantly. At the time of his martyric death by stoning, he could not even then forget his mother, and with the boldness that is peculiar to athletes of Christ, prayed: «For the sake of these my sufferings, Lord, help all those who will pray to Thee for the salvation of Phanourios’ sinful mother».
Many to this day pray for his mother, and have her listed in their personal diptychs used for commemorations in the Divine Liturgy as «The Mother of St Phanourios» since her name is not known.
On the day of the Saint, there is a tradition that the faithful bake a special bread, and according to some accounts, give it to the poor as alms in the name of his mother, and others, share it with at least seven other people.
St Phanourios’ name gives a hint about another tradition concerning the Saint. «Phanourios» comes from the Greek word, «phanerono», meaning «I reveal». He is known to help people find lost things.
St Phanourios’ church in Pangrati, is a very small church belonging to the Holy Land and the blessing takes place in the back yard. This year there were more than 200 cakes and breads spread on three big tables.
Fanouropita with tahini, Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: about 35 minutes
Ingredients:
375 grams self raising flour
100 grams muscovado sugar
65 grams olive oil
125 grams tahini with honey
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brandy
30 grams raisins
150 grams crushed walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves, powdered
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Directions:
Beat olive oil, tahini and sugar in the mixer.
Meantime mix flour with baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. In another bowl mix walnuts, raisins and orange zest with a few tablespoons of above flour mixture.
Mix orange juice, brandy, vinegar and baking soda together and mix it with all the other ingredients in the mixer. Add the flour, mix remove from the mixer and add the walnuts and raisins.
Preheat oven at 180o C / 350o F.
Grease a pan with olive oil and spread on it a little sugar and flour or line with parchment paper.
Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
(Note: The cake has risen considerably but it looks flat as I should have used a baking tin about 20 cm. I do not have one and used a 28 cm baking tin).
After the lost item is found, one should bake a Fanouropita or Phanouropita, (basically a loaf of sweet bread) or a cake in memory of St. Phanourios’ mother, and give to the poor, as above on the eve of Saint Fanourios name day, 26th of August or on the 27th in the morning or at the vesper. The cake is brought to any church, preferably of Saint Phanourios, where the priest blesses it with a nice ceremony. After the Mass, the cakes are cut and shared with the people. (Have a knife and napkins with you). Those receiving the cake must ask for his mother’s sins to be forgiven (the name of his mother is not known) .
A few months back my son lost something which at the time seemed impossible to be found. After making all possible efforts to recover it, without success, I told him that on the eve of St. Fanourios I would make a cake if what he was looking for was recovered. A few days later it was miraculously recovered.
The cake must be vegan and contain any of the ingredients listed below provided that the number is odd: 5, 7, 9, 11 etc. The basic ingredients are flour, sugar, olive oil, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and then any other ingredients may also be added.
In Cyprus the tradition says that the cake after being blessed in church must be given to 7 women who were married only once and are not divorced.
Tags: Aghios Fanourios, Aghios Phanourios, cake, Fanouropita, healthy recipes, lenten, nistisima, orthodox, Phanouropita, sweet bread, tradition, Vegan
Today my beloved brother passed away and I shall be away from blogging indefinitely.
I wish to thank you in advance for any messages you leave but will be unable to respond.
Ivy
Tags: personal
Although we have not left on vacation this year, we have been away again for a fews days. This summer it’s been really hot and humid here in Athens, not the kind of weather that one could stay on the computer for long. Whenever we can we go to the beach or get away for the weekend. We have visited Nafplion a few times and during one of our trips there on our way back we visited Epidavros.
Our last trip was to Sparta last week. During our stay there we visited Gytheio and the villages of Vamvakou and Arachova (Karyai) on Parnonas, which is the mountain range opposite Taygettus. Shall write about our trips in another post.
When we came back, I found that some bananas which were left behind had became black outside and ripe inside, so the first thing that came to my mind was to make banana bread but not the usual one you all know. I made it with less butter by substituting it with honey-tahini (if you don’t have honey tahini, just add honey to plain tahini until it is sweet enough) and almonds making it a very tasty and much healthier cake. If you like tahini you will love this cake.
