This is one post I will never forget as it involves four of my best friends. Ben , Cake, Pixie and Val (stated alphabetically).

A few weeks ago I bookmarked a recipe from Cakelaw, Cranberry Lemon Cupcakes with passionfruit, which she had made from another friend of hers. Cakelaw was the first we exchanged packages earlier this year followed by Pixie and Nuria and the last (but not least) is my blog sister Val, of More than Burnt Toast. What can I say more about my blog sister, which I have not said before. Val, is such a kind hearted person and a terrific cook and of course you all know that but if there is still someone (which I doubt) who has not as yet visited her blog, they should do so pronto and not only see what a lovely person she is but will drool over her recipes.

Back in June, I commented at Val’s blog regarding her spinach salad with cranberries. (I feel embarrassed all the time having to say that some things are unknown to me because we cannot find them in Greece, except maybe in big supermarkets, which I do not visit often, but whenever we go I make sure to buy nearly everything).

Val immediately sent me an e-mail requesting my address to send me some!!!! That’s what kind of person she is.

Around the end of June we sent our packages and Val got mine during her birthday around the 17^th of July. Since then I was waiting to receive mine but as a month passed after Val received hers, I gave up, thinking that during the days we were away the package arrived and it go lost.

A few days ago when I went to a big supermarket I finally found some dried cranberries so I bought some. During the weekend I google searched for a recipe with cranberries and came up with a pound cake which I made and was fantastic (hope to post it soon). Yesterday morning I decided to use the remaining of the cranberries and I remembered Cake’s recipe and started making it. I decided to make double the recipe as 12 cupcakes for 5 grownups is nothing as they would disappear before I could say abra cadabra.

The cranberries were the last ingredient I had to add in and the last minute I decided to make the first batch with chocolate chips which I had in the refrigerator for a very long time and the remaining with the cranberries. (There is no recipe to give, I just sprinkled some on top).

The first batch was in the oven when my husband, returning from shopping, came back with the parcel.

You cannot believe how excited and happy I was.

Here is what Val sent me: A whole package filled with frozen cranberries, a packet of craisins, some waffles, some fruit snacks and a jar of maple butter accompanied by a lovely card.

Without hesitation I opened the craisins and added some to the mixture which was still in the mixer.

I am sending this recipe to Ben, of What’s Cooking. Ben is from Mexico but lives in the United States. He makes such wonderful Mexican recipes. I must hurry up and submit this recipe to his Forum, for his event, I love baking.

You must be wondering by now regarding the fourth friend.

When I started making the lemon frosting I discovered that I did not have enough icing sugar, so I added what I had and it wasn’t more than half a cup, I added the lemon zest and kept adding lemon juice until the frosting was ready. That wasn’t enough even for the original recipe.

I tried to improvise and make a different frosting and the only thing that came to my mind was that I had just a little maple syrup (1/4 cup) left from what Pixie had sent me. I kept thinking how I could make that into a frosting as I had no icing sugar left. I decided to use cornstarch (1 spoonful) and if it didn’t work, well, it would just be wasted, it wasn’t much anyway. I added the cornstarch to the syrup and stirred it but it wouldn’t dissolve and some lumps had formed. I transferred it into a non stick frying pan through a small Tupperware plastic sieve I have and remembered that I usually have icing sugar in a stainless steal container with a sieve lid on top. There wasn’t more than a spoonful in there so I added that as well and when doubling the dose of the cupcake there was about a spoonful of butter left so I added half of that as well. I stirred the frosting or glazing (don’t know how to call it) with a wooden spatula until it started to boil and thicken.

Val, I don’t know how to thank you for all these lovely goodies that we have all enjoyed very much.

Tags: Cakes, Cupcakes

Xynomyzithra is a cheese indigenous to Chania, Crete.   It is a low fat cheese, similar to soft myzithra and anthotyro in texture.  It is made from sheep’s and/or goat milk  but I do not know if anything else is added to it. I only know that it is left 24 hours at room temperature and it gets this slightly sour taste.

It is ideal for pites (pies) and in savory dishes.

It can hold for a long period of time in the deep freezer.

Tags: Greek Cheese

I am having a hard time writing this recipe as I am not sure what the English word would be for psaronefri. I checked the word on the online translator and I got the translation of psaronefri as griskin.

Is it griskin?

Google searching the word griskin, I got this but in the instructions it speaks of a steak. If what is in the picture is  a steak, I have to correct a previous post I made where I called the steak a pork tenderloin.

I decided to call it a pork tenderloin until someone corrects me and then I will correct the post as well.

I tried two methods. One was cutting the tenderloin with a filleting knife and then with a meat mullet I tried to make it thinner.

The other way was to make a hole crosswise and then stuff it through the hole. I found that the first method worked better for me.

I did not have a recipe to work on but I decided to make different stuffings with the ingredients I had at home.

First of all I sprinkled salt and pepper on all of them.

