Cretan Diet Recipes Simple and Deliciously Tasty Food
Beef Stifado
Ingredients
1 kilo of beef
8 tbsp Olive Oil
3 large onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3/4 bay leaves
225 ml red wine
2 tbsp vinegar
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cinnamon stick
salt, pepper
Method
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Start by heating the oil in a large pot. Cut the beef up into fairly decent sized chunks and brown the meat all over in the oil. Take the meat out and brown the onions in the pot. Add the bay leaves and garlic and stir for a few minutes. Pour in the wine, then add the tomatoes, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper. Put a tight lid on because this needs to cook very slowly in a low oven (140°C) for about 3 to 4 hours, until the liquid has almost all evaporated and the meat is very tender. Check it occasionally.
Lamb Kleftiko
Ingredients
400g boneless lamb, cubed
2 tbsp Olive Oil
3 small potatoes
2 onions, chopped
2/3 cloves of garlic, minced
100g feta cheese, crumbled
400g boneless lamb, cubed
2 tbsp Olive Oil
3 small potatoes
2 onions, chopped
2/3 cloves of garlic, minced
100g feta cheese, crumbled
Method
Pre-heat the Oven to 150°C (300°F, Gas Mark 2). Peel and cut the potatoes into wedges and place in a ceramic baking pot and pour over the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and add the bay leaves. Next, season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat half the olive oil in a large pan and brown the meat on all sides over high heat. Add the remaining olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until soft. Transfer the mixture to the ceramic baking pot (including the oil and juices) and top the lot with the tomatoes, sprinkle on the oregano and crumbled feta cheese. Bake well-covered in oven for 3 - 4 hours.
Braised Village Chicken with Sage
Ingredients
4 good sized chicken pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
100 ml olive oil
120 ml white wine
120 ml water
2 sprigs of fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, pepper
Method
Take off the skin and fat from the chicken if you wish to. Heat the oil in a large casserole pot until nice and hot. Brown the chicken on all sides and then remove. Turn down the heat and add the onions, cooking until soft and translucent. Add the chicken back to the pot with the onions and add the wine and water. Season well and simmer for about 1-1¼ hours or until the chicken is well-cooked. Add the lemon juice and sage sprig and cook for 5 minutes or so. Serve with Greek Lemon Potatoes.
Meat with Aubergines
Ingredients
1 kilo of beef or pork
8 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 kilo of aubergines
100 ml white wine
2 tbsp vinegar
2/3 large tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cloves of garlic,chopped
1 cinnamon stick
salt, pepper
Method
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Cut the meat into chunks. Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the meat. Take the meat out and brown the onion. Put the meat back in and add the wine to the hot pot. After a few minutes, put in the tomatoes, garlic and about 400 ml of water. Bring to the boil and let this simmer for about 1½ to 2 hours. Check it so that it doesn't dry out. In the meantime, chop up the aubergines into chunks and sprinkle with salt. Leave them in a colander on the draining board for about an hour to let the bitter juice come out. When the meat is cooked, add the aubergines and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
Chickpea Recipe with Beef or Pork
Ingredients
1 kilo of beef or pork
1 kilo chickpeas, soaked overnight in water
8 tbsp Olive Oil
2 large onions, chopped
2/3 large tomatoes, chopped
salt, pepper
Method
Cut the meat into chunks and brown all over in hot oil. Take out the meat and brown the onion. Put the meat back and add the tomatoes. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, then add the strained chickpeas. Add enough water to cover everything and add salt and pepper. Let this simmer until cooked (about 1½ hours). Simple!
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Souvlaki
Ingredients
350g pork tenderloin, cut into 2cm (one inch) cubes
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion, cut into 2cm (one inch) cubes
1 green pepper, cut into 2cm (one inch) cubes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Method
In a large bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, wine vinegar, oregano, and garlic. Add the pork, onions, and green peppers, and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread pork, peppers, and onions onto skewers. Lightly oil a roasting tin. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes turning skewers frequently for even cooking. Serve with a green salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.
