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Sunday, March 13, 2011

Melomakarona

melomakarona Greek Christmas cookies
Baking Sweet Greek Cookies

Pinelopi shares another Greek delight with us, melomakarona, a honey dipped, walnut covered oval shaped cookie. They are made year round, but especially as part of an assortment of treats which Greeks the world over make for the Christmas holiday. The cookie also offers Christians now fasting for Easter a treat that is okay to eat.


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Melomakarona



Greek cooking recipes foodMelomakarona are a part of the Greek Christmas tradition. Although they are one of several great treats for Christmas, we enjoy them throughout the year. They are great also for lent, since they contain no dairy or eggs. Try making this recipe and enjoy.

Kali Orexi!

Ingredients:

  • 1 glass (8 ounces) of virgin olive oil
  • 1 half glass of sugar
  • 1 half glass of lemon and orange juice combined
  • 1 glass of roughly chopped walnuts
  • 3 glasses of soft flour or a little more if needed
  • 1 demitasse cup of cognac
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • Cinnamon for sprinkling

  • Syrup:
  • 1 glass sugar
    1/2 glass of water
    1 glass of honey


Baking the Cookies:

  • In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder.
  • In an electric mixer, at medium speed, mix sugar and oil for half an hour.
  • Add the cognac and the juice.
  • Next add the flour slowly until it comes together as a soft dough.
  • Take a piece of dough about the size of a full tablespoon. Then make it into a cylinder shape and flatten the cylinder cookie with the back of a fork. Besides a fork we like to roll the unbaked cookie over a cheese grater to form a design.
  • Place on cookie sheet about a half inch apart.
  • Bake in a preheated oven for twenty to thirty minutes at 350 degrees.
  • Syrup: Pour the sugar, water and honey into a pot to come to a boil several times.
  • Skim off the impurities as they surface.
  • Lower the heat.
  • Place three to four cooled cookies into the syrup.
  • Remove them with a slotted spoon.
  • Place onto a serving platter.
  • While still hot sprinkle cookies with walnuts and ground cinnamon.
  • Present them in paper and foil cupcake holders.


The amount of cookies is determined by their size. My husband appreciates a larger cookie, whereas I like a smaller one. It is only a matter of preference, after all the taste is one and the same. This will make a nice sized batch for you.

My mother would use the ash from burnt clean pine or olive tree branches, boiled in water and strained into one demitasse cup, to give the cookie a grittier texture besides affecting the flavor. This is dying wisdom now, as we live in a world where we cannot do this simply. We also do not do it since we cannot know if the wood is free of toxins either.

These cookies are always a well received treat. Enjoy. They happen to be our first grandchild's favorite Greek cookie. When we give little Georgie one he will inevitably ask for three more.

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Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.

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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Vasilopita - Greek New Year's Bread

Vasilopita Greek New Year's Bread
Traditional Greek New Year's Bread

Wall Street Greek welcomes the contribution of a new Greek master. Our regular Greek Cooking Columnist Pinelope has been keeping a big secret from us. His name is Nikolaos, and he will be sharing many of his treasured Greek recipes over the next few months along with Pinelope.

(Tickers: NYSE: SLE, NYSE: SFD, NYSE: TSN, NYSE: HRL, NYSE: UN, NYSE: UL, NYSE: GIS, NYSE: K, NYSE: CPB, NYSE: CAG, NYSE: MJN, NYSE: SJM, NYSE: MKC, Nasdaq: GMCR, NYSE: RAH, NYSE: DLM, NYSE: CPO, NYSE: FLO, NYSE: THS, Nasdaq: HAIN, NYSE: GMK, Nasdaq: AIPC, Nasdaq: DMND, Nasdaq: JJSF, Nasdaq: LNCE, Nasdaq: PEET, NYSE: BGS, Nasdaq: SMBL, Nasdaq: FARM, Nasdaq: JBSS, Nasdaq: CMFO, Nasdaq: MGPI, Nasdaq: CNGL, NYSE: OFI, NYSE: ALN, NYSE: OME, Nasdaq: KTEC, Nasdaq: TSTY, Nasdaq: SNAK, Nasdaq: GLDC, NYSE: KR, NYSE: CBD, NYSE: SWY, NYSE: DEG, Nasdaq: WFMI, NYSE: SVU, Nasdaq: CASY, NYSE: RDK, NYSE: WMK, Nasdaq: WINN, NYSE: BSI, Nasdaq: VLGEA, Nasdaq: IMKTA, Nasdaq: PTRY, Nasdaq: ARDNA, Nasdaq: SUSS, NYSE: WMT, Nasdaq: QKLS, NYSE: TGT, Nasdaq: COST, NYSE: BJ, NYSE: NBG, NYSE: OTE, NYSE: CCH, NYSE: DAC, Nasdaq: CLMS, NYSE: NM, NYSE: NMM, Nasdaq: DRYS, Nasdaq: TOPS, Nasdaq: PRGN, NYSE: TNP, NYSE: GMR, Nasdaq: SBLK, Nasdaq: ONAV)

