quinoa with spinach and beetroot (κινόα με σπανάκι και πατζάρια)

I made a lovely, healthy, and hearty dish yesterday that boosted my protein levels! Nope, it wasn't organic chicken breasts. Nor was it a baked sweet potato. Instead, it was a healthy 'grain' that has its roots in antiquity. It's called quinoa. Revered by the Incas, this staple had been part of the diet of these native inhabitants of the South American Andes for centuries and still continues to be enjoyed by the Quechuas and Aymara people. Technically quinoa is not a grain (although it tends to be talked about as such). It's in fact the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant.

I think of it as a substitute for rice. Where one would ordinarily use rice in popular Greek dishes, such as spanakorizo/σπανακόριζο (spinach rice), one could simply resort to this ancient supercrop. It's a great alternative, since couscous and rice seem to be an overkill in Mediterranean dishes.

Moving on. The following recipe is just for a single tummy. Perfect for a quick lunch or dinner post-gym.

1 cup of quinoa, washed under cold water to get rid of an otherwise bitter taste due to glycosids known as saponins

2-3 cups of chicken stock

2 cups of spinach, washed and sliced

1/2 cup of cubed beetroot (cooked, Tesco's finest is what I used)

1 clove of garlic, sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

1/4 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Add oil and onions to a medium-size pot and cook onions until soft (over medium heat, making sure you don't burn those onions of yours). Add the spinach, beetroot, and garlic. When spinach has wilted, add the quinoa, making you sure you stir around all the ingredients. It's important that the quinoa doesn't stick to your pot (this step will give your quinoa a nuttier flavor). After a minute, add two cups of the stock. One final stir, and increase the oven knob to a high setting, so you bring the mixture to a boil. Once that happens, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. Quinoa is cooked when you can see it translucent, with a white-spiraled tail detaching from the actually grain (seed, whatever you want to call it).

If this hasn't happened 12-minutes into the simmering, add more stock.

the final product

Serve immediately. For more recipes on this super-duper health food, check Susan Jane Murray's website, where the stunningly wondrous Irish cook, colleague, and friend offers plenty of wonderful recipes.

And for additional information on quinoa, please visit the BBC Good Food website.

greek-american yogurt a hit

The Degaitas recipe came out a success (see post from a few days ago). Part II from my birthday to come, plus the amazing Cowley Road festival from Sunday. I haven't strained it however, since I couldn't find the cheese cloth. It's surprisingly thick in consistency, nonetheless.

greek-American homemade yogurt

My dearest friend Maria from Rhode Island (USA) just sent me the following recipe upon request. It's verbatim from her mother, the legendary Elizabeth Degaitas. The Degaitas' are the quintessential Greek-American family. They are all about family, food, and community. They originally hail from the mythical islands of Paros and Naxos in the Aegean Sea. Their cooking is a fusion of Greek island, American, and Italian. The Degaitas' love for others is expressed through their hospitality and the quality of their food. When I lived in Rhode Island, and every time I go back, Elizabeth's door and kitchen are always open. She treats me like one of her own, and I'm privileged to know and care for this family. Word.

One gallon of milk to boil (whole milk!), bring to a boil. Turn off the fire. Let it cool down to the temperature where your finger can be comfortable in it. Then, 2 cups of plain yogurt, then take 2 cups of the warm milk. Mix together and then put it back in the pot with the rest of the warm milk.

Heat your oven to the smallest temperature you can do it. (200° F). Then once it's at 200° F, shut off the oven, then place the yogurt into the oven overnight. The day after, put in the fridge, let sit for a couple of hours (to chill), then strain with a cheese cloth.

Kali Epitihia
And Happy Birthday Saturday
Love you,
Elizabeth

baklava alert

A recipe of traditional baklava was just posted on the website of Chatzis, the mecca of baklava specialists back in my beautiful Thessaloniki!

click here for the recipe

φακόρυζο: my easy lentils and rice

Lentils are a comfort food in my household, and usually prepared as a soup with a tomato sauce. Anytime I make it, it evokes memories of my mother in winter. Greeks particularly love it with feta cheese broken in pieces and added directly into the soup itself. Fresh sourdough bread complements this dish beautifully.

