Pork slow cooker roast

You Ingredients

1tbs of mustered 

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1.5 kg higher-welfare loin of pork, boned, skinned, rolled and tied

sea salt 

freshly ground black pepper

1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked 

1 small bunch of dried oregano

2 knobs butter

2 tbs of garlic salt 

1 tsp of paprika  

1 large lemon 

275 ml organic chicken stock

2 tbs of corn floor 

Method

This method of cooking pork stops it drying out and keeps it juicy and soft. You also end up with a wonderful rich sticky sauce!

In a frypan add the olive oil and butter let it get hot. Season pork well with all the spices and brown all sides. 

Place browned pork in the a slow cooker add the juice of a lemon and some chicken stock. Make sure to add Just enough stock To reach less then half way do not cover all meat with stock. Taste stock and adjust seasoning if needed cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Turn off  take meat out of cooker to rest. let it stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

While the meat is resting, finish the sauce by skimming any fat off the top, adding the chicken stock and simmering for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add the diluted corn floor and mix well until thickened. Slice the pork as thinly as you want and serve with the delicious sauce. Serve with steamed veggies or fried Chips or mashed potato and veggies

Fay's Vasilopita Greek New Year's Cake

Ingredients

250g butter

2 cups (440g) white sugar

3 cups (375g) plain flour

6 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup (250ml) warm milk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Preparation:30min  ›  Cook:1hour  ›  Ready in:1hour30min 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Generously grease a 25cm round cake tin.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light. Stir in the flour and mix until combined-it may be a little dry and crumbly. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine the baking powder and milk, add to the egg mixture, mix well. Then combine the lemon juice and baking soda, stir into the batter. Pour into the prepared cake tin.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle the nuts and sugar over the cake, then return it to the oven for 20 to 30 additional minutes, until cake springs back to the touch. Gently cut a small slit in the cake with a knife and place a coin in it. Try to cover the slit up.Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

 

Soutzoukakia Smyrneika

For the Tomato Sauce

¼ cup olive oil, divided

1 small onion

1glove garlic

500 grams (1.10 lbs) tomato puree

1 tin whole tomatoes with the juice (400 gr. – 14.11 oz)

½ cup water

¼ tsp cinnamon

Freshly ground black pepper

3 allspice berries

1 tsp salt black pepper 

1 tbs of powder chicken stock

For the meatballs:

800 grams ground veal or beef

3 slices white bread without the crust

1/3 cup red dry wine

2 ½ tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly grated black pepper

1/8 tsp ground allspice,

1/8 tsp cumin

1 very large clove garlic (about 1 tsp)

Directions:

Puree the onion together with 2 tbsp olive oil in a food processor.   Heat the remaining olive oil and sauté the onion for a few minutes and then add all the spices and stir to get out their fragrances.  Add the tomatoes and water, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick.

Meantime, soak the bread together with the wine, lemon juice and 2 tbsp olive oil.

Squeeze the bread and use the fluid to puree the garlic in a food processor. Then add the bread in the food processor and mix.

Put the ground meat in a bowl with all the spices and bread. Mix well and let it rest for about ½ to 1 hour in the refrigerator for the flavours to mix.

Shape the meatballs into an oblong small sausage, around 8 cm (3 inches) long.   And place in a baking tray and bake until golden browned then Pore tomato sauce directly into the tray on to the soutzoukakia and  lower heat and bake for about another 20 minutes until sauce thickens.

 Serve with potato chips toped with oregano and feta or steamed rice toped with feta cheese enjoy! 

Melomakarona Greek Christmas cookies

For the melomakarona

1 1/2 cup oil (1 cup olive oil and 1/2 a cup sesame oil)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/4 of a cup cognac

1/2 cup beer (blonde pale lager such as bottled Heineken or Mythos)

2 tsps orange zest

1/4 of a cup orange juice

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1kg all-purpose flour (8 cups/ 35 ounces)

For the syrup

650g honey (23 ounces)

420g sugar (15 ounces)

500g water (17.6 ounces)

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

For the garnish

some chopped walnuts

powdered cinnamon (optional)

powdered clove (optional)

 

Instructions

Prepare the dough for the melomakarona. In a mixing bowl add the oil, butter and sugar and mix with an electric mixer at low-medium speed for about 10 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. (It is very important that the butter is at room temperature.)

In a large bowl, add the flour and the baking powder and blend with a spoon to combine.