Stuffed Aubergine
Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil
2 medium aubergines (eggplant)
150g minced beef
50g parmesan or other hard cheese
10/12 pitted black olives sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
salt, pepper
Method
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Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the whole aubergines for 12-15 minutes according to size, till softened. Once the aubergines are cool, cut each in half horizontally. With a small sharp knife scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell about 5mm (¼in) thick. Chop the aubergine flesh scooped from the centre. Crush one of the cloves lightly and chop the other very finely. Place the crushed garlic clove in a frying pan with the olive oil and warm gently on low heat. Discard the garlic clove, add the mince beef, turn up the heat and brown well. Add the tomatoes, aubergine, oregano and the minced garlic clove, season and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes or till well-reduced. Add a little water if needed to keep the mixture simmering. While it simmers, grate the cheese and slice the olives finely. Fill the aubergine shells with the mixture and place on top the olives and grated cheese. Place in a lightly-oiled baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at about 180°C.
Braised Pork with Courgettes
Ingredients
1 kilo of boneless pork
4 medium sized courgettes
2 onions, chopped
120 ml olive oil
1 sprig of fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
225 ml white wine
2 large tomatoes skinned & chopped or grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
100 ml water
salt, pepper
Method
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Skin and chop the tomatoes finely. Alternatively, cut the tomatoes in half and use a grater to separate the flesh from the skins. Cut the pork into fairly decent sized chunks. Heat the oil in a large pot until smoking and brown the meat all over in the oil. Take the meat out, turn down the heat and brown the onions in the pot. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so. Pour in the wine, then add the tomatoes, water and season with salt and pepper. Top and tail the courgettes and add to the pot. Cover and simmer for about 1 - 1½ hours, or until the meat is very tender. Add the sage and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Fish, Salad and Vegetable dishes
Cretan Baked Fish
Ingredients
1 kilo of fish (whole or fillet of red snapper, cod, etc)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
½ kilo mixed vegetables (corn, and red pepper and carrot diced small)
3 medium potatoes, sliced thin
Olive Oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, pepper
Method
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Arrange two pieces of aluminium foil opposite ways in a baking tray and put the vegetables and sliced potatoes in the centre. Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Next, wash and gut the fish if necessary. You can use filleted fish if you don't like bones. Carefully score the fish a couple or three times and drizzle with olive oil then put the garlic in the slits. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Put the prepared fish on top of the vegetables and wrap the foil round sealing it. Bake in the oven for about 1 to 1¼ hours on 180ºC.
Salmon with Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable
Ingredients
For the salmon
2 x 220g (7oz) salmon fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
ground black pepper
For the roasted vegetables
1 red & 1 yellow pepper
1 courgette (zucchini)
½ aubergine (eggplant)
1 small red onion
10-12 whole unpeeled garlic cloves
1 large tomato
1½ - 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dired oregano
salt, freshly ground black pepper
Method
Roughly chop into chunky pieces all of the vegetables and leave the garlic cloves unpeeled. Place all the vegetables in a large open roasting tin. Spread out the vegetables and sprinkle with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Place in pre-heated oven at 200°C for around 30-40 minutes, checking and turning the vegetables occasionally. Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan, heat some olive oil. Season the topside of the fish with salt and pepper. Sear the fish on both sides for 3-4 minutes or until cooked, and keep warm until the vegetables are ready.
