Cypriot food flavored with dried coriander and wine
-1 kilo pork meat into pieces (bacon) -4 To 5 potatoes, peeled and quartered -grated Cinnamon -Salt -Pepper -Dry coriander (crushed) (about ½ cup of coffee) -1 ½ glass of wine -1 Glass of water -1 vegetable broth cube (optional) -Oil for frying
Fry the potatoes in a frying pan with some oil. Once browned and cooked place them on a platter
In the same oil fry the meat and let it get cooked until it turns into brown
Remove the oil from the pan and add our wine (bake 5 minutes until the alcohol evaporates)
Add water along with cinnamon and coriander
Cook with less heat for about 20 minutes
Add potatoes, salt and pepper and bake for 10 more minutes
When all liquids are gone removed it from the fire
Tips: To intense flavor and aroma put your meat from the previous night in the refrigerator inside a bowl of dry wine and coriander (food should be covered with plastic membrane )
Gemista
Greek recipe also used in Cyprus with diffrent spices (cinnamon)
-½ kilo minced pork -½ cup rice -250gr tomatoe juice(puree) -10 large tomatoes -4 zucchini -4 large peppers -1 Vegetable broth (optional) -1 lemon(juice) -2 Grated onions -chopped parsley -Salt -Pepper -Cinnamon -1 cup olive oil
Wash our vegetables very well (tomatoes, peppers, zucchini). Cut their caps and remove the inside
Grind in a large bowl the inside material from the tomatoes and zucchini
In a glass with very little hot water dissolve the broth (if it is not liquid,e.g. cube) and add it in a bowl with the remaining ingredients except the olive oil (minced meat, rice, tomato puree, salt, pepper, cinnamon, lemon, parsley)
Mix them very well
Fill the empty tomatoes, peppers and zucchini with out mixture. Then close them with their cap.
Then place them in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil (should be max one finger of the pan in height)
Salt them and cook to 180 C for 45 minutes until they get golden brown on one side then carefully turn them around in order to get cooked both sides.
Cook for another 45 minutes until they get golden brown and very soft
Tips: Served with yogurt. It's a course that keeps its beautiful smell and taste for the next day.
Meatballs
One tasty cypriot meatball is never enough
-½ kilo minced pork -4 Medium potatoes, grated -1 Large onion grated -2 eggs -½ cup chopped parsley -dried mint -pepper -Salt -grated Cinnamon -1 lemon(Juice) -Oil for frying
Put in a bowl all the ingredients except the oil
Mix very well all our materials
Place the frying pan into the fire with enough oil (make sure it covers more than half the meatball when fried)
Make round balls or thumb styled meatballs from our mix
When the oil is warm enough we put our meatballs
Once they turn into golden brown on one side turn them around until they go golden brown from the other
After cooking place them on absorbent paper for 1 to 2 minutes to dry out the oil
Tips: Combined perfectly with strained yogurt, rice with vermicelli or groats. You can make meatball sandwiches with yogurt and cucumber as a snack at work.
Country chicken
-1 kilo of chicken fillet -4 large potatoes (cut into pieces) -2 carrots (cut into pieces) -2 onions (cut into pieces) -200 g feta cheese (cut into pieces) -salt -oregano -pepper -olive oil
First we pre-heat the oven on 180 C
We cut our meat into 10-12 pieces
Split the meat and all remaining ingredients into four servings(4 portions)
Mix each one very well well
For each serving place a large piece of aluminum foil over a parchment paper
Close each of the parchment paper with its foil as a pouch (if possible tie with a string)
Bake for 1 -1 ½ hours at 180 C
Tips: You can use clay pot instead of parchment paper for baking as long as you cover it with aluminium foil.
Lemon chicken
Favourite childrens chicken recipe
-1 chicken cut into pieces -4 or 5 potatoes -3 Tablespoons flour -Olive Oil -Salt -Pepper -Vegetable broth (preferably two cubes) -1 Cup lemon juice (fresh)
Clear and cut the potatoes into four pieces each
Put a pan into the fire with some oil
When the oil is heated up, add the potatoes and fry them until golden brown (no need to cook them completely)
Remove the potatoes and place them on a platter
Use the same oil to fry the chicken (you will need to do this on many steps) until all pieces are golden browned. When its ready put it on a platter.
Empty almost all our oil in a pot (do not throw it you will need it again)
In the few oil left over in our pot add 3 cups water, lemon juice, broth, salt, pepper and when it reaches boil add the chicken. Simmer for 15 minutes until chicken is tender
Add the potatoes and let them cook for 5-10 minutes
In the same time put another pot with the oil on the fire and when it boils well add the three tablespoons of flour and mix well until it becomes mush (do not put it all together at once but slowly and a little at each time)
Slowly add the flour mixture to the pot with the chicken and mix well. Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes and remove from the heat
Tips: Accompany it with green salad. You can adjust the amount of lemon depending on how lemony you want the result. The flour is added to make the sauce less liquid.
