Roasted Chicken ( whole)

Hello!

  Tell me, aren't there some times where you don't have that much spare time? Lately I do not have this extra free time to spend in the kitchen to prepare dinner. When this is happening I always try to fit in my program some "little" time for cooking. Today was one of those days.. I was wondering about what's fast, doesn't need plenty of preparation.. Hmmm... Lets see, what about a roasted chicken? That's sound good isn't it? And healthy of course!

Here is what i did:

A whole Fresh chicken

4 small sized yellow or orange sweet peppers..

2 cloves of Garlic

Potatoes (4 medium sized)

2 Lemons ( the juice)

1 cup of olive oil.                                               

1 teaspoon of honey                                       

1 teaspoon of mustard

oregano, salt and pepper

Wash well the chicken and put it in your baking pan I stuffed its stomach with 2 of the peppers ( whole peppers you really don't need to chop them off), garlic, the mustard and a pinch of oregano.

 Peel off , cut the potatoes in quarters and place them around the-tasty-to-be-chicken. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, the lemon juice and oregano. Cover with wax or parchment paper.

That's it! you are ready to go. Bake it in a hot oven on 300-350 for 90-120 minutes. Uncover the food after the 90 minutes and let it to roast and be crispy...

(Meanwhile I went to meet some friends in a Cafe near by)
  
   Serve it with sweet red wine ( this is what I do..), and some tzatziki and pita bread.

Enjoy

Emmanuel
  

How to make orange marmalade

                                                            

Hello my friends,
From all the marmalade the orange is my favorite. I have try many marmalade in my life. Store ones, homemade ones. Always I return to my grandmothers marmalade. Its easy to make and it taste right! When is the season for the oranges( now is in Greece), is the best time to make it.
 I make extra jars all the time for my friends. My friend Christine, she is a huge fan of the orange.

Here is what I do: ( thanks grandma!)
                                                          
                                                              oranges

1-2 mandarins                                                                          

sugar ( i combine raw and white sugar)

1 lemon

Glass sterilized jars

1 tea spoon orange bloosom water * optional

...and some love...

Peel of  the oranges and mandarins ( use as many you want, I use around 10-12 good for 4 medium sized jars) and bring them to boil with 1 cup of water. We don't need much water because the oranges are full of juice anyway.
Twenty to thirty minutes later remove from the fire and cut the oranges into very small pieces (I use a stick blender to puree)
In a small pot boil some of the skin and cut it into very small squares ( 20 minutes later.)
 Now count how many cups of oranges you have. For every cup of orange pulp add 1 cup of sugar. Bring back to boil the oranges , the sugar, 2 table spoons of lemon juice, the orange skin, 1/2 cup of the remain juice.
 Let it boil for 40 minutes or until the marmalade is thicken up. You can test if it ready - drop with a spoon a small amount into a plate. If when its cold stays and not runs its ready. If you want it thicker let it boil for 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile in a large pot with water put your jars and lids (3/4 filled up with water) and bring them to boil for 10/15 minutes. Use the hot sterilized jars to store your marmalade.

Try it on the Brie if you have guests, I do it all the time.
 I use a triangle of the french brie, seasoned with hot
 crushed pepper all around and I add on the top 3-4 spoons of the marmalade. Serve with crackers of your choices. your friends will love it, trust me!

                                          
Good luck and Enjoy..

Emmanuel

Hummus , homemade recipe. !

Homemade hummus or "revythosalata" in Greek

Lets talk about hummus today ! I know is not a Greek recipe however is a well adopted and loved dish in Greece and we call it " revythosalata" which means Garbanzo beans salad. The hummus is very nutritious, cholesterol free, multivitamin food and can be a perfect healthy snack for your kids or friends...

Here is how we do it.( at least this is the way my grand mother was doing it ...):

garbanzo beans( chickpeas) 1 1/2 cup

garlic   2-3 cloves (mushed)

olive oil  1/2 cup

fresh squeezed lemon juice  (2-3 lemons / if small 3 if medium 2)

salt & pepper

salt and pepper

Sweet paprika spice (1/2 tea spoon)

Tahini  3 1/2 tablespoons  (is a paste of ground sesame seeds used in cooking, see pic)

Prepare the garbanzo beans by soaking them in salty water over night ( if you use fresh). Next day bring them to boil until soft. By the way, you can use a can of garbanzo beans in water. Those are ready and soft!
With a whisk mix well the Tahini with the lemons juices. You'll see that as you beat the mixture it'll become thicker (2-3 minutes is enough).
In a blender or a hand mill blend the garbanzo beans until will a creamy mixture( if its very difficult to blent add some broth from the beans). Now combine the garbanzo-beans-creamy-blended-puree with the tahini mixture, add the olive oil, salt and pepper, the garlic paste, and the paprika. Mix well.
Let in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Serve!!!

