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Recipe of the Month

"Traditional Greek cuisine is vibrant and has a lot going for it. It is simple and complex. It is healthy in the use of olive oil, olives (they rank 1st in the world per capita use), whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and lots of sea food, herb and spices. The cuisine also uses less red meat and fatty processed ingredients. This is not a fad but a way of life".
Taken from our cook book "Mastering the Art of Traditional Greek Cooking."

Large Shrimp in tomato Sauce

Serves 4

For sauce:

1/2-cup extra virgin olive oil

12-green onions trimmed on both ends, finely chopped

1-cup white dry wine

2-medium ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped

2-tender celery ribs with leaves , finely chopped

16-(1 pound) jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2-tbsp fresh basil, finely sliced

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

12-lemon zest strips

Heat a 12 inch sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Add oil and onions and sauté for 6 minutes.

Add wine, tomatoes, and celery, stir bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Add shrimp stir and simmer until shrimp turns opaque about 5 minutes.

Add basil, feta, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes more.

Serve over steam or boiled rice. Garnish with lemon zest.

Arni Yiahni

Lamb in Wine-Tomato Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2-lbs lamb, boneless from the leg or shoulder cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4-cup extra virgin olive oil

1-large onion, finely chopped
1-cup dry red wine

1 1/2-cups tomato sauce
1-tbsp tomato paste diluted in a cup of warm water (optional if omitted add 1/2 cup tomato sauce)
2-cinnamon sticks
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

hot water to cover the meat by 1 inch

Preparation:

Heat oil in a wide heavy casserole over medium high heat and brown lamb well on all sides, about 10 minutes total.
Add onions and continue for 6 minutes more until onions are translucent stirring frequently.

Deglaze with wine and scrape any dark pieces stuck to the bottom of pan with a wooden spatula.

Add the next 5 ingredients and enough water to cover meat by 1 inch stir . Bring to a boil , reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until meat is tender and all clear liquids are absorbed about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Shake pan and stir ingredients often so they don't stick to the bottom. Check for liquids and add a little water at a time as needed to finish the cooking. At finish all clear liquids must be absorbed leaving a rich velvety sauce at the end.

Pull from heat. Fish out cinnamon sticks and discard. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Serve hot over pasta, rice pilaf or Greek fried potatoes.

From our cook book "Mastering the Art of Traditional Greek Cooking" page #140.
Posted 2/15/11

Jumbo Shrimp with Ouzo

4-tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6-green onions trimmed, washed, chopped into 1/4-inch rounds

1/2-tsp salt or to taste

3-large garlic cloves, finely chopped

20-jumbo shrimp (16 per lb) peeled, de-veined, tail on optional

3-tbsp fresh basil, chopped

3-ounces ouzo (Greek aperitif)

Heat oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt and sauté until translucent about 6 minutes.

Add garlic and continue for 1 minute more.

Add shrimp and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Add basil, stir and sauté until shrimp turns opaque, about 3 minutes more.

Stir in ouzo and ignite with a long match. Shake pan back and forth until flames expire.

Serve over watercress or arugula salad.

Taken from our cook book "Mastering the Art of Traditional Greek cooking" page #67

Kourabiethes

Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1-lb unsalted butter, very soft

2-egg yolks, from extra large eggs

1/2-cup powder sugar

1-tsp vanilla extract

1/4-cup ouzo or brandy (use what you like as the flavor will be different)

1/2-cup blanched almonds, coarsely chopped

5-6-cups unbleached white flour

4-cups powder sugar for the top

Whip butter in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with wire attachment set on high speed. Whip in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg is added. Add powder sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip for a total 8 minutes. Stop mixer, replace wire attachment with flat beater set on low speed, and slowly add ouzo or brandy and almonds. Add flour a cup at a time until you have a soft cookie dough and mix until all ingredients come together.

Turn dough onto a clean work surface. Scrape dough with a plastic scraper and knead until all is uniform.

Take a piece of dough the size of a large walnut and work it in your hands into a 3-inch long rope. Place it on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper and move the two ends inward to form the shape of a quarter moon (crescent). continue to make the rest of the cookies, placing each cookie in a row about 1-inch apart to give room to expand as they bake.

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Bake in the middle of oven until golden brown about 25-30 minutes.

While cookies are baking, cover a table with butcher paper or parchment paper.

Sift enough powder sugar to cover the paper well. Pull cookies from over let cool for 5 minutes and place on top of powder sugar. Dust top with enough powder sugar to cover entire cookie about a 1/4-inch thick toping. Let cool completely.

Taken from our cook book "Mastering the Art of Traditional Greek Cooking" page #230