Celebrating Food Revolution Day in Athens with a Pic Nic !

Last Tuesday I got an invitation for a pic nic from a group of fellow foodbloggers, Constantina from Sabor by Conna, Eva from FunkyCook and Artemis Tsipi from Wonderfoodland. This was a pic nic to celebrate this year's Food Revolution Day.

                                     

FRD is an idea by the well known Jamie Oliver and its scope is to raise awareness about the importance of homemade and healthy quality food. This pic nic was indeed a celebration and I had the chance to meet  food bloggers that I follow regularly.

 Everyone was there at 4 o'clock-ok maybe not everyone :P- but the three girls had already prepared the pic nic space, decorating the park with ballons creating a very playful environment! Everyone gave their best and we created the tastiest pic nic ever!!!  I made a pasta salad with freshly grated zucchini that I have made before and you can find it here. I made though some alterations! I added some super fine cut red pepper and the result was really nice.

My zucchini pasta salad

Zucchini sandwiches by Madame Ginger

Corn, carrot and pea mini cakes by Conna

Beetroot muffin by Eleni from On top of Spaghetti blog

Savoury muffins by Eleni from Foodaily.gr

Amazing tart by Wonderfoodland

The tastiest Carrot Soup I ve ever eaten by Yolanda Kolliopoulou 

Thank you fellow food bloggers and friends for the good time we had, I hope that we ll gather together next year too to celebrate Food Revolution Day!!!  and a special thank you to Conna and Artemis who let me use their amazing Pic Nic photos!!! :)

Hünkar Beğendi-the Beef Edition!

This is what the Turks call the Sultan's Delight ! A mouthwatering dish full of flavours ... Originally is a lamb stew but I chose beef intead. It seems a difficult dish to execute but it 's not.  The aubergine puree is actually a bechamel sauce mixed with roasted aubergines.


(Recipe adjusted from here)

1 kg stewing beef, cut in large chunks

2 medium onions, finelly chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 tbs tomato paste dissolved in 1 glass white wine

1 cinammon stick

2-3 cloves 

salt & pepper

olive oil

For the smoked aubergine puree 

4-5 large aubergines

2 tbs good quality butter

2 tbs flour 

500 ml milk

1 small onion 

freshly grated nutmeg 

salt & pepper 

1. Heat in a medium pot some olive oil. Sautee the beef until they get brown from all sides. Then add the onion and garlic. Stir them a bit and then add the wine with the tomato paste. 

2. Add the spices and season well. Add some hot water in order to just cover the meat. Simmer for 45 minutes/1 hour until the meat is tender enough. 

3. In order to prepare the aubergine puree, you should bake the aubergine over a small gas burner or in the oven. Their skin is supposed to be a bit burnt and the flesh should soft. Before baking the aubergines you should prick them with a fork or else they will explode! When they are ready , peel their skin of and put the flesh in a food processor, mix well and set aside. 

4. Place the milk in a pot, add the whole onion and heat but dont boil. Heat well the butter in another saucepan and add the flour. Whisk well to create a beige paste/roux, then add gradually the hot milk in order to make a smooth bechamel sauce. Add some salt and pepper and freshly grated nutmeg and then add the aubergine mix. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

To serve place some of the puree on a plate and add the beef. Dont forget to add some of the delicious tomato sauce.

Enjoy! 

Spicy Spring Shrimp Linguini to die for....

This is one of the easiest recipes I know... I am not sure where I found it but I am sure that many of you have already tasted something similar. If you like a spicy touch you should definitely try it!



12 medium shrimps , peeled and deveined
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small red chilli peppers, finelly chopped
1 tbs tomato paste
1/4 glass white wine
olive oil
500 gr linguini cooked accordingly
grated feta cheese

1. Boil water in order to cook the pasta accordingly.
2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a deep non stick pan and add thegarlic and the shrimps. Mix the tomato paste with the wine and pour it over the shrimps. Add the chopped chilli peppers and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and then add the cooked pasta to get incorporated with the sauce.
3. Serve hot and enjoy it with some grated feta cheese . If you don't have feta just use your regular pasta cheese.

In Greek: Τέλεια πικάντικα λινγκουίνι με γαρίδες

Mince Beef Pies like Lahmacun and 1 minute Yoghurt Dip

I really like to combine tastes from different parts of my country's neiborhood. The best to do is to use different spices and the same basic ingredients. The taste would be totally different...recently i visit one of the famous spice shops in the centre of Athens , in Euripidou str. and bought some sumac. Sumac is not at allspicy but has a nice lemony flavour that ideally matches with lamb and beef.  The following recipe is not a lahmacum recipe but tastes like that. Don't worry,  the phyllo is very easy to make so do not hesitate to try the recipe. 

for the dough

3/4 cup tepid water

2 cups all-purpose flour ( use more flour if needed to make a non sticky dough) 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 shot vinegar

salt

for the filling

1/4 kg minced beef 

3 onions, finely chopped

1 tsp dry chilli flakes

2 tsps sumac

1 pinch of cinnamon

olive oil

1/2 cup water

salt & pepper 

for the dip

5 tbsps strained yoghurt

2 tbsps dry spearmint 

some water

1. First of all, make the yoghurt dip by mixing the yoghurt with the spearmint. Add some water if needed to make the dip more runny. 

2. Mix in a medium bowl water, olive oil and vinegar and add salt and gradually the flour in order to make a non sticky and soft dough. Set aside the dough to rest for 1 hour. 

3. Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan and add the minced beef. Brown it by stirring continuously and then add  the onions and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 1/2 hour and then let it cool. 

4. Divide the dough in small equal pieces and form small discs. Do not forget to sprinkle your surface with some flour to keep it from sticking. 

5.  Form small disks and with your hand and fill them with some minced beef. Bake the little pies for 30-40 minutes in a preheated oven ( 170oC) or until they become golden brown. 

Enjoy them with some yoghurt dip! 

Smoked Herring Pate !

Spring time is here and the sun is shining! For those of you that are greeks I am sure that you have already enjoyed a glass of ouzo or tsipouro with some mezedes/ the greek tapas. The recipe that follows is an amazing meze , really cheap and easy to do.  It can be prepared very quickly if you have already boiled a couple of potatoes. Spice it up as much as you like and enjoy!




1 can smoked herring in salted brine
1 medium onion
2 small potatoes, boiled
1 dry red chilli (optional)
pepper
some extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 spring onion, finely chopped
lemon zest

1. Put in a food processor the smoked herring, the onion , cut in fourths, the potatoes , 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice. Mix all the ingredients until you have a dense mixture. If you think that the mixture is too dense just add some olive oil or water.
2. Serve immediately by adding some pepper, sprinkling some spring onion and lemon zest.