I remembered I had some frozen spinach, so I prepared a spinach filling,  from the leftover of which I made the spanakopitakia by adding the cheese and the egg. The other ingredients I had were tsakistes olives, halloumi, smoked turkey, feta, frozen peppers and prunes.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Directions

Wash and drain meat.

With a filleting knife, cut it and make it thinner with a meat mullet, if necessary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Filling # 1:

Put 2 slices of smoked turkey. Add tsakistes olives with a little bit of garlic and coriander. Fold.

Filling # 2:

Put 2 slices of smoked turkey, some frozen bell peppers and 2 slices of grilled halloumi.

Filling # 3:

Spinach  and Grilled halloumi.

Filling # 4:

Spinach, feta and  peppers.

Wrap in parchment paper and roast in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Centigrade for 1 hour.

However, the time was not sufficient for the tenderloins to be roasted and when I unfolded them they were white outside.   As I did not have any time to fold them again and put them back in the oven, I decided to finish them in the sautéing pan.  I added 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sautéing pan and when it was hot I sautéd the tenderloin until it was golden brown.

Allow to cool before cutting.   Serve with prune sauce.

Prune Sauce

• 10 dried prunes
• Cherry brandy
• 1 fresh cream light
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions

Marinate prunes in cherry brandy for an hour.

Sauté onion in olive oil and add chopped prunes and bay leaf and mix. Add cherry brandy from marinade and mix until the alcohol evaporates. Add fresh cream and mix until the sauce thickens.

Tags: pork tenderloin, prune sauce

Ingredients:

• ½ kilo of green olives
• 2 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds
  
• 4 – 5 cloves of garlic, cut into 2 – 3 pieces each
• The juice of one lemon
• Olive oil, to cover them
• ½ teaspoon salt

Once the bitterness is removed, add crushed corriander seeds, garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil to cover them and mix all the ingredients.

Place them in jars and they may be preserved outside the refrigerator for a long time. When they have been eaten the leftover marinated oil can be used in lots of recipes.

Tags: olives, Vegetables

Anthotyro it is a traditional unpasteurized Greek cheese made from sheep milk - and/or goat-milk whey with some added milk. The cheese is soft, snow-white, creamy, and granular; It is usually used as a table or dessert cheese and as an ingredient in pies (pitas).

The same cheese is produced in Cyprus and it is called Anari.

Tags: Greek Cheese

(Coq au Vin with chilopites pasta)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour on the stove top and 20 minutes in the oven

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

• 1/2 rooster, about 1.300 grams
• 1 wine glass of red dry wine
• ¼ wine glass of cherry brandy (my twist to the recipe)
• 4 spoonfuls of olive oil
• 500 ml water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can (500 grams) of whole tomatoes, blended
• 1 spoonful tomato paste
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon, coarse sea salt
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 small piece of cinnamon stick (my twist to the recipe)

• ½ kilo chilopites pasta
• grated myzithra (optional)

Directions:

Wash and cut rooster into pieces and drain.

Heat olive oil in sautéing pan and sauté rooster on both sides. Remove to a platter and add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent. Put rooster back in the sautéing pan and add wine and cherry brandy.

Wait for a few seconds until the alcohol evaporates and add all the spices, the tomato and finally the tomato paste dissolved in the water.

Cover pan with the lid and when the sauce starts boiling, reduce to minimum and simmer for about one hour, or until rooster is cooked.

Preheat oven at 180 degrees Centigrade. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves from pan and add the pasta. Mix and put the pan in the oven. Cook until the pasta has absorbed the sauce, mixing a couple of times.

Serve warm sprinkling some grated myzithra on top if you like.

Tags: Greek, Pasta, Poultry

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ medium size cabbage
• 2 -3 stalks of tender celery
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• ¾ cup of walnuts cut in big pieces
• 2 spoonfuls of raisins or craisins
• 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds
  
• lemon zest from one lemon
  

Salad dressing

• 1 small mayonnaise (about 1 cup)
  
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of mild mustard
• lemon juice from 1 lemon
  
• Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
  

Directions

Finely cut cabbage into small pieces, celery stalks, onion. Grate the lemon. Chop walnuts, peel pomegranate and use half of it, add raisins or craisins, lemon zest and pomegranate seeds.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a shaker and mix all together.

Add all other ingredients except for paprika which sprinkle on top.

Tags: Salads

Fried Saganotyri with sesame seeds

Ingredients

• Saganotyri or any other of the above cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of sesame seeds
• 1 lemon

Directions

Cut the cheese into 1 cm thick slices. Beat the egg and wet the cheese, then dip it in the sesame seeds. Heat the olive oil in a saganaki pan or if you don’t have one in a frying or sautéing pan and fry on both sides.

Serve hot with a squeeze of some lemon juice.

Grilled Halloumi with orange, fennel seeds and parsley

Ingredients

• 1 halloumi cheese
• 1 cup of green, yellow and red bell peppers cut julien
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed, crushed in a mortar and pestle
• a few sprigs of finely chopped parsley
• 1teaspoon orange zest
• ½ cup of orange juice
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Drain halloumi and cut into 1 cm slices.

