For Roberta, I used to live in Tampa and loved the Greek salad in
the area. You
can always tell where someone is from if their Greek salad has
potato salad on the
bottom. Here is the original from Pappas Greek Restaurant in Tarpon
Springs.
This is the original recipe gotten from the Tampa Tribune many years
ago.
LOUIS PAPPAS’ FAMOUS GREEK SALAD – Serves 4
(This recipe is for a large salad on a large platter to serve 4.
Individual salads may
be made in large salad/soup bowls, by dividing ingredients into 4
parts.)
Potato Salad:
6 Boiling potatoes
2 Medium onions or 4 large scallions, chopped
1/4 c. Parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c. Green pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 c. Mayonnaise
Salt
Salad:
1 Large head lettuce
3 c. Potato salad
12 Roka leaves (Greek vegetable) or 12 sprigs watercress
2 Tomatoes, each cut in 6 wedges
1 Cucumber, peeled and cut lengthwise in 8 fingers
1 Avocado, peeled and cut in wedges
4 oz. Feta
1 Green pepper, cut in 8 rings
4 slices canned cooked beets
4 Peeled and cooked shrimp
4 Anchovy filets
12 Kalamata olives
12 Medium-hot Salonika peppers, from a jar
4 Fancy-cut radishes
4 Whole green onions
1/2 c. Distilled white vinegar (or more)
1/4 c. each of olive and salad oil, blended
Oregano
Boil potatoes in their jackets for 30 min. or until tender, but not
soft. Drain, cool
and peel potatoes, and when cold, slice into bowl. Add onions,
parsley and
peppers. Fold in Mayo and season to taste with salt.
Line large platter with outside lettuce leaves and place 3 c. of
potato salad in a
mound in center of platter. Shred remaining lettuce and place on
top. Arrange roka
leaves or watercress on top of lettuce. Place tomato wedges around
outer edge of
salad with a few on top, and place cucumber wedges between tomatoes,
making a
solid base. Place avocado slices around the outside. Arrange feta
cheese on top,
with green pepper slices over all. On the very top, placed sliced
beets with a
shrimp on each beet slice and an anchovy filet on the shrimp.
Arrange olives,
peppers, radishes, and green onions as desired. Sprinkle with the
vinegar, then
with oil. Sprinkle oregano over all. Serve at once.
Nancy Berlo
nancy@nancyberlo.com
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For Roberta-
BAKLAVA
Baklava, the most famous Greek dessert, is made with nuts, spices,
butter, and
phyllo pastry.
1 pound (4 cups) blanched almonds or walnuts or a combination of
both, finely
chopped
3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pound phyllo pastry
3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing phyllo
SYRUP
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 2-inch strip of lemon rind
3/4 cup honey
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine nuts, sugar, and cinnamon.
Keeping
unused sheets covered with plastic wrap, place 8 sheets of phyllo
pastry, one at a
time, in bottom of an 8 x 14 x 2-inch pan, brushing each sheet with
melted butter
Sprinkle top sheet generously with 1/4 cup nut mixture and cover
with 2 buttered
phyllo sheets. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup nut mixture. Continue adding
buttered phyllo
sheets, sprinkling every second sheet with nut mixture, until all
nut mixture is used.
Place remaining phyllo sheets on top, buttering each sheet. Cut
Baklava into small
diamond-shaped pieces with a sharp knife. Place a pan of water on
the lowest shelf
in oven. Place Baklava on middle shelf above the water and bake for
2 to 2.5 hours,
or until golden, making sure that the water pan is always full.
While Baklava is in
the oven, prepare the syrup:
Combine in a saucepan water with all ingredients except honey. Bring
to a boil, and
simmer for 15 minutes. Add honey, and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove
lemon
peel and cool. Remove Baklava from oven and pour cool syrup over hot
pastry.
Note: Can be prepared and frozen, unbaked. When ready to use, bake,
unthawed,
in a 300-degree oven for 3 to 3.5 hours, or until golden.
Optional: The top of each Baklava piece can be studded with a single
clove for
decoration and flavor. (You don't eat the clove.) Yield: 30 to 36
pieces.
