Greek Food: Gigantes Beans with Bacon & Cretan Graviera Cheese

Now, I have long enjoyed southern Greek versions of baked Gigantes, but when I was 1st introduced to the spicy northern variation I was immediately hooked. I have a thing for spicy dishes, especially during the winter months here in Canada. Thus, I thought it might be fitting to share my own seasonal spicy and savoury variation on the classic baked Gigantes theme. In addition to the boukovo, I added two unconventional ingredients to my recipe: thick-cut bacon and mild-flavoured Cretan Graviera cheese. The result was simply mouth-watering and I hope you will give this Greek comfort food recipe a try.

Ingredients:

=½ lb. dried Gigantes beans
=¼ lb. Cretan Graviera cheese
=2 - 3 slices extra-thick cut bacon
=1 medium sized onion
=1 red bell pepper (diced)
=1 cup strained tomato pulp/sauce
=½ cup Olive oil
=3 garlic cloves
=A small bunch of Parsley, finely chopped
=1 tbsp. Boukovo or red pepper (chilli) flakes
=1 tbsp. dried Greek oregano
=Salt & pepper

 Preparation:

=Soak the dried Gigantes beans overnight (use at least a 3:1 ratio of water to beans).

=Rinse and add rehydrated beans to a generous pot of boiling water and cook for 45
minutes over a medium heat, until the beans are soft. Using a large spoon, periodically skim away any surface foam that may develop.

=In a large sized skillet/pan, fry off the bacon until cooked but not completely crisped, then remove the bacon from pan but retain the fat. Cut the bacon into thin strips and set aside.

=Add the diced onion to the pan with the bacon fat and sauté until soft.

=Press and add garlic to the pan along with two tablespoonfuls of olive oil; stir for a few turns and then add the diced red pepper for several turns/tosses. Season with oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

=Stir in the tomato sauce along with 1 cup of water and half the bacon strips along with the chopped parsley and boukovo, bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 18 – 20 minutes.
=Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C and place an earthenware/stoneware/clay baking vessel in the oven to warm. (I prefer to use a Pampered Chef ® square stoneware baking dish).

=When the beans are cooked , drain them and add them to the pan with the sauce to combine.

=Take the heated vessel out of the oven, add the beans to it, pour the remaining olive oil over top and return to oven. Bake for 40 minutes.

=Remove baking vessel from oven; add cubed cheese and bacon strips over top of the beans and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

=Serve immediately along with some chewy sourdough village-style bread.

Makes 4 servings.

Greek Food: Fasolada

For Greeks, the 40 day pre-Easter Lenten fast means beans have been quite common over the last little while, which means we are eagerly looking forward to the Paschal lamb this coming Easter Sunday. So, I will wish you all a Happy Easter  As a bonus, I will share with you what went into my last bowl of for quite some time to come.

This is my own version of the rustic bean soup which is a Lenten friendly dish and makes for a hearty vegan meal.

Ingredients:

=1 lb dried haricot (white kidney) beans
=2 medium sized carrots, sliced into discs
=2 medium cooking onions, diced
=2 stalks of celery, sliced thin
=1 cup tomato sauce (i.e. pommodoro) or 3 finely diced tomatoes.
=1 medium sized parsnip, quartered and thinly sliced
=1 tbsp. dried rosemary
=1 tbsp. dried thyme
=3 bay leaves
=¼ cup of olive oil
=4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
=4 - 6 garlic cloves, whole or halved
=Salt and pepper

 Preparation:

=Soak beans overnight in roughly three times their volume of water.

=Dump beans into a colander and rinse well before use.

=Put 3 quarts of water in a pot, add the beans and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim away surface foam as it develop. Boil beans for 16 minutes, continuing to skim away surface foam using a wooden spoon. At the 16 minute mark, skim off the last bit of foam and dump the pot’s content into a colander to strain and rinse the beans. Also rinse the pot well.

=Put another 3 quarts of fresh water in the pot, bring it to a boil and add the beans. After 5 minutes, skim any remaining surface foam that may develop, and then add all of the remaining ingredients into the pot. Stir the contents of the pot well and when it has resumed boiling, cover the pot with its lid slightly ajar and let it simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally and check to ensure ample liquid in the pot to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom. Though it is technically a soup, you do not want a very runny fassoulada, nor do you want one that is thick and gooey, so monitor the water content of the pot and add a cup or so if necessary.

