Crab Linguine

Ingredients:

100 grams linguine

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 tablespoons crème

100 grams tub white crabmeat

rocket, chopped

Zest 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

How to cook:

Cook the linguine according to the directions on the package. 

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and cook gently to soften. Stir in the crème, crabmeat, chopped rocket, lemon zest and gently heat through.

Tip in the cooked pasta and a little cooking liquid to help the sauce coat the pasta. Season and give everything a stir. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and remaining rocket leaves.

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Steamed Mussels

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels

1 tablespoon olive oil

2  teaspoons minced ginger

1 shallot, chopped

½ cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 scallion, chopped

How to cook:

Rinse and scrub the mussels with cold water. You have to wash 2-3 times and change the water each time. Debeard the mussels by removing the stringy bits in the seam where the two shells meet as best you can. Do not use any mussels with open or broken shells that don’t close when you gently tap them against the counter.
Heat a skillet until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates contact. Add the oil. Then add the ginger and shallots and stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 to 40 seconds. Add the rice wine. Carefully add the mussels and cover with a lid. Allow the mussels to steam for 5 minutes, then uncover. Stir in the white pepper.
Discard any mussels that have not opened, then transfer to a serving dish along with the broth remaining in the pan. Sprinkle the scallions on top and serve. Kali oreksi!

Lobster Tail With Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

115 grams lobster tails
1/2 cup butter
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 teaspoon shredded lemon peel

How to cook:

After you clean the lobster, butterfly tails by using a sharp knife to cut lengthwise through centers of hard top shells and meat. Press shell halves of tails apart with your fingers. 

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from heat. Stir in garlic cloves (grated) and lemon peel. Remove 2 tablespoons of the sauce and keep the rest. 

Preheat grill. Brush lobster meat with some of the 2 tablespoons sauce. Place lobster on the grill. Cover and grill for 6 minutes. Turn the lobster. Brush with the rest of the butter sauce. Cover and grill again for 6-8 or more, until it is cooked. 

Heat the reserved sauce, stirring continously. Transfer the sauce to bowls for dipping and serve with lobster. Kali oreksi!

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Halloumi Stuffed Red Pepper

Ingredients:

4 red peppers
200 grams block halloumi cheese, sliced into 4
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 black olives, cut into slivers
1 lemon, zest and juice

How to cook:

Halloumi is a kind of cheese (salty one) from Cyprus. I like it a lot. Especially when we make breakfast with my wife on Sundays. I just grill it and eat with fried eggs. 

Grill the red peppers until they begin to soften. Open out each red pepper by making a cut down one side and trim the tops and bottoms off so you end up with a strip. Put a slice of halloumi in the center of each strip. Sprinkle over some lemon zest and juice, divide the chilli, oregano and olive between them, then roll the red pepper around the halloumi. It doesn't matter if the cheese sticks out at each end. Tie the rolls with some kitchen string that you have soaked in water and press down with the palm of your hand so they flatten slightly. Grill the red peppers on both sides for 5 minutes. Kali oreksi!

Greek Moussaka

• Ingredients:
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• 1 onion, chopped
• olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 750 grams minced lamb
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 100 ml white wine
• 400 grams tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 aubergines, sliced
• 600 ml milk
• bay leaf
• 4 black peppercorns
• 75 grams butter
• 75 grams flour
• 4 potatoes cooked and sliced
• 2 eggs

How to cook:

Cook the onion in a little oil until soften, then add the garlic. After a minute, add the mince and brown, breaking up any lumps. Add the cinnamon, wine and tomatoes, simmer for 30 minutes, bubble off any excess liquid and stir in the parsley. In another skillet, fry the aubergines with sunflower oil on both sides then drain on kitchen paper. Bring the milk to a simmer with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Heat the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and gradually add the milk, stirring continually until you have a smooth sauce. Strain and season. Heat the oven to 180C. Layer the cooked meat sauce and aubergine in an ovenproof dish, top with the potatoes and season. Whisk the eggs into the white sauce and spoon over. Bake for 30-40 minutes until brown. Kali oreksi!

Greek Tzatziki

Ingredients:

200g Greek-style natural yoghurt
1 cucumber, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
Olive oil
Fresh mint leaves, to serve

How to prepare:

Combine yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and olive oil  in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and place in the fridge for 10 minutes to infuse. Serve with pita triangles and mint leaves.

Greek Style Rice Stuffed Lamb

Ingredients:

Easy-carve legs of lamb, string removed
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Rice stuffing:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup medium-grain white rice
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

How to cook:

To make the stuffing, heat the oil in a frying pan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring until onion softens. Add rice and stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed (the rice will still be crunchy). Remove from heat. Add the parsley, dill and mint, and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place 1 lamb leg flat on a clean surface. Cut a deeper slit in the meat where the bone has been removed. Spread half the stuffing down the centre of the lamb leg. Fold over to enclose the stuffing. Use unwaxed white kitchen string to tie at 2cm intervals. Repeat with the remaining lamb leg and stuffing.
Place the lamb legs in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with stock, oil and lemon juice and sprinkle with rosemary and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until lamb is cooked through and rice is tender. Remove from oven. Cover with foil and set aside for 10 minutes to rest. Slice the lamb across the grain and serve immediately.