Greece A to Z: T

Serves

4

Time

Prep 10 min, plus 40 min rising, cook 15 min

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp dried active yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 480ml lukewarm water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Sunflower oil for shallow frying
• To serve: Greek honey, 100g ground walnuts, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground cloves

Method

1. Stir the yeast, sugar, a spoonful of the flour and the lukewarm water together and leave for 10 minutes, until a foamy cloud forms on the surface.
2. Whisk in the rest of the flour, the salt and the vanilla until the batter is smooth and about the thickness of double cream.
3. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes, until bubbles rise through it.
4. Mix the walnuts, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl.
5. Pour enough oil into a frying pan to cover the base in a thin layer and heat it until a drop of batter sizzles immediately.
6. Drop in tablespoons of batter, spaced apart, and fry for about 1 minute a side, until golden and lacy at the edges.
7. Drain briefly on kitchen paper and keep going, adding oil as needed.
8. Pile them onto a warm plate, pour over honey and scatter with the spiced walnuts. Eat them while they are still hot.

Serves

6 as meze

Time

Prep 10 min plus 1 hr chilling, no cooking

Ingredients

• 300g feta
• 100g Greek yoghurt
• 1 roasted red pepper, peeled
• 1 or 2 red chillies, deseeded
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Black pepper

Method

1. Crumble the feta into a bowl and mash it with a fork until it breaks right down.
2. Add the yoghurt and beat until smooth, or pulse briefly in a processor, stopping while some texture remains.
3. Chop the roasted pepper and the chilli very finely and fold them in.
4. Beat in the olive oil and the vinegar.
5. Grind black pepper over. Add no salt, the feta carries more than enough.
6. Chill for an hour for the heat to spread evenly.
7. Serve with warm pita, with a last drizzle of oil on top.

Serves

12

Time

Prep 30 min, bake 1 hr, plus 30 min resting

Ingredients

• 450g filo pastry, thawed
• 700g Greek feta, crumbled
• 450g ricotta, or mizithra or anthotyro if you can get it
• 200g kefalotyri or graviera, grated
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp fresh mint or dill, finely chopped
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 200g unsalted butter, melted, or 200ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C and brush a 23 by 33cm tin with butter.
2. Crumble the feta finely into a large bowl, then mix in the ricotta and grated kefalotyri.
3. Stir in the eggs, herbs and pepper. Do not add salt, the feta carries more than enough.
4. Keep the filo under a slightly damp tea towel while you work, or it will dry and shatter.
5. Lay 8 sheets in the tin one at a time, brushing each with butter and letting the edges hang over the sides.
6. Spread the cheese filling evenly over the base.
7. Fold the overhanging edges back over the filling, then layer 8 more sheets on top, buttering each one.
8. Brush the top generously, score it into 12 squares with a sharp knife, cutting only through the upper layers, and scatter with sesame seeds.
9. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is deep gold and puffed. Tent it with foil if it colours too fast.
10. Rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting all the way through, so the filling sets.

Serves

4

Time

Prep 5 min, cook 20 min

Ingredients

• 150g sour trahanas
• 1 litre water or light stock
• 100g feta, cubed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 20g butter
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Bring the water or stock to a rolling boil with a little salt.
2. Rain the trahanas in slowly, stirring hard the whole time. Tipped in all at once it sets into lumps.
3. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the grains have swollen and it is thick and porridge like.
4. Keep it looser than you want to serve it, because it thickens considerably off the heat.
5. Stir in the butter and olive oil.
6. Drop in the feta, cover and leave for 2 minutes to soften.
7. Grind pepper over and eat very hot with bread. Sour trahanas is made by fermenting cracked wheat with soured milk, drying it in the sun and crumbling it, which is why it tastes of neither on its own.

Serves

4

Time

Prep 2 min, cook 6 min

Ingredients

• 400ml tsikoudia or raki
• 4 tbsp honey, preferably thyme honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 1 strip of orange peel

Method

1. Put the tsikoudia, honey, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel in a small pan.
2. Warm over the lowest possible heat, stirring, until the honey has completely dissolved.
3. Do not let it simmer or boil. Heat drives off the alcohol and leaves a syrup.
4. Take it off the heat as soon as steam rises and the surface trembles, about 5 minutes.
5. Leave to stand for 2 minutes so the spice comes through.
6. Strain into small glasses and serve hot. In summer the same mixture is chilled and poured over ice.

Serves

Makes 2 loaves

Time

Prep 40 min plus 3 hr rising, cook 35 min

Ingredients

• 1kg strong white flour
• 250ml warm milk
• 14g dried yeast
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, plus 1 beaten egg to glaze
• 200g soft butter
• 1 tsp ground mahlepi
• Half a tsp ground mastiha
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp salt
• Flaked almonds, to finish

Method

1. Warm the milk and whisk in the yeast, 2 tbsp of the sugar and 150g of the flour. Leave for 20 minutes until foaming.
2. Beat the eggs with the remaining sugar, the mahlepi, mastiha, orange zest and salt.
3. Combine with the yeast starter, then work in the rest of the flour.
4. Add the soft butter a piece at a time and knead for 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pulls cleanly away from the bowl. It should stay soft.
5. Cover and rise for 2 hours until doubled.
6. Knock back, divide into 6, roll into ropes and plait two loaves of three strands each.
7. Prove on lined trays for another hour.
8. Brush with beaten egg and scatter with flaked almonds.
9. Bake at 170C, 340F, for 30 to 35 minutes, tenting with foil if the top darkens early.
10. Cool on a rack. It tears into strands rather than slicing.