Bloggers Around the World October Round-up: Greece

Oh, I am so glad October is finally over. Somehow it was a month of stress with not actually doing much. November, though, will be a month of even more stress, but with really doing things also.
Well, that doesn't mean I did nothing this month. At least I got Bloggers Around the World running for a single month again this time and I got to do some cooking for it myself as well. 
Therefore it is time now to devote a post again to the round-up of it all.

What have you all been doing this month? We shall see ...

Rice, Spinach, Egg, Feta ... Spanakorizo

So far, things are still fine. After all, the sun is shining today and it's still quite warm. So I enjoy it ... and while we are at it, we can go for some more Mediterranean food. My mind is still on the current Bloggers Around the World: Greece. And once more I like to go for a vegetarian dish: Spanakorizo. Some rice, spinach and egg is involved. Of course I make sure we aren't going to miss out in the feat department. Whatsoever, the name of the dish would be translated spinach and rice.

If you have some fresh spinach available go for it. However, I had to use frozen one. No worries, both ways it's going to work ... Wish I could say the same for my spinach in the garden, which didn't work at all this year.
Now, though, we want to cook ...

Quick and Easy Greek Lunch - Strapatsada

I have quite a lot to do and to decide at the moment. Not really an easy job. Every day a little bit more is accomplished. Nevertheless, the show must go on and ... will go on ... as far as it is in my hands. Right now I prefer to cook larger amounts of food so I have some for the days ahead. Otherwise I appreciate quick and easy food as well. As you know, cooking some Greek food is on my list for this month. Therefore, it is only logical to have a quick and easy Greek meal ... or two.
Here is what I came up with today: Strapatsada. It is popular in many regions in Greece. It's really quick and easy to prepare and for sure you have all the ingredients ready with no big fuss about it.

Let's see ... 

Bloggers Around the World: Greece

It's about time we travel on. Last time we had a longer period for linking up, but I guess that won't be necessary this time. I simply make things fit into my tight schedule. Time is always rushing. Everyone knows how it is. However, that isn't the main thing. We are interested in the destination for this month. 

Where are we going to? What will we be cooking?

Going Greek? What about some delicious Moussaka

καλημέρα! How is your Greek? Mine is no better then everyone else's. For sure you can be sure (sure?) that everyone speaks a bit of Greek, since you find it everywhere. Just one example, or maybe two. The expression 'philosophy' comes from Greek words meaning 'the love of knowledge' (or similar). You remember Socrates? He said: "I know that I know nothing!" I'm still wondering, though, how he could new that. 
Anyway, wrong subject. Then there are terms like 'democracy', 'biology' and most probably we could go on and on and on and on ... but we don't want to.
At least I can eat Greek food and that is what matter now. So why not have some then?!
I can offer you some moussaka kind of dish today. 

What follows now, is moussaka the way that came to  my nind, when I was longing for some food using aubergines.


Ingredients: 
Olive oil
400 g minced meat (beef/pork)
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 medium sized aubergines, in slices
400 g plum tomatoes or tinned tomatoes 
200 ml water
200 g Kritharaki (Greek rice noodles)
150 g yogurt
1 egg
250 g feta cheese
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Let's say, we begin by slightly frying the onions in the olive oil. How about that?
We go on by adding the meat and, well, eh, yes, give it the appropriate colour, as you may have guessed already.
Then we add the tinned tomatoes with some extra water, let things boil and then simmer for a while, as we finely season it with salt and pepper. Plan about 30 minutes for the simmering.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, the egg, the feta cheese and the finely chopped garlic. Season with salt and pepper as well. 
Have your oven-proof dish ready and grease it with a little bit of olive oil and then put in one layer of aubergine slices. On top of this simply bour your Kritharaki.

Then follows a tomato meat layer. In fact, just put on all of it. Go for another aubergine layer and then finish it off with the yogurt-cheese mix.

Have it in the pre-heated oven at 200°C for 45 minutes.
Then plate it up and ... enjoy this moussaka kind of dish ... Καλή όρεξη!

However, before I leave, I like to link things up a bit.
Since I found those Kritharakin in my pantry, this goes to the December Pantry Party at The Law Student's Cookbook. 

Gyros and Tzatziki Supper

… here we are again. As I mentioned (promised) before this was not the last you saw of the self-made tzatziki, the ultimate one. (I truly didn’t eat it up all at  once).

Today it is going to be featured in a “typical” Greek meal, you may get at restaurants … hm … well … I guess … outside Greece.

