Liselotte Thøgersen - Δανία
Γράφει σε βελγικό blog για το πόσο κοντά μας νοιώθει, προτρέπει όλους να
συμπαρασταθούν στην Ελλάδα και προτείνει ελληνικές συνταγές!!!!
This time, I must write
about Greece, and there are obvious reasons for this. I suppose
everybody follows Greece in the media hearing about the financial drama
they are
enduring. The heavy burdens which the Greeks must now carry on their
shoulders,
makes one shiver.
Personally I am very concerned because
I have several very
good Greek friends and it is the country in Europe I have visited most
times
both at work and on vacation, and especially so because our son-in-law
is Greek
and our two grandchildren therefore small beautiful Greek / Danish
girls, Anna
Maria and Zoë Kiriaki! They live in England, but their
family in Kos, which is strongly affected and whom wethink about all the
time. But what can one as an ordinary person do?
Personally, I have taken the decision to buy Greek products where at all
possible: Greek yogurt (Total 2%), Greek honey, Greek olive oil, Greek
feta,
dolmades (the good stuffed vine leaves), olives and Greek wine. I wish I
could
find even more Greek products, but it is difficult and perhaps an
explanation
for one of the country's problems - lack of export of the many goodies
that are
manufactured in Greece.
And then it
might be worth considering
going on holiday to Greece this year. Tourism is one of the most
important
sources of income for the Greeks, if not the most important - so this is
certainly a good way to support them and back them up. And I think they
really
deserve it!
And then it soon Easter and
the most important holiday in the Orthodox Church. This year
Easter in Greeceis about one week after our Easter, but in any
case, this also inspired me to share some wonderful Greek dishes with
you in
this edition. Perhaps the Greek cuisine is not the world's most famous
and most
versatile, but they have great ingredients, and they can make even the
most
boring vegetables taste heavenly. The secretaccording to a wise Greek
mother-in-law to one of our friends is simply
olive oil - lots of olive oil!
So let’s start
with the
beginning:
The other day I read that one of the
currently most sought after articles in “Den Store Danske”
(the new Danish encyclopedia) was about
tzatziki. Yes, the glorious yogurt / garlic sauce
that is so easy
to
make, and which reminds us ofwonderful holidays in Greece. Grate a whole
cucumber
roughly, put it in a tea towel and press
out all the liquid.Add to a few cups of the good
Greek yogurt (2% but the 10% will make it
even more delicious), add a BIG clove of crushed garlic, salt and then
pour a
decent splash of olive oil on top. Voila, a nice starter eaten with some
rally
good bread.
Next a few quick, healthy and hearty
dishes that can stand alone – perhaps supplemented with a good salad.
Enough for
4 people as a main course.
Greek Lentils: Take 250 g small green
lentils. Let them come to the boil then
throw the water away. Fry a chopped onion to the pan in a little olive
oil, add
the lentils and a can of peeled tomatoes, 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic,
and
finally, a bay leaf and a good splash of red wine vinegar - the last 2
ingredients are the key! Add a little bit of water if necessary, but not
too
much. They are ready in approx. 30 minutes – add a good splash of olive
oil in
the last minute. You could also add some grated carrot or
selleri.
Greek white
beans:
Take 250 g of white beans and soak
them overnight or at least 6 hours. Then throw away the water (can be
poisonous)
and rinse the beans well in a sieve in cold water. Then fry a chopped
onion and
a couple of cloves of garlic in a little olive oil, add a can of peeled
tomatoes
and a small can of tomato pure, the beans and a little water. Let it
boil for
two hours on a low heat. Can be eaten cold or hot, sprinkle with oregano
and
again a good splash of olive oil.
Lamb and Easter go together, and I
am convinced that everybody has a good
recipe for any piece of the lamb: But to make it really Greek, there
must be
lots of garlic, potatoes in the bottom of the roasting pan, lots of
oregano,
lemon juice and olive oil poured all over and salt and pepper of course.
With
the lamb the Greeks will serve a salad of romaine lettuce with lots of
fresh
dill, spring onions and a dressing of lemon and olive oil.
And just a wonderful spinach pie
with dill - yes, it is also true Greek:
Greek spinach pie with
dill
1
short crust or puffed
pastry
1 kg fresh spinach
300 g feta cheese
1 large chopped onion
1 bunch of dill
2 eggs
1.5 dl milk or cream
Salt and pepper
Fry the chopped onion in a little
olive
oil, add the spinach and let it fall together, add some saltand pepper,
coarsely
chop the dill and let it "cook" with the spinach just for a minute or
two. Pour
the mixture into a sieve and allow to drain well before putting it on
the crust.
Mix eggs with milk/cream, pour over the spinach and finally crumble the
feta
over the surface.
Bake at 200 degrees for 30
minutes.
Yes, this was my Greek inspiration, but
to tell you the truth, I've got all the ideas from Anne Glinos! And yes,
it is
her mother-in-law, I refer to above! So many thanks to Anne! Maybe you
or maybe
your mother- in-law have some great recipes – if so please send them to
me – I
am always happy to get exciting new ones!
Bon appétit – and happy
Easter!
Liselotte Thøgersen
17th February
2012
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