Greek cabbage rolls with lemon sauce

Ingredients:
For the rolls:
1 large white cabbage
1kg ground meat
1 onion, finely chopped 
100gr cooked Carolina rice (or frumenty)
1/3 bunch parsley, finely chopped 
1/3 bunch dill, finely chopped 
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
4 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons butter (70gr)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (70gr)
3 cups of the water with which we boiled the cabbage
2 lemons
lemon zest from 1 lemon
2 eggs
pepper

Method:

For the cabbage rolls:

1. Place a pot with water on heat, add salt, and let it boil.
2. Cut the stem of the cabbage. Put the cabbage in the pot with the stem side facing down.
3. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage carefully. Follow the same process for 15 minutes until we remove all of the leaves. Then, put them onto a baking pan to drain. Don't throw away the water.

For the stuffing:

1. In a bowl, add the ground beef, rice (or frumenty), cumin, parsley, dill, onion, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Mix well.

Preparation:

1. Take one cabbage leaf, add 1 tablespoon of the filling and roll. Follow the same process for the rest of the leaves.
2. Place them onto a baking pan.
3. Put them in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, 180°C (350°F).

For the sauce:

1. Place a pot on heat and add the butter.
2. As soon as butter melts, add the flour and sauté.
3. Add the water with which we boiled the cabbage in batches, while stirring with a hand whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
4. Add the lemon zest and juice, pepper, and mix.
5. Put the cabbage rolls in and let them steep for a few minutes. Then, remove.

Spread a little bit of the sauce over the cabbage rolls and enjoy! 

Credits: Nadja Joseph

Petit fours cookies with no sugar added peach spread

Ingredients:
220gr butter, at room temperature
120gr powdered sugar
2 medium eggs
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
320gr self-raising flour
50gr corn flour
no sugar added peach spread
200gr chocolate couverture, melted for coating
granulated chocolate, for coating (optional)

Method:

1. In a mixer bowl, add the butter and beat it until fluffy. 
2. Add the powdered sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, flour, corn flour and slowly beat them until fluffy.
3. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag and make long narrow sticks.
4. Preheat the oven to 175°C and bake for (around) 15'. Let them cool.
5. Divide the peach spread among half of the cookies and then, cover with the rest of the cookies.
6. Dip them halfway into a bowl with the melted chocolate and then into the granulated chocolate.

Let them cool and enjoy!

Credits: Maria

Sweet pumpkin pie

Ingredients:

450gr phyllo dough pie
1100gr yellow pumpkin
200gr granulated sugar
1 teaspoon clove, powder
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
70gr walnut, finely chopped
200gr coarse semolina
150gr extra virgin olive oil for brushing phyllo dough pie
powdered sugar
65gr raisins (optional)

Method:

1. Grate the pumpkin in a grater, drain the excess moisture and then, put it in a bowl.
2. Add the sugar into the bowl, mix and set it aside for 15 minutes. The pumpkin will extract its juices due to the sugar, so drain the excess moisture.
3. Add clove, cinnamon, walnut, semolina (and raisins) into the bowl and mix.
4. Grease a 25x35cm baking pan with extra virgin olive oil and spread half of the phyllo sheets, by greasing them one by one.
5. Add the filling and cover with the remaining phyllo sheets, by greasing them one by one.
6. Lightly score the pie and bake it for one 50'-60' to 170°C Fan.
7. Then, dust it with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Cookies

Ingredients:

240gr butter, melted

120gr powdered sugar

1 pinch of salt

380gr flour

120gr ground almonds

1 egg

2 apples

 juice from 1 lemon

cinnamon

granulated sugar

150gr apple cinnamon jam Sisinni

Method: 

1. In a mixer bowl, add the butter and the egg and beat them until fluffy.
2. Add the powdered sugar, salt, flour, ground almonds, and mix with a spoon until all ingredients are completely combined.
3. Roll out cookie dough and cut it out into round pieces.
4. Then brush each piece with the apple cinnamon jam Sisinni.
5. Wash the apples, and cut them into thin slices.
6. Drizzle them with lemon juice.
7. Add the apple slices on top of each cookie piece and sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and sugar.
8. Put them in the oven, and bake for 15'-20' to 170°C.