Lentils are legendary for their nutritional value, and there is recent scientific literature to support the benefits of incorporating lentils in one's diet. They are good for your heart, and stabilize sugar levels as well. The lentil plant has its origins in the Near East, and has been part of our human diet for a long time now (I think since the aceramic Neolithic period). In addition, this healthy vegetable has the highest level of protein after soybeans and hemp. High in dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and other minerals, lentils are somewhat ignored in northern European/American diets in my opinion. The people of India adore it, as it is an important staple of their vegetarian diet. Greeks as well. You can find a variety of lentils in most shops (from brown, black, yellow, to red-orange), with/without their skins, split, or whole.

The following recipe is actually a combination of lentils and rice (fakorizo). I came back from the gym last night, and didn't have much in the cupboards, so given I had some lentils and a bit of brown rice left over, I went for it! The following recipe fed three of us (an impromptu visit by our friend Marietta to check Internet in our house, but I conned her into staying for dinner). I prepared a side dish of sautéed carrots with honey and olive oil, along with a cucumber and tomato salad. Somehow, a Montagny Vieilles Vignes White Burgundy (2007) appeared out of nowhere in the fridge, and it accompanied the meal perfectly!

1.5 cups brown lentils, rinsed with cold water twice

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large white onion, sliced

1.5 cups brown rice (you can use other types of rice, such as Arborio)

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cups of chicken stock (made from 1 OXO stock cube)

generous amounts of coarse pepper

1/2 cup chopped dill

The only fresh ingredients you need here are the onion and the dill.

1. Add lentils and bay leaf in a medium size pot with boiling water, and reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes. Lentils should get soft after 15 minutes. Drain and discard bay leaf.

2. About 10 minutes into simmering the lentils, add 1/4 cup olive oil, the cumin, and the onions to large pot, and sauté the onions over low-medium heat until they are soft (careful that they don't get too brown, just a soft golden color is what you are looking for). Probably around 5-6 minutes.

3. Add the stock to the onions, then the drained lentils, the rice, and salt/pepper to taste. Stir and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce to a low heat and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes (since brown rice generally takes longer than white rice). It's important that you stir every few minutes so that the lentils don't get stuck, and if necessary, add a little more stock. In the end, you want the water to be absorbed and to have a consistency of just the rice and lentils.

4. A teaspoon of dill over each portion is the perfect touch. And if you have some feta, even better. Καλή όρεξη!!

my very own fresh pizza dough

Fresh out of the oven.

Topping up with ingredients: mozarella, Dutch salami, bacon, sliced red onion, diced red pepper, garlic, and fresh Greek basil (with a dash of salt).

The dough base with olive oil organic tomato sauce with freshly ground pepper and a touch of salt.

I called my mother to ask her about her pizza dough recipe, and the first thing she told me was 'Honey, it will just be easier to buy pizza dough'. I was shocked! She's so Americanised. Mama Hodges actually gave me an important tip when it comes time to rolling out fresh dough. Corn flour. Sprinkling a tad bit of it over your dough ball allows for a smoother rolling of the dough itself.

I will post my very own recipes from last night, including the fabulous New Haven inspired white pizza with mashed potatoes, bacon, and garlic!

best chocolate cake (in the history of mankind)

What do you get when you have a dark chocolate cake made with double cream that has fresh white chocolate mouse poured over it while it comes out of the oven, and then top it with a milk chocolate ganache, along with grated chocolate? Heaven on earth. Humility out the door, my chocolate cake is a work of art.

The following recipe was again an experiment, tested on my lab mates as part of Eirini's birthday celebration last week. I was going to go for something more white and fruity. Thought about a sponge cake with a butter cream filling and raspberry compote, but opted for something far richer. So, it was chocolate. Anyone on a diet or orders by the doctor to cut down on their cholesterol should click away from the blog.

This cake is a happy medium between a sponge cake and a really compact chocolate tart. The secret to its moistness is the white chocolate mouse that you pour over the cake as it comes out of the oven.

CAKE
200g dark chocolate , Fair Trade (~70% cocoa)
300g butter , cut into one-inch pieces
1.5 tbsp instant coffee granules (Nescafe) diluted in 100ml of warm water
200g self-raising flour (sifted)
1 tbsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (may not be necessary if you don't have it)
300g dark brown sugar
300g caster sugar
4 large eggs (organic/free range is better)
100ml double cream
150g milk chocolate bar, cold (for decoration on top)

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSE
200 Belgian white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

3 large eggs, separated

2 tbsp caster sugar

200ml double cream, softly whipped

GANACHE
200g good quality milk chocolate
280ml double cream (basically one carton off your supermarket shelf)
2 tbsp caster sugar

Preheat your fan oven to 160 degrees C (each oven has its own personality, but for conventional oven I'd go 170). Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and dust some flour all over the base. Cut the dark chocolate in pieces (makes melting much easier)into a medium-size sauce pan. Add in the butter and coffee, and over low heat, allow the chocolate to melt as you slowly stir all three ingredients with a metal spoon. You are looking for a smooth, liquid consistency.