Banana Honey-Tahini Almond Bread, Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: about 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 70 grams (2,5 oz) butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup honey-tahini
- 1 cup (220 grams – 7,75 oz) brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 2 cups self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 ripe bananas
- ½ cup blanched almonds, coarsely cut
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 180o C / 350o F. Beat together butter, tahini and sugar on high speed for 10 minutes, scraping the bowl when necessary. Lower speed and add eggs one at a time.
Add bananas and mix until they mash, then add the nuts.
Meantime, sieve flour with salt, baking soda and mixed spice. Lower mix speed and add the flour gradually into the mixture and beat until light and fluffy.
Grease a 31 x 11 cm (12 x 4 inches) loaf pan and empty batter, which should not exceed the middle of the loaf pan.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool in pan for10 minutes. Then take out of pan and cool on wire rack.
On another note, this month marks the 3 year anniversary of Kopiaste. I can’t believe that I have been blogging for three years. It seems like yesterday when I started blogging. The first blog was bilingual as I wrote both in English and Greek and a few months later, I decided to have two separate blogs, one in English and one in Greek.
Thank you all my dear readers for your love and support, as I know I couldn’t do it without you!!
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
Tags: Anniversary, bananas, blog, blogoversary, Cakes, healthy recipes
My favourite eggplants until now were «tsakonikes» which I thought were the only ones which were sweet. I avoided cooking with the big round purple ones, as I heard that they were bitter. I’ve been seeing white eggplants at the market place for a long time but had never tried them until recently. When I saw them at the farmers’ market a few weeks ago, I stopped at a stall and as I didn’t know much about them I asked the farmer if they were bitter and if they should be put in water and salt before cooking them, as we do for the purple ones. I saw a smile on his face and he said “Are you kidding? Greek eggplants are not bitter and don’t need this procedure. Even more, these Santorini eggplants not only have a very sweet flesh, they do not have seeds and do not absorb oil!! Try them and you will be here next week as well. ”
I didn’t want to hear any more to be convinced to buy them and he was right, I was back next week and bought them again as I am totally in love with them.
I wanted to share a few of the recipes I made and to begin with I had bookmarked Rosabella’s Eggplant sandwiches which reminded me of some eggplant rolls, Rola Melitzanas me Feta, I used to make but which I haven’t made for a long time as those were deep fried. I combined the two recipes and made them into sandwiches following Rosabella’s recipe but using halloumi and feta. For the coating I added some roasted sesame seeds and almonds in the breadcrumbs which I had leftover from another recipe, remember the anthotyro bites!.
They were delicious. I only regret that I did not make more, but that day the main dish was Briam, plus I had leftover fava, which I made into a dip and marinated sardines.
Eggplant Sandwiches with Halloumi and feta
Ingredients:
2 large white eggplants
salt to taste
A few tablespoons olive oil
Egg Mixture:
1 egg, well beaten
2 tbsp milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
Breading:
3 tbsp flour
¾ – 1 cup dried bread crumbs mixed with roasted sesame seeds and almonds
Filling:
Feta and Halloumi
Directions:
Cut the eggplants, skin on, into 1 cm slices and just brush them with olive oil and sprinkle some salt on them.
Bake them in the oven on a baking tin lined with parchment paper.
Add a slice of halloumi and some feta and sandwich them with a second piece. Then dredge them in flour and dip them in the egg mixture and then coat them with the breadcrumbs.
Bake them in the oven for about 30 minutes until golden and crispy.
Melitzanosalata me Piperies Florinis
Melitzanosalata is a dip made with eggplants which have been grilled with skin on, on open flame until the skin blisters. The skin is then removed, as well as the seeds and the eggplant is pureed. I did not use a food processor but I used a fork to puree them. I pounded the garlic with the salt, added vinegar and olive oil, black pepper and pureed the roasted red peppers (piperies Florinis) again with a fork and mixed all the ingredients together.
This is an older recipe which I had not posted and used Tsakonikes eggplants but I wanted to show you another use of this delicious eggplant in which of course there will not be any visible seeds, although when making the dip I removed as many seeds as I could.
Melitzanosalata me Piperies Florinis (eggplant dip) – Recipe by Ivy
Roasting time: 10 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 eggplants, roasted
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Grilled Piperies florinis
Briam
Each time I make Briam it’s different because this is made with almost any vegetables you have at home.
