As summer has finally arrived in London the mood has started to change also. Well, to be honest when we say summer its some sunny days every now and then…but still that is better!
Tag: rice
-
Cabbage and leek rice
You know there are some things that are not in the cooking books and there are not in any encyclopaedia for Greek cuisine. There are things that just come up from real life and are…just there!
When I was young one of the many foods that I hated was the so called, Lachanoprassoryzo! Ok I know you don’t understand what it is but it means, Cabbage and leek rice. Why did I hated it? Cause it had only vegetables inside and that’s something that no child can ever take!
Despite all that, when you get older, things changes and you want more vegetables into your diet in order not to feel bad about the excessive alcohol that you consumed the previous night… So the previous weekend I remembered about this recipe and in fact I found details in some papers with recipes that my mother wrote for me when I first came in to UK.
However, here is the thing, when I checked around in the net to make sure that my mother has written the recipe correctly , I never found a similar recipe!. It was either cabbage rice or leek rice the typical greek recipe. I was angry! So I asked my mother to explain herself! I couldn’t believe that all those years I was brought up with a recipe that it wasn’t cooked as thousands and thousands of years before!!! Surely there had to be a reason!
According to her , the traditional recipe is either cabbage rice or leek rice but once my father had the idea to “marry” all of the ingredients into one dish and she how it will come up adding also carrots.
To be honest I am sure my father heard that story somewhere else also, but it was a good story to tell , I think 🙂
CABBAGE AND LEEK RICE (LACHANO PRASSO RIZO)
- 1 medium but beautifull cabbage sliced
- 3-4 leeks cut in rounds
- 2 (sweet) little carrots cut in small rounds
- 1 cup of -extremely- white rice (more or less for 2 people)
- A small -cute- bunch of parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- A teaspoon of olive oil
- (red hot) Chili peppers (not necessary, if we want)
- The juice from half a lemon
Update 5/12/2013
My brother complain recently that the recipe wasn’t clear enough. So he couldn’t how to make the food now that he lives 2 blocks away from in London. I guess he was right but i will not tell him that. I think i was more caught in the history of this dish rather than how to make it. So, lets makes it clearer.
- In a big pot put a bit of olive and in medium heat throw the leeks inside that you have cut before in small round pieces. Let them sizzle for 3-4 minutes and then add, the cabbage, the parsley and stir really good.
- Add some water to cover the cabbage, the carrots and let it boil for around 20-30 minutes. Basically until you see the cabbage and the carrots to start and become softer.
- Add the rice, and then add more water if needed, in order to cover the rice. stir a bit more and let it boil for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the water with a strainer and serve it adding some lemon.
Unfortunately in the picture is not really clear…but the more vegetables, the better rather than rice.. either way enjoy it! 🙂
-
Mussels with tomato sauce
You know before I started cooking I always thought that some recipes are so unbelievable difficult to make. I always thought that my mother was a hero for cooking so many different dishes that looked to my eyes so complicated.
Well, don’t get me wrong , I still consider my mother a hero for managing to upbringing me despite all the things I did to her me and my brother. Nevertheless, when you start cooking you realize that some of those complicated dishes aren’t so complicated as you thought.
Let’s take for example mussels with rice and red sauce. Most of us when we think about mussels, then the first think that comes to our mind is a really expensive dish that we can only eat in really posh restaurants. Weeeeeeell…not really…
First I have to say that mussels are something common in taverns on the islands of Greece and you can find some really nice variations of the dish. My mother used to make some recipes with mussels just before the orthodox Easter where typical most of the orthodox fast for around 7 to 40 days (depending on how much you really believe…)
So just days ago when I saw a pack of mussels in Sainsbury super markets near my house in London, I decided to try them.
What did I do? I checked online, saw some recipes …and of course I called my all-knowing mother for the last tips.
In this case I have to say that always when I call my mother for advices I always here the screams of my father on the background depending on whether he agrees or not about what my mother is saying.
“no don’t do the mussels with red sauce…do them just with lemon” …or….”tell him that he can cook them with pasta also not rice…” anyway…
Here we go
MUSSELS WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICE
[ingredients]
[method]
Its ready! Serve with rice or spaghetti.
If you find out that you bought too many mussels and they don’t fit in the pot …don’t worry. Put a little bit of lemon on each one and eat them as they are. Its one of the best things you can taste.