Mix the flour, the baking powder, and the bicarbonate of soda, along with the sugars in a very large bowl (if you don't have one, a big pot where you make pasta will work well). It's good to use a whisk to do this. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs using a fork and stir in the double cream.

Take the egg/cream and melted chocolate mixtures and add them into the flour mixture, and use a hand mixer (or whisk vigorously) just until everything is well blended. You're looking for a smooth consistency again. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for about 1 hour. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN FOR THE FIRST 45 minutes of baking.

With cake in oven, prepare your white chocolate mouse. Melt your chocolate in a heatproof bowl (I use a big glass salad bowl) over a small pan of simmering water. It's important not to let the base of your bowl touch the water. When the chocolate has melted and has a nice smooth texture, set to the side, and ensure it doesn't harden (read this whole recipe through once before you begin). Beat your egg yolks and the caster sugar in a medium size bowl until they're mixed well and you get a thick texture. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until nice and fluffy. Take a large metal spoon and fold the white chocolate into the egg yolk/sugar mixture. Then fold in the double cream (which you have whipped up with a hand held mixer). Last step is to very carefully fold in your egg whites, and mix the ingredients gently.

Take a toothpick, open the oven (~50 minutes), and place in the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done and take it out. Place on a wire rack, and after 2 minutes take a fork and lightly stab the top of the cake all over. You are looking to go about 1/4 inch deep into the cake with your fork. This is a critical step. Immediately pour the white chocolate mouse on top (which you have prepared while the cake is in the oven). Let the mouse set for about 5 minutes and then remove the ring. It may get a little messy as some mouse drips off. It's all good!

For the ganache, cut the milk chocolate into very small pieces with a sharp knife and add into a medium size bowl. Pour the double cream into a small pan, add the sugar, and heat over medium-high flame until it is almost boiling. Remove from heat and pour it over the chocolate. Keep stirring with a fork until all the chocolate has melted and you have achieved that smooth, rich, velvety consistency. Pour it over the cake as you did with the white chocolate mouse.

To finish off, you want to get that WOW factor. You must top off the cake with chocolate shavings. I like to use a vegetable peeler along the side of a chocolate bar that has come straight out of the fridge (or a pile of chocolate curls (which you can buy from your local cake decorating shop).

Enjoy!

maple syrup from Canadia (and cake)

This is a recipe given to me by a colleague in the lab from Canada, Max. His friend Laura gave it to him, and it's in the category of divine (Srin, that's a shout out to you, babe). I'm thinking of adding my own creame cheese frosting to eat. Simon, what you think? Here it is. Update tomorrow on the outcome.

1 1/2 cups maple syrup
1 1/2 cups double cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 deg F / 175 deg C
First, make sauce: combine maple syrup and double cream in saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes until it begins to thicken, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Batter: Cream together white sugar and butter. Beat in eggs and stir in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in cup milk.

Pour about two thirds of the cool sauce into a 9x9 cake pan, or a deep round baking dish. Spoon batter on top of the sauce and spread (using a spoon) until it covers all the sauce. Pour remaining sauce on top of the batter.

Bake 30-40 minutes, until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

rhubarb experiment

Tonight I decided to whip up my very own rhubarb crumble. You first may ask 'what the heck is rhubarb?' Interestingly, if you go to the website of the American cable station the Food Network, and do a search for 'rhubarb', you get 61 hits. If you then navigate over to the BBC food website, and do the same, you'll get 113 hits. I never heard about rhubarb until I came to England.

So, what is it? A vegetable indeed. In cold climates as in England (weather is not one of the reasons I live in this otherwise lovely country), most of the plant above ground disappears completely during the winter, and only until April do you begin to see the plant grow again from its root. It's now out in full, with incredibly large leaves that are fan-shaped. We have literally a bush of it in our backyard. Out of nowhere, it's like a phoenix rising out of the ashes. OK, maybe that's a stretch, but you get the point.

The leaves themselves have poisonous substances, however. They include oxalic acid, nephrotoxic acid, and some other unidentified toxin. One needs to consume about 5 kilos of these unpleasanlty sour leaves in order to come to the median lethal dose for oxalic acid. I can't imagine a human being doing this, but nonetheless, be warned.

