Greekfishchowderkakkavi Food

GREEK FISH CHOWDER (KAKKAVI)

Steps:

• Heat a 6 quart heavy stockpot and add the oil, onion, and garlic. Saute until they are clear, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the seafood, and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is rich and full-flavored, about 1/2 hour.
• Add the fish and shellfish in the order given, giving each variety a moment to cook. The clams will take longer than the squid.
• Serve in bowls with hearty bread and a salad.

SHAKSHUKA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cilantro stems, garlic, cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and the vegetables are coated with the spices, about 1 minute.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stir the tomatoes with their juices into the skillet. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Use the back of a spoon to make 4 wells in the sauce, 1 to 2 inches apart. Crack an egg into each well. Run the edge of a rubber spatula through the egg whites to break them slightly, being careful not to break the yolks (this allows the egg whites to cook faster). Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are just set, 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with the cilantro leaves. Serve with pita bread.

GREEK MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• To prepare the eggplants: Cut off the stems, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season all the pieces of eggplant with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium flame. Fry the eggplant in a single layer, turning once, until brown on both sides- you will need to do this in batches, adding more oil, as necessary. Drain the eggplant as they cook on a paper towel-lined platter.
• Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the onion, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley. Cook and stir until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, stirring to break up the meat; season with salt and pepper, and toss in the cinnamon stick. Stir in the tomato paste and hand-crushed tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant slices; they should completely cover the bottom with no gaps. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce over the eggplant, evening it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the feta and Parmesan. Repeat the layers again, ending with a final layer of eggplant. Cover the top with a nice even layer of bread crumbs. Bake the moussaka for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

AUTHENTIC GREEK MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and place in a colander set in the sink or over a plate. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the salt can draw out any bitterness.
• Meanwhile, make bechamel sauce. Heat milk in a saucepan almost to a boil. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until a smooth paste forms. Lower heat and gradually pour in hot milk, whisking constantly until bechamel sauce thickens. Season with salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Rinse eggplant slices under cold running water. Squeeze out liquid and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk egg yolks into the cooled bechamel.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook eggplant slices in batches until each side is lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a large plate lined with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Cook grated onion until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Season with allspice, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until all excess liquid has evaporated and mixture appears dry, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the egg white.
• Arrange a layer of eggplant in the prepared baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the beef mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with remaining eggplant and sprinkle another 1/3 of Parmesan cheese on top. Pour bechamel sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the moussaka is set and golden, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

GREEK SOUZOUKAKLIA

Steps:

• Preheat grill for high heat.
• In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, onion, raisins, and parsley. Season with cayenne pepper, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Form into 6 flat sausages around skewers. Lightly brush sausages with oil; this prevents sticking to the grill.
• Arrange skewers on hot grill grate. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, turning occasionally to brown evenly, until well done.

CHAKCHOUKA (SHAKSHOUKA)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bell peppers, and garlic; cook and stir until the vegetables have softened and the onion has turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, and chile pepper into a bowl and mix briefly. Pour the tomato mixture into the skillet, and stir to combine.
• Simmer, uncovered, until the tomato juices have cooked off, about 10 minutes. Make four indentations in the tomato mixture for the eggs. Crack the eggs into the indentations. Cover the skillet and let the eggs cook until they're firm but not dry, about 5 minutes.

GREEK SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, mint and black pepper in a bowl& mix well.
• Add meat, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate; marinate for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight for best results.
• If using wooden skewers soak them in water overnight or for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the grill to medium high.
• Thread meat evenly onto 4 skewers& season with salt and pepper.
• Grill skewers 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium or cook a few minutes longer if you prefer well done (6 to 7 minutes).
• Serve with tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

GREEK GRILLED FISH

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry.
• Lightly salt both sides, set in a colander over a bowl refrigerate until ready to grill.
• Fire up the grill - brush grill with olive oil to prevent sticking (a hand held grid makes turning easier).
• If you wish to lay aluminium foil on the grill poke several holes through foil or make the base with the dried thyme, rosemary branches and bay leaves directly on grill, be sure to overlap so they cover a slightly bigger area then the fish.
• In a small bowl combine the lemon juice and olive oil, brush fish with the mixture, sprinkle lightly with the coarse thyme or oregano - baste frequently with the lemon/olive oil mixture.
• Cover the fish loosely with aluminium foil to keep moist.
• Cook about 20 minutes or until fish flakes readily when prodded with a fork in the thickest part.

GREEK FISH

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano in a small bowl.
• Place fish in 10-inch skillet and pour oil mixture over fish.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5-10 minutes or until fish flakes when pierced with a fork Meanwhile, line a plate with spinach leaves.
• Place fish on spinach and pour liquid over the fish.
• Garnish with olives and lemon wedges.

CHEF JOHN'S SHAKSHUKA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. Cook and stir until mushrooms release all of their liquid and start to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Cook and stir until peppers begin to soften up, about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir and cook to "wake up" the flavors, about 1 minute. Pour in crushed tomatoes and water. Adjust heat to medium and simmer uncovered until veggies are softened and sweet, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Add more water if sauce becomes too thick.
• Make a depression in the sauce for each egg with a large spoon. Crack egg into a small ramekin and slide gently into each indentation; repeat with the rest of the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until eggs are to your desired doneness.
• Top with feta cheese and parsley.

GREEK FISH FILLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Place the fish in an oiled casserole dish.
• Top the fillets with the onion rounds and sprinkle them with the dill, pepper, parsley, lemon juice, chopped tomato, and feta cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
• Baking time will depend on the thickness of the fish fillets.