Hello All! Here are the recipes for all the dishes I demonstrated at The Barn today, with the lovely ladies at Mon Amie. I really hope you give all these recipes a try, as they are brilliant summer dishes and are especially perfect if you are trying to cut back on meat, and want to include more delicious vegetables into your diet.
I am warning you however, the Htipiti is very, very addictive! I have been known to double the recipe when guests are coming over for dinner!
And just so you don’t forget, we are running a Summer Promo at the cookery school at the moment – Book 2 spaces on any class, and get a 3rd places free! So it’s 3 for 2, all around!
So if you are keen on tackling Greek Street Food, you can find all the details on the website. Enjoy!
Greek Salad
8 ripe tomatoes
½ – 1 whole cucumber
½ red onion, sliced into rings
1 red pepper (ideally, use a Banana Pepper – long, and light green in colour)
2 heaped tsp dried oregano
200 grams feta
About 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Handful of Kalamata Olives
Salt, to season
- Combine all the ingredients. Typically the feta is added on top, whole,and then broken at table when the salad has been served.
Htipiti (Spicy Red Pepper Feta Dip)
1 x 200 grams pack of feta
100 grams ricotta
2 chargrilled peppers (from a jar is fine. I use the Karyatis/Odysea brand)
1 red chili pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- This is an easy one! Sautee the red chili one medium heat (all seeds removed) until soft.
- Then combine all ingredients in a blender / food processor. Do not add any salt to the dip, as the feta will add all the seasoning you need.
- The dip should ideally be cool when served.
Halloumi and Beetroot Salad
1 bundle raw beetroot (about 5 medium beetroot)
1 x pack halloumi
75 grams walnuts
1 tsp cumin seeds, toastes
2 ½ tbsp walnut oil
1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated finely (Optional)
- Cook the beetroot in a roasting tray covered with foil for about 45 minutes, 180C fan. To check and see if the beetroot has been cooked, a knife should slide easily through a beetroot with little resistance.
- Remove the skin from the beetroot by rubbing them between your hands (gloves should be worn at this point!). Then proceed to slice each beetroot into 6-8 pieces.
- Remove all the packaging from the halloumi, and get rid of any excess water. Slice the halloumi into ¼ inch pieces.
- Warm a griddle pan on medium heat, and cook the halloumi for 3 minutes on each side – just until the halloumi catches colour and tenderizes.
- To make the dressing combine the last 4 ingredients, and season with salt and pepper.
- The last step is to dry fry the walnuts & cumin seeds for about 5 minutes, until they start to release their oils.
- Then it’s just a matter of assembling the salad. Because beetroot stains, I tend to cover a plate with the halloumi first and then the beetroot, followed by the walnuts and dressing.
Homemade Pita Bread
165 grams plain flour
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp dried active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil (bit extra for brushing)
45 mls lukewarm water
45 mls lukewarm milk (*make sure to heat the milk until very hot, and then leave to cool to lukewarm)
- Combine all the ingredients until a roughdough is formed, and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth.
- Set dough aside for 30 minutes in a warm place to rise.
- Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll each piece into 7 inch rounds.
- In the meantime warm a frying pan on a medium heat. No oil should be added to the frying pan at this point.
- When the pan is ready, brush the bottom with olive oil and fry the pita bread for 2-3 minutes on each side. Make sure to brush both sides of the pita bread with olive oil & sprinkling of salt.
- Once the pita bread is ready, place all pita bread in a plastic zip lock bag – this will ensure the pita bread remainsmoist & chewy before serving.
