Cassis (Black Currants) and Lemon Cake

One of our absolute beloved, fresh and spongy super quick cake!  

The source of this recipe is a popular recipe which we got in Spain and we adapted it reducing the oil and the sugar only for personal taste. We use Greek plain yogurt + fresh lemon instead of yogurt with lemon taste. In Spain this cake is also called “bizcocho 1 2 3 “.

We prepare if you are traveling into holidays apartments (yes, we I carried the empty tin with us) for a fast breakfast and a snack for our road trips.

For the easiest version you may use the container of your yogurt as the measure of 1 cup.

See also the Spanish version on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgdaD_EJX-E&ab_channel=Elrinc%C3%B3ndelpancasero

The combination of cassis and lemon gives to this cake a very strong and refreshing flavour.

We tried also these great variations:

• Limes instead of lemons
• Black berries, blueberries or “josta berries” instead of cassis
• Skip the berries and convert this cake into a lemon cake

Black Currants and Lemon Cake

• Servings: about 12
• Time: 1h + cooling time
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Batter:

• 1 cup yogurt (any yogurt but for us Greek plain yogurt is the best)
• ½ cup oil (original recipe: 1 cup)
• 1 ½ cups sugar (original recipe 2 cups)
• 3 (if you use the size of the container of the yogurt instead of “cup”) or 4 eggs (if using the official “cup”)
• 1 lemon, zest grated
• 1 lemon, juice
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (1 envelope)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (1 envelope)

Fruits:

• 1 cup black currents (cassis)  or other berries

Topping (optional)

• Sugar pearls

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line you mold (about 30 cm of length) with baking or aluminum foil.
2. In a big bowl combine all the ingredients for the batter.
3. Fold under the berries.
4. Pour the dough into your prepared mold and add the topping.
5. Cook for 50-60 minutes at 180°C/350°F or until done (toothpick test)
6. Let cool down and serve.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/  

Mast-o-Khiar – Persian Yogurt Dip

ماست و خیار Mast-o-khiar is a delicious, cooling and very popular Persian dish that is served with most meals. You will find the combination of yogurt and cucumbers in Greece (Tsatziki), but also in many other Balkan and Arabic countries and as well from Turkey to India (Raita).

The use of rose petals (fresh or dried) and rosewater for cooking was popular all over the Middle East and spread to Europe during the Middle Ages.  However rosewater had been replaced by vanilla once world exploration had been brought from America to Europe. 

About 20 years ago we planted in our garden a very strong scented white and red striped rose, since then its petals had been used in our cooking for several sweet recipes and we prepared hundreds of rose jam jars.

The basic ingredients for Mast-o-Khiar are yogurt, cucumber, mint, rose petals, salt and garlic. Other herbs can be added as well as chopped walnuts and raisins.

Tip: skip the cucumber for a delicious sauce for salad.

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min working time +resting time
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Dip:

• 1 cup Greek or Balcan yogurt ( better 7-10% but you may also use the 2% fat reduced quality)
  • 100 g (about ¾ cup) chopped cucumber
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (I use the “Diosmos” Greek mint for this dish)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional)
  • 1 garlic clove pressed or/and 2 tablespoons fresh chives finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons dried rose petals, crushed or minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped raisins (optional)

Topping (as desired):

• dried or/and fresh rose petals
  • dried or/and fresh mint
  • dried or/and fresh dill
  • chopped walnuts
  • raisins

Procedure

1. Combine well all the ingredients for the dip and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl or dish. Refrigerate for at least one hour or best to allow the flavors to blend.
3. Just before serving, sprinkle the ingredients for the topping with a nice geometrical pattern or simply randomized.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

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See also:

Bombay Karachi Halwa – Microwave Recipe

Glyko Triantafyllo– Greek Rose Petal Jam

Carrot and Ginger Yogurt Sauce

Traveling is my main source of inspiration and this sauce had been ispired form the Indian dish Gajar ka raita (Carrot with yogurt) we had the chance to try years ago in north India.

