RECIPES

Yiayia-approved

These tried-and-true Greek recipes are made with deliciously simple ingredients and very little effort

Photos courtesy of stock.adobe.com

Avgolemono (Lemon Chicken Soup)

Serves 4

• ½ a free-range chicken

• 80g short-grain rice

• 2 whole eggs

• 2 lemons, juice only

• Fresh parsley, chopped

Photos courtesy of stock.adobe.com

Put the chicken in a pot just large enough to fit. Cover with cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Skim the surface, lower the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 2 hours. Remove the chicken. Pour 1.5 litres of the chicken stock into a pot and add the rice. Cook for 15 minutes until the rice is soft. Shred the chicken, discarding the skin, and add to the soup. Season and keep warm over a low heat. Beat the egg whites until slightly stiff, then beat in the lemon juice. Whisk the yolks and pour them into the egg-white mixture. Remove the soup from the heat, and whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture. Repeat with two more ladles of stock, then pour the mixture back into the chicken soup and stir to combine. Check for seasoning, add more lemon juice to taste, and serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Photos courtesy of stock.adobe.com

Briam (Baked Courgettes and Potatoes)

Serves 4

• 1kg potatoes, thinly sliced

• 4 courgettes, thinly sliced

• 4 red onions, thinly sliced

• 2 yellow peppers, sliced

• 6 ripe tomatoes

• 8tbsp olive oil

• 2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• 75g feta

Preheat the oven to 200℃. Arrange the potatoes, courgettes, red onions and yellow peppers in a large baking dish. ‘Purée’ the tomatoes by cutting them in half and grating them on a large box grater, leaving the skin behind. Add the tomatoes, olive oil and parsley to the baking dish. Season well. Toss all the ingredients together so that the vegetables are evenly coated. Bake in the preheated oven, stirring after 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender and the moisture has evaporated, about 90 minutes. Serve with a hearty chunk of feta on the side.

Stifado (Beef Stew)

Serves 6

• 1kg chuck steak, cut into chunks

• 500g onions, peeled and halved

• 1tbsp tomato purée

• 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

• 1tsp honey

• Fresh oregano, chopped

For the marinade

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1tsp allspice

• ½tsp coriander seeds

• 4 cloves

• 1 strip of orange peel

• 300ml red wine

Marinade the beef in the refrigerator, covered, for several hours or overnight When you’re ready to cook, fry the onions in a large casserole dish until they are golden. Remove them from the casserole. Strain the beef and pat it dry, reserving the marinade. Sear the beef in the casserole until well browned. Return the onions and the marinade to the casserole. Mix the tomato purée with a little water, and add this to the casserole, together with the tomatoes and honey. Season, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Cover the casserole with a lid and cook the stifado for 1-1½ hours until the meat and onions are tender. Stir at intervals, turning the meat each time. Sprinkle with fresh oregano to serve.