Seafood Au Gratin

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

450 grams fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

450 grams sea scallops, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups hot chicken broth

3 tablespoons chopped shallots

1 can button mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup white wine

450 grams cooked crab meat

2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

How to cook:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter 8 small baking dishes. Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Saute shrimp and scallops about 5 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add chicken broth and raise heat to high. Stir until thickened. Mix in shallots, mushrooms and wine. Cook for 10 minutes.

Arrange shrimp, scallops and crab in the bottom of prepared dishes. Pour sauce over seafood and cover with cheese.

Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Kali oreksi!

Shrimp Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients:

4 Artichokes, peeled, cleaned
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt

For the filling:

150 gr medium sized shrimp, frozen, peeled and de-veined, thawed
12 bottom mushrooms, brushed, cut in halves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cubanelle pepper, cut in bite sizes
1/2 cup diced tomato
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

How to cook:

Place the artichokes in a shallow pan. Add the water, olive oil, sugar and salt. Cover the lid and cook over medium heat until the artichokes are tender.

At the same time saute the cubanelle peppers with olive oil for 3 minutes in a pan. Add the garlic, tomato and salt. Cook for 10 minutes with lid on over low heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 more minutes. Throw in the shrimps, stir and turn the heat off.

Place the cooked artichokes in an oven dish. Arrange the filling over the tops of each. Sprinkle some grated mozzarella cheese all over.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the dish on middle rack of the oven and cook until the cheese melts. Kali oreksi!

Spinach Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
500 grams spinach, roots cut off, washed, drained
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup whipped cream

3L Pyrex

How to cook:

Puree the spinach in a food processor and keep it somewhere. Whisk the egg and sugar. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and pureed spinach in it and mix. Then add flour and baking powder. Mix for a few minutes. Pour into the oiled Pyrex.

Preheat the oven to 190 C and cook about 30 minutes.

Let it cool down, then take it out of the Pyrex. Cut off the sides about 1,5 cm wide, and mix these using a blender to get them in powder form, put aside. Place the cake on a service plate. Spread whipped cream on the top, then sift the powdered cake on top of the cream. Slice it up and serve. On top, you can also put chocolate pieces if you like. Kali oreksi!

Chicken With Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
1 lemon, cut in 4 pieces
1 small onion, peeled
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoon butter
SaltPepper
1 /4 cup sliced almond, roasted

Ingredients for cherry sauce:

1 cup cherry compote juice, light syrup
4 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 cup cherries
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

How to cook:

Wash the chicken and dry it with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Also season with oregano inside the chicken and place lemon wedges and onion inside. Spread the butter all over the chicken with your hand. Place chicken in a oven dish, cover with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven 250 degrees, cook for about half an hour. Remove the aluminum foil, reduce the heat to 180 degrees, cook another 1 hour. Let sit chicken 10 minutes, then cut in four.

To make the sauce place the sugar, honey, cinnamon and corn starch in a small pot. Slowly add 1 cup of cherry compote juice and stir constantly over medium heat. When it gets thicker, add in the cherries and butter. Cook for 1 more minute and turn the heat off.

Place the baked chicken pieces on a service plates. Pour the cherry sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with roasted almonds. Kali oreksi! 

Sauteed Shrimps With Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

250 grams, peeled, thawed tiger shrimp
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, mashed
4 tomatoes. peeled, diced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon basil, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

How to cook: 

Saute the onion with butter for 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato, sugar, basil, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorn. Cover the lid, turn the heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes until the sauce gets thicker. When it gets thicker, you can add shrimps, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes. Kali oreksi! 

Almond Soup

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almond, blanched, grounded
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour, all purpose
1 cup whole milk, warm
3 cups beef broth
1 pinch nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon butter to garnish

Parsley to garnish

How to cook:

Melt the butter in a pot. Add the flour, stir and slowly pour the warm milk in it while stirring constantly. The milk and flour should blend very well. Then add the almond, beef broth, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook about 25 minutes on low heat.

Melt the butter in a small pan and add 1/4 cup beef broth in it. When it starts bubbling, add the parsley and pour all over the soup. Kali oreksi!

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 small head of Cauliflower, stems, florets separated
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk, warm
Salt
Pepper
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Cayenne pepper

How to cook:

Put aside about 8-10 mini size florets. Cook the rest of the florets with chicken broth for about 10 minutes in a pot. Pour it into the blender and blend.

Meanwhile melt the butter, add the flour, stir and slowly pour the warm milk in it while stirring constantly. The milk and flour should blend very well. You can use an egg beater. Pour the mixture from the blender into the pot. Also add in the remaining mini florets, salt and pepper, stir. Cook about 10 minutes over medium heat with the lid halfway on.

Mix the garlic, egg yolk and lemon juice. Take a ladle from the soup and add in the sauce, whisk. Pour this mixture slowly back into the soup, stir. Turn the heat to low, don't boil the soup. Cook for 2 more minutes.

Sprinkle some cayenne pepper on top before serving. Kali oreksi!