MOUSSAKAS
Moussakas is probably the most famous Greek dish (and for good
reason, too.) It's
an oven bake dish. Serves:8
2 lb (900g) minced beef
5 eggs
1 and half oz (45g) plain flour
2 oz (60g) unsalted butter
16 fl.oz (475ml) milk
8 fl.oz (250ml) red wine
8 fl.oz (250ml) beef stock
4 oz (115g) cottage cheese
4 oz (115g) Graviera (or Gruyere) cheese grated
2 oz (60g) Parmesan cheese
1 oz (30g) feta cheese grated
4 aubergines (eggplant)
2 onions finely chopped
6 tomatoes
1 tablespoon all spices
2 tablespoons of parsley finely chopped
2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 oz (30g) fine breadcrumbs
1) Trim the ends off the aubergines and cut into quarter inch (5mm)
slices
2) Lightly sprinkle with salt, leave to stand in a colander for 60
min.
3) Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a saucepan, heat
4) Add onions, cook over low heat for 5 min, until golden
5) Increase heat, add meat and cook over moderate heat until brown
6) Add the wine, bring to the boil, stirring
7) Add tomatoes, lower heat simmer for 10 minutes
8) Add 1 tablespoon of parsley, stock, cinnamon, allspice, 1
teaspoon of salt, and
1 teaspoon of pepper
9) Simmer for 30 minutes, until liquid has evaporated, cover and set
aside
10) Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, add a layer of
aubergines to the
pan, fry until golden on both sides.
11) Remove and drain on paper towel
12) Add 1 tablespoon to pan and fry another layer and repeat, set
aside
13) Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir until smooth
14) Heat over a moderate heat for 2 minutes
15) Gradually add the milk, stir, bring to the boil, remove
16) Add the cheeses and nutmeg and stir into a sauce
17) Stir in well beaten eggs, a little at a time, mix well
18) Season to taste and set aside
19) Preheat oven to (180°C), (350°F),(Gas Mark 4 )
20) Layer a 4 inch (10cm) baking dish with aubergines
21) Cover with 1 third of the meat, cover with 4 tablespoons of
sauce
22) Repeat (20 and 21) twice
23) Top with aubergines and cover with remaining sauce, sprinkle
with breadcrumbs
24) Bake uncovered for 60 minutes
25) Garnish with parsley and serve hot
Moussaka
Before starting anything it must be noted that Moussaka in every
Greek home is
made in 3 'stages'. The vegetable cooking and layering, the meat
sauce and the
Béchamel cream. Firstly, the meat sauce must be cooked, then the
vegetables
and lastly, the Béchamel cream.
THE MEAT SAUCE
1 kg (2.2 lbs) minced beef (minced 3 times)
1 large ripe finely chopped tomato
1 large grated onion
4 finely chopped garlic cloves
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup condensed tomato juice
1/2 full teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup olive oil
2 cups water
salt, pepper
Pour the oil into a pan and heat it slightly. Crumble the minced
beef into the oil
together with the onion and garlic. Brown everything well, stirring
constantly. Pour
in the wine and allow everything to boil until the wine evaporates.
Add the fresh
tomato, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper and stir regularly while
waiting for the
tomato to soften well. Pour in the tomato juice, stir everything and
allow it to
thicken. Finally, pour in the water and over a medium flame allow
the sauce to
cook until the beef is tender and the liquids have evaporated by 2/3
and the sauce
is thick. While the sauce is cooking prepare the vegetables.
2 large medium sliced eggplants
5 -6 medium peeled and sliced potatoes
2 flat tbsp grated spicy Gruyere cheese
light vegetable oil for frying
salt, pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Cut the eggplants into medium slices and soak them in salted water
for 1 hour
before you commence your sauce so everything will be more
conveniently timed.
This soaking removes the bitterness in the eggplant skins and also
helps them not
to absorb so much oil while frying. Remove the eggplant slices from
the water,
strain them and then dry them with a kitchen towel to absorb any
excess water.
Fry the potato slices and strain them on kitchen paper. Grease your
Moussaka
pan with the tablespoon of olive oil and create a layer with the
fried potatoes taking
care not to leave gaps. Fry the eggplants and again strain them on
kitchen paper
and place them in a layer on top of the sliced potatoes. Sprinkle
some salt, pepper
and 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese on the eggplant layer. Strain
the Meat
Sauce of any excess oil (otherwise your moussaka will be too greasy)
and add it
evenly on top of the eggplant, sprinkle it with the second
tablespoon of grated
cheese and then prepare your Béchamel Cream.