Greek Food: Prasorizo - Leeks and Rice

The fresh green onions and garlic are excellent complements to the leeks in this dish as they are all part of the genus Allium. This dish is vegan and fast-friendly. However, for those of you who are not fasting, some real greek feta cheese  also goes well with this dish, whether on the side, or crumbled over top as a finishing touch.

An easy and quick Greek recipe that is tasty and seasonal.

Ingredients:

=3 large leeks sliced into thin discs

=4 - 6 green onions sliced

=1 yellow onion, diced

=1 cup long grain rice

=½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

=¼ cup pine nuts

=¼ cup of chopped parsley

=4 garlic cloves, pressed/minced

=1 heaping tablespoon full of dried Greek oregano

=2 ½ cups of water

=Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

=Heat the olive oil in a pot over a medium heat.

=Add the leeks and onions to the oil stir well and sauté until soft (cover the pot for 4 -5 minutes).=Add the rice and sauté for two more minutes mixing well to coat the rice with oil.

=Add garlic, pine nuts and parsley to the pot, mix and heat through for another minute.

=Add seasonings and gradually add two cups of water in stages, stir/shake pot to thoroughlyincorporate.

=Once all the water has been added and the pot’s contents brought to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the pot to simmer for 22 minutes.

=Periodically uncover the pot and give the contents a stir/shake. At the 5-minute mark, uncover the pot, give the contents a stir and, if necessary, add the remaining ½ cup of water. Cover and finish cooking.

=When the cooking has elapsed, leaving the pot covered, remove it from the heat and set it aside to stand for 12 minutes.

=Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with a lemon wedge.

 Makes 4 servings

Total preparation time:50 minutes.

Greek Food: Macedonian Halva

There are probably as many variations on this recipe as there are Greek matrons with culinary opinions. My recipe is quite basic, feel free to add or substitute other elements like pine nuts, sesame seeds, walnuts, or whatever else tickles your fancy. A few drops of orange blossom water or even some lemon rind in the syrup could also be a nice touch. Greek Food

I should mention that not only are there numerous permutations for this recipe, there are also alternative preparation methods involving the oven, for instance. To add to the complexity of the matter, Greeks apply the term halva interchangeably to flour or nut-based  versions of this confection.

Thus much have I for you today on the topic of my Macedonian halva recipe. I hope you try it. If you know any Irish folk, give them a hug today. Greece and Ireland have a lot in common these days.

Ingredients

=1 cup coarse semolina

=1 cup Greek blossom honey

=4 cups of water

=¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

=¼ cup blanched almonds, chopped

=¼ cup sultana raisins

  Ground cinnamon

Note: 

for those of you with a keener sweet tooth, adding a ½ cup or so of sugar to the syrup is an option. I prefer the simple purity of the honey as my sweet tooth has dulled with wisdom... ;-)

Preparation:

1. =Combine honey and water in a pan, and set to boil as our syrup. When it has boiled, set it to simmer while you prepare the semolina mixture.
2. =Heat olive oil in a pot over medium to high heat
3. =When the oil is hot, add the semolina to the pot and mix it continuously with a wooden spoon to brown the semolina thoroughly; try to keep it from smoking much, keep it moving in the bottom of the pan. About Six–eight minutes. Do not burn it.
4. =Once the semolina has been browned, use a deep kitchen spoon or ladle and gradually add the still-simmering honey-water mixture to the pot. Be careful, do not add it all at once and keep your hands away from the pot opening.
5. =Mix the thickening semolina mixture well and keep adding the syrup until it is fully absorbed then add the almonds and raisins, lower the heat to medium low and continue mixing well for a few more minutes.
6. =Spoon the mixture quickly into two small six inch spring-form jelly/cake moulds which you have pre-greased with olive oil, and then use a spoon to pat the mixture down well and evenly into each mould; take care to ensure a uniform and level finish.
7. =Set the moulds to cool. Turn out onto a service plate and sprinkle with cinnamon before enjoying.

Total preparation time: 25 minutes

Desserts like this one are about getting back to the basics. Did I mention it is cholesterol free?