Basic Whole Wheat Bread

My Basic Bread

Just arrived back home (Thessaloniki) yesterday and I couldn't wait to get into my kitchen. So today, I made wonderful bread from organic flour (BioFarma). The smell is so strong and earthy, I can't wait for the loaves to cool to cut them and dig in. 

3 cups whole wheat flour (this time I used organic flour from BioFarma)
3 cups hard bread flour (also from BioFarma)
2 and 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsps dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 tsps salt

In a large measuring cup, measure 1/2 cup warm water (warm enough for your pinky to accept it comfortably), half a tablespoon sugar, and the yeast. Let stand until foamy.

In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, remaining sugar. Make a well in the center and add the bubbly yest along with the rest of the warm water. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add a bit more warm water if necessary.

Transfer the dough onto a kneading board or the countertop and knead with the palm of your hand (don't dig your fingers in). Turn and knead, turn and knead, until you get a supple silky dought. Place in a greased bowl and cover.

Let stand until double in size or until you poke a wet finger and the indentation stays or the dough sighs around the mark.
Turn out onto the countertop and deflate. Cut with a sharp knife in two and shape into loaves. Place into greased baking tins and let stand for another 20 minutes.

With a sharp knife slash the tops of the loaves and bake in a preheated oven (180 C) for 45 minutes.

Remove from the pans and cool on a rack before cutting.

 

Bechamel Sauce (Rich White Sauce)

6 Tbs butter or margarine
6 Tbs flour
3/4 litre hot milk
3 eggs (well beaten)
salt, pepper, nutmeg


Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan. Stirring vigorously, add the flour until the two are thoroughly mixed. Stirring, add the hot milk and work the mix until it thickens. Remove from the heat and add in the eggs. Mix thoroughly. Add the spices in a few strokes.

Vegetarian Pastitsio

Pastitsio sounds Italian but actually comes from Greece. It is a baked casserole of layers of cooked pasta, meat sauce and Bechamel sauce. Here is a vegetarian version.

1 packet (1/kilo or 1 pound) of short pasta (elbow macaroni, tortelloni, etc.), cooked
1/2 kilo mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 eggplant, washed, peeled in stripes (leaving some of the skin on) and cut into cubes
two fresh tomatoes + 1 Tbs tomato paste (or 1 can chopped tomatoes)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
olive oil (extra virgin)
two pinches of cinnamon
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

300 grams feta cheese (crumbled)

For the Bechamel sauce see separate recipe.

While the pasta is cooking, make the vegetable sauce: Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the mushrooms and eggplant and saute until vegetables are thoroughly coated in oil and start to brown. Add tomatoes (fresh or canned), pinch of sugar and cinnamon, salt and pepper. Let cook for 6-7 minutes.

When the pasta is cooked, drain, drizzle with some olive oil and mix in the crumbled feta. Butter a large casserole dish and layer the pasta, the vegetable mix, then pasta again and top with the Bechamel. Bake in a 350F (180C) preheated oven for 30 or 40 minutes until the top has evenly browned. Let stand for about one hour or more before cutting (that way the pieces will stand nicely on the plate ).

Home-Made Ricotta Cheese

To use as filling in various recipes (cheese puffs, cheese pie, pastitsio, cheese cake).

1 litre whole milk
juice of one lemon (or three Tbs vinegar)

Bring the milk to a boil, remove from the heat, and immediately add the lemon or vinegar stirring with a wooden spoon until the curds separate from the whey completely. You may have to add some more lemon or vinegar, until you receive the desired effect. Let stand covered for up to 12 hours (optional). The longer the cheese stands in its whey, the mellower it becomes. Strain the cheese in a collander lined with two or three layers of cheese cloth, squeeze out excess liquid and refrigerate or use immediately in your recipe.

Filitsa's Cheese Puffs

Everyone in Cleveland, Ohio (where my husband's relatives live) loves these tender, tasty, and elegant cheese triangles. When there is a family gathering, that's the dish to bring.

1 pound phyllo dough (bought frozen, thawed out)
1 pound feta cheese
1 pound ricotta cheese (see separate recipe on how to make it at home)
3 eggs
two pinches of nutmeg
pepper to taste
sesame seeds to sprinkle (optional)
melted butter or margarine for brushing
a good, soft kitchen brush

Mix the cheeses, eggs, and spices in a bowl with a fork.

Have melted butter and margarine within easy reach on your countertop.

Spread phyllo dough sheets out on the kitchen counter and cover them with a damp towel to keep from drying out. Taking one phyllo sheet at a time, cut width-wise in six strips. Take one strip, brush it with the melted fat, and layer another strip on top of it carefully so that the two are aligned. Brush this one, too, with the butter. Take a heaped teaspoon of the cheese mix and place it at the bottom of the double strip. Fold triangularly like a flag (from left to right, then up right, then left, etc.) to the top of the strip. There is your triangle. Place it on a cookie sheet (no need to oil the cooking sheet; there is plenty of fat in the cheese pies). Arrange the cheese triangles in the cookie sheet so that there is no space between them. Play with different geometrical combinations! When you are done, brush all the tops with melted butter or margarine, sprinkle (optional) with sesame seeds and bake in a 350F (or 180 C) preheated oven for 10 minutes until the tops are lightly brown. Serve immediately to retain the crunch of the phyllo. Alternately, you can freeze the folded triangles and take them out to bake right before they will be eaten. They can also be frozen after they have baked.

Winter Vegetable Soup (Vegan, fat free)

Starter for four.

Rainy drab December evenings are the perfect setting for a hand-warming, heart-satisfying soup. This is a staple--and no guilt to top.

3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled
2 leeks, peeled
1 carrot, peeled
6 medium-sized mushrooms, cleaned
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dried celery
salt and pepper to taste

Wash all vegetables and chop in thin slices. Put in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add dried celery and salt and pepper and simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are thoroughly cooked but not mooshy. Mash with a hand blender but leave some vegetables chunky for texture. Serve with lemon and warm bread. For a non-vegan version add a dollop of sour cream or strained yogurt in the middle of each bowl.

Lentil Soup (Vegan)

A weekly staple in winter since my childhood in Greeec, then through my years as a student and wife in America, and now in Bulgaria. Simple, fast, especially if you use a pressure cooker.

2 cups dry lentils (rinsed)
4 cups water
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 carrot chopped or sliced thin (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 pinches of oregano
1 pinch of sugar (to keep the tomato from preventing the softening of the lentils)
salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Pre-boil the lentils in plenty of water for 5 minutes. Drain and . . .
If you pressure cook, put all of the ingredients in the pot and cook for 8 minutes. If you use a conventional pot, put all ingredients except tomatoes and oil in the pot, cook covered for 15 minutes, add tomatoes and olive oil and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until lentils and carrots are soft.
Let stand for 15 minutes or more before serving. Serve with vinegar, balsamico or plain (optional).