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Greek lamb orzo (Grytharaki)

Posted by annauk1 on November 12, 2019

Posted in: Cypriot recipes, Family recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, lamb, Orzo, Pasta. Leave a comment

This is such an easy peasy, tummy filling, cosy, family recipe. Perfect for Autumn nights.

Serves 4-5.

Start off by sautéing 800g lamb cubes (you shouldn’t need any oil, as lamb does tend to be slightly fatty) Once the meat is browning well, add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1 small sliced leek, a handful of mushrooms, quartered, 1 chopped red pepper and fry them off with the meat, until everything is coloured well.

This recipe is very forgiving- use any chopped vegetables you have- sometimes I only use onion, sometimes I use chicken thighs, do as you wish and whatever your little heart desires ❤️

Add 1, 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp dried oregano, half a tsp of garlic granules (or 1 clove of garlic crushed) 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 1 lamb stock pot (or a stock cube)

Stir in 500g orzo and 3 large mugs of water.

Salt and Pepper.

Simmer until the orzo is cooked.

* If you are using an instant pot to cook. 7 minutes on manual, with a quick pressure release *

Top with crumbled fetta or grated halloumi.

And just because I mentioned Autumn, here’s a photo I took at Birmingham Botanical Gardens a couple of weeks ago. I love Autumn. ❤️

My Bethera’s Fried Black Eyed Beans (Louvi tiganito)

Posted by annauk1 on November 8, 2019

Posted in: Cypriot recipes, Family recipes, Pulses. 4 Comments

My Bethera, my Mother-in-law has long gone, but this recipe reminds me of her so much. As is the way with many beloved recipes that others have taught to us, it’s the giving of their time and knowledge and ultimately, their love 💕

My Mother-in-law had ten children, yes….10! My husband being the baby of the family, so the house was always full of children, grandchildren and towards the end of her life, great grandchildren. My bethera fed us all, never grudgingly, always enquiring ‘Pinate?’ ‘Are you hungry?’

From a bowl of her homemade boiled chicken (with a chicken from her yard) with homemade macaroni and grated halloumi, to trapezia ‘dinners’ outside with all of us gathered together. Even in her last few years, in her 80’s, she kept feeding us.

Anyway, back to the dish… I’ve never liked plain, boiled louvi (black eyed beans) in fact I’d say it’s my least favourite bean/pea ever. Many, many people love it though, so…

Here’s the recipe

My mother-in-law, frugally feeding a large family taught me to make good use of the leftovers….

First of all, drain the leftover black eyed beans and veg.

Fry 2 chopped onions until golden, add the leftovers, ‘fry’ until piping hot, then add 1-2 tbsp (to your taste) of red wine vinegar.

Done.

It turns it into something completely delicious. Much more than the sum of its parts.

So, Thankyou to my Mother-in-law, for the recipes, the food, the chats and especially for all her help when the children were small and she used to look after them when we used to go over to Cyprus on holiday.

I remember her fondly, looking after my second son when he was small and we returned home to find him happy as Larry in an unused wooden box, stuffing his face with biscuits ❤️

Good times.

Yiouvarlakia (meatballs in egg & lemon soup)

Posted by annauk1 on November 7, 2019

Posted in: Cypriot recipes, Family recipes, meat, mince, pork, rice, soup. Leave a comment

It’s grey and drizzly here today, perfect weather to make yiouvarlakia.

These are real comfort food for me, taking me straight back to childhood. To my Mother’s kitchen ❤️

Serves 4-5

500g minced pork

1 cup short grain or pudding rice

1 onion, puréed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1tsp dried mint (dill is more traditional, so use that if you prefer)

Simply get stuck in! Mix all the meatball ingredients together and shape into 16 golf ball sized meatballs.

Bring 2 litres (approximately!) of chicken stock to a boil, throw in one finely chopped carrot, then turn down to a simmer.

Place the meatballs carefully into the stock and cook for 20 mins.

Slake a tbsp of cornflour with a little water, then slowly add a ladleful of the simmering stock, pour this mixture into the pot of meatballs, stirring carefully so as not to break them up.

Beat 4 eggs in a bowl, with the juice of two lemons, then as is traditional, while beating the egg and lemon mixture, carefully add 2-3 ladlefuls of the hot stock, before adding it all back into the pot.

One of my earliest cooking memories is of my mom making avgolemoni soup, carefully drizzling ladles of the hot stock into the egg and lemon ❤️

And there you have them, yiouvarlakia in egg and lemon soup. Proper comfort food for the soul.