-
Stuffed squid with tomato rice and feta
You know sometimes they say that women when they are pregnant they want to eat the most obscure things on the most obscure times. Well, I don’t know if that is true or not but I have to say I felt the same couple of weeks ago.
For quite some time I wanted to cook stuffed squid and eat it the same way as I was eating it in Greece when I was leaving there. One Saturday, I simply went to the local market in Angel and did it.
I have to say it was quite difficult preparation for a first timer like me but the result was worth it. They are some different ways to do it and for this case I chose to grill the squid while you can do the same recipe but boiling it. I am guessing in that situation it will be with more thick sauce.
Now that I am thinking about it the whole process reminds me the Stuffed peppers and tomatoes (gemista) recipe… hmm
STUFFED SQUID WITH RICE AND TOMATO
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kilo of Squids
- 3 spoons of Olive Oil
- 200-250gr of Feta Cheese
- 1 can of tomato juice
- 1 tea spoon of capers
- 1 clove of garlic
- 500gr of rice
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- a small bunch of parsley
- Salt and Pepper
In a big deep pan, add a bit of olive oil and throw in the garlic and onions. In medium heat stir them really well and then add the rice and tomato juice. Stir properly and add water until the rice is done. Lower the heat and throw in the parsley, capers but also the trimmed feta cheese. Remove from the heat so the feta cheese does not melt.
Make sure you have cleaned the squid properly removing the inside bone. Take a small spoon and add the rice on the belly of the squid making sure you dont over do it. Close the squid with a toothpick and place them on a deep baking pan. When you finish with all the squids add the remaining of the stuffing on the pan and close the pan with a baking foil from the top.
Bake them for 20 mins in 180-200 degrees and then remove the aluminium foil and baking them for 15 more minutes.
Enjoy!
-
Antonis Turkey Breast with Rice and mushrooms
This is one of those recipes that are created in an instant…and for some reason they have great success. A really good way to cook Turkey but also chicken I am guessing. (By the way I didn’t knew how to name it so i took the chance to claim the recipe name…)
Well, it all started when my brother came and told me that he needed to change his diet in order to manage and get his blue belt in Kick Boxing as he had to go through a 3 hour grading. After giving me a 10 min lecture about the types of food that we should eat … he added turkey to the foods we should eat as its much healthy.
No problem then…we will cook something with turkey inside. Nope…we won’t do a Christmas turkey…but something different.
As always after that …family talk… went to Sainsbury’s in London and bought 700 grams of Turkey breast for the oven I did the most sensible thing that a Greek 30 year old would do before he started cooking… I called my mom…
So ok…I wanted to try to cook turkey but nothing came to my mind…Luckily my mom never gets out of ideas. After 10 mins of extensive questioning on the phone (which means an increased mobile bill for me..:(.. ) this is what happened:
INGREDIENTS
- 500-700 grams of turkey breast. (alternatively im guessing you can use chicken)
- A small teaspoon of Paprika
- 1-2 lemons
- Mustard (English?)
- One Cup of rice
- One red onion
- Salt and Pepper
- Mushrooms cut
- A small bunch of parsley and dill (if you have fresh even better)
- Olive Oil
METHOD
You take the turkey breast and slice it in pieces. Not too small but not too big so it won’t take too much time to cook it. If it has the skin, then leave it on top. Add the salt and pepper
Take an oven pan and place on top of it aluminium foil and on top Baking foil. The baking foil will help protect the food from aluminium not to touch the food but also the aluminium foil will keep all the heat inside as the food is being cooked. The food should something like this: You place the turkey in the middle and add on top of it the mushrooms that are already cut, and the onions.
After that…here comes the magic… In a glass you add, olive oil…. Two fingers J , one spoon of Mustard, a little bit of paprika, and the juice from the 2 lemons adding reaaaaaaaaally little water…just a zip. You pour the mixture on top of the food being careful that it is not too much and spills outside of the foil. When you are done, you carefully seal the food closing it from all sides and making sure that the mixtures is being kept inside.
You should add water on the sides of the baking pan. So as you place it in the oven, the water outside the food will start to boil and help the turkey to cook and so will the mixture inside the foil where it will release all those nice flavours. (I sound like Jamie Oliver now..)
Let it cook for 1 hour at least in 200-230c adding water on the pan from time to time Check it after 1 hour and if you feel it needs more time continue for 20-30 mins more. As the turkey is being cooked in the oven prepare the rice as you please and place it in the plates adding some parsley and dill on top. It should look more or less like this 🙂