This time I used potatoes, baby courgettes, Santorini eggplants, carrots, various colours bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, spring onions, garlic, parsley and dill. All these were finely cut, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, thyme and added ½ cup olive oil and ¼ cup lemon juice. No water was added and they were baked in the oven mixing the vegetables a few times until they were cooked.
I had some leftover Santorini eggplants, baby courgettes which were about 10 cm long and peppers, so I grilled them and used them in a pasta dish.
Penne with Grilled vegetables and Pesto
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Grilling time: about 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 – 20 minutes
Serves: 5 – 6
Ingredients:
- 500 grams mini penne
- 2 white eggplants
- 6 small courgettes
- Different colours bell peppers, red, green, yellow, orange (1/4 of each colour)
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons mint pesto
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dried oregano and thyme
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Directions:
Boil pasta according to package instructions, about 15 minutes and same time start grilling. Different vegetables will take different amounts of time to cook. If pasta is cooked before the grilling is over drain and fill the saucepan with pasta with cold water.
Cut the eggplants into 1 cm round slices, deseed the bell peppers and cut them into large pieces and cut the courgettes lengthwise, in the middle. Put them in a large bowl and add salt, pepper, oregano, thyme and 2 tablespoons olive oil, toss well and marinate them for a few minutes.
Heat the grill and brush with olive oil. Start grilling beginning with the eggplants as they turn brown if left for a long time. Remove vegetables when the skin begins to blister and the middle becomes soft.
When done set aside to cool and then cut them into smaller pieces.
Half the cherry tomatoes and brush a non stick sautéing pan with the olive oil marinade and sauté them as well. Drain pasta.
Remove the tomatoes, add the cooked pasta, as well as the pesto and mix well. Finally mix in the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
Serve with some finely chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper on top.
Toasted sandwich with Grilled vegetables
The amount I grilled was more than we needed for the pasta dish but I am glad that there were leftovers as in the evening we made toasted sandwiches. In the evenings I eat light so I made a toasted sandwich with low fat cheese and smoked turkey and when toasted I added some grilled vegetables.
The best toasted sandwich I ever ate. Healthy, light, filling and delicious.
After that I have grilled vegetables again, especially to use in my sandwiches. They keep well in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days and you don’t have to reheat them or remove them from the refrigerator before as when added in the hot toast, they will immediately reheat.
I’ve missed you all so much but I still have to be away from blogging, as lots of things are going on in my life right now which take a lot of my time.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
Tags: Aubergines, Bell Peppers, briam, cherry tomatoes, Courgettes, dips, Eggplants, grilled vegetables, healthy recipes, Mediterranean diet, Mezedes, Pasta, sandwiches, Side dish
I love cherries and it’s been a long time I’ve being wanting to make a cake with them but this year being on a diet I do not make desserts often, (the previous one I posted was a recipe from last year), and I really miss baking!
Last week I decided that since it’s been a couple of weeks that I had not made a dessert that I could indulgie into making a simple cherry cake before the cherry season is over but I did not want to add eggs and butter.
At the beginning I thought of making an older Chocolate Cake I make or the Orange Flavoured Cake, which would satisfy my sweet tooth but at least eat something healthy and delicious. However, I also love to challenge myself and try something new so I did not add the cocoa, instead of adding vegetable oil I opted for olive oil, instead of crystal sugar I used demerera sugar and instead of orange I added lemon. I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar but my children said it was not sweet enough, so if you like your desserts sweet add 1/2 a cup more.
Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil is of the highest quality olive oils available and is unsurpassed in delicious flavor. I use olive oil produced by our relatives in Sparta, which is extra virgin olive oil but even if you do not use extra virgin olive oil, be sure to use a good quality one, so that the cake will not have a strong taste. In case the olive oil you are using is too strong add half an amount olive oil and the remaining use vegetable oil.