Vasilopita – Greek New Year's Bread



Greek recipesMy husband Nikolaos shares his long treasured recipe for Greek New Year's bread, known as Vasilopita. Nick is a wonderful chef, having learned much of the skill from his father, who was the preferred chef for the private parties of several important Greek ship owners residing in New Rochelle, New York.

Ingredients: Makes 12 to 14 loaves of 1 pound each and the Vasilopita of 2 pounds in weight

You may divide the ingredients for a lesser quantity of loaves, but when Nick cooks Greek New Year's or Easter Bread, he makes enough to share with our many friends and neighbors who look forward to its delivery with great anticipation.

  • 9 Pounds of All Purpose Flour

  • 2 3/4 lbs. Granulated Sugar

  • 1 lb. Unsalted Butter

  • 8 Envelopes of Dry Yeast (1/4 oz. each)

  • 22 Eggs

  • 1 Stick of Cinnamon

  • 3 Bay Leaves

  • 2 Teaspoons Mahlepi (found at your local Greek store – from the seeds of the St. Lucie Cherry)

  • 1 8 oz. Glass Warm Milk

  • 1 ½ Cups of Lukewarm Water


Cooking Steps:

  • Aromatic Liquid: Boil a cup of water, adding in the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and a 1 ½ teaspoons of mahlepi until you smell the essence of the aromas. Then set it aside for later use.

  • Ground the remaining mahlepi from the standard little jar they are sold in (perhaps 2 teaspoons or more of it) and save it for later use as well.

  • Dissolve the yeast into 1 ½ cups of lukewarm water

  • Make a hole or clearing in the center of the flour

  • Place yeast mixture there and mix flour into the yeast

  • Cover the bowl with aluminum foil or linen towel


While it sits...

  • Place room temperature butter into a mixer bowl and cream it

  • While the butter is mixing, add egg yolks to the butter as you separate them from the whites, while saving the whites of the eggs

  • Add your sugar to the mixture until mixed well


While it's mixing...

  • Beat the egg whites into a stiff meringue

  • Add the three mixtures (egg yolk butter, whites meringue and aromatic liquid) to the flour

  • Add the ground mahlepi

  • Add the milk as well

  • Knead the dough until it comes together

  • Cover the dough with aluminum foil or a linen towel

  • Allow to rise until it doubles in size

  • Knead it down and size out loaves (1 lb each for braided loaves and 2 lbs. for the Vasilopita)


braiding bread dough

Forming the Loaves

Forming the Vasilopita:

  • This is your round New Year's loaf

  • You'll need a 2 pound piece of dough for this

  • Take a dime, wash it and wrap it in aluminum foil

  • Place it into the dough as you form the loaf

  • Form the dough into a circular shape for the Vasilopita or Greek New Year Bread

  • Take pieces of dough to label the bread with the number of the New Year

  • Be sure to account for the expansion of the dough and numbers so that they are legible once expanded


tsoureki glazingForming the braided loaves:

  • Take the one pound dough piece and break it into three equal pieces (or 2, one twice the size of the other)

  • Roll them out until they are about 11 inches long or 11 and 22 inches if you make it the alternate way

  • Connect the three at a point and braid them as if you were braiding hair, pinching them together at the close. Or wrap the long piece around like a horse shoe and place the other in the center, and begin braiding

  • Place on cookie sheet with wax paper, leaving enough space between to account for rising (3 per sheet)

  • Cover with linen towels in a warm place, and let rise again to double their size

  • Beat 2 or 3 eggs and brush the surface of each loaf

  • Place into a preheated oven and cook at 350 degrees

  • Cook until they have a nice golden brown color (30 to 35 minutes or until browned if longer, as ovens will vary)


The Custom of Cutting the Vasilopita:

cooking Greek breadGreek families the world over honor an annual custom of cutting the Vasilopita or Greek New Year Bread as a family unit for good luck through the New Year. Greeks have extended this ceremonial cutting to include extended families, or organizations. The cutting of the Vasilopita thus offers loved ones and friends a chance to come together to celebrate the New Year.

