Greek Roll Food

GREEK BREAD RECIPE (VILLAGE BREAD/ HORIATIKO PSOMI)

Steps:

• To prepare this easy Greek bread recipe, start by adding in a large bowl the water, yeast and sugar. Use a fork to completely dissolve the yeast in the water. Set aside for about 5 -10 minutes to activate the yeast. Note: if you don't have fresh yeast substitute for dried - just use one third of the quantity stated.
• Add half the flour a little bit at time whilst mixing with a spoon. Add the olive oil and salt and the rest of the flour and mix with a spoon until all the flour has been absorbed. At this point the dough should be sticky on your hand.
• Knead the dough a little bit with your hands until it's elastic and form into a ball. Place the dough inside a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with cling film.
• Let the dough rise at room temperature for 10-12 hours (or overnight).
• Deflate the dough. Sprinkle semolina on a large working surface and transfer the dough on the surface. Using a sharp knife divide the dough in 2 equal pieces. (This Greek Bread recipe makes 2 loafs of bread).
• Knead each piece of the dough with your hands just enough to have a nice and smooth dough that doesn't stick too much on your hands (for about 3 minutes). Sprinkle the dough with semolina (2-3 tbsps) when kneading the dough.
• Form 2 round loafs and place inside a casserole dish or clay pot with a lid. Score the top of each loaf using a sharp knife. Place the lid on the casserole dish.
• Preheat the oven at 250C/ 480F. Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on and another 15 minutes or so with the lid removed, until nicely coloured and crusty.

GREEK ROLL

Steps:

• Place 1 sheet of nori lengthwise on a bamboo mat, shiny-side down. Position the sheet about 1-inch from the side of the mat closest to you. Wet your hands in cool water and take a handful of sushi rice. Place the rice in the center of the nori and use your fingers to spread the rice evenly over it. Next place the roasted red peppers, olives, feta, and cucumber horizontally across the roll. Use the mat to roll up the sushi, pinching and squeezing the mat to shape it into a round cigar shape. Slice into 1-inch thick rolls with a sharp knife. Turn rolls onto their sides so the rice is facing upwards, and serve with the pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup short-grain sushi rice
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• Place the water and salt in a medium sized saucepan and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. Bring the water to a boil. Add rice, return to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce heat to low and simmer. Once the water has evaporated from the rice, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the rice vinegar and let cool before using.

DOLMATHAKIA (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES WITH RICE AND HERBS)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Rinse the leaves well to remove brine.
• Place the leaves in boiling water and boil for 3 to 5 minutes to soften them and make them more pliable. Remove from water and set aside.
• In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 cup olive oil. Sauté the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the rice, parsley, dill, pine nuts, mint, salt, and pepper. Taste test and adjust the seasoning as desired.
• Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Allow the filling to cool about 10 minutes.​
• Line the bottom of a heavy saucepan with 2 or 3 grape leaves (use the broken or torn ones for this).
• Roll the dolmathakia by placing a leaf with the stem toward you on a flat surface. The underside of the leaf should be face up. (The veins of the leaf are raised on the underside.) Using the point of a sharp paring knife, cut out the stem of the leaf. Overlap the bottom two sections of the leaf toward the center.
• Place a tablespoon of filling in the bottom center of the leaf, just above the stem.
• Fold the bottom section up to cover the filling.
• Fold the sides in toward the center.
• Continue rolling the packet up toward the top point of the leaf.
• Place the rolls in layers, seam-side down, in the saucepan.
• Pour remaining 1/2 cup olive oil over the dolmathakia and enough water to cover them by about 1 inch.
• Place an inverted heatproof plate on top of the rolls to keep them submerged in the water.
• Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the leaves are tender and the rice filling is cooked through.
• Serve and enjoy!

GREEK SALAD ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and feta cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in cucumber.
• Microwave tortillas on high 10 seconds each to soften.
• Spread about 1/4 cup cheese mixture over each tortilla.
• Top evenly with olives and tomatoes. Arrange 1/2 cup spinach on each tortilla to within 1/2 inch of edge.
• Roll up tightly; wrap in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours to blend flavors.
• Trim ends of rolled tortillas, if desired. Cut each roll into eight 1-inch slices. Arrange with cut sides down on serving dish.

LAHANODOLMATHES (GREEK CABBAGE ROLLS)

Steps:

• Combine the ground meats with the 3 tblsps olive oil, rice, onion, parlsey, celery, carrot, tomato paste, garlic and spearmint. Season with salt and pepper. Knead well to combine everything.
• Place cabbage in a large pot of boiling water and cover pot.
• When the outer leaves are blanched and softened, remove leaf by leaf, keeping the leaves whole, and place flat on a towel on work surface.
• Continue in this way, removing leaves as they become blanched and soft.
• Take some leaves that have not removed in one piece (the worse looking ones, or chop up some cabbage) and put in the bottom of a large pot.
• Take a cabbage leaf and place 2 tblsps of meat filling in the center.
• Fold both sides in and start rolling up, away from you, to make a cylinder, like an egg-roll or cigar. Do this rather loosely to allow for expansion of the meat and rice as it cooks. Lay these neatly in your pot, packing them in next to one another so they hold their shape.
• Continue rolling cabbage leaves until all your filling has been used up and/or you run out of leaves.
• Put more torn cabbage leaves or chopped up cabbage over the cabbage rolls.
• Pour over olive oil, add stock cubes and add enough hot water to just cover the cabbage rolls by ½".
• Weight the cabbage rolls with a plate and bring to the boil (the plate keeps the rolls from moving around too much as they cook, so that they don't unroll).
• Cook for just over an hour.
• Remove from heat.
• Carefully remove cabbage rolls to serving dish and make your sauce using the liquid remaining in pot.
• Beat the eggs with the corn flour and lemon juice.
• Very carefully and very slowly and whisking all the time, start to dribble the hot stock into the egg mixture. Keep doing this until you've added nearly all the stock. This tempers your eggs so that your sauce won't curdle.
• Pour the sauce back into the pot, and cook until the sauce just starts to simmer.
• Remove from heat and serve with the cabbage rolls coated generously with this sauce.
• Another recipe that goes so well eaten with nibbles of feta cheese and crusty bread (as all Greek recipes seem to).

GREEK ROLL-UP

Steps:

• Mix first 6 ingredients together.
• Spread 1 T pesto on 1 tortilla, repeat with 2nd tortilla.
• Divide greek salad among tortillas and roll-up.
• Slice in half and enjoy.