Olive oil has exceptional nutritional properties and is the best oil to use for cooking. Several studies have shown that olive oil, which is rich in monounsaturated fats, has many cardiovascular benefits. In fact, olive oil is the protective agent of good cholesterol (HDL) and can even increase it. It also lowers bad cholesterol (LDL). Oleic acid, the main monounsaturated fat in olive oil, is also more resistant to oxygen and heat and therefore much more chemically stable than polyunsaturated fats. Furthermore, a diet rich in monounsaturated fats could prevent the risk of coronary disease as well as cancer, diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
Greece produces approximately 350,000 tons of olive oil annually, of which 82% is extra-virgin. About half of the annual Greek olive oil production is exported mainly to the European Union, and Italy being the main recipient (75% of the exported oil (????), but only some 5% of this reflects the origin of the bottled product. Source: Wikipedia
On the other part, cherries are rich in antioxidants, including anthocyanins, catechins, chlorogenic acid, flavonal glycosides, and melatonin. These gems also contain beta carotene, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, fiber, and potassium, making them good for the blood as they are rich in iron, for diabetes as they help lower blood sugar, they are valued for their cleansing properties as the fruit is believed to remove toxins. Cherries have shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties, which helps arthritis, melatonin, helps insomnia, they are beneficial for the heart, as the antioxidants are thought to be responsible for lowering bad cholesterol, lessening the risk of heart, they protect against cancer and recent studies show that they help in weight loss.
Lemons are another fruit which is thought to have properties that ease arthritis, reduce the risk of heart disease, and cancer. They, too, are high in vitamin C.
The only thing that troubled me when making the cake, was the amount of cherries to use. I pitted half a kilo and had them ready when I began making the cake. I started by adding a thin layer of batter and a layer of cherries, hoping that I would add another layer of batter, the remaining cherries and still have some batter left, to add on top. However, after adding one layer the remaining batter was just enough to cover them so I was reluctant to add the remaining. Since I had the leftover cherries I decided to caramelize them. The amount in the recipe is only for the cake.
This cake is vegan and since the cherry season is very short if you still want to make it off season, you can still use cherry spoon sweet or cherry compote, fresh or canned to make it whenever you like. I still have cherry spoon sweet from last year but I preferred to leave it for other desserts and use fresh cherries.
The cake was indeed good. It was very moist and light, packed with the fruity olive oil flavour and with a delicate scent of lemon.
An olive cake may be healthy but everything in moderation and keep the portions small.
To serve, simply top a slice of the cake with a spoonful of the delicious rum cherries and for those who are not vegan, a dollop of Greek Yoghurt or ice cream if you like. The combination of rum cherries and yoghurt worked really well with the flavors of the olive oil cake.
Vegan Olive Oil Cherry Cake, Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: about 1 hour
Makes: 1 cake in a 28 cm baking tin and yields around 14 – 16 pieces
Ingredients:
- 500 grams self raising flour
- 1 teaspoon cooking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups demerera sugar
- 10 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 vanillas or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 cups of water
- 25 cherries, pitted
Directions:
- Put all fluids in a bowl together with soda and slightly beat with a whisk. Add sugar and whisk for a few minutes (no mixer needed).
- Sift flour and mix with salt and lemon zest.
- Add to the fluid ingredients and mix with the whisk.
- Grease a 28 cm. baking tin with olive oil and dust some flour on it or just line the baking tin with parchment paper. Add half of the batter and add the cherries, then cover with the remaining batter.
- Bake cake for about an hour in a preheated oven at 170 degrees C or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. (Test with a toothpick after 45 minutes have passed).
- Sprinkle some icing sugar on top.
I am taking a break from blogging for a couple of months, as I need some time to take care of some unfinished work I need to do, although I may be posting a recipe now and then.
We shall be going away on short vacation but most of the time shall be in Athens, so I will be reading your posts on FB.
Have a wonderful summer!!
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
Tags: Cakes, Cherries, healthy recipes, Mediterranean diet, Nistisimo, Vegan
Today it’s been forty days without Dear Jules, aka Rosie of Baking Cakes Galore, who left us quite unexpectedly of heart attack. This event was created to honour Jules but also to bring awareness about heart diseases and the best cure is to know what causes it and how to prevent it.
As much as I hate repeating myself, I am going to tell you not only to look after your own health, but since WE are responsible for putting food on the plate to feed our families we should think twice of what to eat and what not to eat.
According to Mayo Clinic, heart disease may be the leading cause of death for both men and women, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it as your fate. Although you lack the power to change some risk factors — such as family history or age — there are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take.
Take steps to avoid heart disease — don’t smoke, get regular exercise and eat healthy foods. Avoid heart problems in the future by adopting a healthy lifestyle today.
What Is Coronary Artery Disease?
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease, is a condition in which plaque (plak) builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood.
Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol (ko-LES-ter-ol), calcium, and other substances found in the blood. When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis (ATH-er-o-skler-O-sis).
What Causes a Heart Attack?
Most heart attacks occur as a result of coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is the buildup over time of a material called plaque on the inner walls of the coronary arteries. Eventually, a section of plaque can break open, causing a blood clot to form at the site. A heart attack occurs if the clot becomes large enough to cut off most or all of the blood flow through the artery.
National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute
Just a few of her many friends have joined today this event, to share our healthy recipes and to say our farewell to Jules.
Priya of Priya’s Easy N Tasty Recipes, participates by making a Tabbouleh Salad, even healthier than it originally is by using quinoa instead of bulgur.
Priya, says :
We get hooked to some of our foodie bloggers eventhough we doesnt know them personally, i always admire some of my fellow bloggers for their patience, cooking style and photography.. One among those foodies was Rosie of Baking Cakes Galore who bakes and cooks many beautiful dishes also a co author of Sweet & Simple Bakes who suddenly passed away coz of heart attack in the month of May, still i cant believe that she went far away from us, she was such a beautiful person and its kinda hard for me to write about her.
Yasmeen of Health Nut, has turned her old Kofta recipe : Spiced Meat balls, into a Heart healthy recipe : Soy Edamame «Meat» balls with Chilled Mint Peppercorn yogurt sauce.
The old recipe is relatively low in fat from the full fat beef meat balls, but if one is totally avoiding red meat due to a heart condition then the soy meat balls are the best substitute.
My heart goes out for Rosie.Though I did not know her, I could tell from the post, you were deeply touched by her departure. May her soul rest in peace.
Brii, of Briiblog in English, is participating with a Bread Cake.
Brii had to change the way of baking her cakes after her daughter Helena was found allergic to white sugar,
yeast and lots of other ingredients, 5 years ago.
Brii says:
Rosie, was among the first non Italian bloggers I known.
She, Susan at Wild Yeast and Zorra at 1x umrühren bitte actually I never managed to learn name of her blog » Baking Cakes Galore» for me she was, will always be Rosie from «rosie makes a «peace» of cake». I loved that name of her blog and she was my very very first host of an event: putting up
I was so nervous, I sent her 4 recipes I was blogging since 5 months so everything was so new, almost complicated.
Rosie was so sweet, she emailed me and together we decided which recipe to put.
Since then now and then I stopped by at her blog, smiling over all those sweet things she baked.
She was a lovely person. Will miss you Rosie.
Rosabella, of Cooking with Rosie, has made a healthier version of her mom’s Melanzane in Carrozza alla Calabreze, by baking them instead of frying them.
Rosabella says:
I did not know Rosie well but she has touched so many bloggers and readers with her recipes, but more importantly, her friendship. She will be missed by many.
Swathi, of Zesty South Indian Kitchen, has made some Chapathi making them extra healthy using Avocado. Swathi is now cooking healthier after some members of her dad having high blood pressure, her mom died of cardiac arrest and her husband also being diabetic.
Swathi did not know Rosie, but because of her mom also died of heart arrest, she wanted to participate.
Radhika, of Food for 7 Stages of Life, has changed her life style and is now following the South Beach Diet, with a goal to lose another 15 pounds. Radihka has baked some Avocado fries, which are very healthy.
Simona, of Alison’s Trials, is participating from Romania with a Carpaccio with Zucchini, Tomatoes and feta.
Although Simona did not know Rosie personally, she is also participating to help bring awareness about heart diseases and following a healthy lifestyle.
Natalia, of Gatti, Fili e Farina, from Rome, has made a former recipe for Piece Montee in a much healthier way by making the profiteroles by using organic sunflower oil, instead of butter and less eggs.
This is what Natalia says:
I never met Rosie but I feel that I did, only from the contacts we had thanks to internet.She was so kind and nice to everybody that I was very sorry to hear she was unwell and I couldn’t even imagine it could be true she was not with us any longer.
Finally I am participating with a No Guilt Apricot Cheesecake.
I am following the Mediterranean Diet. For those of you who are not familiar with this diet, this is the diet followed by the countries of Southern Europe, but I am writing about the Greek Mediterranean diet, with emphasis to the Cretan diet.