While tradition may vary from place to place and family to family, in our Greek Orthodox family, we cut slices for each member, but we start with a slice for Jesus Christ. The second slice is for our home, and then come the elders of the family and each member, incorporating all who live in the home. Only one piece will contain the coin, and the person who receives this piece will enjoy a blessing of the best luck through the New Year. On occasion, the coin may fall in between pieces, in which case we like to say the luck is shared.

Kali Orexi! Bon Appetit!

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Relevant tickers include Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD), Brasil Foods SA (Nasdaq: BRFS), Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN), Hormel (NYSE: HRL), Seaboard (NYSE: SEB), Pilgrim's Pride (NYSE: PPC), Sanderson Farms (Nasdaq: SAFM), Industrias Bachoco (NYSE: IBA), Balchem (Nasdaq: BCPC), Zhongpin (Nasdaq: HOGS), Bridgford Foods (Nasdaq: BRID), Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE), Pepsico (NYSE: PEP), Unilever NV (NYSE: UN), Unilever plc (NYSE: UL), General Mills (NYSE: GIS), Kellogg (NYSE: K), Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB), ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG), Mead Johnson Nutrition (NYSE: MJN), J.M. Smucker (NYSE: SJM), McCormick (NYSE: MKC), Green Mountain Coffee (Nasdaq: GMCR), Ralcorp (NYSE: RAH), Del Monte (NYSE: DLM), Corn Products (NYSE: CPO), Flowers Foods (NYSE: FLO), Treehouse Foods (NYSE: THS), Gruma S.A.B. (NYSE: GMK), American Italian Pasta (Nasdaq: AIPC), Diamond Foods (Nasdaq: DMND), J&J Snack Foods (Nasdaq: JJSF), Lance (Nasdaq: LNCE), B&G Foods (NYSE: BGS), Seneca Foods (Nasdaq: SENEB), Smart Balance (Nasdaq: SMBL), Farmer Brothers (Nasdaq: FARM), John B. Sanfilippo (Nasdaq: JBSS), China Marine Food (Nasdaq: CMFO), MGP Ingredients (Nasdaq: MGPI), China Nutrition (Nasdaq: CNGL), Overhill Farms (AMEX: OFI), Omega Protein (NYSE: OME), Key Technology (Nasdaq: KTEC), Tasty Baking (Nasdaq: TSTY), Inventure Foods (Nasdaq: SNAK), Golden Enterprises (Nasdaq: GLDC), Kroger (NYSE: KR), Companhia Brasileiria (NYSE: CBD), Safeway (NYSE: SWY), Delhaize (NYSE: DEG), Whole Foods (Nasdaq: WFMI), SuperValu (NYSE: SVU), Casey's General Stores (Nasdaq: CASY), Ruddick (NYSE: RDK), Weis Markets (NYSE: WMK), Winn-Dixie (Nasdaq: WINN), Blue Square Israel (NYSE: BSI), Ingles Markets (Nasdaq: IMKTA), Village Super Market (Nasdaq: VLGEA), Pantry (Nasdaq: PTRY), Arden (Nasdaq: ARDNA), Susser (Nasdaq: SUSS), QKL Stores (Nasdaq: QKLS), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Target (NYSE: TGT), Costco (Nasdaq: COST), BJ Wholesale (NYSE: BJ), Coca-Cola Hellenic (NYSE: CCH), OTE Telecom (NYSE: OTE), National Bank of Greece (NYSE: NBG), Darden (NYSE: DRI), Brinker (NYSE: EAT), Dryships (Nasdaq: DRYS), Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE: NMM), Navios Holdings (NYSE: NM), Tsakos Energy Navigation (NYSE: TNP), Genco Shipping (NYSE: GNK), Danaos (NYSE: DAC), Paragon Shipping (Nasdaq: PRGN), Top Ships (Nasdaq: TOPS).

Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.

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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Lentil Soup Recipe

Greek lentil soup recipe
Lentil Soup for Thanksgiving

Are you kidding me Pinelopi? Lentil soup, really? You must think I'm insane, but each of us is serving a stubborn guest or two on Thanksgiving who refuses to eat meat. There are various reasons why folks will not conform to the traditional and tasty turkey dinner, and I say, to each his own! So today I'm offering you my Greek Lentil Soup Recipe to save you from disgrace. Kali Orexi!


(Tickers: NYSE: SLE, NYSE: SFD, NYSE: TSN, NYSE: HRL, NYSE: UN, NYSE: UL, NYSE: GIS, NYSE: K, NYSE: CPB, NYSE: CAG, NYSE: MJN, NYSE: SJM, NYSE: MKC, Nasdaq: GMCR, NYSE: RAH, NYSE: DLM, NYSE: CPO, NYSE: FLO, NYSE: THS, Nasdaq: HAIN, NYSE: GMK, Nasdaq: AIPC, Nasdaq: DMND, Nasdaq: JJSF, Nasdaq: LNCE, Nasdaq: PEET, NYSE: BGS, Nasdaq: SMBL, Nasdaq: FARM, Nasdaq: JBSS, Nasdaq: CMFO, Nasdaq: MGPI, Nasdaq: CNGL, NYSE: OFI, NYSE: ALN, NYSE: OME, Nasdaq: KTEC, Nasdaq: TSTY, Nasdaq: SNAK, Nasdaq: GLDC, NYSE: KR, NYSE: CBD, NYSE: SWY, NYSE: DEG, Nasdaq: WFMI, NYSE: SVU, Nasdaq: CASY, NYSE: RDK, NYSE: WMK, Nasdaq: WINN, NYSE: BSI, Nasdaq: VLGEA, Nasdaq: IMKTA, Nasdaq: PTRY, Nasdaq: ARDNA, Nasdaq: SUSS, NYSE: WMT, Nasdaq: QKLS, NYSE: TGT, Nasdaq: COST, NYSE: BJ, NYSE: NBG, NYSE: OTE, NYSE: CCH, NYSE: DAC, Nasdaq: CLMS, NYSE: NM, NYSE: NMM, Nasdaq: DRYS, Nasdaq: TOPS, Nasdaq: PRGN, NYSE: TNP, NYSE: GMR, Nasdaq: SBLK, Nasdaq: ONAV)

Greek Lentil Soup Recipe



Greek recipesVegetarians, pious people and stubborn relatives who just want to be a pain in your rear are some of the types you'll find at your Thanksgiving table this year. Believe it or not, many Orthodox Christians are fasting now for Christmas, and have celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with a turkey feast weeks ago. They will need something to eat today. Our Greek lentil soup recipe is so good though that it might even have the meat lovers at your table asking for a bowl.

A Little on Lentils

Beans are harvested in their natural state. Thus, even with the most careful attention and the best processing equipment available, we still must screen through the lentils closely to pick out any foreign substances such as stones, soil particles etc. Rinse the lentils with water several times before proceeding to cook them please.

Start Cooking

Boil enough water to cover the lentils before adding them to the pot. Then take the pot off the stove, and add the lentils to soak, while covering the lid for 15 minutes. Trust me, this speeds the cooking time and makes for a more fluid process. Strain the lentils and replace the initial water with 8 cups of new water for cooking. This will make up your soup. As you cook the lentils, take a spoon and skim off the top of the pot, as this will catch any remaining unsavories.

Sauté the carrots, celery and onions in one-half cup of olive oil. Sauté until the onions are translucent and carrots and celery are half-cooked. They'll cook the rest of the way later on. Then add bay leaves, minced garlic, tomato paste, salt and pepper (ingredients listed below). After a short bit (don't burn the garlic), add the mixture to the pot of lentils just as they come to a boil in their 8 cups of soup water. You can add more hot water if the soup seems to thicken too much. You can cook it to the thickness of your liking, but don't make mush please and ruin my good name in the process. Add salt and pepper to taste!

