Greek burgers

Ok, it's not a secret, I am a meat fan. Anything would do! Few days ago I was craving a burger. But not just any burger, nothing even close to McDonalds or even Burger Bar, an amazing fast-food restaurant in the center of Amsterdam. I was craving what Stratis calls "THE best burger ever". You prepare it in no time and with appropriate minced meat it could be considered the ultimate healthy burger!

INGREDIENTS:

1kg of minced beef meat (preferably low fat)
2 average-size onions, grated (very finely diced is also fine)
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup bread crumbles
1 cup fresh milk (YES, MILK! Very typical for a Greek burger)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sweet cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Shape into burgers.
3. Place on an oiled baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 40 minutes or until cooked through but not dry.

I cooked this amazing burgers yesterday for dinner and served them with giant Greek oven-baked beans (recipe is on the way) and pickled silverskin onions on the side. I think both me and my man enjoyed them a lot!

Soutzoukakia Smirneika - Traditional Smirnean Meatballs

Smirni, aka Izmir, is a city on the south west coast of Turkey. Before 1922, nearly half of the city's population was Greek, consisting of mostly very wealthy people. In 1922 the relationships between Greece and Turkey worsened, leading to genocide or deportation of Greek population. In most of the cases, people who finally managed to reach Greece could not save any of their wealth. So the only wealth that they brought with them was their culture and of course the finest recipes. There are many recipes coming from Smirni, and I guess each Smirnean grandma has her own little secrets. The flavors of Smirni combine Greek and Turkish influences, they are spicy and aromatic, and it is just impossible to pass by without getting a wet mouth.

Probably the most famous Smirnean recipe is the meatballs. Spiced with cumin and cinnamon, they are (traditionally) fried at first and then cooked in a delicious tomato sauce. I really love them, and despite the first impression, cooking them is really easy. That is why I decided that this would be the main course for the Greek dinner party that I organized this Sunday.

INGREDIENTS:

For the meatballs:

1 kg ground beef
2 cups bread crumbles
2 eggs
1/2 cup dry red whine
1 whole garlic head, minced (YES one whole head, not just 1 clove)
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

1 can chopped tomatoes
2 cups tomato puree
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 head garlic, minced (Again, head not clove)
10 grains allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients for the meatballs until the mixture is uniform. Set aside for about 15 minutes to let the minced meat absorb the flavors of the spices.
2. Shape the meatballs in the size of two fingers. They should be sort of oval.
3. As I already mentioned, traditionally you are supposed to fry the meatballs in some olive oil and then use the oil from the pan in the sauce. I did it once like this and they were pretty heavy (not that this came as a surprise to me). So this time I actually baked them in the oven. I think this is the optimal, since it is much healthier and they don't lose any of their taste. So at this point place your meatballs in a baking pan and bake in the oven at about 200°C until they are crispy from outside and well done inside. Set aside.
4. Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a large pot. The pot should be really big since you will add all the meatballs to it later. Cover the pot and cook the sauce for about half an hour at low heat.
5. Once the sauce is ready dip all the meatballs in it one by one. The best way is to try to place them one next to the other, as if trying to cover the bottom of the pot with them.
6. Cover the pot and cook on a low heat for another half an hour or maybe even a bit longer and they are done. Let them cool for few minutes and then serve with rice.

I know that the amount of garlic in this recipe sounds enormous and most people will be skeptical. In fact I also was, but I decided to give it a try and I don't regret it. If you are too afraid, you could try to cut the amount in half and see if you like it. If you do, next time try to increase the amount. I promise you'll love it!

Lasagna

It's been a while since I started planning my cooking blog. As soon as the idea came I started taking pictures of most of my creations. So, as I was thinking what my new post would be I went through the pictures and remembered a great lasagna recipe that I made few weeks ago. I borrowed the original recipe from My Lasagna Recipe and adjusted it a bit since I couldn't find some of the basic ingredients here. I think the result was pretty good. By the way, I think this lasagna tastes even better the second day!

INGREDIENTS:

For the meat sauce:

700gr minced beef
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cans (800gr) diced tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato paste
150 ml dry red wine
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp dry oregano
1tsp dry thyme
8-10 bahari grains (allspice)
1 tsp hot boukovo (crashed chilly peppers)
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
salt and pepper to taste

For the cheese filling:

400gr Philadelphia or Philadelphia-like cheese. You could use either plain cheese or the one spiced with herbs. I like the garlic and dill flavor the most.
1 egg
1 tbsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry thyme

Rest of the ingredients:

12 lasagna sheets
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese

1. In a large sauce pan heat the oil. Add onion, garlic, bahari grains, boukovo and coriander seeds and cook until onions are tender.
2. Add the minced meat and cook on a low heat until the meat is brown.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar and the remaining spices, cover and cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes
4. Meanwhile soak the lasagna sheets for about 15 minutes in hot water. Remove from the water and place on a clean kitchen towel.
5. Prepare the cheese filling by simply mixing all the ingredients together until the paste is uniform.
6. In an ovenproof pan, large enough to fit 4 of the lasagna sheets, pour some meat souce, just enough to cover the bottom.
7. Place the first layer of lasagna sheets over the sauce, in a way that they overlap a little.
8. Spread half of the cheese filling over the lasagna and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
9. Spread about 1/3 of the meat sauce over the cheese filling.
10. Repeat the steps 7-9.
11. Cover with the remaining lasagna sheets and pour over them the remaining meat sauce.
12. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan, cover with foil, place in a preheated oven and bake at 200°C for about 30 minutes. At the end remove the foil, turn on the grill and bake just enough to make a nice crust on top.
13. Before serving let it cool for some time. Otherwise it will fall apart while you transfer it to a plate (trust me!)

This recipe is a bit time consuming but it is soooo worth it!