Roasted chicken
-1 chicken cut into portions -1 kg potatoes -olive oil -salt -pepper -oregano -1 Lemon
Preheat oven to 180 c. Cut our lemon in half and brush over the chicken in order to avoid it getting black(burned)
Peel the potatoes and cut them into four
Place the chicken and potatoes in a large baking pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano
Add the olive oil (½ - 1 cup)
Bake for 1 hour to 180 c. If it gets golden brown too early cover it with aluminium foil
Tips: You can put other aromatics too such as bay leaves and rosemary
Stuffed vine leaves (dolmades)
The Stuffed vine leaves, stuffed or dolmades is one of the most traditional Cypriot dishes
-½ kilo minced pork -50 to 70 Vine leaves (preferably fresh) -½ cup rice -300 gr tomato puree -4 Crushed tomatoes -1 Vegetable broth (optional) -1 Cup lemon juice -2 Grated onions -chopped parsley -Salt -Pepper -Cinnamon -½ cup olive oil -Water
In a glass with very little hot water (1 finger) dissolve the broth(if it is not liquid e.g. cube) and add it to a bowl
Add in the bowl our ingrediends:mince, rice, 150 g tomato puree, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ½ cup lemon juice, parsley
Mix them very well
Boil the vine leaves for 2-3 minutes and strain them
Remove any thick pieces on the edge of the vine leaves
Take one by one each leaf and with its 'shiny' side facing down, place a spoonful of mixture, close the right and left side down and wrap it like a roll. Repeat.
Place each in a circular pan (first to fill the bottom after the first level or so forth without leaving gaps)
Cover it with a dish (which should be a little less than the diameter of the pot).
Pour over the ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup lemon juice and 150 g of the tomato puree
Also pour water on it, enough to cover it all plus a very little more.
Salt and cook until all liquid are drained for about 40 minutes
Tips: It is good to place on the bottom of the pot some leaves so you can avoid getting your stuffed stucked and add some more flavor. Served with yogurt
Mugs(koupes)
dough ½ pound pourkouri (bulgur) thin for mugs -3 Cups of hot water -4 Tablespoons oil (sunflower) -4 Tablespoons flour -1 egg
Dough: In a bowl place the pourkouri with 3 cups warm water and leave it to rise for 3 hours
After 3 hours, add the oil, flour and egg and mold very well until the mixture is uniform (dough)
Filling: In a saucepan fry the mince and once its cooked put the onion until it gets golden brown
Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, artischia and mix well until it gets golden brown and ready.
Remove from heat and add the chopped parsley
Cut the dough into small balls
With our finger (or the back of a wooden spoon) open hole in the middle and start pushing until the walls become thin (take the shape shown in the picture)
Fill the hole with the filling and close it in a pointed shape
Repeat
In a pot, add oil so that it covers them
After it warms up well put (not all together at once) our koupes(mugs) until they get browned on both sides.
Remove and place on greaseproof paper for 1-2 minutes.
Serve with lemon
Tips: If you put them in the freezer (for another day)do not unfreeze and start frying straight. The can be very tasty if you replace meat with mushrooms
Macaroni oven (Pastitsio)
A Greek recipe with Cypriot elements
For the pasta -1 packet (500 grams). Macaroni -1 cube broth -Cinnamon -4 tablespoons butter margarine
Bechamel -5 tablespoons flour -1 cup of brown oil (sunflower) -1 evaporated milk -1 cup warm water -½ vegetable broth (cube) -2 eggs -Salt
-200 g grated Halloumi
Spaghetti:In a pot of hot water we put our pasta with a broth for 10 minutes.
Once cooked drain and place in a baking dish.
Add when its still warm the butter with the cinnamon and stir well to allow it to spread everywhere
Stuffing:In a pan fry the mince and once its cooked put the onion until it becomes golden brown(cooked)
Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and mix well until they get browned and are ready.
Remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley
Add the mixture over the pasta as a layer (spread it everywhere)
Bechamel:In another saucepan place one cup oil and put it in the fire until its hot.
In a bowl mix the milk, broth and 1 cup warm water
Burn the oil(decrease the heat) slowly and stir then add one one 5 tablespoons flour. Stir well, reduce heat and slowly add the milk mixture, broth and water (mix below). The cream should not be too tight thus you may need to add another ½ cup water
Break the eggs and add them to the cream.Stir quickly. Remove from the heat and season with salt.
Place the cream in our pan with the remaining ingredients and spread it to go on all points. Sprinkle halloumi.
Bake to 180 C for 40 minutes until the cream turns into a golden color us.
Tips: Allow 10-15 minutes to cool before serving. You can also combine the minced pork and pasta together and put them as one layer
Moussaka
A purely Greek recipe with Cypriot touches
stuffing -½ kilo minced pork -2 onions, chopped -2 chopped tomatoes -200 grams of tomato puree -parsley -pepper -cinnamon -salt
layer -8 large zucchini -5 eggplants -5 potatoes -olive oil
bechamel -5 tablespoons flour -1 cup of brown oil (sunflower) -1 evaporated milk -1 cup warm water -½ vegetable broth cube -2 eggs -salt
-200 g grated Halloumi
Wash and cut the eggplants into long strips 1 cm thick and place them in a bowl with brine (salt and water) about 20 minutes to get the bitterness out
Wash and chop the zucchini and potatoes into long strips 1 cm thick
Put a pan on the stove with oil and begin to fry
After frying place them in a baking dish in layers (filling the entire bottom without spaces) first aubergines, courgettes and potatoes. Salt and pepper.