Revythia (Chickpeas) Yiahni

Posted by annauk1 on November 7, 2019

Posted in: Cypriot recipes, Family recipes, healthy recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Pulses, Vegan, Vegetarian. Leave a comment

Another dish which I made recently in my Instant Pot. I can’t help it. It’s my latest Greeklish Kitchen obsession! 😜

On Wednesdays and Fridays we don’t eat meat due to Religious reasons, as well as for these reasons, I believe it’s good health wise to make some meals meat-free, so this dish is perfect for those days.

Serves 3-4

First of all I soaked 250g of dried chickpeas in water, overnight.

The next day, I drained them and put in the IP, covering them with fresh water. The water should cover the chickpeas by maybe an inch…

Remember that water doesn’t evaporate much in an instant pot, and any left over water will be the basis of the sauce in this dish.

I cooked them on pressure cook setting for 30 mins. I let them pressure release naturally while I lightly browned in a little oil, 2 chopped carrots, 1 finely chopped onion, 3 sliced celery stalks and 2 potatoes cubed into 1inch pieces.

I poured over the veg a 400g tin of finely chopped tomatoes and 1 vegetable stock cube.

Pour the veg and tomatoes over the chickpeas in the IP and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Pressure release naturally.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, simmer the chickpeas until just cooked, then add the veg and tomatoes and keep simmering until everything is beautifully tender.

This could take a considerable amount of time, depending on how old your chickpeas are, obviously the older they are the longer they take to cook.

Delicious and healthy vegan food.

Fasolaki (Or Pizeli) Yiahni

Posted by annauk1 on November 6, 2019

Posted in: Cypriot recipes, Family recipes, Instant Pot Recipes. 6 Comments

Green beans (or peas) in a tomato sauce

Probably one of the best loved Cypriot family recipes, ever.

After the recipe for keftedhes, I’m sure my kids will search for this recipe!

Hey kids, it’s your Mom. Love you. ❤️

This dish can be made with chicken portions, or with lamb chops, pork chops, or indeed with no meat at all and just potatoes and the green beans or peas.

Either in the Instant Pot, or in a large frying pan/wok, brown the meat and potatoes until golden brown.

If using the IP, pour over the meat and potatoes either a 750g bag of frozen green beans, or frozen peas, one tin of finely chopped tomatoes, one chicken stock cube, 2-3 cups of water and a little salt. Cook on pressure cook setting for 10 minutes. Release pressure in whichever way you prefer.

If not using the IP, transfer the chicken and potatoes into a large pot suitable for the hob, pour over the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes and vegetables are tender and the meat (if using) is cooked through.

Instant Pot Meat Curry

Posted by annauk1 on November 6, 2019

Posted in: curry, Instant Pot Recipes. Leave a comment

I do love my kitchen gadgets! My latest obsession being my Instant Pot – a multi cooker which seems to be all the rage and for good reason! It’s practically magic! So far, everything in it seems to cook perfectly!

For this meat curry I used the instant pot on the slow cooker setting, as I wanted the meat (beef, this time) to be melt-in-the-mouth tender….and it really was.

Various google searches kept bringing up a really easy sounding way to make the curry sauce, by simply whizzing everything up in a blender, pouring it over the raw, cubed meat in the IP and letting it slow cook for 8 hours.

Now this goes against how I usually make curry, which usually begins by frying off the chopped onions, garlic and ginger, but hey ho, you only live once right?!

It worked really well!! It was tasty, with a lovely thick sauce and the meat…oh, the meat. Absolutely melting.

Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed!

Serves 4

800g (2 packs) lean meat (beef or lamb

1 LG onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, puréed

2inch piece of ginger, peeled and puréed

1tbsp ground cumin

1tbsp ground coriander

1tbsp ground turmeric

1, 400g tin finely chopped tomatoes

1tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1tsp sugar

1 beef stock cube

Crushed chilli flakes to taste (half-one tsp)

1 cup hot water

1tbsp Garam Masala.

Method:

Simply whizz up the onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and spices (except for the Garam Masala) in a blender, pour over the meat cubes which you have put in the bottom of the IP.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, chilli flakes, sugar, hot water and stock cube.

Give it a good old stir. Place the lid on the IP and set to slow cook for 8 hours.

Half an hour before the curry is ready, add the Garam Masala and a small (30g) bunch of chopped fresh coriander.

