Tuna stuffed sweet long red peppers

FAST and EASY recipe with canned tuna!! If you want to use less tuna add some bread soften in milk.

Capers and fish is just the perfect marriage…and with the sweetness from the red peppers you have to try it ;)

Recipe x4

4 Sweet long red peppers

3x160g tuna can (2 in brine drained; 1 in sunflower oil)

Anchovy paste to taste

2/3 tbsp capers (in water NO VINEGAR, drained)

A nice bunch of parsley

2 garlic cloves or to taste

1 whole egg to bind the mixture

 

Wash and cut lengthwise the long peppers by removing the top, the seeds will come out all together if you are careful.

Mix well the drained tuna keeping the sunflower oil, anchovy paste, chopped parsley, garlic and capers then add the whole egg and if it is to runny add some breadcrumbs. Stuff the peppers

 

Put in the oven at 180^oC for 20/30 minutes

and ENJOY

 

 

Baklava…. chased by cinnamon

Traditional Greek sweet, made mainly with walnuts but I like to add pistachios (the Turkish way if just I could get hold of the fabulous Gaziantep pistachios), sesame seeds and almonds playing around with a sweet honey and cinnamon syrup.

Recipe

220g pack filo pastry (12 sheets)

4 tbsp chopped almonds

4 tbsp chopped walnuts

2 tbsp chopped pistachios

2 tbsp sesame seeds

4 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

200g melted butter to brush the filo pastry

Syrup:

250ml water

175g sugar

4 tbsp honey (best the greek one)

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 lemon

 

Melt the butter and let it aside.

Making the syrup:

Bring to boil the water and the sugar and let simmer 5 minutes. Add the honey, cloves, cinnamon stick and continue to simmer 5/10 minutes, add the lemon juice bring to boil than remove from heat and let it cool down.

Filling:

I use to crush the nuts in a mortar, it is a good work out and I feel closer to nature, but that just me…

 

Mix the crushed nuts with the sugar and cinnamon and mix

 

Now you are ready for ART

This is my version of painting in the kitchen, brushing butter on the filo pastry, I love it

 

Brush 3 layers of filo pastry with butter and add the mixture of nuts, sugar and cinnamon. Cover and brush 2 layers of filo, add the mix and cover again continuing this way for 3 layers, cover with the last 3 sheets of filo and make the characteristic diamond shape incision in the top layer

 

 

 

Now is ready for the oven 180^oC 30/40 min or until golden brown, wow now the perfume of cinnamon has pervaded every inch of your house and soul...

Remove from the oven and pour the syrup over it (remember to remove the cloves and the cinnamon stick)

 

 

IMPORTANT TIP: Either the pastry should be warm and the syrup cool (like I do), or else the pastry should have cooled and the syrup be warm so that the Baklava do not become too soft.

Enjoy

 

 

Stuffed meatloaf

Eat it warm or cold, good recipe to prepare in advance so that you need just to slice it and serve.

Recipe (x4/6)

Meatloaf:

500gr pork mince

150gr grated Parmigiano Reggiano

3 slice white bread softened with milk crust included

One egg

Garlic and parsley to taste

Breadcrumbs

No salt or pepper the stuffing is salty enough

Stuffing:

Parma Ham slices

Cheese slices (this time Edam)

2 boiled eggs

Work in a bowl the mince, parsley, garlic, parmigiano and the bread squeezed from excess milk until well mixed. That’s very important, everything must be well incorporated. Add one whole egg (will be very moist) then add some breadcrumbs so to get a good workable mixture, you need to be able to lift it from the bowl and put it on a surface (baking paper) without crumbling (not too dry not too moist, you’ll know). Then you can stuff it with anything really.

 

Now roll it in the baking paper, that’s fun ;)  (no oil the mince and ham have enough fat) and transfer on a fresh piece of paper.

Bake for 1h 30min/2h @ 180

 

After 1h open carefully the parcel and try to recover the juices and keep them aside.

They will be warmed up with some white wine and reduced before pour it on the final ready slices.

You can now continue to cook the loaf open turning it regularly to get a nice crust

Slice it and

 

Enjoy

Tzatziki

Inspired by my home grown cucumbers I have decided to make this traditional Greek dip.

EASY, FAST recipe.

From plant to plate ;)

Recipe

250 g cucumber

500g Greek yogurt

2/3 garlic cloves (to taste)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Chilli flakes

Mint to garnish 

Peel the cucumber (although if you have your own you can keep the skin on it will give a nice green colours at the plate), I have kept some this time. Scoop the seeds off and finely grate the cucumber, leave them into a sieve with a sprinkle of salt on top to drain the excess water (5-10min is enough).

 

 

In a bowl mix well the yogurt, finely chopped garlic, olive oil and salt then add the drained cucumbers, mix well and add more salt or olive oil to taste. Chill in the fridge (1hr at least).

 

I like to put some chilli flakes and some mint on top before serving

ENJOY with fresh bread, barbecued meat or eat with vegetable crudités

Prawn and mango salad

Do you like prawn or mango? Is it a really hot day? Well this is a quick recipe, tasty and refreshing with a kick.

 

Recipe (x4)

250g prawns

200g bag of mixed salad

1 large mango

Olive oil

Salt

Chilli flakes

This time I have used already cooked prawn, but it takes two minutes to cook them from fresh.

The only time consuming step that this recipe require is the cutting and marinating (at least 30 min) of the mango.

What you want are very fine strips, so peel the mango and make longitudinal incision at one side then with a potato peeler make the strips. Turn to the other side and do the same.

 

 

Mix the strips with some olive oil and chilli flakes to taste and put in the fridge for at least for 30 min.

Wash and dry your mixed salad (if you grow your own even better) season with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Then add the chilled mango just out of the fridge mix well and plate with some prawns on top.

 

 

 

ENJOY

Courgette and Mint Frittata

Humble recipe inspired by home grown produce available: mint that is thriving in the garden (a gift from a friend along with the sweet basil pictured below)

 

and some courgette that have found their way also to this amazing place http://livingcourtyard.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-first-courtyard-courgettes.html

 

Recipe (x2)

3 eggs

2 Courgettes (or more it depends on their dimension)

Big bunch of mint

1 shallot

Pinch of salt

Olive oil

 

 

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a pan, pour in the finely sliced shallot and courgettes and cook them for 2 minutes enough for the shallot to became translucent but for the courgette not to become mushy . Then sprinkle on top the chopped mint add the beaten eggs a pinch of salt and let it cook uncovered until set 1-2 minutes then cover to puff it up another 1-2 minutes.

Back

and front

ENJOY