Stuffing:In one saucepan fry the mince and after its cooked put the onion until it becomes golden brown
Add parsley and tomato juice until it starts to boil.
Put the broth with a glass of water, salt, pepper, cinnamon and let it simmer until the liquids are gone (about 15 minutes). Take it out of the heat and add the meat to the pan over top of the eggplant, zucchini and potatoes.
Bechamel:On another saucepan place one cup oil and put it in the fire until hot.
In a bowl mix the milk, broth and 1 cup warm water
Once the oil is burnex add one by one 5 tablespoons flour. Stir well, reduce heat and slowly add the milk mixture, broth and water (stir contantly). If the cream is very tight then you may need to add another ½ cup water
Stir quickly, and add the eggs to the cream. Remove from the heat and season with salt.
End:Place our cream into the pan with the remaining ingredients and spread it to go on all points. Sprinkle halloumi on top.
Cook on 180 C for 40 minutes until cream gets golden.
Tips: Allow 10-15 minutes before serving the food in order to let it cool and to be able to cut it easier
Ofto kleftiko
Cypriot sunday's main course
-1 kilo lamb or goat meat -4 Large potatoes (cut in half) -Salt -Daphne -Oregano -Pepper -2 Cinnamon sticks -½ cup water
First we pre-heat the oven on 180 C
We cut our meat into 4 large pieces
Place a large piece of aluminum foil and parchment paper over it
Place all our materials on wax paper and mix them
Close the parchment paper with our foil as a pouch (if possible tie with a string)
Bake for 2 -2 ½ hours at 180 C
Tips: You can use clay pot instead of parchment paper for baking and make sure to cover it with foil. Keep cooked to 180 C and avoid turn up the heat volume as it can toughen the meat.
Roast
The specialty of Lenia
-2 kilos boneless pork -6 potatoes -2 glasses of red wine xyro -4 cloves of garlic -Oil -Salt -Pepper -2 cinnamon sticks -3 tablespoons flour -Water
Wash peel and cut the potatoes into four pieces each
In a pan put oil and fry the potatoes
Remove them and place them on a platter
In the same oil fry our meat well on all sides to get it golden brown
Remove the oil and place it a bowl (around ½ cup) (do not throw it, will need it)
Carve the meat. Then place the cloves of garlic inside the meat
Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, wine and fill with water until it covers the meat (and a little more)
Cook over low heat for 2 -2 ½ hours until the meat is tender
After two and a half hours, add the potatoes
Place the pot with the oil on the heat and let it boil for a few momments. Then add 3 tablespoons flour
Mix well the meat mixture with flour and then put it (carefully) into various parts of the meat(kinda sprinkle over it)
Bake for 5 minutes and the food is ready
Tips:You should not add the mix with flour all at once because it will no allow sauce to cook correctly
Seftalia
The most famous Cypriot recipe dish loved by all Cypriots and foreigners
-½ kilo pork mince -½ pound of grated onion -1 Cup parsley -500gr Caul fat -Salt -Pepper -Cinnamon -Oregano
Mix very well all our ingredients except the Caul fat in a bowl
Mold the mox into stick size and wrap it with the Caul fat (like stuffed vine leaves)
Bake for 20 minutes on the grill until golden brown
Tips: Before eating add a bit of lemon and parsley. A good variation is to place them in Cypriot pie with lots of parsley, onion, tomato, cucumber and lemon. Simply delicious. Enjoy your meal!
Liver
Ideal side dish and for Fat Thursday
-1 kilo goat liver -2 chopped Onions -2 lemons (Juice) -Salt -Pepper -Oil for frying
Wash the liver very well
Cut it into pieces
Place the oil in a pan and put it on the fire
When its heated up, add the liver and let it get half cooked for 15 minutes
Add the onion and fry them together until they get golden brown
Fill all the remaining ingredients and stir until their liquids soaked up
Tavas Lefkaritikos
Cypriot recipe for chicken with rice in the oven
-1 kilo of chicken breast (cut into pieces) -3 Carrots (cut into pieces) -3 Zucchini (cut into pieces) -3 Onions (cut into pieces) -½ cup rice -1 Vegetable broth -½ cup of olive oil -250gr tomatoe puree -2 Cups water -Salt -Pepper -Cinnamon -Artischia (cumin) -Olive oil
First we pre-heat the oven on 200 C
Place all our ingredients on a pan except the rice
Mix them very well
Put them in the oven at 200 C for 1-1 ½ hours until they get golden brown and soft.
Add rice (if necessary fill ½ cup water) and continue baking for 15-20 minutes
