Recipes

Recipes from Crete

Courgette Croquettes (kolokythokeftedes)

These delicious little croquettes are very popular at the better Taverna's in Crete and all over Greece.

Ingredients: 5 courgettes, 2 flowery potatoes, 1 onion, mint and or basil leaves, salt and pepper, 5 egg yolks, bread crumbs and finally approximately 100 g of grated parmesan or other hard sheep’s milk cheese.
Finely grate the courgettes and add the salt. After about 10 minutes squeeze out the excess water with a kitchen towel. Boil the potatoes and mash.
Grate the onion, finely chop the herbs and mix together with the egg yolks, mashed potatoe and the cheese.
With your hands make little palm sized patties and roll the mix in the bread crumbs.
Shallow fry in vegetable oil until golden brown and crisp. Season with salt and pepper as required. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

  

 Cumin and Garlic Meatballs in Tomato and Wine Sauce

These cumin-flavoured meatballs may be casseroled or oven-baked with potatoes - here is the oven version.

500g minced meat (lamb or beef)
130g bread, soaked in white wine

2 cloves of garlic, grated or crushed
1 heaped tsp of ground cumin
1 small onion, grated
half tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 medium egg
1 dessert spoon olive oil

Squeeze the bread dry, place in a bowl with all the other ingredients and mix together with your hands. Leave the mixture for half an hour in the fridge then shape into cigar shapes (a good thumb size). Put into a shallow oven dish and add equal amounts of parboiled potatoes, cut into similar sizes.

Now take 1 tsp of cumin seeds, half tsp salt, 1 clove of garlic, a small onion, a glass of white wine, half a glass of olive oil and a 400g tin of tomatoes, put all into a liquidiser and liquidise. Taste for salt then half fill the tin with water and add. Liquidise again then pour all over the meatballs and potatoes. Cook at Gas Mark 6, 180C for about an hour, checking after 30 minutes.

Serve with shredded white cabbage, carrot salad and lots of fresh bread.

Lamb and Spinach in Egg and Lemon Sauce

Serves 4 - 6

1 Kilo Lamb (on the bone)

3 Spring onions, roughly chopped

1 –2 tbsp. Olive Oil 

900 gm Fresh Spinach

2 tbsp. Fresh Chopped Dill

1 Egg

Salt to taste

Juice of a Lemon

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add the lamb and spring onions. Brown for 5 minutes over a medium heat, turning frequently. Add enough cold water to just about cover the meat. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer covered for 40 minutes. 

Meanwhile wash the spinach and roughly chop together with the dill. Add to the lamb with salt and black pepper to taste. Push the spinach down firmly on top of the meat, cover the saucepan and leave to simmer again for 15 minutes. Mix the spinach thoroughly into the meat, turn up the heat and bubble for 5 –10 minutes to cook the spinach and reduce the sauce. 

Beat up the egg with the lemon juice in a small bowl. Turn off the heat and leave the lamb to stand uncovered for 10 minutes.  Using a soup ladle, add one ladle of lamb sauce to the lemon mix. Beat in with a fork. Repeat a second and third time. Then, if you can get help at this point, all the better. Hold the saucepan with both hands and tip the sauce to one side of the pan. Ask a friend to quickly add the lemon mix straight onto the sauce then rotate the sauce quickly round and round by moving the saucepan in a circular motion. This prevents curdling, and ensures the lemon reaches every part of the pan.  

Reheat almost to boiling, then serve with fresh bread and salad.