Here is some nutritious facts:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 tbsp
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 12 Calories 27
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 1.29g		2%
	Saturated Fat 0.168g	1%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.312g
	Monounsaturated Fat 0.737g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 36mg		2%
Potassium 26mg
Total Carbohydrate 3.02g		1%
	Dietary Fiber 0.6g	2%
	Sugars 0.07g
Protein 0.73g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 1% Iron 1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Nutrition Values are based on USDA Nutrient Database SR18

Also hummus is a source for vitamin C, K, Folate, Omega 3+6 acids etc..

tips: I add the paprika for different taste. You can Add a flavor of yours such as sweet peppers, cheese( Parmesan), spinach etc.

Emmanuel

Easy beer Bread without yeast!!!

Good morning!

I hope everyone is doing just fine! Yesterday I was not in the mood for cooking a big meal, however I was really up to some nice dip and some fresh bread. Of course, wasn't any fresh bread for me waiting in the kitchen when I got there.. I checked the cabinets hoping everything I need was there .. Hmmm,  I had beer ( which I never drink ) and flour, olive oil, sugar , but no Yeast! How on earth somebody can make fresh homemade bread without Yeast?

 Here is how:

2 large cans of beer ( I used Stella, use what you have already, but not light beer.)

2 lbs self rising flour

5-6 table spoons raw sugar

1/2 tea spoon sea salt

2-3 table spoons olive oil

parmesan or Asiago (flakes)

( I added some assiago cheese and parmesan into the mixture, I loved it)

                   

      

Pour the beer in a large mixing bowl . Little by little add the flour ( use a whisk to mix every time you add some flour). Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. The result should be as a cake mixture. I used 2 long bread baking pans to bake the bread. Grease the pan with olive oil or butter and dust with some flour. Pour in the mixture up to the middle  and bake in a preheated oven at 330-350 F for about an hour.

  Use a wooden kebab skewer to check if it's done( almost the same you do for the cakes). Remove from the oven, and brush the bread with some warm olive oil on the surface. Let it stand to "suck" the oil for 5-7 minutes.

Ready!!!!   This is a fast, easy bread to have fresh at any occasion. This beer bread have a great relationship with meatballs, with grilled sausage and beer and of course tzatziki ..

Emmanuel

Ntolmades! A favorite Greek dish.

Good morning,  buenos dias , guten morgen, buongiorno, Goedemorgen, Magandang umaga po, Hyvää huomenta, Καλημέρa ,,Aloha kakahiaka, Buna dimineata , Dobraye ootra , Dobri ranok, Sabah-il-kheir, Bonjour.. ( phew!) 

Now that I said good morning in 14 different languages ( if I am wrong correct me please! ) I will talk to you about the ntolmades.

The ntolmades have borrowed their name from the Turkish word "dolma" that means stuffed or the verb "dolmak" which means to be stuffed. The most common is the grape-leaf ntolmades.

Even the origin of the dish is middle east, is well adopted in Greece, and its a favorite dish for many locals and visitors.
I remember once I worked in a restaurant ( couple of decades ago) and  we were making so many ntolmades per day that I almost hated the grapes and their leaves. But now, it's a pleasure to make them!

from the web

In Greece you make 2 kinds of ntolmades, the grape-leaf ones and the cabbage- leaf. There are  two ways to stuff them , one with rice and beef and one with rice only. I use both of the ways but I prefer the vegetarian version only with rice.

