Press Release
Printer-friendly page
|
ADD THE FLAVORS OF A GREEK EASTER FEAST TO YOUR OWN TABLE THIS EASTER
Chef George Kyrtatas offers delicious, easy Greek Easter recipes
Contact: Dalyn A. Miller
The Lisa Ekus Group
617-504-6869
Dalyn@dalynmillerpr.com
|
|
Easter is nearly upon us and preparations are well underway for many. However, what will the menu hold this year? The same baked ham as last year and the year before? The delicious, but all too familiar deviled eggs? Hot cross buns again? Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate this year's Easter meal and bring a fresh perspective to the table with traditional dishes from the Mediterranean. Chef George Kyrtatas provides just the recipes you'll need!
In Greece, Easter is the most celebrated holiday of the year. Following the Julian calendar, this year the Greek Easter falls on April 27, more than a month after the Western holiday celebrated by most Americans (March 23). It is surrounded by centuries old tradition and a feast unrivaled by any other. Chef Kyrtatas, America's Little Greek Chef, one of the youngest chefs ever to be named Chef de Cuisine and author of MY BIG FAT GREEK FEAST (Small Potatoes Press, $15.95), has developed a Greek Easter menu for everybody. These dishes are designed to introduce the flavors of the Mediterranean to American households, shake up our Easter preparations and bring smiles to the faces of everybody at the table!
Fresh salads, delicious soup and scrumptious entrees will please even the most discerning family member or dinner guest. With tradition in mind and abundant in fresh produce and meats, Kyrtatas' menu items can be mixed and matched, served as stand-alone items or even served as a side to your traditional Easter favorites for those die-hards who can't pull themselves away from the spiraled ham.
The recipes below are available for reprint immediately and mid- to hi-res images can be provided for all recipes included with 72-hours notice. You can contact me at 617-504-6869 or via email at Dalyn@dalynmillerpr.com for further information or to request images.
Easter Recipes from Chef George Kyrtatas
MARGIRITSA
Greek Easter Soup
This is a short cut method for making this traditional soup. By using canned tuna you will still get all of the delicious flavor without the time consuming work of boiling down the whole fish.
Serves 10
Extra virgin olive oil
5 scallions, chopped fine
3 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 cup parsley, chopped fine
1/4 cup dill, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 gallon water
1 can of tuna in water
3 eggs
3 cups sour cream
2 cups rice, cooked
2 lemons, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté scallions, carrots, celery and garlic in oil in a pot. When translucent add water to pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add parsley, dill, tuna, rice lemon juice. Temper in eggs and sour cream. Reduce the heat to low, simmer and serve.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
FENNEL, FETA AND KALAMATA OLIVE SALAD
This delicious salad incorporates some of the best loved foods of Greece, fennel, feta cheese and kalamata olives.
Serves 6 - 8
1/2 pound fennel bulb, about 1 bulb
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
4-1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Clean fennel well and remove outer layers and top stocks. (Top portion can be frozen and used for flavoring at a later time.)
On a mandolin or with a carving knife slice fennel into the thinnest shreds possible, then soak in ice water for 1/2 hour.
In a bowl, mix sugar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice and then toss with soaked, shredded fennel.
Top with chopped olives and crumbled feta cheese.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
DOLMATHES
Stuffed Grape Leaves
This delicious appetizer has gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years. This is an easy recipe you can make right at home.
Serves 10
1 jar grape leaves
3 onions, chopped fine
2 bunches scallions, chopped fine
2 cups rice
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup parsley, chopped fine
1 teaspoon dill, chopped fine
2-1/2 cups water
2 lemons
1 cup olive oil
Heat oil in sauté pan. Add onions, scallions and sauté until transparent, approximately 5 minutes. Add rice and sauté with onions and scallions for another minute. Then add dill, parsley, salt and lemon juice. Simmer all ingredients for 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and let cool.
While waiting for mixture to cool, rinse grape leaves and lay them flat, dull side up.
To assemble, place a teaspoon of the rice mixture in the center of the grape leaf. Fold in all corners of the leaf then roll. Be careful not to roll the grape leaf to tight because as the rice expands, the leaf will tear. However, also be careful not to roll the leaf to loose as the filling will fall out. When all are rolled, place them snuggly into a pot or Dutch oven, add water and lemon juice and cover. Place in a 350 degree oven and cook until water is completely absorbed or rice is soft. (More water might be needed depending on which pot is used.)
