Shrimp Saganaki

Shrimp Saganaki is a delicious Greek appetizer made with a spicy tomato base and feta. 

Ingredients:

4-5 ripe tomatoes, cubed or sliced 

4 peices of garlic, halved

1 cubanelle pepper

1 cup of feta cheese

1 lb of shrimp 

3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil 

3 tbsp of ouzo

1 tsp of oregano 

1 medium yellow onion 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Heat oil in a pan that is oven safe. Add the diced and cubanelle pepper. Sautée for 5 minutes and then add in your tomatoes, oregano, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. 

2. Add the ouzo and turn up the heat and simmer for 8 minutes until thickened. The tomatoes will break down. You can break them up further with a spoon. 

3. Add in the shrimp and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. 

4. When each side looks pink, give it a stir. Add the feta to the top and place into the oven. 

5. Cook for ten minutes and then garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with toasted bread. Enjoy! 

Stuffed Artichokes

For years my dad made these and I refused to eat them because I was a stubborn child and they looked weird. Let me tell you, after the first bite I was taring these apart to get to the very heart of the artichoke- which mind you is the best part. These will easily become a family favorite and will quickly make it's way into your "go to" section of your recipe book. 

These make a great side dish when entertaining, or they can be served after soup as the main dish. 

Ingredients: 

4 artichokes  

3 cups of breadcrumbs 

1 cup of shredded provolone cheese (buy the block and shred it)  

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese 

1 1/2 liters of chicken broth 

1 heaping tablespoon of fresh garlic- processed through the food processor 

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 

Directions: 

1. Wash artichokes and cut the tips off each leaf with a scissor. Just enough to cut the pointy tips of while leaving the leaves big and full. Slice the stem with a sharp knife, leaving a level 1/4 inch of stem so it can stand on it's own. Then turn the artichoke on its side, and cut off the head of the artichoke about 1/2 inch off the top. 

2. Fill a large pot with water and let them soak for an hour or two. Let them drain and dry for an hour. 

3. Prepare your stuffing. In a large bowl mix your breadcrumbs, cheeses and garlic. 

You can see here the top of the artichoke was cut off, the leaves trimmed, and the base cut so it can stand on it's own. You must remember not to cut the entire stem or your artichokes will sit entirely in the broth and become soggy. 

4. Take 1 dry artichoke and stuff each leave with a teaspoon of the stuffing mixture. Go around each artichoke until it is fully stuffed. Repeat with the remaining three artichokes. 

5. In a large metal pot, place your artichokes alongside each other. Sprinkle the oil on top of each artichoke. Fill the pot with chicken broth right to the level of the first row of leaves- about half the chicken broth. 

6. Cook covered on low for 2 hours. Check it every 30 minutes to add more chicken broth as needed. Using a teaspoon sprinkle chicken broth to the dryer leaves while it's cooking. 

7. When the artichoke is falling apart it is ready. The leaves should seperate from the body, with the filling attached to the leaf. Serve immediately with a spoonful of the cheesy broth on top. 

8. The leaves should not be eaten, just the filling off the leaf and the vegetable at the base of the leaf. Once all the main leaves are gone, continue to pull apart the artichoke. You will get to a spiny center. Pull that all off and you will see the heart. Once you remove the white leaves that cover it, it and the stem are edible and quite delicious. Enjoy! 

Lamb Youvetsi

Ingredients:

2.2 lbs of lamb shoulder 

4-5 Roma tomatoes 

2 onions 

1 tablespoon of oregano 

1 teaspoon of cinnamon 

2 cinnamon sticks, snapped in half 

4 cups of beef broth 

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 cups of orzo 

Directions: 

1. In a casserole dish, arrange the lamb,

Chopped onions, spices and cinnamon sticks. Pour the oil over the top and mix well with a spoon until everything is evenly coated. Place uncovered into the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Pictured here are 3 peices of lamb shoulder and a lamb shank. I chose to do this to see how the shank cooked in this dish. The original recipe is made with lamb shoulder. 

2. After 45 minutes, add in your diced tomatoes and beef stock. Add in the uncooked orzo. Place back into the oven and continue to cook for 1 1/2 hours. 

3. Turn and stir occasionally. You can top with cheese or serve warm as is. 

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli

This is my new favorite kind of pasta!

Ingredients: 

For pasta:

1/2 cup semolina 

1 1/2 cup flour 

3 eggs 

Purée from 3 small beets 

For filling:

1/2 cup of fresh ricotta (see recipe in previous post) 

1/2 cup of goat cheese 

1 tsp of thyme 

2 cloves garlic, minced

For topping: 

1/2 stick of butter

I prepared the ricotta and beet purée the night before. For the ricotta recipe, look under the post for fresh manicotti. For the beets, scrub them clean and then bake them for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees. Peel then and chop them. Add to a food processor with 2 tbsp of oil and blend until smooth. 

For the pasta: 

1. In one bowl mix your semolina and flour. In a seperate bowl, beat your three eggs and beet purée. Add that to the flour and mix well until a ball forms. Or you can do it the traditional way on the counter. Make a pile of your semolina and flour. Make a hole for the eggs and beets. Mix from the inside and slowly incorporate the flour. 

