Pork and Chicken Greek stir Fried with Leeks (Tigania)

 Ingredients

1/4 cup of olive oil

250gr shoulder pork 

120gr chicken breast 

4 large Leeks sliced 

1 tblspoon of powder chicken stock 

1/2 tsp if garlic salt

1/2 tsp Oregano 

1 lemon 

Salt

Freshly grated black pepper 

Method 

Wash and dry well the pork and chicken and cut in to chunks. Season well with the salt pepper and oregano and garlic salt. Place a deep fry pan on the hot plate and add the oilive oil let it heat then add the chanks of meat to hot oil and fry until cooked. Take out all the meat after it's been fried and turn heat down then add the chopped leeks and cook until soft add salt and pepper and when it's done add the already cooked meets back in the fry pan and toss until the leeks and meats have mixed well then add the juice of the lemon let it simmer until all liquid has been absorbed and its left with a nice oily sauce. Serve with fried chips and a Greek salad. Enjoy! 

Skaltsounia (Shortbread stuffed with crushed walnuts grated Apple andstrawberry jam)

Ingredient For the dough

250g unsalted butter 

          125g dry white wine 

1/4 of a cup brown sugar

500g self-rising flour 

                1/2 tsp of Cinnamon

Ingredients For the filling

1 green apple, grated

100g walnuts, chopped (3.5 ounces)

2 tbsps breadcrumbs

2 tbsps sugar

1 tbsp jam

1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon

  icing sugar for powdering

Method 

1. To prepare the dough for the skaltsounia, pour into a large bowl the unsalted butter and sugar and beat well add the wine, and the flour and blend well, using your hands, until the ingredients combine. Knead the dough, until it softens. Depending on the flour, you may need to use a little bit less or more flour than the recipe calls for. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Leave the dough to rest for about 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, prepare the filling for the skaltsounia. Grate the apple into a large bowl, add the sugar, the chopped walnuts, the breadcrumbs, the jam and cinnamon. Blend well, until the ingredients combine.

3.Place the dough on a floured surface. Cut it in half and roll out each half to a thickness of about 0.4 cm. Using a 10-12 cm cutter, cut out the dough in circles.

4. Place a teaspoon of the filling on each circle and fold the dough, creating a half-moon. Join the edges well, pressing with your fingers.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the pastries (skaltsounia) on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.

 Remove the skaltsounia from the oven, leave to cool for a while and sprinkle with icing sugar. Enjoy!

Baklava almond rolls

• 
  
  
  
• Ingredients 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs 
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely ground almonds 
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely ground pistachio nuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 14 sheets phyllo dough 
• 1 rounded thin stick or rolling pin 
• 2 cups cool honey Syrup

• Method 

  Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush a 9-by-9-inch pan with melted butter. Set aside. 

  1. Combine either or almonds, pistachio nuts , bread crumbs and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside. 
  2. Place all of the sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface. Brush the first sheet with melted butter and  sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture to cover loosely all of the philo. Then place the thin rolling pin on the edge of the wide side of the philo and gently roll  the rolling pin so that the philo with the nuts are all rolled up. Brush the second layer of the philo with butter but do not put any nuts. Place the rolling pin again on the edge of the buttered philo and roll again. Roll like a cigar almost to the end.
     Then with both hands hold the ends of the rolled baklava roll and slide inwards to make it a rinkleded roll. Then with one hand gently hold the roll and with the other you pull out the rolling pin and place it in a well buttered baking tray. Do the same until all of the philo and nuts are finished. 
     . Fold in ragged edges, and brush them with butter. Finish rolling, and fold ends under. Place seam-side down in prepared pan. Brush with butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling, laying each roll next to the other so they are touching. Cut rolls crosswise into 21 pieces total (drag knife through a second time to assure a clean cut). 
  3. Transfer to oven, and bake until crust and nuts are evenly golden, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and cool for 10 minutes. Pour cool Honey Syrup over pastry; it will come about three-quarters of the way up the sides. Let sit until most of the liquid is absorbed and nuts are saturated, about 30 minutes.
     
     

     INGREDIENTS 

     
     
     

     • 2 cups sugar 
     • 1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus zest from half a lemon 
     • 4 cinnamon sticks 
     • 3 tablespoons honey
     • Method 
     • Combine sugar with 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve. Add lemon juice, zest, and cinnamon sticks to pan. Place over medium-high heat, and cook to 221 to 222 degrees on a candy thermometer. 
     • Add honey and stir to combine.
       
       
       
       

     
     

Chocolate Peanut Sultans and coconut Candies

INGREDIENTS 

750g of chocolate cooking chips 

2 tables of coconut oil

1 cup of fine desiccated Coconut

1 cup of sultanas 

1 1⁄2 cups roasted  peanuts nuts (more can be used up to 2 1/2 c)

DIRECTIONS

Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 2.30 min or use choc melting pot with the coconut oil

Fold in all of the other ingredients and stir until all ingredients have been coated with the melted chocolate

Line a shallow baking dish with baking paper and drop by teaspoons onto wax paper.

let cool. It's best kept in the fridge. Enjoy

Almond Macaroons

ingredients

* 320 g. ground almonds  bleached or Almond meal

* Some whole  almonds for decorating

* 600 g. Icing sugar

* 5 egg whites 

Method 

1. Beat the egg whites very thick meringue [with a pinch of salt].

2. Grind in a blender very well 320 gr. or use ready Almond meal with the icing sugar and 1/3 of the meringue until becoming a homogeneous relatively thick marzipan.

3. transfer to bowl, slowly add the remaining meringue and mix well and are fully mixed in to a soft stickie mixture. 

4. Place them in a pan on the baking sheet  leaving space between them or alternatively put the mixture in a pastry bag and create small round disks onto the baking sheet. In this case we put an entire almond over each Amigdaloto.

5. Bake in preheated oven at 180 ° C for 20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool thoroughly.  Enjoy.