Having good plain yogurt always on hand and not being a mayo friend yogurt sauces became my favorite quick sauces; they are light, fresh and very versatile. Traveling from Greece to India we can find many different kind of them, starting for example with the Greek Tzatziki.

I can’t call this this sauce “carrot raita” as it’s a very simplified version of it, but we loved this crunchy and refreshing one very much.

• Servings: 2/3 cup
• Time: 220mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

You need:

• 1 teaspoon vegetal oil
• 1-2 teaspoons black mustard seeds (optional, this time I did not use this)
• 1 pinch of cumin ground (whole is fine as well, but in this case fry it with the mustard together)
• 1 pinch of garam masala ground
• 1 pinch coriander ground
• 1/2 cup of strained plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1 tablespoon ginger, fresh grated
• 1 tablespoon red onions, finely chopped
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. If you like to use the mustard seeds heat oil in a small skillet and fry mustard seed until they start splattering. Remove from heat and until hot add the spices (cumin, garam masala and coriander), stir.
2. In a medium bowl whisk yogurt and carrots together.
3. Press out juice from ginger through a sieve or simply pressing the grated ginger in your hand. Press it directly in the yogurt mix.
4. Mix now everything together.
5. For decoration I reserved little carrots, onion and ginger, but seed are great as well.
6. Chill until serving.

Prawn in Rich Yogurt Curry Sauce

With the recent discovering of always new recipes, we have come to search for new and forget the good oldies.  There is, indeed, no intrinsic reason why we should ALWAYS try new recipes and look only forward. Remembering should be given precedence over forgetting; in my case already proofed recipes should be checked again and made again. Writing down these recipes is a way to prevent forgetting about them and passing them further to my children and my friends.

For this reason, I made this curry with minor changing again and doubling the sauce. Definitely worth to make it again!

Focus in this recipe is the creamy sensual sauce that should be enjoyed with chapattis eating with the fingers!

Let me start the description of this recipe with the preparation of the ingredients because this dish is quick done.  Be sure you have the chapattis ready on time as well!

• Servings: 4
• Time: 30mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

You need

• 500 g large shrimp (big prawn, peeled, frozen or fresh)
• 2 tablespoon vegetal oil
• 1 spring onions, sliced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 chili, hot red thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1/2 lime, juice only
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

To serve with:

• Chapatti
• Additional Greek yogurt
• Sautee vegetables or other vegetable dish of your preference

Procedure

1. Wash peel and clean shrimps, set aside.
2. On small plate place spring onion, shallot, cloves ginger and chives.
3. In a small bowl combine tomatoes purée, lime juice, Greek yogurt, water, cornstarch, garam masala and turmeric.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan add the ingredients from the small plate (spring onion…).
5. Stir fry until fragrant, this takes about 4 minutes.
6. Add prawn and cook stirring from time to time until they change the color on both side, this takes about 3 minutes.
7. Add the content of the small bowl (tomatoes puree…) and let it cook until it begins to bubble.
8. Add cilantro stir, add salt to taste.
9. Serve immediately with warm chapattis and additional yogurt. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Portokalopita – Greek Orange Pie

This is a variation of a Greek orange pie recipe.

In my version I used only the half of the phyllo that usually has to used, but I added to the batter 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. At the meantime I reduced the quantity of the syrup in order to avoid a too wet dessert.

For the presentation and to allow to remove easily the pie from the mold I used one sheet of phyllo to cover the mold before pouring the batter on it.

The first time I used grated orange zest and the second time I caramelized the zest of one orange in the sugar syrup prior using it. This has no impact on the flavor but it looks prettier.