Heat a non-stick frying or sautéing pan and brush with olive oil.

Place the slices on the hot pan until they has browned on both sides. Remove to a platter.

Add another spoonful of olive oil and sauté the peppers. When they are soft put halloumi back into the pan.

Add fennel seeds and orange juice and toss the pan so that the juice will wet all pieces of halloumi.

Remove again to the platter and sprinkle with the orange zest and the parsley.

Ingredients

Preparation time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Baking time: about 30 minutes

Yields: about 30 small pies

Dough

• 500 gr. flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• the juice of 1 orange (about 1 cup)
• about 1/2 cup of water

Filling

• 1 kilo pumpkin
• 1 cup of rice or bulgur wheat
  
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt,
  
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• a few sprigs of fennel, finely cut (about half a cup)
• 1 cup of almonds
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 10 dried figs
• orange zest (about 1 teaspoon)
  

Directions

Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds and threads preferably with a spoon and grate the pumpkin on the side making the big pieces. Place it in a bowl and put the finely chopped fennel and all the other ingredients i.e. the spices, rice, sugar, oil, the almonds, pounded but not peeled, the orange zest and the raisins and mix them well.

Dough:

To make the dough, mix the salt with flour in a big bowl and pour in the oil. Using your fingertips rub the oil until the flour has absorbed the oil. Add vinegar and orange juice. Start adding water gradually until the dough is soft but not sticky on your hands. Place on a floured surface and knead for five minutes.

Alternatively you can make the dough in your food processor adding ingredients same as above until the dough does not stick on the walls of the bowl. Vinegar is optional added when we want a crunchy phyllo.

Cover with cling film or a kitchen towel for half an hour. Sprinkle the dough with flour before rolling it out on a floured surface.

See step by step instructions here.

Roll out dough and place a small plate of about 10 cm. diameter and cut with a knife in round circles. On one side, place a spoonful of the filling and cover with the other half. Take both sides and press with finger so that they stick together, or press with a fork.

Place in a baking tin lined with parchment paper and brush with olive oil.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180^ο for 30 minutes or until they have a nice golden colour.

Tags: Dough, Made with Phyllo, Pies and Tarts

Ingredients for dough for pies or pastry

• 500 gr. flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 cup water

Ingredients for dough for pasta

• 2 whole eggs
• 3 - 4 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ kilo sifted all-purpose flour
• ½ cup of olive oil

Directions for Dough for Pies

To make the dough, mix the salt with flour and pour in the oil. Using your fingertips rub the oil until the flour has absorbed the oil. Add vinegar and water gradually until the dough is soft but not sticky on your hands. Place on a floured surface and knead for five minutes. Alternatively you can make the dough in your food processor, using the hook, until the dough does not stick on the walls of the bowl or your fingers.

Note: Vinegar can be omitted. It is only used when we want a crunchy phyllo.

Cover with cling film or a kitchen towel for half an hour.

Sprinkle the dough with flour before rolling it out on a floured surface.

Directions for Pasta Dough:

Place flour in mixer bowl, add salt and oil and mix. Add eggs and water until dough is not sticky. Cover with cling film and leave it to rest for 30 minutes before rolling out.

If you are using a pasta machine, first, dust a clean surface with flour and start taking a small amount of dough make it into a flat bread and begin rolling from number 1, dust it with flour and continue setting the pasta machine until you achieve the desired thickness. You can see some recipes at the end and at which numbers to roll it out.

Recently I have bought a new mixer which has a pasta machine attachment. I have found this much easier than the manual pasta machine and the numbers used to make this dough will go up to number 8 or 9.

With this dough for pies recipe I make the following things:

Kolokotes (Pumpkin pies) : roll from 1, 3 and 4 (or 1, 3, 7 on mixer)

Spanakopita (Spinach pies) : 1, 3, 4

Mini Flaounes (cheese pies) (Cypriot origin): 1, 3, 4

Easter Flounes (Cypriot origin): 1, 3, 4

Bourekia (Pies filled either with minced meat, anari and other fillings) : 1, 3, 4

Kattimerka (pies with honey or petimezi (must): 1, 3, 4

Daktyla (Ladies Fingers) , : 1, 3, 5 (or 1, 3, 8 on mixer)

Elioti (Olive pie rolls) : 1, 2, 3 (or 1, 3, 6 on mixer)

Eliopitakia (small olive pies) : 1, 2, 3 (or 1, 3, 6 on mixer)

Ravioles (savory dish filled with cheese) : 1, 2, 3 (omit the vinegar)

Pischies (pies made of leftover dough) : 1, 3, 5

Shiamishi (Pies filled with sweet cream) : 1,3, 6, (or 1, 3, 6, 9)

Kreatopita (Meat Pie) : 1, 3, 4

Spanakopita Strifti: 1, 3, 4

Spanakopita Nistisimi : 1, 3, 4

For the dough for Pasta:

Kaloirka (Beef Ravioli): 1, 5, 8

Good luck!

Tags: Dough, How to make.., Made with Phyllo, Pasta