Is it a Salad? Is it a main course?…Is it just tasty? Most probably yes, to all of the previous questions.
Tag: Pork
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Grilled Pork Souvlakia with oven potatoes
Everyone knows by now how beloved is souvlakia in Greece and how often it is consumed everywhere. In Athens, in Thessaloniki, on the islands, on the small villages…it doesn’t matter. You will hear it sometimes with different names in Greece but always with same style.
One Saturday morning after an excessive alcohol abuse on Friday night, I was so much wishing I could order some to my house like the ones they have in Greece. Didn’t want any pizza, or burger…just a good souvlakia dish. Well, there were some initial problems, first the hangover from last night’s rum and coca cola, and the fact I didn’t had any yogurt or pita bread to try and cook one with the more traditional recipe.It doesn’t matter; you still can make something nice…as long as you manage to control your hangover.
INGREDIENTS FOR PORK SOUVLAKIA WITH OVEN POTATOES
- 500gr of pork chopped in medium size cubes
- 4-6 skewers’… or anything close to that you can find so you can stick the food, i had to improvise…
- Around 10-15 cherry tomatoes
- 2-3 large potatoes cut in different sizes
- 2 onions chopped in large wedges
- 2 green peppers chopped in large wedges again
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper
- Oregano, much of oregano
METHOD
- Drink a large glass of water to relieve the pain from the headache and then take some painkillers Then we are going to start preparing the potatoes, I found a really nice way for good oven potatoes. Take a big pot and fill it with water, put the potatoes in, bring it to a boil and let them boil for 15 minutes until you see the potatoes are soft you can pinch them with a fork
- When its done, remove the water and keep the potatoes (obviously..) . Add them in to a baking pan and sprinkle with salt and oregano, adding also olive oil so the potatoes are not stuck. Put them into the oven for 200c for 20-25 minutes until you see they start to become brown on the outside.
- As the potatoes are being cooked you take the ingredients and start preparing the souvlakia. As a basic rule, start with a vegetable, and end with a vegetable. Don’t cut the cherry tomatoes in two, as it will remove the juices from them. Put lot of salt, pepper, oregano and oil on them before you start placing them on the skewers.
- When you are finished, add them on the grill and cook them for 15 more minutes turning them every 4-5 minutes from each side. You can keep the potatoes underneath so to keep warm.
Serve them with a bit of parsley if you want, and some sauce of your choice.
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“Tigania” Pork with leeks
In Greece there is a kind of dish which they call “tigania”. Basically fried meat combined with some sauce. Any fried combination of meat in Greece is called like that and is usually dish that people take in combination with others as “mezedes”,
Its not difficult but frying pork in combination with other spices always brings special flavors. I have tried various combination in the past and always i got something different.
For this specific one i read how nice it was to combine it with leaks as it is something that is done widely in Greece. (trust me i checked forums where Greek mothers are discussing there cooking secrets)
To be honest think its easy to make different variations and its not something really difficult or uncommon nevertheless oregano gives it a special flavor while you can mix it with greek feta cheese or other spices like thyme.
Its up to you
INGREDIENTS FOR “TIGANIA” PORK WITH LEEKS
- 500gr of pork chops cut in small cubes.
- 2-3 leeks cut in small pieces
- ½ cup of Olive oil
- Salt-Pepper
- ½ cup of white wine
- Oregano
METHOD
Cut the pork into medium size pieces wash and leave it to drain
Put the oil into a pan and sauté the pork chops
As soon as it is brown add the wine and let it “drink” all the alcohol.
Add salt pepper and oregano as much as you want and continue to stir it.
Just a little bit before it is done, add the leeks and stir for 4-5 minutes more.
Serve it together with rice or chips.
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Spetsofai: Traditional stew with sausages and peppers from Volos
Years ago when I was still in Greece, I decided to go for some day’s holidays in a city of Greece called Volos. I took my small 125cc motorcycle and after a long tiring trip, I managed to reach my destination and my friend that was waiting for me there.
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Captain’s Spiros Pork with mustard and rice
porkchops with mustard Spiros is a good friend of me from Greece and Captain of the sailing boat we have been on vacations the last 2 summers. Not only he is brave enough to have me and my brother from time to time on his crew…but also he cooks really well.
So here is the deal, he says come and i will rent a sailing boat and we will travel around the islands in Greece, the cost will be really low, and during the night cause you dont know how to cook (yeah right) i will cook you Greek dishes on
board….so how can you refuse offers like that?
Couple of weeks ago, he came in the UK to visit us…and we as good guests…. we made him cook for us …again… Yeap,thats how good we are 🙂 As he is a really skilled diver and fisherman, his best recipes are obviously…anything with fish. Nevertheless, the last time he came over here he forgot some pork chops in my freezer…So i asked him a nice way to cook them. I promised him, if the recipe is good ill put it on the blog. So thats what he wrote to me and i post it over here translated and without all the naughty words that the captains ussually say to there crew..
Captain’s Spiros Pork
“We have just done commissions and we are now 10 miles from the nearest coast. The crew is hungry. Very hungry!
We need to satisfy the animal instincts of survival ASAP!
So we collect our materials:
Pork with mustard and Rice
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kilo of pork cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- A branch of Fresh mint
- Fresh rosemary springs
- 5 tablespoons mustard soup
- Grated garlic and pepper
- Salt
- 2 cups white wine
- 2 cups basmati rice
METHOD
- We give the crew a small amount of alcohol so they have something to be concerned until they food is ready. In a large deep pan, heat one tablespoon oil and put the pork.
- Once browned we add the onions, the grated garlic and pepper, mint and rosemary. We stir over high heat When the meat takes all the juices that are created we add the wine.
- Lower fire and enjoy the smell emitted. After the pork ‘drinks’ the wine add the mustard and salt and stir in order to create our is sauce. If you want to do what is called in Greece “papara” and soak the bread to the sauce , add a little bit more water and bring to a boil.
- When it begins to boil turn off the fire. Serve together with rice Ready. Shout at the deck to serve. Serve in shallow dish of rice with meat.
Enjoy your meal.
p.s. I hope you have already taken care of someone other than the dishes after.”