The Mediterranean Diet, as it is called, actually is not a diet but it is a lifelong living style, the one our parents used to follow, without being aware of its benefits.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet protects against cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many other chronic diseases, while providing for loss and weight maintenance and good metabolic function.
For this reason I am revisiting my older recipes and making them much healthier.
I met Rosie in the early stages of Blogging and her blog was then called Rosie Bakes a «Peace» of Cake. She was a good hearted, caring and loving person, always having some kind words for everyone. We bonded as the years passed and did all the stuff us bloggers do: we exchanged visits, left comments, exchanged Awards of friendship, participated at each others’ events, cook their recipes and some times we even get to meet each other. Unfortunately, I did not have the honour to meet Jules personally but still we became quite close.
I wish I had an e-mail to contact her family to let them know about all the kind words you have expressed about Jules. I think that would comfort them knowing that there are people who have been touched by her kindness.
Goodbye Dear Rosie, we will never forget you and you will be greatly missed..
Tags: Awareness, Food events
We’ve been eating burgers quite often, especially now that I am watching my diet. That’s why whenever I make some burgers, I make a big batch and freeze them, especially now that it’s summer and we go to the beach, by the time we shower and prepare a salad they are ready and we still eat healthy food.
Before the Mediterrenean Diet we used to eat more pork and veal, so I used to make them with minced pork or with ground veal. However, the past year I’ve been experimenting with chicken or turkey to make healthier burgers. I’ve tried all sorts of tricks to make them juicy and tender, by adding milk, olive oil, white wine or red wine, vinegar, I even added, yoghurt and pesto in them.
Turkey or chicken breast have no fat to melt when cooking so the meat dries in the end so I also add some olive oil in the meat. Instead of grilling them I also tried to cover them with parchment paper and bake them in the oven. They were not so dry but being covered they did not get much colour.
This time I tried a different approach. I know that when cooking turkey, beer is added to make the meat tender as I do this quite often when cooking turkey, so this gave me the idea to try adding beer.
I’ve also adjusted the seasing in the burgers by also adding chicken seasoning and tarragon as well which match better with poultry.
I think that these are by far the best turkey burgers I’ve made until now as although they were baked in the oven uncovered, they were still juicy and delicious.
What’s your secret for keeping burgers juicy? I’d love to hear some new techniques.
Greek Turkey Burgers with Beer, Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: about 20 minutes
Makes: 15 burgers (200 grams each)
Ingredients:
- 150 grams bread without the crust, soaked in beer
- 1 can (0,33 l) beer
- 2 kilos ground turkey
- 2 medium onions, grated
- 1 clove of garlic (optional)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 eggs
- salt, pepper
- ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ tsp tarragon
- ½ tsp chicken seasoning carino
- ½ tsp thyme
- 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
Directions:
Remove the crust from the bread and put it in a bowl with all the beer. When it has soaked take a fork and mix.
Mince onion and garlic in a food processor together with the olive oil.
Put the minced meat, the bread together with all the beer in a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
Form burgers into 2 cm. thick patties.
Place them on parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for about 45 minutes, turning them once.
Tip: For the remaining burgers, shape them, wrap each one separately in cling film and store in the deep freezer.
These burgers go to Reeni, of Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice, for her event Burger Club Free for all.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
Tags: beer, Burgers, Ground meat, healthy recipes, Mediterranean diet, mpiftekia, Poultry, Turkey
Looking through my recipes I found a Cherry Black Forest Cake which I did not manage to post last year, so I thought I should share it with you now that the cherry season is here.
I have posted similar recipes in the past, so I am just going to give you the links.
Cherry Black Forest, Recipe by Ivy
You will need:
Double dose chantilly
Caramelized Rum Cherries ( see recipe below) or Cherry Compote or Cherry Spoon Sweet
Grated Couverture Chocolate
Directions:
Prepare the sponge cake in a spring form baking tin. When it cools divide it in two parts and wet both with some of the cherry syrup.
Put the ring of the spring form back on the cake again and add half of the whipped cream and some cherries. Cover with the second sponge and refrigerate.
With the remaining cherries prepare the jelly. If you are using spoon sweet, dissolve the syrup with some water, so that it is not too sweet. To make the jelly you will need for 1/2 litre fruit and syrup, 6 gelatine leaves or 1 sachet gelatine powder. See how I have made it here.