The Secret Ingredient

When serving the soup, drop a splash of vinegar to the individual bowls. A teaspoon to a tablespoon should do the trick. Sometimes I simply use the cap of the vinegar bottle as a metric. This enhances the flavor of the soup, and you control how much influence the vinegar has to your liking.

Lentil Soup Ingredients:

1 Pound Lentils
1 Medium Onion Minced
2 Stalks Celery
2 Carrots
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
½ Cup Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
2 Bay Leaves (Remove after soup cooked)
8 Cups of Water (Add More if Thickens Too Much)

Enjoy my Greek Lentil Soup Recipe and Kali Orexi!

cooking answers

Remember, we are accepting readers' Greek cooking recipes, so please feel free to send us your family's favorite. Simply email your recipe, two photos of the dish, a photo of the chef and a brief write up about the recipe, the cook and/or the person who taught you the wonderful dish to recipes @wallstreetgreek.com.

Relevant tickers include Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD), Brasil Foods SA (Nasdaq: BRFS), Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN), Hormel (NYSE: HRL), Seaboard (NYSE: SEB), Pilgrim's Pride (NYSE: PPC), Sanderson Farms (Nasdaq: SAFM), Industrias Bachoco (NYSE: IBA), Balchem (Nasdaq: BCPC), Zhongpin (Nasdaq: HOGS), Bridgford Foods (Nasdaq: BRID), Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE), Pepsico (NYSE: PEP), Unilever NV (NYSE: UN), Unilever plc (NYSE: UL), General Mills (NYSE: GIS), Kellogg (NYSE: K), Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB), ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG), Mead Johnson Nutrition (NYSE: MJN), J.M. Smucker (NYSE: SJM), McCormick (NYSE: MKC), Green Mountain Coffee (Nasdaq: GMCR), Ralcorp (NYSE: RAH), Del Monte (NYSE: DLM), Corn Products (NYSE: CPO), Flowers Foods (NYSE: FLO), Treehouse Foods (NYSE: THS), Gruma S.A.B. (NYSE: GMK), American Italian Pasta (Nasdaq: AIPC), Diamond Foods (Nasdaq: DMND), J&J Snack Foods (Nasdaq: JJSF), Lance (Nasdaq: LNCE), B&G Foods (NYSE: BGS), Seneca Foods (Nasdaq: SENEB), Smart Balance (Nasdaq: SMBL), Farmer Brothers (Nasdaq: FARM), John B. Sanfilippo (Nasdaq: JBSS), China Marine Food (Nasdaq: CMFO), MGP Ingredients (Nasdaq: MGPI), China Nutrition (Nasdaq: CNGL), Overhill Farms (AMEX: OFI), Omega Protein (NYSE: OME), Key Technology (Nasdaq: KTEC), Tasty Baking (Nasdaq: TSTY), Inventure Foods (Nasdaq: SNAK), Golden Enterprises (Nasdaq: GLDC), Kroger (NYSE: KR), Companhia Brasileiria (NYSE: CBD), Safeway (NYSE: SWY), Delhaize (NYSE: DEG), Whole Foods (Nasdaq: WFMI), SuperValu (NYSE: SVU), Casey's General Stores (Nasdaq: CASY), Ruddick (NYSE: RDK), Weis Markets (NYSE: WMK), Winn-Dixie (Nasdaq: WINN), Blue Square Israel (NYSE: BSI), Ingles Markets (Nasdaq: IMKTA), Village Super Market (Nasdaq: VLGEA), Pantry (Nasdaq: PTRY), Arden (Nasdaq: ARDNA), Susser (Nasdaq: SUSS), QKL Stores (Nasdaq: QKLS), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Target (NYSE: TGT), Costco (Nasdaq: COST), BJ Wholesale (NYSE: BJ), Coca-Cola Hellenic (NYSE: CCH), OTE Telecom (NYSE: OTE), National Bank of Greece (NYSE: NBG), Darden (NYSE: DRI), Brinker (NYSE: EAT), Dryships (Nasdaq: DRYS), Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE: NMM), Navios Holdings (NYSE: NM), Tsakos Energy Navigation (NYSE: TNP), Genco Shipping (NYSE: GNK), Danaos (NYSE: DAC), Paragon Shipping (Nasdaq: PRGN), Top Ships (Nasdaq: TOPS).

Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.

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Sunday, August 08, 2010

Shrimp and Rice Pilaf Recipe

shrimp and rice pilaf recipe
Shrimp & Rice Pilaf Recipe

Wall Street Greek weekend content welcomes another homemade Greek recipe from Pinelopi's kitchen. This latest treasure of Greek cooking is Pinelopi's shrimp and rice pilaf recipe. Remember, we are accepting readers' Greek cooking recipes, so please feel free to send us your family's favorite. Simply email your recipe, two photos of the dish, a photo of the chef and a brief write up about the recipe, the cook and/or the person who taught you the wonderful dish to recipes @wallstreetgreek.com.

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Greek cooking recipesMother told me how she caught shrimp in the sea in Greece. They came close to the shore as she waded into the water fully clothed but barefoot.

The water was so pristine that she could see her feet and the pebbles below. The shrimp began to nibble at her toes. Actually that's how she discovered their presence. Her face would light up as she reminisced and it made me wish I could have been there too. Many many years later in the same secluded spot where my mother had been, Popi (pr. paw-pi), my sister-in-law, and I waded into the sea, when suddenly I felt something biting at my toes. Popi came over and told me they were shrimp. I could not stop laughing. I guess she thought I had lost it.

I had never seen live shrimp before. They were swimming and colorless. Mother was with us on this trip. I could not wait to tell her. We laughed together like children. "You see," she kept saying, "You see." Having shared the experience of one of her famous stories, to me, was a great gift and brought me so much joy.

Shrimp and Rice Pilaf Recipe



Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rice
  • 2 pounds medium sized shrimp
  • 2 medium sized onions diced
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
  • ½ can tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt, pepper, oregano to taste (when pushed to tell us exactly how much, Penny estimated about 1 tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon pepper, ¾ tablespoon dried oregano)
  • Parsley to decorate
  • 2 stalks of celery


  1. Boil the shrimp for five minutes in enough water to cover the prawns. Here is a little secret I learned from my brother-in-law Louie (God rest his soul): Drop one tablespoon of red vinegar in the water used to boil the shrimp. I'm not exactly sure why, but I believe it offsets any fishy flavor the prawns might carry while also helping the rice to fluff more.

  2. Strain the shrimp and reserve the broth for later use.

  3. Peel shells and devein the shrimp.

  4. Sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until translucent.

  5. Add crushed tomatoes to the mix.

  6. Cook until the sauce thickens or condenses, then add salt, pepper and oregano.

  7. Add shrimp and let the pot cook for another few minutes.

  8. Bring the rice to a boil in the reserved shrimp broth with two bay leaves, and allow to simmer until the rice is cooked. It may be necessary to add water to the pot to finish cooking the rice.

  9. Place the rice into a form and arrange the sauce with shrimp around and over the rice.
  10. Decorate the plate with parsley to finish.

  11. We serve this dish with boiled greens or a Greek salad in my house.


cooking Greek prawns with riceThis shrimp and rice pilaf recipe does not traditionally include celery in most Greek homes, but mother added celery and sometimes leeks to her sauce. My nephew Felix tells me celery is good for the heart. We do not know if that is the reason mother used celery. It's something I noted growing up that other cooks did not add to their sauce. It is just not the same without the celery to me. Perhaps it is just what we come to know and the taste that signifies home and memories.

This recipe has a variation in which after cooking the sauce and shrimp, and cooking the rice, we combine the two together and serve with sprinkled parsley on top. This is what we usually do in our home, and the family likes it better this way.

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Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.

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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Souvlaki Recipe - Lamb Shish Kebab

souvlaki recipe lamb shish kebab
Summer barbecue season means souvlaki for our family

Greek Cooking Columnist, Pinelopi, offers her favorite Greek family recipes as part of Wall Street Greek's weekend content. Please feel free to share your family's favorite Greek recipe (or near Greek) by submitting them (with a photo and brief description or bio of yourself) to this email address: "recipes @ WallStreetGreek .com". We will very likely publish your recipe and photo. Now please enjoy Pinelopi's lamb souvlaki recipe, which you may know better as shish-kebab.

