We all know the Greeks know how to make amazing food. So here are 3 really easy and tasty recipes you can try at home.
Greek baklava
INGREDIENTS
Filling
- 500 gr. walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 60 gr. sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pastry
- 500 gr. fyllo pastry
- 180 gr. unsalted butter, melted
Syrup
- 230 gr. caster sugar
- 300 ml water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- some lemon peel
- 2 tablespoons honey
METHOD
Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl.
Liberally butter the base and sides of an elongated or round baking dish. Measure the length of the fyllo against the baking dish roughly and, allowing 2 cm extra approximately for shrinkage, cut to length with a sharp knife. Brush each layer of fyllo with melted butter and spread over the base of the container as evenly as possible. Once you have used 5 layers of pastry, sprinkle a thin layer of filling all over the surface and add 3 more layers. Sprinkle a thin layer of filling and place 2 more sheets of fyllo on top. Sprinkle on all the remaining filling, spreading it evenly, and cover with 7-8 more layers of fyllo, brushing individually with butter. Fold any excess pastry on either of the sides over the filling and brush it with butter. Brush the top layer liberally with butter in order to get it crisp and golden. Trim any excess pastry with a small sharp knife, keeping in mind that it will also shrink. Cut the top layers of fyllo carefully, either diagonally into diamond shapes or straight, which will result in square or elongated pieces. Be careful not to cut right down to the base, but only the top layers. This is done in order to make cutting and lifting the pieces out, once it is cooked, much easier and efficient. Using the tips of four fingers, sprinkle drops of water all over the surface and cook it in a preheated oven, gas no.5/ 375 grades F / 190 grades C, for 15 minutes; lower the heat to gas no.4/ 350 grades F/ l80 grades C and cook for a further 20 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Place all the syrup ingredients, apart from the honey, in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, add the honey and simmer for a further 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Let the baklava cool down then pour the hot but not boiling syrup slowly all over, through a strainer. Let it stand and absorb the syrup.
Tzatziki – Yoghurt Dip
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 kilo strained yoghurt
- 1 cucumber
- 4 garlic cloves (more makes it with stronger taste)
- salt
- oil
- vinegar
METHOD
Grate the garlic and mix it with salt and vinegar. Peel the cucumber, grate it and squeeze it until all its water is removed. Put the yoghurt into a bowl and add the cucumber into it. Then mix the yoghurt with the mixture of grated garlic. Whiz the content until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add some oil. Yoghurt dip can be served in a normal temparature but it is rather prefered cold.
Humus – Chickpea dip
INGREDIENTS
- 200 gr chickpeas
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 spoons olive oil
- 3 tspn tahine (sesame paste dip)
- 1 tspn salt
- 1/2 tspn pepper
- parsley, finely chopped
- 3 spoons water
- 5 spoons fresh lemon juice
- Paprika (optional)
METHOD
Soak the chickpeas in water for at least 12 hours. Boil them until they become tender and then drain them. Let them cool. Use a bowl to dissolve the tahine in the water. Place the chickpeas in a blender and while mixing add the salt, pepper, the tahine, olive oil, garlic and the lemon juice. Continue mixing until mixture become creamy in texture. Serve cold and garnish with parsley. Add paprika optionaly.