Leave the jelly at room temperature until it begins to cool and set. Pour on top of the cake and refrigerate again until it sets.
Remove the spring form and decorate with the remaining whipped cream and grated chocolate.
Caramelized Rum Cherries, Recipe by Ivy
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons rum
30 – 40 cherries pitted
Directions:
In a non stick frying pan add sugar, lemon juice and rum and mix continuously for a few minutes until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize. Add the cherries and mix continuously for about five minutes.
Whiλe it is still hot prepare the jelly.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
Tags: Birthday Cakes, black forest, Cakes, Cherries, Jams and preserves, Spoon Sweets
Here are a few things I made with the pickled cherries.
Actually, this was not a four course meal but each recipe was made on a different day but I just realized that I made an appetizer, a salad, a main course and a mezes/dessert okay it’s not actually a dessert but can be turned into a dessert.
For the appetizer I used toasted bread on which I spread some Red Pepper Pesto and Fava Dip (recipe has not been published yet), a marinated anchovy and a pickled cherry, a few Kalamata olives and feta.
The salad was inspired by Lisa’s salad. As you can see from the comment I left at the post, I immediately envisioned this salad with rocket (arugula) and feta. I kept the Insalata Caprese part, the nectarines and prosciutto, adding my own twist. The remaining ingredients came together as I was preparing the salad.
Rocket Caprese Style Salad with Nectarines, Feta & Prosciutto, Recipe by Ivy
Serves: 3 – 4
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rocket
- 3 cherry tomatoes
- 1 nectarine
- 2 slices prosciutto
- 1 slice feta (about 50 grams)
- 10 basil leaves
- 15 roasted almonds
- 5 – 6 pickled cherries
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp Greek thyme honey
- Salt and freshly grated black pepper
Directions:
Roast the almonds with the skin, set aside to cool and then and crush with a pestle and mortar.
Arrange all the ingredients on the plate. Cut the prosciutto into smaller pieces and between the slices of the cherry tomatoes add a leaf of basil and a small piece of feta.
In a small bowl add olive oil, vinegar and honey and mix with a spoon to dissolve the honey.
Season with salt and pepper, add the vinaigrette and sprinkle the almonds on top.
Who would imagine that the humble beans, called fassolia in Greek would turn into a gourmet meal. I had some leftover white beans from the previous day so in no time I made this wonderful salad, which is not a salad at all but a main dish. I removed some frozen vegetable pesto from the deep freezer and left it a few minutes to thaw and then tossed it with the beans which were also cold from the refrigerator. I added the remaining ingredients and made a wonderful, refreshing and tasteful dish.
Gourmet Bean Salad with Pesto, Rocket and Pickled Vegetables, Recipe by Ivy
Serves: 1 – 2
Ingredients:
- 1 cup leftover white beans
Vinaigrette
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
For the salad
- About 1 cup rocket
- 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ½ red onion
- 1 slice prosciutto
- 1 – 2 tablespoon mixed vegetable pesto
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pickles
- 5 pickled cherries, stoned and cut
- 5 Kalamata Olives, stoned and cut
- 2 pickled peppers, deseeded and finely chopped
- ½ pickled beetroot, chopped into smaller piece
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 3 – 4 gherkins
Directions:
Place the cooked white beans in a bowl, add the pesto and mix well. Add the pickles, part of the onion and half of the tomatoes, salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
In a mortar, pound the garlic with a pinch of salt and mix with the olive oil and vinegar. (This cannot be done using a food processor as the amount is too little).
To assemble: Mound fresh arugula in the center of a platter. Pour the vinaigrette on top and mix. Top with the beans mixture. Surround with remaining cherry tomatoes, slices of onion and prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving.
I made this pesto a week earlier in order to use some leftover vegetables. This pesto can be used in salads and pasta dishes. The recipe is a big vague but I was just adding whatever I had without calculating the amounts. This pesto can be made making your own adjustments with whatever you have at hand.
Vegetable pesto, Recipe by Ivy
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 small red onion
- 2 Radishes, partly peeled
- 1 Courgette
- 1 clove garlic
- Parsley
- Rocket
- Mint
- Cilantro
- 1 Spring onion
- A handful of roasted almonds
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Direcions:
Add everything in a food processor and pulse. Store leftover in the deep freezer.
