Greek Recipes

8th Grade Recipes

Here are some of the laboratory experiences or demonstrations we do in class…

Cheese Triangles (*Tiropetes)

1/2 pound phyllo pastry dough
1 cup (5 oz) crumbles feta cheese
1 c. (4 oz) ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
dash white pepper
1/2 c. butter melted

Defrost phyllo according to directions on package. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine feta and ricotta cheeses. Combine eggs, parsley and white pepper in a small bowl and beat well; add to cheese mixture and blend together.

Spread the phyllo on a board and cut into strips about 3 inches wide. The length of the strip may be 10 to 15 inches, depending on the dimension of the sheet of phyllo. Work with 2 strips of phyllo. (Immediately cover the remaining strips with clear plastic wrap to prevent drying.) Using 2 strips, place one over the other. Brush the top strip lightly with butter. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling at one ed of the strip; fold over to make a triangle. (Continue folding to make a triangle, that is as you would fold a flag or a paper football. When the folding is complete, brush the triangle with butter and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden in color. Makes 30.

*If you add 1 c. of spinach to this cheese mixture in the recipe now you have changed the food to a Spinach Triangle or “Spanikopita”. Yum!
 

Greek Salad

1 head romaine lettuce
1 tomato
1 cucumber
1 small sweet onion or Bermuda Onion (red-purple)
4 oz (1/2 c) Feta cheese

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove
1 t. dried oregano

Authenic Greek Garnishes:

Greek-style black olives
Greek peppers (pepperoncini)

Rinse and drain the lettuce leaves; tear into bite-sized pieces and chill. Slice the tomato into wedges. Score the cucumber with the tines of a fork; or remove lengthwise strips of the cucumber by using a peeler; thin slice. Slice onion into thin horizontal slices; separate into rings. Crumble feta cheese, or cut into cubes.

Dressing: Place olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and oregano in a blender. Blend 20 to 30 seconds.

Arrange salad ingredients in a large salad bowl or on individual plates attractively. Garnish with black olives and peppers. Drizzle dressing over salad. Make 8 servings.

Moussaka (Meat and Eggplant Casserole)
Meat sauce-

2 T. olive oil
1 med. onion chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 garlic clove
1 lb. ground beef
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2/3 c. water
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Cream Sauce

3 T butter or margarine
3 T. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten

1 medium Eggplant

Meat sauce: Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and garlic to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add meat and saute until meat is no longer pink. Add tomato paste, water, parsley, sugar, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Simmer until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes.

Cream sauce: Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 45 seconds or until melted. Stir in flour and milk. Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes, or until thick and bubbling, stirring once every minute. Add cheese. Allow to cool a few minutes. Just before adding sauce to moussaka, beat in the egg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Partially peel the eggplant be removing strips. Cut the eggplant into horizontal strips, each 3/8 thick. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 dish. Place about half of the eggplant slices in the baking dish, cutting slices as necessary to cover the bottom of baking dish. Spread one halt of the meat sauce evenly over the eggplant. Top with remaining eggplant and remaing sauce. Spread the cream sauce on top.

Bake 45 minutes or until casserole is golden brown. Remove from oven to allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Moussaka may be served warm at room temperature.

Makes 9 servings

Hummos(chick pea dip)

Yield: 6 Servings

1 can Chick peas(semi drained)
1 sm Lemon(juiced)
2 clove Garlic(crushed)
1 Tbsp. Tahinni (sesame seed paste)
Optional(instead use a little Olive oil)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
*adjust above amounts to Suit your taste

*Blend all ingredients.
*place in an attractive bowl.
*cut small pitas into triangles for dipping.

Rolled Baklava
Recipe courtesy Cat Cora

Syrup:
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/8 cup honey
1 (1/8-inch) slice lemon
1 (2-inch) stick cinnamon
2 cloves, whole

1 pound blanched almonds, coarsely ground
1 pound walnuts, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves, ground
4 sheets phyllo dough
1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, melted

Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil and
simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lemon and spices. Cool and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the almonds, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves together
in a bowl. Take 4 sheets of phyllo dough and brush each sheet with melted
butter, layering the sheets as you go. Once the 4 sheets are pressed
together, sprinkle the nut mixture over the top sheet and roll, lengthwise,
until you reach the end. Keep the roll as tight as possible without breaking.
It should look like a long cylinder.

Cut the roll into 2-inch pieces, dip each into the melted butter and place on
a baking sheet. Place into the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden
brown. When finished remove each piece from the pan and dip in the cup cake cups on a
platter.