Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds. Sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for 30 minutes. Peel the potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch rounds. Slice the zucchini into 1/2 inch rounds.
Preheat the oven to 350í F. Brush the baking dish with some oil. Spread half of the bread crumbs, parsley and garlic over the olive oil.
[Arrange the vegetables in layers in the following order:] eggplant, onion, potato, zucchini and tomato. Lightly season with salt and pepper between each layer. Pour the water and 2/3 of the remaining olive oil over the vegetables. Mix the remaining olive oil with the bread crumbs, parsley and garlic then sprinkle the mixture over the vegetables.
Bake for 1 1/2-2 hours. If the vegetables become too dry, add some water. During baking, the dish should remain fairly moist. Serve hot or at room temperature.
!! 42 Stuffed Vegetables Yemista
Prepare the vegetables for stuffing:
Tomatoes: Cut off the tops and reserve. Spoon out the pulp and reserve.
Eggplant: Remove the stalks. Cut off approximately 1 inch from the stalk side. Using a small cookie cutter, [pare down the lid to form a cork] and reserve. [Scoop out the flesh.] Put the eggplant in salted water for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain.
Peppers: Slice away a flat surface from the side of the pepper. Reserve the lid and core.
In the frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until transparent. Add the meat and stir, until it loses its pink color and becomes crumbly. Turn the heat to low and stir in the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Cover and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
[Stuff the vegetables.] Leave enough space for the stuffing to expand. Cover the vegetables with their tops.
Preheat the oven to 350í F.
Arrange the stuffed vegetables in the baking dish. Chop the tomato pulp and mix with the rest of the cooking sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce over the stuffed vegetables. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve hot.
!! 43 Stuffed Calamari Klamaria Paraymista
Clean the calamari if necessary. Clean the head and tentacles. Chop and set aside. Clean the hood. Remove the backbone and the skin.
In the saucepan, heat some oil over medium heat and sweat the onion for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add the tomato purée, 1/3 of the wine, the spices and the chopped calamari. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and the clove.
Loosely stuff the calamari and secure with toothpicks. Heat the remaining oil and brown the calamari for approximately 10 minutes. Add the remaining wine. Cover and simmer until the calamari is tender, about 1-1 1/4 hours. If needed, add a little water to the saucepan.
!! 44 Fried Fish with Tomato and Herb Sauce Parsi Marinato
Wash and dry the fish. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 minutes. Dry the fish with paper towels. [Coat the fish with flour.] Heat some oil in a frying pan, and fry the fish until cooked and golden brown. Transfer the cooked fish to a dish. Drain the oil from the pan.
Pour the rest of the oil into the pan. Add the garlic and the remaining flour. Stir until golden. Stir in the tomato purée, water, vinegar, wine, parsley, rosemary and the bay leaf. Simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour the sauce over the fish and let rest for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
!! 45 Roast Lamb Arni Psito
Preheat the oven to 450í F. Peel the garlic and slice into slivers. Using a small knife, make small cuts in the lamb. Stuff the garlic into the small cuts. Rub the lamb with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper. Place the leg in a roasting pan and roast for half an hour.
While the leg is roasting:
Peel and halve the potatoes. Peel and slice the onions or use whole small onions. Reduce the heat to 350í F.
Put the onions and potatoes in the roasting pan. Cover the lamb, potatoes and onions with the crushed tomatoes. Add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the red wine and the stock and then bake for another 1 1/2 hours, turning the lamb from time to time. Remove the dish from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
!! 46 Pork Sausages Loukanika
Place the ground pork in a bowl. Except for the casing and the oil, and mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Place the sausage casing in cold water. [Fill the casing with the meat. Tie and twist the casing] into 5-6 inch sausages.
Chill the sausages, loosely covered until ready for frying.
Fry the sausages in a little oil or pork fat until done.
!! 47 Braised Pork with Mushroom and Coriander Afelia
[Cut the meat into small cubes.] Peel and halve the potatoes. Trim the mushrooms. Heat half of the butter in the pan, and fry the potatoes until golden brown. Remove the potatoes from the pan. Fry the cubes of meat in the remaining butter until brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan. Stir-fry the mushrooms for 3 minutes. Add the meat and mix well. Add the wine and coriander. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the potatoes to the pan. Cover the pan and simmer for 40-60 minutes until tender. Serve hot.
!! 48 Olive Bread
Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water in a mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the water, salt, sugar and 1 cup of flour. Mix well. Set aside, in a warm place, for one hour. (You can leave the dough for up to 3 hours).
Mix in the rest of the flour and 3/4 of the olive oil. Using a mixer, or by hand, [knead the dough] until it is smooth and elastic, approximately 15 minutes. Form the dough into a ball. Brush with olive oil. Place the ball in a bowl, cover it, and let sit for one hour.
Heat half of the remaining olive oil in the frying pan (add a little olive oil if necessary). SautÄ the olives, onions and garlic until tender.
On a floured workspace, [punch the dough down] and then knead for 3 minutes. Roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 1/3 inch thick. Spread the olive mixture over the dough. Roll the dough lengthwise into a long loaf. Place the dough on an oiled loaf pan or baking sheet. Make 3 or 4 shallow cuts on the loaf. Cover and let the loaf rise for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375í F. Brush the bread with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden. The bread should make a hollow sound when tapped.
!! 49 Ravioli with Haloumi
Prepare the pasta dough:
Sift the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Put the eggs, salt and oil in the well. Using your fingers, mix the dough, drawing in more flour as you mix. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary. Shape the dough into a ball, and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rest for one hour.
Prepare the filling:
In a bowl combine the haloumi, ricotta, eggs and fresh mint. Mix well.
[Prepare the ravioli:]
Flour the work surface and roll out the dough until it is thin, 1/16 inch thick. (This can be done using a pasta machine). Using a cookie cutter, lightly mark circles of 4 inches. Place a teaspoonful of the cheese mixture in the center of each circle. With a pastry brush, moisten the dough around the stuffing, then fold the dough over to close each ravioli. Press the edges together with fingers or a fork to seal the ravioli. Prick the ravioli with a needle. Cook in boiling salted water on medium heat until al dente, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. Transfer to a serving plate, pour the hot melted butter over the top and sprinkle with grated kefalotyri, or fry the cooked ravioli in butter until golden, sprinkle with kefalotyri and serve.
!! 50 Semolina Cookies
Put the semolina in a bowl and add the warm water and the melted butter. Mix well with either a wooden spoon or your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Boil 1 cup of water, add the cinnamon stick, and continue boiling for 2-3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and the pour the water over the semolina mixture. Add the rose or orange water. When cool enough to handle, knead the semolina mixture until it is a firm and workable dough. Add some water if the dough is too crumbly, or some flour if it is too soft. In a bowl, combine the almonds, superfine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 400í F.
Tear off small pieces of dough and shape into a ball roughly the size of a walnut. [Make a hole in the center of each ball.] Fill the holes with the nut filling, close and shape into an oval. Another way to stuff the cookies is to [flatten] a piece of dough with the palm of your hand, place a little stuffing in the center, fold the dough, and then seal it. After it is sealed, use your fingers to shape the dough into an oval. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until the cookies begin to color, approximately 20-25 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and, while still hot, brush with rose water then sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Let cool and then store in a sealed container.