However, once in awhile, when you soul is hungering for meat, meat, MEAT, you might want to have a go at this Gyros kind of thing.

How shall we go about doing this?

Have some pork ready. That would be a good start. We are going to marinate this. Best you do it the evening before. If that is not possible, make sure that the meat is marinating for at least two hours.

Cut this pork in small little bits, thin if you like, or can, or want (no worries – whatever suits your desires). Shove it to a bowl and add the following: quite some olive oil (as good quality as you are willing to use – this will of course affect the taste as you might have guess), salt, pepper, dried oregano, and garlic (finely chopped, grated, squashed, blitzed). Cover it up and let it marinate as I mentioned before. Once you have done this the remaining part should be without trouble or too much work.

Now that you are ready, get a large pan on high heat and add the marinated meat together with all the content of your bowl and fry it up nice and crispy.

Serve together with some onion rings, a simple (or if you like complicated) salad and nice bread.

Well, let’s sum things up. If you do a bit of preparation the night before, you might have an easy meal the next day, you come home stressed from work.
You only have to worry about the day after. Somehow you have to find a way to mask the smell of all the garlic you ate ... no worries ... you will find a way.

That’s a KISS for you “Keep It Simple Sister” (I heard that some time before – maybe long time ago – I know nothing about it’s origin anymore, but I thought it might fall in line here).

While we are at it. Do you have any suggestions for a KISS?

Fish Burger with Ultimate Tzatziki

I have to tell you right away. I wanted to make tzatziki again.

In fact you can have it many different ways. Or let me try a different approach. You can have it for your barbecue (if it happens to be summer or barbecue season – in fact, no one can forbid you to have a barbie in winter as well). The dipping thing would be something else. Have some carrots, peppers in stripes, or other veggies you like to eat raw and dip them in.

Or, eh, well, have some nice bread and just dig your way through the bowl with it. I tried it once – many years ago – at a party. You maybe can imagine what that does to your reputation. Luckily, sufficient time has passed!

Yet another way, as I did this time, is this … fish burger. 

However, before we come to that, a few more words to this very tzatziki. Why “Ultimate Tzatziki”? Is that not a bit haughty or pretentious? Yes, you are so very right. Who am I to say something like that. Have I ever tried all the tzatziki there is in the world (luckily I didn’t – don’t want to imagine what I would look like – Jabba the Cook or something like that)? Nevertheless, I think, maybe – maybe I’m right, maybe not – it makes the title of this blog post more appealing. How would you like “Fish burger with Common Tzatziki”? Not good, I suppose. Here some other suggestions:

“Ole fishy burger with gooey tzatziki”

“Stinky fish’n’tzatziki burger”

“Tasty fishy tzatziki flatbread”

“Greek tzatziki fish burger”

“Trout’n’tzatziki-toasty”

What is your favourite? Maybe there are yet other names. Maybe, for sure there are, but, no worries!

Now, let us go and secure this marriage between (roasted, grilled, smoked, fried) fish and Greek yogurt dip.

Ingredients for the Ultimate Tzaziki:

150 g yogurt (Greek, if you like)

250 g curd cheese

150 g cream cheese

Half a cucumber cut into more or less small cubes (or similar)

Three cloves of garlic (hm … why not try three bulbs?)

Salt, pepper, dill, mint for balancing

Method:

Get all the good stuff together in a bowl and mix it! What more can I say? Nothing

Ready for some experimenting, now that you know how to make the ultimate tzatziki (who knows – you might love it)?

I got myself those healthy looking buns (just not to ruin the for sure healthy fishy part) and some lovely green salad leaves.

The simple version is: one side of the bun, salad leaf, fish, tzatziki, other side of bun.

After a little bit of digging I found some bacon in my fridge (no, it’s not a walk in fridge like the thing some have for their shoes). I quickly made it crispy in a pan (whilst eating the first version of the burger: bite – check –bite – check – bite – check – bite – ouch, the burger was already gone).

Here then the other version (you can also omit the one or the other ingredient): one side of the bun, a bit of tomato sauce, slice of cheese, bacon, salad leaf, fish, tzatziki, other side of the bun.

Fine, depending on what you have in your fridge, you can go on experimenting. I trust you not doing anything disgusting.

I stop here and just finish the rest of the tzatziki with a spoon … oh not again … noooooooooooooooooo!!!

Just kidding, I didn’t eat all that tzatziki up in one go. Who knows, maybe you are going to see some of it again …