Traditional Greek Salad Recipe
Ingredients
½ red onion
½ a long Cucumber
1 red and 1 green pepper (capsicums)
1-2 big soft red tomatoes
Rectangular slab of Feta Cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
10-12 black olives
Oregano
Salt, pepper
Method
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Take the ingredients (except the feta) out of the fridge about 1 hour before you make up the salad. Salad vegetables always taste better when not fridge cold, especially tomatoes. Peel the cucumber and chop the vegetables into mouth sized pieces and mix gently in a bowl with the olives. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with plenty of olive oil. Pop the slab of feta on the top and drizzle with more oil, then sprinkle with oregano. Have a good chunk of granary bread handy, because there'll be some lovely olive-oily juice at the bottom when you finish. A soft, light white wine goes well with this authentic Greek Salad! You can vary the salad by adding a truly Cretan twist. Use a softer cheese in place of Feta - a soft goat's or sheep's goes well. In Crete they use Mizithra. Another variation might be the inclusion of capers - often found on Santorini, and Crete.
Beetroot Salad
Ingredients
1 kilo of beetroots
3/4 garlic cloves, crushed
300 grams of Greek yoghurt
50 grams of walnuts
roughly chopped
8 tbsp olive oil
salt, 3 tbsp vinegar
Method
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Trim the beetroots if you need to, leaving about an inch of stalks so you can handle them without getting red fingers! Boil whole for about 20 to 30 minutes depending on size. When cooked, let cool and then peel. It's best to put your hands in some food bags or wear plastic gloves when you do this! When peeled, dice them and place in a bowl. In another bowl, place all the other ingredients and mix well. Pour over the beetroots and stir well to combine all the ingredients. Cover and let the salad rest in the refrigerator for an hour or two before serving.
Cretan Salad
Ingredients
Handful of salad greens (lettuce, rocket, etc)
Medium carrot, finely grated
Handful of finely chopped or grated cabbage
Medium tomato, finely chopped
½ small cucumber, chopped small
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Olive oil
Lemon juice
2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
100 g soft goat's cheese
2 dried figs, chopped (optional)
Method
Finely chop the salad greens and put in a large bowl. Add the carrot, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, dill and parsley. Mix together. Sprinkle generously with olive oil. Add lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, and figs if used. Season with salt and pepper and toss together gently. Empty the salad onto a serving dish and sprinkle with crumbled soft goat's cheese.
Greek Lemon Potatoes
Ingredients
10 -12 medium waxy potatoes
Juice of 4 lemons
Lemon zest
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of Cretan Olive Oil
1 tsp dried greek oregano
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C: 375°F: Gas 5. Peel, wash and cut the potatoes into quarters lengthwise. Place into a large, deep ovenproof baking dish. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Peel and crush the garlic cloves and grind together with the oregano and mix with the olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour this mix over the potatoes to completely coat them. (Add more olive oil if necessary.) Bake uncovered for around 30 - 40 minutes or until tender. You can at this stage place under a very hot grill for a few minutes to brown, if desired. Serve with grilled meat or grilled fish or slow cooked casseroled meat dishes.
Baked Carrots and Cabbage
Ingredients
8 small to medium carrots
small head of cabbage
olive oil to drizzle
salt, pepper
Method
Peel the carrots, but leave whole (cut lengthwise if very thick). Double wrap in tin foil and place in same oven as Stifado (or any stew). Cut the cabbage into quarters (a quarter of an average sized cabbage per person) and place in foil, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and seal in the foil. Bake with a stew or roast (about 2 hours on a low oven).
Roasted Tomatoes with Basil and Goat's Cheese
Ingredients
8 -10 medium tomatoes
1 tsp. dried Greek basil
½ tsp dried Greek oregano
½ tsp dried marjoram
2 tablespoon of crumbled goat cheese (you could use Feta cheese)
1 tablespoon of Cretan olive oil
2 tsp. quality Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic
Fresh parsley to garnish
Method
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Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F - gas mark 6).
Wash tomatoes and cut into halves if small and quarters if large and place into a plastic bowl. Peel and crush the garlic cloves and grind together with the basil, oregano, and marjoram and mix with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add this mix to the tomatoes to completely coat them. Add more olive oil if necessary. Place tomatoes and oil mix in a roasting tin and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes are starting to soften. Remove from oven and allow to cool for around 10 minutes. Season the tomatoes to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with goat cheese and garnish with chopped parsley.