Add the mixed oil, butter and sugar (from step 1) in the bowl with the flour and pour in the cognac, beer and orange zest. In a cup add the orange juice and baking soda and blend, until dissolved. Be careful when doing so, because the baking soda will start to foam out of the cup; so blend in a cup placed over the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, so that the foam will end up in the bowl. Pour in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and start kneading your dough. Knead the dough using your hands until the ingredients combine and the dough is smooth and soft. (Don’t overwork the dough.) Leave the dough to rest for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200C; layer the bottom of 2 baking trays with parchment paper and shape the melomakarona. Pinch a portion of dough about the size of a walnut (or bigger, if you prefer) and shape with your palms into a smooth oblong shape, like a small egg; place on the baking tray, push lightly the top with a fork and make some holes on top (not all the way down). Continue with the rest of the dough.

Place the baking trays with the melomakrona in the oven and turn the heat down to 180C. Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.

A little bit before turning the melomakarona out of the oven, prepare the syrup. Pour in a pot the sugar, honey and water and bring to the boil; boil for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved (do not stir the syrup).

When the melomakarona come out of the oven, float them in the hot syrup, flipping them with a fork to absorb the syrup. Remove the cookies using a slotted spoon, place on a platter and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Store the melomakarona at room temperature in an airtight container. They will last for all your Christmas Holidays!

PISTACHIO ORANGE BUTTER COOKIES Kourambedes

Ingredients

1 cup butter (225g), at room tº 

4 Tbs (60g) confectioners´ sugar

½ teaspoon orange blossom water

Zest of ½ a small lemon

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour

¾ cup ground toasted pistachios

Extra confectioners´ sugar, for coating

Directions

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add zest, orange blossom water and beat well.

Add flour, 1 cup at a time and then the pistachios. Mix just until smooth.

Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Roll portions of cold dough between your palms to form balls. Place 1-inch apart on lined baking tray.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are a bit golden and cracked.

Let cool on a wire rack. Roll in some extra confectioners´ sugar to coat.

These cookies freeze well unbaked. When you need them, just line them up on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray, thaw, and bake.

ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES (kourambiethes)

Fay's kourabiedes 

Ingredients 

500g unsalted butter, at room temperature 

100g icing sugar

2 egg yolks 

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1tsp of baking powder

230g almond meal

100g of chopped roasted blanched almonds 

1kg self rising flour

60g of brandy 

For dusting 

Vanilla sugar 

Extra confectioners´ sugar, for coating

 Some rose water 

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the egg yolks slowly one at a time and add the egg mix well then add almond meal and beat well. Add the vanilla extract the brandy and baking powder.

Slowly add the flower, 1 cup at a time and then the chopped  almonds. Mix just until it becomes a soft dough 

Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least half hour.

Preheat oven to 80*

 Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Roll portions of cold dough between your palms to form balls. Or use a cookie cuter Place 1-inch apart on lined baking tray.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are a bit golden and cracked. Using a spray bottle spray the kourabiedes with rose water and while got roll in some extra confectioners´sugar mixed with the vanilla sugar to coat.

These cookies freeze well unbaked. When you need them, just line them up on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray, thaw, and bake.

Yields 3 to 4 dozens, depending on the size

7

Pastaflora (Jam tart)

Ingredients 

For the filling:

1 1/2 cups of jam of your choice 

Tart made with butter

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1 cup (2 sticks) of butter at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon of grated orange or lemon peel

1/3 cup of sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

3 tablespoons of brandy

3 cups of all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons of baking powder

This recipe calls for a 12- to 13-inch tart pan or equivalent baking pan.

Sift flour with the baking powder before starting. (The dough needs to be smooth and soft.)

Butter Shell:

Cream the butter, adding orange or lemon zest, then sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then brandy, and beat until fully combined. Beat or mix in flour until combined. Use hands to form into a smooth dough. 

Make the Tart 

Roll out half the dough to fit in the bottom of the tart pan. Roll out about 1/3 of the remaining dough to make a strip (about a small finger's width and height) and place all the way around the raised sides of the tart pan, pressing gently to cover evenly and join with the base. 

Spread the jam evenly over the base of the tart shell. 

Roll out the remaining dough to about 1/4 inch thickness (or more) and cut into strips. For a decorative touch, use a fluted pastry wheel to cut the strips. 

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

I like to make them in small individule serves and when they are hot out of the oven I dust them with icing suger it's easer to pick up and eat it with a nice cup of coffee

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