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. 

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.