BECHAMEL CREAM
This is an age old recipe handed down from mother to daughter in my
family tree
and finally from my mother to me. I strongly recommend that you
avoid the
temptation to adjust it as the extraordinary delight you will get
when you taste it
atop of traditional moussaka will leave an aftertaste in your mouth
that will linger in
your memory for days.
2 well beaten eggs
200 gr (7 oz) butter
10 heaped tbsp plain flour
5 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 - 4 flat tbsp very spicy grated hard cheese
8 cups cold milk
6 dabs butter
Melt the butter in a pot over a low flame and add the flour stirring
constantly with a
wooden spoon until the flour and butter combine and almost resemble
a dough.
Quickly add the 4 of the cups of milk and keep stirring with a whisk
until the
mixture becomes almost creamy and when it starts to thicken a lot
add the
remaining milk and the beaten eggs (after the milk). Continue
stirring until
everything has combined evenly and is a thick creamy texture - this
may take some
effort. (If you have lumps use an electric hand mixer in it for a
couple of minutes
and the flour lumps will dissolve.) Add the sugar, mix it in, the
salt, pepper,
cinnamon and cheese and mix everything well until it acquires its
creamy texture
again. Allow it to bubble over a low flame for about 2 minutes
stirring constantly. If
you cream is too thick add a little more milk or water and stir it
in well until it
obtains the desired thickness. If, on the other hand, your cream is
too thin let it
stand for about 3-5 minutes and it will thicken as it cools and then
use it.
Pour the Béchamel Cream evenly on top of the meat sauce and add the
dabs of
butter to the surface of the cream in various places. Bake the
moussaka in a
medium preheated oven at 180 C (350 F) for about 30 minutes or until
the cream
unevenly browns in places. Allow the moussaka to cool somewhat and
then cut it
into servings and serve. Any questions feel free to give me a buzz.
Maria maria@authentic-greek-recipes.com
Jack Poulter On an Island in the Pacific
jpoulter@islandnet.com
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For Gail in SW/PA:
Cherry Crumb Top Pie
1 - 8" or 9" unbaked pie shell
1 - can cherry pie filling
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine (not lite)
Put pie filling in pie shell. Mix together with pastry mixer or
electric mixer the flour,
brown sugar and butter, until particles are uniform. Carefully mound
over pie filling.
Bake at 400 degrees about 40 minutes or until filling is bubbling
through crumb
topping. You can also use apple pie filling with this.
melaineperez@sbcglobal.net
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HI Kaylin,
This is for Shannon who wanted a German Chocolate Cake.
German Chocolate Cake
Prep: 30 min Bake: 30 min
1 pkg (4oz) Baker's German Sweet Chocolate
½ c water
1 c (2 sticks) butter softened
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
6 eggs separated
3 t vanilla
1 c buttermilk
LINE bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; grease
sides of pans.
(I use disposable foil pans)
MICROWAVE chocolate and water in large microwavable bol on HIGH
1-1/2 to 2
minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after each
minute. Stir until
chocolate is completely melted.
MIX flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in
large bowl with
electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg
yolks, 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition.
BEAT egg whites in another large bowl with electric mixer on high
speed until stiff
peaks form. Gently stir into batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans.
BAKE at 350F for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers
comes out
clean. Immediately run spatula between cakes and sides of pans. Cool
15
minutes (after completely cooled, cakes can be frozen - in pans -
un-iced). Remove
cake layers from pans. Remove wax paper. Cool completely on wire
racks.
Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between layers and on top
of cake.
Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting
Prep: 5 min Bake: 12 min
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
4 t Vanilla
1½ c sugar
1 pkg (7 oz) Angel Flake Coconut (about 2-2/3 to 3 cups)
5 egg yolks slightly beaten
1½ - 2 c chopped pecans
1½ sticks butter
MIX milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla in large saucepan.
Cook on medium
heat 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring
constantly. Remove
from heat.
ADD coconut and pecans; mix well. (Depending on consistency, you
might add
the larger amount of coconut and pecans.) Cool to room temperature
and of
desired spreading consistency. Makes about 4-1/2 cups or enough to
fill and frost
top of 3 layer cake or frost tops of 2 (13x9 inch) cakes or 24
cupcakes.
Mary Gambrel Amarillo, TX
mary.gambrel@amaisd.org
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