Greek Cooking Master Class

• 
• Servings
  2
• Prep
  45 m
• Cook
  45 m

Recipe By: Otao kitchen

🍘 Pita Bread

Serves: Makes 3 pieces

Total time: 1.5 hours 

Active time: 20 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

• 185g plain flour

• 100ml water (room temperature)

• 15 ml greek yoghurt

• 1 tsp olive oil

• ¾ tsp yeast 

• ½ tsp salt 

• ½ tsp sugar 

METHOD

1. Place all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Gently bring all of the ingredients together in the bowl until the dough comes together. Knead  the dough for 5 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth and supple. 

2. Lightly oil a bowl with ½ tsp of oil, and place the dough inside, covered for 1 hour until it begins to rise and nearly doubles in size… 

3. Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Shape the dough into round balls, by grabbing the corners of the dough and tucking them underneath. Sprinkle a little flour on top of each piece of dough. Then, use a rolling pin to roll it into roughly 12cmx12cm disks.

4. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. 

5. Preheat an oven to its maximum temperature. OR, heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. The pan should be heated up to the point just before it starts smoking. 

6. To cook the pita bread, place the dough into the pan for 20-40 seconds or until it puffs up by about 1.5x its original size. Using a spatula, flip the dough over and cook for another 20-30 seconds until it starts to puff up a bit. Keep flipping the pita bread back and forth. 

7. If using an oven, place a baking sheet or pizza stone on the top rack of the oven, using the grill setting, cook the pita bread until it begins to bubble and puff up. This should take 30 seconds to a minute. If it takes longer than this, increase the heat. Flip the bread over when the puffing has reached a peak, and when the dough has browned a little bit. 

8. Cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes until it has browned a little bit. 

9. OR, place the pita bread in the skillet preheated to medium high heat, and cook the dough until it begins to puff up. Then flip it over and cook the other side until both sides begin to brown just a little.  

🥒Tzatziki- Cucumber and Greek Yoghurt Dip 

Serves: 10

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Execution Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS 

800ml greek yoghurt 

4 cloves of garlic, minced 

3 Lebanese cucumbers, grated (400g)

4 sprigs of mint, chopped finely

2 sprigs of dill, chopped finely cut

½ lemon, juiced 

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp black pepper 

2 tsp salt

100ml olive oil 

METHOD 

1. Place the cucumbers in a mixing bowl with ½ tsp of salt and mix. Let the cucumbers rest for 10 minutes. While the cucumbers are resting, mix the remaining ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl. 

2. Squeeze and drain the cucumbers to get rid of some of their excess moisture. If you’re using continental/English cucumbers, you’ll likely have to squeeze them a bit more. Place the well-drained cucumbers into the mixture with the yoghurt and stir well to incorporate. Adjust the seasoning with a pinch of salt if necessary. 

3. Alternatively, place all the ingredients except for the cucumbers in a food processor and blend until well-combined. Add in the grated cucumber afterwards. 

4. Serve cold and with a side of pita bread.

🍖Chicken Gyros   

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 1 hour  

Execution Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS 

300g chicken thigh, whole 

For the marinade: 

2 tbsp yoghurt

½ tsp salt 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 spring of rosemary, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed 

1 tbsp of oregano, 

1/4 lemon, juiced

¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper 

1 pinch of chilli flakes or dried chilli (optional) 

To serve: 

3 tbsp of tzaziki sauce

100g xoriatiki (Greek salad) 

METHOD 

1. Place the salt and yoghurt into a container with the chicken and allow to marinate for 3-4 hours or overnight to tenderise the chicken.

2. Place the remaining ingredients for the marinade in a mortar and pestle and crush well until a homogenous paste is formed. 

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the second marinade with the chicken and let it marinade for another hour. 

4. Preheat and oven or grill to 200C, and bake or grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

5. Serve with olives, sliced tomato, sliced red onion, tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

🥬 Xoriatiki - Greek Salad 

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 1 hour  

Execution Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS 

• 100g tomato, cut into a large dice

• 100g Lebanese cucumber, diced 

• 30g black kalamata olives, pits removed 

• 30g feta cheese, crumbled 

• 30g thinly sliced red onion 

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp red wine vinegar

• ½ tsp oregano 

• ¼ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper 

METHOD 

1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix to combine, season to taste. 