You need

Cake:

• 6 sheets phyllo pastry (250 g)
• 250 g Greek yogurt, strained
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 250 ml extra virgin olive oil

Syrup:

• 300 ml water
• 125 g sugar
• 1 orange, big possibly with aromatic zest

Procedure       

1. Grease a mold of about 24-26 cm.
2. Cover the bowl with one sheet of phyllo leaving enough for the borders. Cut the exceeding phyllo (this will be added to the batter).
3. In a bowl combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, cornstarch, baking powder and olive oil. Whisk well with a metal whisker until you have a smooth cream.
4. Take each sheet and roughly tear into shreds, using your hands and add them to the batter. Stir together gently to ensure the egg mixture is evenly distributed.
5. Pour the batter in the mold prepared with the phyllo sheet. Arrange it nicely (fold the border slightly as shown in the picture).
6. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C or until the top is golden and the filling set. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
7. In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Great the orange zest or (peel the orange and cut the zest into thin strips) and squeeze the orange. For the syrup boil the sugar, orange juice and the orange zest and 100 ml water for 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the zest looks caramelized. Add the rest of the water and bring to boil again.
8. Prick the top of the cold cake with a fork and spread the warm syrup on top.

 

Here all my Greek inspired recipes

Baked Lamb and Potatoes with Yogurt

We had this dish many years ago in a small restaurant in Heraklion (Crete, Greece).

There are many variation of it. The first one, a very delicious one, we prepared ourselves was the combination of lamb and kritaraki (“orzo” pasta). We prepared it in this way many times in the kitchen oven.

The next big improving step was preparing in the wooden oven.

In the meantime I saw many variations of this recipe: with rabbit, with rice, with artichokes or with potatoes.

Today’s choice will be potatoes and I will prepare it in the pizza-oven. I will give you the instructions to prepare it in the kitchen oven as well.

I will start using a big cast iron pot and I will finish it using smaller clay molds.

This was inspired by Tante Kiki

You need:

For the roast:

• 1 – 1 1/2 kg lamb, sliced or in big pieces (shoulder or leg)
• 1/2 lemon, juice only
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 – 1 1/2  kg potatoes, peeled sliced
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of water (more if necessary)

For the topping:

• 1 kg Balkan style yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 rosemary springs

Procedure:

1. Marinate the meat in lemon juice, oregano and the two first 2 tablespoons olive oil for about 2 hours or overnight. This step is not necessary but will improve the taste.
2. Preheat the oven at 180°C/350°F.
3. In a fireproof mold with lid place the meat on the bottom.
4. Toss potatoes with salt and olive oil and place over the meat. Add water
5. Bake in the oven at 180°C/350°F for 2 hours. From time to time check if more water is necessary; don’t let dry completely the juice!
6. In a bowl combine the ingredients for the topping (yogurt, eggs, mustard powder, salt and pepper).
7. At this point you can top the meat with potatoes with the yogurt mix and place the rosemary in it. If you have single portions mold you can arrange meat, potatoes, yogurt sauce and rosemary spring in them.
8. Bake until yogurt is set and lightly golden. This takes about 20 minutes.

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Mint and Dill Yogurt Sauce

Today you will find here our absolutely favorite sauce that we prepare to serve with grilled meat or simply as appetizer with fresh pita bread.

It’s a very versatil sauce, if you you a thinner yogurt you can drizzle it over salad.  If you add some grated cucumber you will get a wonderful tzatziki.

We used some of the last mint leaves from the garden and we enjoyed it with barbecued chicken, homemade barbecued pita breads and some green salad.

Spring 2015: Made a variation of the sauce using fresh wild chives form the garden and served with baked potatoes! I noticed how different are the mint leaves used in 2015. The mint used in the original recipe came from a Greek mint plant and the last ones (which are more reddish) came from some mint I bought last year in a Turkish shop and I placed in water until they got roots. After this I plated them in the garden and despite the cold winter they are still green! See picture below.

For the basic recipe you need

• 1 cup plain yogurt ( I used Balkan style yogurt)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 big garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
• salt and pepper

Procedure:

In a bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dill, mint and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well and then season with salt.

 

 

Here all my Greek inspired recipes