Greenpie

Vlach

Ingredients for 6-8 people

for the phyllo sheets:

1kg soft flour

1 & 1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

for the filling:

1/2 kg spinach

1/2leek and nettles

2 onions

1 bunch parsley

1 cup olive oil

Directions

Mix all the ingredients for the phyllo sheet together in a large bowl and knead until the dough is soft. Let it restfor 30 minutes.

Divide the dough and each piece in many smaller pieces. Spread each piece of dough with a rolling pin, grease it with olive oil and place them on top of one another, creating two pieces of dough with many layers.

Then roll each piece with a rolling pin into a phyllo sheet.

Chop the spinach, leeks, nettles and sauté them all together without oil, until they are tender.Remove any juices and add 3/4 cup of olive oil and the chopped parsley.

Grease a baking tray and place one of the phyllo sheets on the bottom of it. Pour the filling in and place the second phyllo sheet on top. Cut any pieces of dough that may be protruding and oil the top of the phyllo sheet. Beat one egg yolk with milk and olive oil and spread the mix on top of the pie.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Varenika

Pontian

INGREDIENTS for 4 people

1/2 kg flour

2 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

1 egg

for the filling:

400 gmyzithra cheese

5 tablespoons cow butter

DIRECTIONS

Place the flour in a bowl and add the water, egg and salt.

Knead until the dough is firm, without sticking to your fingers. Let it rest covered with a towel forhalf an hour.

Divide the dough in portions, sprinkle them with flour and roll them out with a rolling pin into sheets. Cut each sheet into small squares of a 4x4cm dimensions.

Place a teaspoon of myzithra cheese in the center of each small square and fold it with your fingers to cover the stuffing.Press the edges gently with a fork, so that the filling won’t leak during boiling.

Boil water in a pot and add a spoonful of salt and a tablespoon of cow butter.

Place the Varenika into the boiling water and boil for 7-10 minutes.When they surface, take them out of the pot and place them on plates. Drizzle with melted cow butter and some yogurt.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Manti

Caramanli

INGREDIENTS for 4-6 people

1/2 kg minced beef

1 large onion

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

1 cup oil

1 cup chicken broth

salt - pepper

For the dough:

1cup milk

1/2 packet baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 kg flour

DIRECTIONS

Chop the onion and sauté in a saucepan.Add the minced beef while stirring constantly, to prevent it from sticking to the pan.When the meat is ready (approximately ten minutes), add salt, pepper and the tomato sauce. Let it boil for 5 minutes, then remove it from the stove wait for it to cool down.

Put the milk, oil, eggs, baking powder and the salt in a bowl and mix gently. Gradually add the flour to the mix until the dough is soft and let it rest for half an hour.

Roll out the dough in sheets with a rolling pin and cut them in small squares.Add a spoonful of the filling in each square sheet and close it with your fingers, linking the 4 edges together of the top to form a pouch. Grease a baking tray with oil and put the manti in the tray.

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.Once removed from the oven, pour the chicken broth over the manti and cover them with a towel to soak up the broth. Serve with yogurt.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Peinirli

Constantinople

INGREDIENTS for 4-6 people

1/2 kg flour (all purpose)

1 teaspoon salt

1 packet yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup lukewarm water

10 pieces bacon

10 pieces cheese

3 sausages

DIRECTIONS

Pour the cup with the lukewarm water in a bowl and add salt, sugar, the yeast and the flour. Knead until the dough is soft.

Divide the dough into portions and roll a thin sheet.

Cut the sheets in pieces of 20x10cm dimensions and shape them like boats.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Bake the dough boats for about 15 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and place our ingredients (bacon, cheese and sausage pieces)inside the boat-like pastries; continue baking for 15 more minutes.Serve the peinirli warm.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Piroski

Pontian

INGREDIENTS for 4-6 people

1 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 packet dried yeast
4 cups flour
4-5 boiled potatoes, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4-5 teaspoons dill
frying oil

DIRECTIONS
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water.Add the flour and salt and knead until the dough is soft. Leave the dough for 30 minutes to rise.

Then divide it in 100g balls.and roll each out with your fingers in thin sheets, using some oil.

Sauté the onions, potatoes and dill and add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of oregano.

Place some filling in each sheet and fold it. Deep fry the piroski over medium heat, turning them several times, until they get a brown color.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Siron

Pontian

INGREDIENTS for 4 people

500gsiron*

500gpaskitan**

2-3 garlic cloves

100g.cow butter

water

DIRECTIONS

Arrange the siron in a pan in a loose manner.Boil water and pour it on the siron, until they are covered.

Make “tsachlama”, i.e. dilute the paskitan in some water, add minced garlic and pour over the siron. Burn the butter and pour it in the pan as well. Serve the siron.

* Siron: handmadewrappedbakedpasta, available in special grocery stores.

** Paskitan: Pontian yogurt

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Euriste

Pontian

INGREDIENTS for 4 people

1kg euriste*

100gcow butter

salt

gais - cheese**

DIRECTIONS

Place the euriste in a colander and pour boiling water over it.Cover it with a towel for 4 minutes.

Burn the butter in a pan and place the euriste in a platter. Drizzle with the burnt butter and stir.

Add the cheese and, optionally, some sugar and cinnamon.

* Euriste: Handmade Pontian pasta. Available in special grocerie stores.

** Gais - cheese: Pontian cheese.You can substitute it with feta or another white cheese of your choice.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Pickled Cabbage - Armia

Thracian

Ingredientsfor 4 people

1 large cabbage

coarse salt

water

1 large clay pot

some chickpeas

Directions

Slit the cabbage around the stem, deep enough to form a hole in the middle of it. Remove the heart and fill the gap with coarse salt.

Place the cabbagein a large clay potand add as much water as it takes to cover it.Shake the pot from time to time, in order to mix the salt and the water, and add the chickpeas.

Put some sort of weight on top of the cabbage to hold it in the water, so it won’t turn black, and leave the pot in a cool spot (it will turn bad if the environment is too warm). In about a month Armia will be ready.

When the cabbage is pickled, you can chop it finely to make a salad. Just sprinkle a little olive oil and paprika on top and serve.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Fried Mushrooms

Ingredientsfor 2 people

1/2 kilo oyster mushrooms

flour

salt

pepper

oil

lemon juice

Directions

Clean the mushrooms thoroughly with a damp cloth and chop them in large pieces. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and dip them into flour. Deep fry the mushrooms, until they are crispy. Serve the dish hot with lemon juice.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Mantzanoskordo

Eastern Thrace

Ingredientsfor 2 people

1 large eggplant

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon vinegar

3 garlic cloves

salt

Directions

Bake the eggplant on the grill (or oven). Peel off its skin but keep the stem on to hold the eggplant together.Mince the garlic and sprinkle it over the eggplant along with some salt.Serve the eggplant with olive oil and vinegar.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer