Greek Recipes

Pastitsada - Pot-Roasted Veal with Pasta

This famous Greek dish is from Corfu and the Ionian Islands. It is popular in tavernas throughout mainland Greece. Sometimes the meat is also cut into thick slices or cubes before pot-roasting. It is always served with pasta, an indication of its Venetian origins.

Ingredients:

3 lb veal top round, left whole
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbsp wine vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To serve:
1 lb macaroni, rigatoni, or alternative pasta, boiled
Grated Kefalotiri, or parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1 - Preheat the oven to 350F. Make small cuts in the veal with a sharp knife. Stud the garlic slices and cloves into these cuts. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish and saute the veal on all sides for about 5 minutes or until browned. Remove and set aside. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves and cinnamon and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and vinegar, season with salt and pepper, stir well and bring to a boil.

2 - Return the veal to the casserole dish. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the veal is tender and the sace has thickened.

3 - To serve, place the cooked macaroni on a platter. Place the veal on top. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese. Carve the veal into slices at the table.

Servings: 4 to 6

Enjoy this traditional easy Greek recipe!

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Tsoureki - Greek Easter Bread

This famous festive Greek Easter bread can be shaped a variety of ways. The most common loaf braids 3 ropes and adds red-dye eggs. The braids are symbolic of the Holy Trinity; the eggs, of the blood of Christ and fertility.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk
5 tbsp butter
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Zest of 1 orange
Scant 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 oz (1 packet) fast-acting dry yeast
3 tbsp orange juice
2 eggs, beaten

For the Glaze:

3 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2/3 cup almonds, slivered

Preparation:

Place the milk in a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Add the butter, stirring it into the milk as it melts, then allow to cool. Place 1 cup of the flour in a mixing bowl with the salt, orange zest and 1 tsp of the sugar.

Stir in the yeast, then beat in the butter and milk to make a batter. Cover and leave for 20 minutes until the mixture becomes bubbly. Then, add the remaining 4 cups flour, sugar, orange juice and eggs, and mix into a soft dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, brush with a little melted butter, cover and leave for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Knead again and then divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into 3 ropes, each 12 inches long. Pinch the 3 ropes together at one end, then braid the 3 ropes into a plaited loaf. Repeat the process with the other 3 ropes. Place the 2 loaves on oiled baking sheets, cover and leave for 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, warm the orange juice over low heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve it into the orange juice. Remove the loaves from the oven and brush on the glaze. Sprinkle the slivered almonds on top of the loaves. Bake for 20 minutes more or until the loaves are golden brown and give off a hollow sound when tapped. Eat either hot or cold.

* Makes 2 loaves

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