🥬Zucchini Fritters - Kolokithoke keftedes 

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 1 hour  

Execution Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 large zucchini (250g), grated 

• 1 sprig of dill, chipped 

• 2 spring onions, chopped 

• 1 pinch of nutmeg, grated 

• 50g feta, crumbled 

• 1 egg, beaten 

• 50g panko bread crumbs  

• ½ tsp salt 

• 3 tbsp (45ml) olive oil 

To garnish:

• 3 tbsp tzatziki sauce

• 1 sprig of dill, chopped 

• 1 tsp olive oil 

METHOD 

1. Grate the zucchini using a grater or mandoline. Place the zucchini in a bowl with the salt, mix it and then let the zucchini rest for 10 minutes to draw out some of its moisture. Drain the zucchini well on paper towel, being sure to squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

2. Place the zucchini, dill, spring onion, feta, nutmeg, bread crumbs and egg in a mixing bowl and form the dough into 6 patties. 

3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and fry the patties on both sides until cooked through but still moist- about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with tzatziki sauce. 

🍆 Papoutsakia - Stuffed Eggplant 

Papoutsakia translates to little shoes in Greek. These stuffed eggplants are one of the many ladera (la-the-ra) dishes, cooked with lots of good olive oil and served as a main course.

INGREDIENTS

1 (350g) large eggplant, scored

2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil

Tomato Sauce 

2 tbsp olive 

1/3 brown onion, minced 

150g lamb mince 

2 cloves garlic 

150g canned tomatoes, pureed 

50ml red wine

½ tsp seven spice (equal parts black pepper, coriander, cumin, allspice, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg) 

½ tsp salt 

Bechamel 

10g flour 

10g butter 

100g milk 

½ tsp salt 

¼ tsp white pepper 

1/2 egg yolk 

50g fefalograviera or kefalotiri cheese, grated 

1 sprig parsley, chopped 

1 sprig of mint, chopped 

METHOD 

1. To prepare the eggplant, preheat an oven to 170C. 

2. Halve the eggplants and score them with the tip of a knife making cross-hatches in the flesh. Brush the eggplant halves with 30ml of olive oil, and season with salt. Bake for 15 minutes skin side down, for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplants are fork-tender.

3. Preheat a sauce pan over To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a sauce pot over low heat. When the butter is melted, turn up the heat up to medium-low add in the flour and whisk continuously for 4-5 minutes or until the flour smells no longer raw. It should smell like baked bread rather than raw flour. 

4. Slowly whisk in the milk. Season the sauce with salt, and white pepper. When the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens a little. Place the egg yolk in a small bowl and mix it with a few tablespoons of the hot sauce to temper it. Then, quickly whisk the tempered egg yolk into the sauce. Finally, mix in the grated cheese. 

5. To make the meat sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in the olive oil and brown the minced lamb for 2-3 minutes. 

6. Add in the onion and saute gently for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften. 

Add in the garlic, cook for another minute until it is fragrant. Add in the canned tomatoes, the 7 spices and let the mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season it to taste with salt. 

1. Preheat the grill setting in your oven to high. Scoop some of the flesh out of the eggplant and mix it with the lamb sauce. Spoon lamb sauce and eggplant back into the eggplant skin. Top the mixture with the bechamel. Broil the eggplant under the top rack of the oven for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. 

🥣Pantzarosalata - Beet and Yoghurt Dip 

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Execution Time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

1 large beet (180g), roasted, cubed 

100g greek yoghurt 

70g walnuts, ground

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

30ml olive oil 

1 tsp lemon, juice

½ tsp salt 

METHOD 

1. Wrap each beet individually in baking paper and aluminium foil and roast at 160C for 40-50 minutes or until the inside is tender when pierced with a skewer. Allow them to cool. 

2. Peel off the beet skin and cube the beets into 1cm cubes. 

3. Grind the walnuts and garlic cloves together in a mortar and pestle until the garlic is smooth and the walnuts have been ground to a coarse sand consistency. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until homogeneous. Season with a little salt to taste. Serve cold and with a side of pita bread.

🌶️Htipiti- Roast Red Pepper and Feta Dip 

Serves: 2 

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Execution Time: 15 mutes 

INGREDIENTS 

2 red capsicums- charred, peeled, seeded and diced 

60g feta cheese, crumbled 

2 cloves of garlic, roasted

2 tbsp olive oil 

½ tsp salt 

1 tsp lemon juice 

METHOD 

1. To char the peppers, grill them over a gas flame or in the oven under the grill setting until the entire surface of the skin has turned black. While still hot, immediately place them in a lidded container. Allow the peppers to rest and steam in the residual heat for 20-30 minutes before uncovering, peeling and seeding them. 

2. Place all of the ingredients in a mortar and pestle and grind until homogenous. Serve cold and with a side of pita bread.

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Printed From otaokitchen.com.au 12/21/2024