Here is what we need:

Grape leaves and a big fresh cabbage  ( there are preserved grape leaves in jars)**

Rice ( either short grain or jasmine I use a Blend of both)

1 tea spoon well chopped Dill

1/2 cup of grated onions                                           

a pinch of cinnamon powder

salt and pepper

1 + 1/2 cup olive oil

4 lemons ( juice)

black raisins  1/2 cup * optional  ( the combination  the sweetness of the raisins and the salt is my favorite)

{If you want to use cabbage as well this is how you do so: Bring a large pot of water to boil  Meanwhile, peel the outermost leaves of the cabbage off and then use a small sharp knife to cut around the core of the cabbage (you will have a hole in the cabbage). Put the cabbage to  boil until the leaves are tender, about 3-4 minutes per time. Each time remove and peel the cabbage, layer by layer, reserving the leaves. If they are extra large cut them in half.}

Start by counting the grape leaves and /or the cabbage leaves you want to stuff.  Count a teaspoon of rice for each leaf. ( if the leaves are big use 1/2 table spoon.) Combine all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, use only 1/2 amount of your olive oil
 Lay a cabbage or grape leaf flat on your counter and place about a tablespoon or so of the rice mixture at one end of the leaf, i do it in the
end closer to me. Tuck in the right and left sides of the leaf and then proceed to roll it up. After you do the same as many times as the pieces you want to have ,place them next to each other in the pot side down. (be sure theyto be tight to each other.)

REMEMBER to use the remains of the cabbage at the bottom of your pot to avoid the burning of your creation. You can make as many layers you wish . (Check the pictures)

After your pot is ready and full of those marvelous and delicious-to-be ntolmades you just made, put an inverted plate on top of your ntolmades( yes in the pot) and add some warm( not hot) water up to the plate. The plate gives pressure to the rolls so they do not open during boiling. Add  the rest of your olive oil , the juice of 2 lemons, salt and pepper. Bring to boil in and reduce the temperature in low. Cover your pot with the lid. Let it simmer up to 50 minutes.

 

"If there is plenty of liquids in your pot after the 50 minutes, let your food be for half hour,  remove the ntolmades in a serving  plate and enjoy!"

Here is an egg and lemon sauce you can make for the ntolmades:

 Use the rest of your lemon juice, 1 egg yolk, 1 whole egg,  a cup of broth ( chicken or beef or veggie or the broth left from the ntolmades). In a small pot bring the broth to boil . Mix the eggs with the lemon juice and add slowly the hot broth( don't forget to continuously stirring).season with salt and pepper.
 I add the mixture in the pot at the end, or sometimes I make a thicker sauce by adding a spoon of cornstarch to the mixture and bring it to boil for couple of minutes.*

OH! I know, that's A lot! But they are Divine! Try,  it is worth it!

Emmanuel

( thanks Andrea Darling for taking pictures)

 * the cornstarch has to be resolved in cold water before you add it in the hot mixture

Tzatziki, the Greek

Somehow , people believe is difficult to make tzatziki, you know this "garlicky" yogurt dip with cucumbers.  It is a very easy and simple procedure that sometimes surprises...

Take a Greek  PLAIN yogurt preferable coming from Greece, like FAGE 2% or full fat.

1-2 fresh medium sized cucumbers ( nope, we don't care for the shape!)

2-3 cloves of garlic ( thin-thin grated fresh garlic)

1 tablespoon dill very well chopped

salt & pepper 

olive oil 3 tablespoons

vinegar 2 tablespoons

Use a kitchen metal grader from the thick cut side to grade the cucumbers without  peeling them off.

( washed cucumbers)

+

Put the grated cucumber mixed with 1/2 tsp of sea salt in a strainer ( red is better) ( OK That's A joke!) 

  

15 minutes later you will notice that the grated cucumber loses all

its green liquids. (Good, because you really don't need the liquids)

Press the cucumber into the strainer with your palm and then in a mixing bowl , add all the ingredients together mix well and season with pepper only, do not add any more salt.

Now you have ready your homemade tzatziki, you can either let it be for an hour in the refrigerator- is getting tastier- or you can consume it at once!

The garlic keeps the vampires away and low the bad cholesterol .

If you worry about the garlic smell, drink a glass of full fat milk. This is reducing the smell of garlic..

Emmanuel

Make a homemade mayonnaise!

In my fish soup recipe I mention the mayonnaise. Some people think its easier to get it from the store. I believe it's easier and healthier to make it home! Here is how:

2-3 egg yolks (organic eggs are the best)

lemon juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp of vinegar

1tsp of sugar

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp of mustard(powder),

Avocado oil- 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Use a  hand blender and start with the egg yolks-1 tsp of vinegar, 1-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder and last add the avocado oil. Have in mind that the more oil the thicker it becomes.

The vinegar works as antibacterial . You can add a garlic clove for taste and sweet paprika if you like!

The mayonnaise can be stored in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Enjoy

Emmanuel