To store
Submerge grape leaves in olive oil and refrigerate.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
CALAMARI KOKINISTO
Greek cuisine is rich in delicious seafood from the Mediterranean. Squid is a stable on the Greek seafood table.
Serves 4
4 large calamari (tentacles and body), cleaned and sliced
1 12-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced fine
1-1/2 cups white wine
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
Blanch calamari in water for two minutes. Then remove and set aside.
In a sauté pan add olive oil and sauté onions and garlic until soften.
Then add tomatoes and white wine. Simmer.
After this simmers add calamari, saffron, parsley and basil. Toss for 2 minutes then serve hot.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
BEAN AND ROSEMARY HUMUS
Serves 8
2 10-ounce cans cannelloni beans, drained
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped fine
1 cup water
1 lemon, juiced
Boil all ingredients together for 5 minutes.
Allow to cool, then puree in a food processor mixture until smooth.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
GRILLED VEAL CHOPS WITH OREGANO AND LEMON
This is a very easy entrée, rich in flavors of Greece as well as tender and delicious.
Serves 12
12 veal chop, each 1/2-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons salt and pepper
2 lemons
Brush veal chops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano.
Place veal chops on grill and baste with olive oil.
Cook to the desired temperate, squeeze lemon over the veal chops and serve.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
ROAST LEG OF LAMB
It is a Greek tradition at Easter to spit-roast a lamb outside before the big feast. Here's an easy way to enjoy the flavor of lamb without roasting it on an open fire outdoors.
Serves 10
2 heads garlic, minced or pressed
3 cups red wine
2 cups lemon juice
3 tablespoons oregano
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup clarified butter
1/2 cup butter
8 pounds leg of lamb
2 carrots, chopped roughly
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon roux
2 rosemary sprigs
Pulverize pressed garlic with a mortar and pestle then combine in a bowl with mustard and lemon juice. Mix well.
Trim extra fat from lamb, add salt and pepper and rub with garlic mixture.
In a roasting pan, saute carrots, celery and onions with butter until soft; then sear lamb and place in a 350 degree oven for about 1 and 1/2 hours or until desired temperature.
Remove lamb from roasting pan and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving.
Deglaze roasting pan with red wine and strain juices and drippings into a sauce pan with rosemary.
Add roux to sauce and whisk over medium heat until sauce thickens.
Serve lamb drizzled with sauce and vegetables on the side.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
GOAT CHEESE STUFFED ZUCCHINI
Serves 6
6 baby zucchini
6 slices of goat cheese, cut into strips
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oregano, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Cut a slit into the center of the zucchini. Sprinkle the inside with oregano, salt and pepper. Then stuff each with goat cheese, brush the zucchini with oil and top with garlic.
Place in a roasting pan and bake at 350 degrees covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered 20 minutes or until zucchini is fork tender.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
ELIOPITA
Olive Bread
This bread honors one of Greece's most valuable culinary resources: the olive.
Serves 12
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (package)
1 cup warm water
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup onions, chopped fine
2 cups Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
In a bowl mix yeast and warm water, set aside until it bubbles.
In a sauté pan sauté onions with 2 teaspoons olive oil until soft, then add olives and sauté for about 2 minutes.
In a mixing bowl with a dough hook add yeast water mixture and all other dry ingredients and mix.
Once ingredients are well mixed remove from mixer and place in an oiled bowl for 1 hour, dough should double in size.
Roll flat on a flour covered table.
Spread onion and olive mixture over the dough, then roll the dough up with the mixture inside.
Bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
KOURABIEDES
Greek Holiday Cookies
These holiday favorites are a must have for the Easter table. Delicious and sweet, they're the perfect cap off to any great feast.
Makes 30 cookies
1/2 cup almonds, blanched and ground
1 cup butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 cup rose water
2 cups powdered sugar
In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar together.
Slowly add egg and vanilla while continuing to mix.
Slowly add baking soda, baking powder, ground almonds and flour and mix just until the dough comes together.
Remove from bowl and knead with your hands, then form cookies into traditional cresset moon shapes.
Bake in a 350 degree oven until cookies are golden color, approximately 30 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes the sprinkle with rose water and dust with powdered sugar.
This recipe may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipe from Chef George Kyrtatas at www.littlegreekchef.com
|
)