What is used in foods are the stalks (otherwise known as petioles), which are characteristically deep red in colour. The stalks are ready to be consumed immediately when they are harvested. You can cook the stalks in a variety of ways, but I have seen them more commonly used in dessert recipes. If you stew them, the end-result is a tart sauce, often used as a filling for pies and crumbles (the latter I made an attempt at tonight). Apparently it makes a nice jam but I have never tried it. I will never give up fresh strawberry jam (especially the kind my girl Romy makes back in New England using Connecticut strawberries).

Of historical interest to some, after sugar became affordable to the masses in this country, a stick of rhubarb (coupled with sugar of course) was a popular sweet for children.

I just took it out of the oven, and it looks strange. Agh. And I need clotted cream for this. I don't have any.

My recipe follows:

Filling

1 kg rhubarb (cut stalks from my backyard, washed first and then diced in small pieces)

3 tbsp of Grand Marnier

juice of 1 lime

1 cup orange juice

250g sugar

Crumble

250g flour

400g of oats

1 cup melted butter

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

150g sugar

1. Preheat oven 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Combine first rhubarb plus other filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix them well and add this to the bottom of an 8" square cake pan.

3. For the crumble, combine flour, oats, ginger, nutmeg, and sugar in a separate bowl, mixing with a fork. Add melted butter and stir. If the consistency of the crumble is too thick, add a little water. Pour it over the rhubarb filling. You want it to evenly spread over the rhubarb.

4. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes. Watch out for the top of the crumble, and make sure it's not overcooked.

5. Once out of the oven, you can serve it hot or cold, with clotted or whipped cream.

bourekakia (like a baklava, but not)

This recipe is courtesy of the Patisserie Chatzis in Thessaloniki. Translation into English to follow. This recipe is more than reliable, it's fantastic!

Υλικά:

• 530 gr. Φύλλα Κανταΐφι
• 1060 gr. Φύλλο κρούστας
• 500 gr. Βούτυρο (Αγελαδινό)
• 500 gr. Καρύδι

Υλικά για σιρόπι:

• 1700 gr. Νερό
• 2 κιλά Ζάχαρη
• 300gr. Γλυκόζη
• ½ Φλιτζανάκι Χυμό Λεμόνι

Προετοιμασία:

Απλώνουμε τα φύλλα κρούστας. Παίρνουμε δύο φύλλα και απλώνουμε στο κέντρο κανταΐφι και σε όλο το μήκος του το πασπαλίζουμε με βούτυρο. Απλώνουμε παράλληλα καρύδια και τυλίγουμε το φύλλο έτσι ώστε να γίνει ρολό.
Αφού τελειώσουμε τα ρολά, κόβουμε το κάθε ένα ρολό σε 12 με 15 εκ. κομμάτια. Έπειτα τα τοποθετούμε στο ταψί οριζόντια ή κάθετα. Αφού γεμίσει το ταψί πασπαλίζουμε με το υπόλοιπο βούτυρο τα κομμάτια ένα-ένα, έτσι ώστε να καλυφθούν καλά όλα τα κομμάτια.
Έπειτα βάζουμε το γλυκό σε προθερμασμένο φούρνο και το ψήνουμε στους 180 oC για 1ώρα και 5 λεπτά.

Προετοιμασία για σιρόπι:

Σε μια κατσαρόλα ρίχνουμε το νερό, την ζάχαρη και την γλυκόζη βράζοντας σε σιγανή φωτιά. Μόλις το σιρόπι πάρει βράση ρίχνουμε το χυμό λεμονιού μέσα στη κατσαρόλα και ανακατεύουμε. Έπειτα το βράζουμε καλά μέχρι να δέσει.

Σιρόπιασμα:

Περιμένουμε να κρυώσει το γλυκό και ρίχνουμε, σε χλιαρή θερμοκρασία, το σιρόπι μέσα στο ταψί. Έπειτα περιμένουμε για μία περίπου ώρα μέχρι να ωριμάσει έτσι ώστε να είναι έτοιμο για σερβίρισμα.

you like my balls? (as in meatballs)

A very interesting article on Greek meatballs by NY Times' Elaine Louie cites Diane Kochilas, a cookbook author and the consulting chef at Pylos in New York's East Village, who says something which I agree with 110% - 'the most aromatic Greek cooking is the food of Greeks who were refugees from Turkey'.

My father would agree on this one. His side of the family is originally from Asia Minor and settled in Thessaloniki in the earlier part of the 20th century.