This is the bowl method, where you beat the eggs and beets together first. 

This is the counter method. 

3. Once a balls forms, place it onto a floured surface. Knead the dough adding a tsp of flour at a time until it is no longer sticking to your hands. Wrap it in Saran Wrap and place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

 

4. Once it has had time to sit, knead it a bit more and cut the ball into half. Cover the half you are not working with Saran Wrap and place back into the refrigerator. Knead the half you are working with and beging to flatten it out. Send it through the pasta machine at the highest setting. Fold the product in half and send it through again. You can repeat this two to three times. Once you feel it is ready, send it through and lower the setting each time making it thinner than the previous run through. The second to last setting will be the last setting you use. The last setting will make it too thin. 

6. I usually feed it until the second to last setting. I flour the mold thouroughly and then place half of the length of dough over the ravioli mold. Make little balls with the filling and place it into the mold. 

7. Take the second half of the dough, and using your rolling pin, press down to catch the teeth of the mold.

8. When you see that the ravioli is sealed turn it upside down. 

9. Seperate and place onto a well floured tray with semolina to keep from sticking. Repeat with the rest of the dough. 

My cat watches me cook. 

10. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add in 5-6 ravioli at a time. The cook very fast so be ready to scoop them out. When all are done arrange on platter. Drizzle browned butter sauce and sprinkle crushed walnuts on top. Enjoy! 

For filling: 

Combine goat cheese, fresh ricotta cheese, garlic and thyme. Using a fork mash it all together. You make have to use your hands to mix it well and form the balls for the filling. 

Topping: 

Brown butter on medium heat until it gets nutty/toffee smell. 

You can also make a cream sauce instead. 

Papoutsakia

Sometimes I think my guardian angel is an old greek lady. My cousin Mike once told me that everyone in our family has an ancestor from generations prior that act as their guardian angel. Somehow I always find the obscure ingredients, procure the perfect produce, and even when I have no clue what I am doing...I find my hands moving along anyway. It must mean my spirit follower is an old lady. One of those recipes where I had no clue what I was doing was this recipe for papoutsakia. A little difficult to make, but definitely worth it. After all, you know what they say, after moussaka, pastitsio, and souvlaki...the next best thing is papoutsakia! 

These eggplants are seasoned, stuffed with meat, covered with my favorite beshamel sauce and then baked to perfection. They are delicious and resemble adorable tiny shoes! Papoutsakia even means "little shoes" in Greek! They are fun to eat and your guests will love how they look! 

Ingredients: 

2 eggplants, halved lengthwise 

1 cup olive oil 

1 onion, grated 

1 lb 2 oz ground beef 

1 cup of canned crushed tomato 

1 tablespoon of parsley  

4 slices of tomato 

Salt and pepper 

2 tsp cinnamon 

Ingredients for béchamel: 

4 cups of milk 

4 tbsp butter 

4 tbsp flour 

2 egg yolks 

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese 

Pinch of ground nutmeg  

Directions: 

1. Cut your eggplants lengthwise. Make slits with a knife into the meaty half of each eggplant. Make sure you do not pierce the skin. Sprinkle generously with salt and let sit to drain for 1-2 hours. 

2. After 2 hours, squeeze the excess moisture out gently and rinse under cold water. 

3. Using a skillet or frying pan, heat half of the oil (1/2 cup) and brown the eggplants on each side for 5-10 minutes on low heat. Remove and set aside, let sit on paper towel to absorb excess oil. When cool, use a fork and spoon to scrape out the flesh of the eggplant. Be 

 careful not to rip the skin. Keep the meat of the eggplant in a seperate bowl. 

4. Add the remaining oil into the skillet and sauté the eggplant insides set aside from before and onions on high and then low heat for about five minutes. Add in your meat and stir well. Make sure to break up the meat, and cook until it is brown, about 10 minutes. Add your cinnamon, tomatoes, and parsely and mix well. Reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is reduced. 

When ready, take off heat and let cool. 

5. Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare the white sauce. Pour the milk into a small pan, bring to a boil and remove from heat. In a seperate pan, melt your butter and slowly add in your flour.  Stirring constantly in circular motions around the circumference of the pan. Add in your hot milk one ladle at a time stirring constantly with a whisk until all the milk is added. Cook for 15 minutes or until it is thick and smooth. The thicker the better. Add nutmeg, cheese and the 2 egg yolks and whisk well. Cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside. (If you take a long time to fill your eggplants, reheat your sauce quickly and add a teaspoon extra of milk). 

6. Fill your eggplant shells with an evenly divided amount of meat mixture. You will have extra. 

7. Using a ladle, pour bechamel sauce into each eggplant shell. It should be evenly covered. 

8. Add a slice of the tomato to each stuffed eggplant. Sprinkle with a handful of cheese. 

9. Bake for about one hour until the tops are golden brown. Serve immediately. Enjoy! 

With any leftover meat, I made a pastitsio pie! Just made some extra bechemel sauce and cooked it along with the papoutsakia.