Sfakianopites

For lovers of Cretan cuisine and beyond.

What we need:

For the dough

1/2 pound of flour

1/4 cup raki or ouzo 

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup water

pinch of salt

For the filling

Cream cheese 1/2

Method

Mix the flour with the oil to lubricate the flour well.

Add the remaining ingredients.

Divide the dough into 10 balls.

Allow the dough to mature.

After about half an hour to get every ball, open little hands, put a little cream cheese in the center and close it like a pouch.

Put us to the bench with the closed side to kato.To press lightly with the palm of us over with a rolling pin to roll out our size pasta dish.

Put a little oil in a pan and fry each one by one sfakianopites. If the leaves have opened -meaning bubbles that have kept air-through with a toothpick to tweak to leave the air.

When they are fried drizzle with honey or salty Parmesan.

Fay's spanakorizo (Rice with Spinach)

 Ingredients

1 kg spinach (cleaned, washed and coarsely chopped)

4 leeks (white part cut into washers)

6 green onions (chopped)

1 large onion (chopped)

1/2 bunch dill (chopped)

2 handfuls of long grain rice 

olive oil

salt - black pepper

Fresh juice of 1 lemon

Method

Cover the bottom of a casserole with olive oil and saute onions, fresh and dried with leeks.

Sauté until transparent  add the spinach, stir and cover to wilt. The spinach will pull fluids so do not add water immediately. 

After the wilted spinach, add the dill, rice, 2 cups water, salt and pepper.

Boil for 10 minutes more, stirring frequently to avoid sticking the rice. Then withdraw the food from the heat, sprinkle with the lemon juice and leave it covered until all fluids have been absorbed 

Serve with fresh crusty bread and feta cheese!

Grilled Barra with stir fried veggies ( Recipe by Syl Mavros)

RECIPE: season to taste remembering that the flavours reduce and will intensify. :)

Barra fish fillets:

Sesame oil,

Penut oil or olive oil

Ginger 

Garlic 

Lemongrass

Soy sauce or fish sauce or both

Spring onions

Red chilli and capsicum slice optional 

METHOD:

Chop and sprinkle spices after

Drizzling oils on the bottom of roasting dish

Place fillets and repeat

 bake at 250c till golden 

Stir fry veggies

Snow peas

Asparagus or broccolini or both

Zucchini

Beanshoots

Red capsicum

Chicken stock (powdered)

Spring onions

Ginger

Fish sauce

Soy sauce

Sweet soy sauce

Garlic

Seasame seeds 

Sesame oil

Olive or Penut oil 

METHOD:

Heat oils (not too much) in pan add ginger, garlic, sesame, seeds some soy sauce and toss all veggies in except beanshoots.

Stir fry tossing till coated and glossy add sweet soy, sauce fish sauce to add moisture and chicken stock to dissolve. 

Toss till coated and shiny but still crisp. Take off the heat add beanshoots and toss. 

When fish is cooked place veggies around fish pour in juices and serve. 

Alternatively make foil steam cups (leave the tops open). The same process for seasoning as baking. Place fish put in steamer (my rice cooker is always perfect). Place the same seasoning into the water and steam. You can't over cook it this way so don't worry. :) Enjoy! #fishrecipes

Shortbread with chocolate and Pastachio nuts

Ingredients 

* Flour for all uses: 700g.

* Unsalted butter: 400 g.

* pistachio 300 g. 

* Egg yolks: 2

* Icing sugar: 150 g.

* Cognac: 50 ml

* Baking powder: 2 teaspoons

* Vanilla sugar 1teaspoon

* For chocolate

* Chocolate chips  250 g.

*  coconut oil 100 g.

* Fresh cream 120 ml

*Whole Pastchio nuts for decoration

Method

1. Leave the butter out of the refrigerator for one night. lightly roasted the Pastachio nuts in the oven or nonstick pan. Place in a blender and blend until they are finely chopped and allow to cool.

2. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed mixer, for quite a while until pale and fluffy. At the end add one by one egg yolks and continue beating at low speed. Remove the bowl, add the brandy, vanilla, baking powder and Pastachios and mix the ingredients by hand.

3. Then add the flour little by little and knead gently. Once the dough get the amount of flour that indicates the recipe leave 1 1/2 hour to rest. Then, if necessary, add a little more flour (the dough should be quite soft, but coined).

4. Meanwhile Butter a sheet metal and shape in to small biscuts. Bake in preheated oven at 180 ° C, 20-30, until golden brown and a little burst their surface.

5. After removing the biscuts from the oven, leave them to stand on  a baking sheets. Prepare coating materials boiling in a bain marie and immerse it in the small biscuts one at a time  And decorate with Pastachio , let them cool down for one night and move the platter.

Apple sultanas and cherry mini Muffins

ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour

* 1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar

* 1/4 cup of sultanas 

* 1/4 cup of chopped cherries

* 1tsp of Baking powder

* 1/2 tsp cinnamon

* 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk

* 1 egg

* 1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil

* 2 Granny Smith apples

method

1. Measure out all the ingredients and preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin paper cases.

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Then combine the buttermilk, egg and vegetable oil in a jug and whisk well.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold together.

4. Peel and dice the apples into small pieces, then fold them through too. Spoon into muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack.

Galaktompoureko rolls (Vanilla custard wrapped in Philo Pastry andsyrup )

Ingredients For the Custard 

150 grams of fine semolina 

1 litre of milk

 150 grams sugar 

 2 eggs

70 grams unsalted butter 

1/2 cup of light olive oil

 Vanilla bean 

I pkt of philo pastry 

 For  the Syrup

500 grams of sugar 

200 grams of water 

juice of 1/2 lemon plus rind

Juice of 1/2 small Orange plus rind 

Method 

For the Custard heat the milk add the vanilla bean or Vanilla sugar then in a separate bowl place the Semolina the sugar and the eggs with a small amount of milk and mix them well other with a mixer or by hand until it becomes a thickish batter.  Pore the batter in the hot milk stirring  continually until it thickens. Make sure not to make it too thick as it will finish cooking in the oven.  Allow the mixture over medium heat until thickened, stirring so it dose not burn at the bottom of the pan. When it starts to boil,  and has thicken remove from heat and add the butter in the custard mixture. Stir and leave to cool covered with Glad wrap as close to the custard as possible so that it will not leave any hard skins on top of the custard as its cooling and place in refrigerator until it's fully cooled down. 

To assemble 

Cut the philo sheets in half and  place on top of each other then mix the oil with the melted butter and butter the top half sheet of philo then fold in halve again butter  again and place a tablespoon of the cooled custard at the top of the folded philo and fold to cover the custard then fold in sides  and roll the pastry like a large cigar once all done butter  the top of the rolls with more of the butter and  a place in a shallow baking tray making sure not to put them too close to each other so that they can cook evenly. Then brush the top with the butter and bake in preheated oven at at 180 ° C for 40 minutes, until golden When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

For the syrup

Place the sugar in saucepan with water and lemon and orange juice plus the rind and a stick of cinnamon Boil the syrup for 7-8 minutes and pour over the rolls. Allow to soak in the syrup for 1 hour before serving.