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Greek cooking food recipes souvlaki shish kebabThe traditional start to the American barbecue season is Memorial Day, though I am sure most Americans fire up the grill much earlier than that. Greek-American tradition has extended Greek families the size of some small nations cooking out as early as Easter, and the object of our desire is lamb. Tomorrow, June 21st, marks the first day of summer, so by now nearly all of us are cooking out. Independence Day is just around the corner, so another big barbecue party is queueing up for our home. I initially authored this article for Memorial Day, and I describe that holiday's scene in our home in the paragraphs that follow. My souvlaki recipe can be found below.

After visiting our loved ones at the cemetery with the offering of prayers and flowers, our family prepares to celebrate the holiday with a good old fashioned barbecue. Our flag is already raised, and whether it is still or waving with the passing of a gentle breeze, it is always a stirring feeling to see. Dad has the watermelons lined up on the kitchen floor, and has given each one a thump to decide the first to be cut and placed to chill. Dad takes Odi (short for Odysseus), our brittany spaniel, out for his morning run. He's been bathed the day before. Odi seems to sense good things are coming today, and becomes his master's shadow, not wanting to miss a thing.

Odi dogAs a puppy, we had no inkling that Odi would grow to become like his namesake. He escapes by climbing over the fence or by sneaking under it to seek his adventures. He runs by the house once or twice, just to see what's happening there, but he never comes in for at least three hours. We cannot know what he has done, where he has been or what he has seen, but he returns spent.

The vegetable garden has been planted since before Mother's Day, and is growing nicely. Our three fig trees have already set tiny figs. Two are the mission figs and one produces white figs. The pear tree is in blossom, as well as the dwarf Meyers Lemon Tree, though it has some lemons growing as well. Our grape vine has a few tiny white grapes showing, and we have already cut some leaves for stuffing (see our future article on stuffed grape leaves).

After a morning coffee, we begin to prepare the food for the grill.

We are making Souvlaki of leg of lamb, also known as shish-kebab!

Souvlaki Recipe - Lamb Shish Kebab



lamb souvlaki recipe ingredientsMaking souvlakia is a family affair. Many hands get the job done quickly, and the work tends to bring out memories and stories of the past and sometimes present. Perhaps it's because it provides time without worries or stress, since we are all concentrating on the job at hand. For instance, how many of each product did we place on each skewer? Such a simple task can be very relaxing, and may well be the factor that encourages the story telling, which most times creates joy and much laughter.

Cooking brings families together before we even gather around the table. If you would care to hear a suggestion, make a date to cook with someone soon – and then "Kali orexi!" or bon appétit. This is the fruit of your labor.

Ingredients:
(Feeds a large family plus some, and should be enough for 25 to 30 skewers)

  • 2.5 pounds of leg of lamb
  • 4-5 firm plum tomatoes, or an adequate amount of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 4-5 green peppers
  • 1-2 large onions (Dad likes red onions)
  • 1.5 pounds of mushrooms (button mushrooms)
  • Marinade for the meat:
  • ½ cup of pure olive oil (Dad leaves the oil out)
  • 1 quart of red wine of your tasting (I like Mavrodafne)
  • 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 2 table Spoons Oregano
  • 2 table spoons of salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • Stir it all up and marinade meat for 1 hour or overnight if you have time


Let's Get to Cooking the Lamb Souvlakia!

  1. Place wooden skewers in a pan of water for a half hour so the wood does not burn
  2. Cut the lamb into cubes the size of a walnut and place in marinade if not already done
  3. Cut the vegetables the same size as the meat
  4. If the mushrooms are small, leave them whole; if not, cut them in half
  5. Before putting the souvlakia together add the vegetables to the maranade and stir gently
  6. Start putting the souvlakia together (start and finish each skewer with meat to keep the souvlaki together):
    * 1 piece of meat
    * 1 tomato
    * 1 meat
    * 1 pepper
    * 1 meat
    * 2 slices of onion
    * 1 meat
    * 1 mushroom
    * 1 meat
  7. Cook on the grill, turning occasionally until the meat is cooked through.


Souvlaki Serving Options:

  1. With a side order of rice pilaf and a couple tablespoons of Greek yogurt on top or tsatsiki sauce beside (also tzatziki)
  2. You can heat pitas and place the souvlaki within it, and add tsatsiki sauce


Kali Orexi!

Greek cooking forum message board souvlaki recipe

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Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.

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