Greek & Middle Eastern Food thread

Batigol309

Hi Guys,

Was in Athens recently and food was so good...souvlaki, Baklava, spanakopita, taramasalata and just great feel good food in general.

Also I love Lebanese food - ddicted to Sumac on everything at moment....

Anyone interested in starting a thread fro recipes etc....

Would be interested to see what you guys have in your repertoire

olaola

Sounds good, I love the food myself, but I don't really know how to make anything other than falafel! So any recipes would be fantastic

Batigol309

Made these last week ...lovely stuff
http://souvlakiforthesoul.com/chickpea-flatbreads-with-pork-souvlaki

For Souvlaki,

• Chicken/Pork/Lamb/Swordfish chunks
• Dried Oregano (Greek is best but $$$)
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice and Zest

Marinade Overnight then thread on skewers and grill or bbq (remember to soak skewers if using wooden before use or they will burn).

Serve with tzatziki

RECIPE FOR CHICKPEA FLATBREADS
Yields about 6-8 flatbreads
(N.B. These are all approximates. Feel free to adjust the flour until you achieve an elastic dough. Also, feel free to add any spice of your choice)

• 1 cup of plain (all purpose) flour
• 1 cup of plain wholemeal flour
• 1/2 a can of chickpeas (garbanzos) along with some of the liquid from the can
• 1/2 – 3/4 a cup of lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt

1. Combine the 2 flours, the spices and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the chickpeas and some of their juice from the can, the olive oil along with some of the luke warm water.
3. Proceed to mix everything together until a dough begins to form. Make sure you incorporate the chickpeas well into the dough.
4. *If you find you need to add more water or flour do so until you achieve a smooth pliable dough-knead for approximately 5 mins*
5. Place the dough in bowl, cover and let it rest for half an hour
6. When you are ready to make the flatbreads, take pieces of the dough and form into balls (a little bigger than the size of a golfball)
7. Roll out the balls into a circular shape, making them about 1/2″ thick
8. Cook the on a hot flat grill or pan for about 10 seconds. Once you see the flatbreads begin to puff up turn them over and cook the other side for the same time.
9. Place them in a kitchen towel lined basket as you cook them to keep them warm

Batigol309

Traditional Lebanese Fattoush Salad:

Fattoush Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 whole-wheat pitas, cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then toasted and crumbled
• 1 tsp. chopped garlic (2-4 cloves garlic)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (add more or less to taste)
• 2 tsp. powdered sumac, plus more for sprinkling on individual salads
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (let drain a minute or two if extra juicy)
• 1 cup diced cucumber (same size as tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (leaves only, no stems)
• optional: chopped green pepper or radishes

Method:
-Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F (200C). While oven heats, mash together the chopped garlic and salt using a mortar and pestle, or the side of a knife or spoon. Put garlic-salt paste in a small bowl, then add lemon juice and 1 tsp. sumac. Whisk in olive oil and set dressing aside.


-Cut whole wheat pita into strips about 3/4 inch wide and arrange on baking sheet. (Optional: Brush tops of pita with a bit of olive oil before baking.) Bake until pita strips are crisp but only barely starting to brown, less than 10 minutes.


-Put chopped lettuce into salad bowl large enough toss all ingredients.
-Chop tomatoes, green onions, cucumbers, mint, and parsley and add to lettuce. Add about half of the dressing and toss, then add crumbled pita chops and toss again with more dressing until you have your desired amount.

-At this point the salad should sit for a few minutes (or longer) to let flavors blend and so the pita chips absorb some of the dressing. To serve, arrange salad on individual plates and sprinkle with a bit more sumac.

the beer revolu

My version of Tabouleh:

Into a bowl goes a small onion, very finely chopped (and I mean very finely) and a couple of finely diced small tomatoes. Season well with salt and pour over the juice of a lemon. The onion will marinate nicely in the lemon while you prepare your herbs making the onion less harsh and 'raw' tasting.

Get a large bunch of mint and a large bunch of flat leaved parsley and (washed and well shook) and chop these up very finely.

Combine the herbs and onion, tomato and lemon juice.

That's it!

You could add a little olive oil or a very little bit of sugar, if you like.
Tabouleh should have bulgar wheat in it but I usually leave it out or else just put a little in - it should be a green herby salad, not a bulgar wheat salad but a small amount of grains through it is nice.

I like mine very lemony so suit it to your own taste.
It goes great with any kind of lamb.

jam_mac_jam

Some nice middle eastern recipes on this site - http://humus101.com/EN/.

Batigol309

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

Some nice middle eastern recipes on this site - http://humus101.com/EN/.

Some nice recipes there....also on bbcgoodfood today:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1263668/turkish-onepan-eggs-and-peppers-menemen

Turkish Menemen...could be a tasty brekkie/ quick dinner

nompere

Domini Kemp had a recipe for Shakshuka in her Irish Times column a few months ago:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2011/0205/1224288732225.html

It's similar to Batigol309's menemen. I've done it a couple of times for brunch and it went down very well.

jmauel

Well I've made that shaksuka (its a yotam ottolenghi recipe) above and can confirm that its fantastic. I add preserved lemon to mine also.

unseen

Octopus in white wine sauce
Recipe

If anybody is looking for a Greek recipe just ask

Curry Addict

would love a good recipe for garlic sauce and chilli sauce for kebabs