Leta Serafim
Recipes...
Theano's Stuffed Tomatoes
This is one of my favorite summer dishes. It is much enhanced by the use of home-grown tomatoes, but supermarket tomatoes will work equally well. The tomatoes should be large, at least 3 1/2 inches in diameter, otherwise, stuffing them is a time-consuming and onerous task which results in not much to eat.
Ingredients:
6 very large ripe tomatoes
6 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup olive oil or melted butter
1/2-3/4 cup rice, preferably Arborio
1/2 cup raisins or currants
1/2 cup almonds or pine nuts
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup parsley
Pinch of cinnamon
Peeled and quartered potatoes
Instructions:
Scoop out the insides of the tomatoes and set aside, keeping the caps intact. Sprinkle l tablespoon of sugar in each tomato and let sit until the sugar dissolves.
Prepare the filling by sauteing the ingredients in the oil until the nuts are brown and the onion is softened. Add a little tomato pulp as you go along to help the rice to soften. When the rice is pliable, sprinkle everything with salt and cinnamon and fill the tomatoes.
Set the tomatoes in an oven-proof dish and put a cap on top of each one, then arrange the peeled tomatoes around them. Dribble the tomato pulp around them and pour olive oil over all. Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.
Shrimps with Feta
This is a delicious Greek recipe that will take you away to a summer islands vista!
Ingredients:
1.5 lb raw shrimp
1 bottle clam juice
1 bunch scallions chopped
1/2 bunch of parsley chopped
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 box of cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup of olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup of ouzo
1/2 cup of crumbled feta
1 one-inch wide strip of orange peel
Instructions:
Cook everything but the shrimp on low heat for 30-40 minutes. The sauce should thicken and become glossy.
Add the shrimp and cook very briefly in the sauce, just until they turn pink. Set aside until ready to serve.
Place the shrimps and sauce in an ovenproof casserole dish. Sprinkle them with feta and pour ouzo over them. If the sauce seems a little soupy, sprinkle it with a handful of Italian-flavored bread crumbs. Warm the shrimps at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the feta melts slightly.
Good Appetite! Kale Oreksi!
Bougatsa
This recipe is from Chios, where The Devil Takes Half takes place. It is a custard-filled pastry and is very much loved by the Greeks!
Ingredients:
1 package puff pastry sheets
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup farina
3 1/2 cups milk
l teaspoon grated lemon peel (or you can substitute 1/4 cup chopped almonds and use 1/4 teaspoon almond extract for the vanilla below)
l teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Cook the filling ingredients over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Let cool.
Roll out puff pastry sheets and cut into 9 squares apiece. Take each square and place about one tablespoon of filling at the center and fold over so that it makes a triangle. Press the edges with the tines of a fork and place on an unbuttered cookie sheet. When you have completed all the triangles, bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Remove when puffed up and golden. Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
They are best served warm!
Thalia’s Epirotan Batsaria
Here’s a recipe from the region my detective, Yiannis Patronas, explored in the When the Devil’s Idle!
Ingredients:
Filling:
4 pkgs frozen leaf spinach
2 onions
2 tbsp olive oil
4 eggs
1 ½ cs feta (crumbled with your fingers)
½ cs grated kefalotyri OR romano cheese
1 tsp salt
½ c fresh dill, chopped
8 tbs olive oil (half for the bottom of the pan plus 3-4 tbs for the top of batsaria)
Batter:
1 c all-purpose King Arthur flour
½ c whole wheat King Arthur flour
1 ½ – 1 ¾ c water (make a runny batter but not too thin)
Salt (a pinch or omit completely)
1 tsp baking powder
Instructions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Thaw the frozen spinach, squeeze some of the liquid out, put into bunches and cut up into 1″ long pieces both lengthwise and width-wise. Chop the onions and sautée in 2 tbs olive oil. Mix with the spinach, eggs, cheese, dill, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
In another bowl, mix the ingredients for the batter using a beater or a mixer; set aside.
Grease a 14×17” pan and a smaller one. Use a COOKING SPRAY, otherwise it will get stuck in the pan.
Sprinkle 4 tbs olive oil on the pan. Pour a thin layer of the batter on the bottom of the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the layer of batter into the pan—you need a thin layer. Spread the rest of the batter evenly over the top of the filling and try to cover it all. Sprinkle 3-4 tbs of the oil over the top layer of the batter.
Bake at 375 for about 1 hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Note: Depending on the type and size of pan, the center of the pan may need longer baking for the bottom to become crispy. Serve when still warm!
Get a Literary Taste of Greece...
from Leta!
Below are some of my favorite Greek recipes, some of which inspired moments in my books, and some that appear in the books themselves.
Kali Oreksi—enjoy!