This recipe was made after making lasagna and having some leftover anthotyro I made this mezes. It was intended to be a dessert but since the cherries are sour they are best with a glass of wine. These are best to be eaten within the same day as if you leave them in the refrigerator the almond inside becomes less crunchy, although still tasting good.
Anthotyro bites, Recipe by Ivy
Preparation time: about 20 minutes
Makes: 12
Ingredients:
- 120 grams anthotyro
- 2 tablespoons Greek honey
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 24 roasted almonds
- ½ cup roasted sesame seeds
- 12 pickled cherries
Directions:
Roast almonds and sesame seeds in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for ten minutes. Set aside to cool.
Crumble anthotyro with a fork, add honey and cinnamon and mix.
Take a tablespoon of anthotyro mixture and put a roasted almond and cover with the cheese and form a ball. Continue with the remaining.
Put the remaining roasted almonds in a spice grinder and powder. Mix with the sesame seeds.
Take a cheese ball and put a pickled cherry on top. Put the cheese balls in the sesame almond mixture and cover carefully trying not the cover the cherry.
Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Tip: Store leftover sesame seeds and almond mixture in an air tight container to be used to coat salmon or chicken.
On a last note, I would like to remind you that on the 29th June, there will be a post In Memory of Rosie and hope that your will take part in this event as a last tribute to honour a fellow blogger.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
Tags: Cherries, healthy recipes, How to.., Mediterranean diet, mezes, pickled, Salads
June is almost over and I need some holidays. We haven’t yet decided when and where to go this year but it will be some time in July and somewhere in Greece.
Although our holidays will just be for a few days, I want to focus on a few other matters I need to finish, so I will not be posting for a few months, although occasionally taking a break, I will be reading your posts.
Before taking a break I want to post a few seasonal recipes with cherries.
Reading about the history of pickles it stretches so far back into antiquity that no definite time has been established for their origin, but they are estimated to be over 4,000 years old.
In 2,030 B.C., cucumbers native to India were brought to the Tigris Valley. There, they were first preserved and eaten as pickles.
Cucumbers are mentioned at least twice in the Bible (Numbers 11:5 and Isaiah 1:8) and history records their usage over 3,000 years ago in Western Asia, ancient Egypt and Greece.
In 350 B.C., Aristotle praised the healing effects of cured cucumbers.
In Greece we say that any vegetable that is edible can be made into a pickle. In Greece, especially in the North and the islands as well as Cyprus we make all sorts of pickles like cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, eggplants, capers (not only the buds but also the leaves and berries), celery, courgettes, olives, beetroot, mushrooms, green beans, etc., but also seafood such as anchovies or octopus, even quail boiled eggs, and are served as appetizers. Unfortunately, in Cyprus the also used to make «ampelopoulia = birds of the vines» pickled and are considered a delicacy to please the most demanding palette. Fortunately enough they are now protected although many of the birds are illegally served up as expensive delicacies over 5 Euros a piece, even though trapping and consumption is strictly banned.
However, I had never heard of pickling fruit as in Greece we preserve our fruit by making them into spoon sweets.
I first read about pickled cherries at Lisa’s post and was very intrigued to try them. As I wasn’t very sure if we would like them I just made a small amount and I just added the spices and flavours I prefer and it was very easy making them.
If you like pickled vegetables and fruit I am sure you will love them. I used them in salads, on appetizers etc.
Just to mention a few of the properties of both sweet and tart cherries: They are rich in antioxidants, including anthocyanins, catechins, chlorogenic acid, flavonal glycosides, and melatonin. Cherries also contain beta carotene, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, fiber, and potassium, making them good for the blood as they are rich in iron, for diabetes as they help lower blood sugar, they are valued for their cleansing properties as the fruit is believe to remove toxins. Cherries have shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties, help insomnia, they are beneficial for the heart, they protect against cancer and recent studies show that they help in weight loss.
Source: JN The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Nutrition, The world’s healthies food, Wise Geek.
Pickled cherries
Ingredients:
- 500 grams cherries
- 2 ¼ cup wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup demerera sugar
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lemon rind
- 1 tsp peppercorns (pink, black, green and white)
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
Directions:
Put everything but the cherries in a saucepan, and bring to the boil, simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
Put the cherries in a bowl and pour the hot liquid to cover them. Allow to cool at room temperature preferably overnight.
Store in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