Replace the lid and cook until the timer goes off (8 hours in total)

Such a little bit of work, for a huge return!I love my Instant Pot. 😍

Can you see my dog in the photograph lurking around? If there’s food, she’s there! 😂

The 40 day Vegan: Cypriot olive cake (Nistisimi Eliopitta)

Posted by annauk1 on November 18, 2018

Posted in: Baking, Cypriot recipes, Family recipes, Fasting recipes (Nistisima), Vegan, Vegetarian. Tagged: bake, coconut milk, olive oil, traditional. 4 Comments

I’ve never fasted before for Christmas, but sometimes it just feels right, you know? When I say fast, I’m following the Greek Orthodox nativity fast, which basically consists of me following a vegan diet until Christmas, with fish allowed on certain days, but no meat or dairy (milk, cheese, eggs, butter etc)

Now, I’ve made this savoury olive cake many times before, it’s one of my absolute favourites! But never a vegan version!

I used a powdered egg replacer instead of the four eggs and a tin of evaporated coconut milk (I didn’t even know this was a thing, so was thrilled when I found it while doing my online Ocado shop!) in place of the tin of evaporated ‘normal’ milk

It worked perfectly! And will make a welcome snack at any time of the day

Do let me know if you try either the original version or the vegan version Cypriot olive cake

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An apology:

Posted by annauk1 on May 17, 2017

Posted in: Life. 13 Comments

Life has a habit of getting in the way of blogging.

Since we last spoke, I’ve become Grandmother to a beautiful baby boy and been through Some difficult health issues.

Needless to say, updating my blog wasn’t top of my list, so forgive me if you have commented, or asked me questions pertaining to my blog posts and I’ve not replied. I’m sure you can see why.

I am, still, immensely proud of this blog. I’ve always stated that the reason I began it was so that my children would always have somewhere to refer to, in order to find my family’s Cypriot recipes and for some reason this is even more important to me now ❤️

Who knows know, maybe my Grandson will do the same.

Wishing you all health and happiness.

And love. Because after all, that’s what it’s ALL about ❤️ ED0A5853-8D32-4EAD-BBD6-19177A3DBE86

Slow Cooker Pizza

Posted by annauk1 on February 24, 2016

Posted in: easy, slow cooker. 2 Comments

Yep. Slow cooker pizza.

It’s actually a thing. Let that sink in for a minute. 🙂

its easy, fuss-free and delicious. What’s not to like.

You’re going to need:

1 pk ready made pizza dough (440g)

enough chopped tomatoes (I used tinned) to cover the bottom.

1 ball of mozzarella, sliced.

Grated cheddar cheese and whatever pizza toppings you like onion, sweet corn, ham, pepperoni, olives……anything goes!

except for pineapple. I draw the line at pineapple. 😉

Spray the inside of the slow cooker (mine is quite a large one- 5.6 litre) with oil, lightly.
Spread both balls of dough over the base, using your fingers, go right to the edge.
Top with whatever toppings your heart desires and cook on high for 2- 2.5 hours, or until the sides look like they are browning and the cheeses have melted.

4. Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy.

Mmmmm.

A Trio of Fishy Dishes.

Posted by annauk1 on March 23, 2015

Posted in: Cypriot recipes, fish. Tagged: crab, prawns, rice, squid. 8 Comments

Having the family round for Sunday dinner is one of life’s great joys! It warms my heart to cook for them and have them around my table chatting and laughing together.

The typical Cypriot family doesn’t really ‘do’ formal three-course dinners. No measured amounts for us….more a meal served ‘family style’, with dishes served in large serving bowls, or platters, passed around the table for appreciative appetites to share.

Don’t fancy this one? Let it pass you by…want more of another dish? Help yourself, that’s the idea.

Yesterday I had the family round for my daughter’s belated birthday party. The first Sunday in March that we were all free. It was great – my parents, children, daughter-in-law, brother with his son, old family friends that we grew up with, free flowing wine, giggles, chat…..perfect. ❤️

Along with the typical Cypriot dishes- keftedhes, pasticho, kleftiko, we had some rather more unusual fishy dishes, which I’d like to share here with you….

Crab Salad (Kavourosalata)

(Makes enough for 1 serving bowl)

3 dressed crabs (white and brown meat)

1 very finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Olive oil, salt and lemon juice to taste.

Mix the crab, onion and parsley, add salt, olive oil and lemon juice to taste.