Credits: Nicole Baumann

Flogeres with Greek delights

Ingredients:

1 package phyllo dough (450gr)
1 package delights (400gr)
150gr brown sugar
Powdered sugar
300gr water
Walnuts (trimmed)
Cinnamon 
Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. In a small pot, add the water and the sugar. As soon as it comes to a boil, boil for 5 more minutes and remove.
2. Put a sheet of phyllo dough on a clear surface of your kitchen and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Then cover with another sheet.
3. Repeat the same process for all of the sheets.
4. Cut along into strips of 15cm.
5. Cut your delights in half (if they are big pieces) and put 2 of them at the beginning of its strip. Add a bit of walnut. Start rolling the strip, creating a flute.
6. Repeat the same process for all of the sheets.
7. Brush a pan with extra virgin olive oil and add your flutes in. 
8. Bake for 40 minutes to 170°C, until golden.
9. When ready, remove from the oven and dip the flutes, one by one in the pot with the water and sugar. Dip a flute after having removed the previous one.
10. When done, sprinkle with some extra walnut.

Alternative method No1:

After baking, put your flutes on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Alternative method No2:

You can make flutes with feta cheese and ham.

Your flutes (in Greek Flogeres) are ready. Enjoy!

A cucu splash by Mataroa

Ingredients:

60ml Mataroa Mediterranean Dry Gin
20ml Fresh Lime Juice
20ml Falernum Syrup
15ml Fresh Cucumber Juice

Glass: Highball
Top up: Ginger Beer
Garnish: Cucumber Peels

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a shaker. Shake well and fine strain in a glass filled with ice. Top up with ginger beer and garnish with the cucumber peels.

Crêpe

Ingredients:

2 eggs

210gr all-purpose flour (1 1/2cup)

400 ml milk, 3.5% (1 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons butter (40gr), melted + extra for brushing

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch sugar

Method:

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar and salt until completely combined.
2. Add the butter and whisk.
3. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk. Add the remaining flour and mix.
4. Place a nonstick pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and spread it with a pastry brush.
5. As soon as pan warms up, add 1 ladleful of the mixture and tilt it so that the mixture spreads to cover the bottom of the pan.
6. Cook until golden and flip over.
7. You will know your crêpe is ready when you shake the pan and it no longer sticks to the pan.
8. Repeat for the rest mixture.

Serve with cocoa spread and cookies, or jam and fruits, or honey spread and wafers, or honey.

Stuffed peppers and tomatoes (Granny's recipe)- Gemista

Ingredients:

6 green bell peppers

4 tomatoes

1 carrot

1 red Florina pepper

15 tablespoons medium grain rice

2 onions

1 glove of garlic

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

2/3 cup of olive oil

salt 

pepper

Method:

1. Wash vegetables.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)  Fan. 
3. Cut the top of all peppers, about 1 cm below the stem, and remove all of the seeds.
4. With a spoon, carefully scoop out the flesh of the tomatoes, and put it into a bowl. Chop any big pieces.
5. Peel the carrot and grate with a cheese grater, using the large blades.
6. Finely chop the red Florina pepper.
7. Season the green bell peppers and tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle them with 6 tablespoons of olive oil. 
8. Finely chop the onions, the garlic, the dill, and the parsley. 
9. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pot over medium heat. 
10. Sauté the onions and the garlic for 2-3 minutes until they soften. Then put the rice and the red Florina pepper for 1 more minute. 
11. Add the tomato flesh so to deglaze the pot. 
12. Stir with a serving spoon and add the water, carrot, salt, and pepper. 
13. Simmer for 5 minutes until the rice softens and absorbs the water.
14. Remove the pot from the heat and add the dill and parsley.
15. Mix the stuffing with a spoon and divide it among the peppers and tomatoes. Fill only 3/4 of the peppers and tomatoes.
16. "Close" the peppers and tomatoes with their "lids".
17. Put the stuffed vegetables in a baking pan one next to another. 
18. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes until they are nicely golden. 

Serve with feta cheese and bread slices.

Mushrooms agaricus with oregano

Ingredients:

500gr mushrooms agaricus

10 cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons mustard

2 scallions

1 cloves of garlic

100ml white wine

salt

freshly ground pepper

oregano

Method:

1. After cleaning the mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and scallions, chop them in pieces. Chop garlic, too.
2. Place a frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.
3. Add the scallions and cherry tomatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes. 
4. Add the mushrooms and cook until they decrease in volume and lose their whole moisture. 
5. Then, add the wine and cook until evaporated.
6. Add the salt, pepper and mustard and mix. 
7. In the end, add oregano and mix.

Serve with feta or another cheese of your choice.

Mastic cocktail by Eva Distillery

Ingredients:

30 ml Mastic Tears Classic

20 ml Mastic Tears Dry

30 ml semi-sweet rose wine

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Glass: coupette

Production method: shaker