Month: January 2021

The Perfect Roast Beef

The Perfect Roast Beef

I grew up in a house where meat was cooked well done – always. I have never liked my meat even medium never mind rare. But my husband loves his roasts, steaks and burgers cooked medium rare and I have never once cooked any of those things correctly according to him. Now he cooks, too, and some will say even better than I do, so if he wants something his way, he makes it and makes mine the way I want. I just never seem to be able to get the timing right to keep meat medium rare.

This year for New Year’s Day it was just the two of us. I was craving a roast and so I made one. I followed this recipe, with some modifications. I used red pepper flake and garlic powder in the paste rubbed all over the roast and just thyme and rosemary, not basil. I kept an eye on the time and pulled it out even though all my instincts told me to leave it in longer. It turned out perfect! I did cook my piece a little longer on the stove. I just can’t eat meat that’s bleeding.

I paired it with these melting potatoes and a side Caesar salad and it was one of the best meals ever. We now have a lot of leftover roast beef for sandwiches.

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Vasilopita Recipe(Greek New Year’s Cake)

Vasilopita Recipe(Greek New Year’s Cake)

Vasilopita literally translates to “King Cake”. It is however, a New Year’s Day tradition in the Greek culture, not tied to lent. It honors Saint Vasilios (aka St. Basil) who is honored on January 1st. The cake is made with oranges, a winter fruit, and in it, one bakes a coin wrapped in foil. As you cut the cake on New Year’s Day, you cut a piece for the home, and one for each member of the family. Whoever finds the coin has good luck for the year. I end up finding the coin most years in my household as there are only two humans and I’m the only one who eats enough cake to keep cutting slices. It’s really delicious dunked in coffee. My mother has made many variations over the years, but my favorite is this one on Food52. The only change I make is I use one cup of sugar instead of two as it doesn’t need to be so sweet.

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Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki) Recipe

Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki) Recipe

This is one of my traditional Christmas dishes. I first had it in Greece at a nice restaurant in the town of Gargalianoi – the closest town to my parents’ village where we have a home. I like to make this around Christmas because of the beautiful red and green colors.

In Greek cooking there are a whole slew of dishes which are categorized as saganaki.  One of the most popular is feta saganaki a meze (appetizer) of fried feta set aflame with the help of a little ouzo or Metaxa.  The term saganaki actually refers to the small, two-handled frying pan in which the food is cooked called a sagani, a derivative of the Turkish word sahan, which means copper dish.  But you don’t need a special pan to make this dish, any sort of deep frying pan or cast iron skillet will work.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
  • 10 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes 
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
  • 3 tbsp ouzo
  • 3/4 cup Greek feta, crumbled
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium heat and saute the onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. 
  • Add the minced garlic, red and green pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano and paprika and saute for an additional 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly for 2 – 3 minutes and then add the shrimp to the pan with the ouzo. Stir, cover your skillet, and cook for 5 minutes, on medium-low.
  • Uncover your skillet and sprinkle the crumbled feta onto the shrimp and tomato mixture. Broil for up to 5 minutes in the oven or until feta is soft and browned.
  • Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
  • Serve with toasted/crusty bread or over pasta or rice.
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