Melomakarona & Kourabiedes

Melomakarona: Wheat flour, semolina, sunflower oil, sugar, honey, walnuts, orange juice, baking soda, cognac, cinnamon, cloves.

Melomakarona and kourabiedes are biscuits rich in ingredients and flavours and are a landmark in the Greek celebration of Christmas and New Year.
I can remember year after year the women of my family gathering around the kitchen table to produce them with immense excitement and joy. It is the common effort and the pleasure of a successful baking that makes this gathering so special. It is also a feast for all senses: looking, listening and speaking at your beloved ones; feeling the warmth of the room; forming the dough into beautiful shapes with your hands; tasting the dough to check if the ingredients blend well together; breathing in the divine fragrance of the baking: cinnamon, cloves, orange, butter, cognac.
This year I’ll follow my mother’s recipes, tried, improved (and perfected to our taste) over the years.
You can now buy your melomakarona and kourabiedes from the Sheffield Country Market on Saturday 12 and 19/12/09.

Kourabiedes: Wheat flour, goat’s butter, cow’s butter, almonds, icing sugar, semolina, cognac, baking powder, free-range egg.

Pecan pie

Pecan pies are part of the U.S. cuisine and are served at holiday meals. You can find many recipes on the internet.

Hint: Nuts are usually an expensive ingredient, so it's worth spending some time to find the cheapest place to buy them. I buy pecan nuts for 10.50/kg at the Castle Market. Let me know if you find them cheaper somewhere else!

Vegetarian pastitsio

Pastitsio is my favourite food and originally it is not vegetarian, because it is supposed to contain minced beef. The vegetarian version is a great dish as well. It contains pasta, feta cheese, eggs, cheddar, butter, salt and pepper. For the sauce I've used milk, wheat flour, butter, parmesan, salt, pepper and ground nutmeg.(In Greece we use "kefalotyri" cheese but in Sheffield I have to substistute it with other cheeses).

Hint: you can find this type of pasta, which resembles a long thin tube, in groceries selling international food e.g. on London road or Spital Hill. You can also find it in Italian delis but it will cost you much more.

Moussaka

This is moussaka! And I think it doesn't need any introductions! It has been prepared by me with love and care and with the freshest ingredients!
You can buy one for £ 3.40 at the Country Market tomorrow!

P.S. Don't let the aluminium container discourage you, it contains a great dish. We use them in the Country Market so that we can provide each customer with their own full portion of a favourite food!

Spinach parcels

In Greek they are called "spanakopitakia". It means small spinach pies, and I think the rendering in English is "Spinach parcels". I have used the same ingredients for the filling as the previous times, but I've made the pastry differently. It is made out of flour, yogurt, margarine, baking powder and salt, and trust me, it's delicious!
Would you like to taste it? Come tomorrow at the Country Market in Broomhill!

Briami (vegetable casserole)

It is vegan, it is simple, it is delicious!

Ingredients: potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, parsley, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Just slice them, mix them all together and bake in a roaster or casserole. Make sure that there is enough tomato juice and olive oil to almost cover the vegetables before placing in the oven. If the tomatoes do not release a lot of juice, add some water. Take out and stir with a big spoon in intervals of 20 min. approx. It should take around 1 and a half hour. The food is ready when the juices are absorbed and all vegetables are soft.

Enjoy!

Spanakopita (Spinach pie)

Oh fresh spinach, oh dill, oh feta, oh spring onions, oh eggs, oh fillo pastry...Oh, Oh, Oh!