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Melitzanes skordostroumbi

January 14, 2018Fasting Friendly, Ladera, Mama's recipes
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Give a Greek person a vegetable, any vegetable, and they will transform it into a mouthwatering feast. Summer vegetables, especially succulent tomatoes hardly require any exhaustive transformation because they are just so delicious – all you need is a little oil and vinegar. However, in this traditional Zakynthian dish, summer tomatoes combine with the humble eggplant and a lot of garlic to make a truly spectacular dish.

If you were in Napoli, the garlic in this dish would be replaced with oozy mozzarella or provola cheese and dustings of parmigiano. In Greek cuisine, there are strict (albeit unsaid) rules when it comes to using cheese. Hard cheeses are for eating at the table, with along with a generous bowl of olives. Soft cheeses, like feta, are crumbled into pies or a large slices adorn salads. Rarely are cheeses used in vegetable dishes – perhaps this comes from the tradition of fasting in the Greek orthodox church. In the long fasting months leading up to Christmas and Easter creative cooks had to develop plenty of dairy, meat and egg free dishes. Hence dishes such as ‘eggplants smothered in garlic’ were born!

 

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Eggplants smothered in garlic

Μελιτζανες σκορδοστουμπι
Course Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 6 Eggplants large
  • 4 cups Tomato grated
  • 1 tsp Honey or petimezi
  • 1 tsp Greek wine vinegar
  • Bukovo chilli flakes to taste
  • 1 Head of Garlic chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tbsp Dry breadcrumbs I use Panko

Instructions

  1. Cut the eggplant into thick slices. Salt them and leave them for about 1 hour to remove the excess moisture and bitterness. After 1 hour, rise of the salt and pat the eggplant dry with paper towels.

  2. Place a fry pan on medium heat and add a little olive oil. Add the eggplant and fry until lightly browned. Drain the fried eggplant on paper towels to remove any excess oil. Alternatively, you brush the eggplant with a little olive oil and grill on an outdoor BBQ (this makes the final dish much less greasy.) Again, drain the grilled eggplant on paper towels to remove any excess oil.

  3. Prepare the sauce: place a fry pan on medium heat and add the grated tomatoes along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the honey and vinegar, bring to the boil and let the sauce cook for 15 minutes or until the oil has cooked down into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Preheat oven to 180C. Using a medium sized oven pan or dish, place a few spoonfuls on the sauce in the base of the pan. Add one layer of eggplant. Sprinkle with half the garlic and some bukovo chilli flakes. Add a few spoonfuls of the tomato sauce to cover. Conintue with the remaining sauce, eggplant, garlic and chilli - finish with a generous tomato sauce layer. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. 

  5. Place the dish in the oven for around 30 minutes or until a nice crust forms on the top.

About Kat

Welcome to Mulberry Pomegranate, a blog all about Greek food and lifestyle. I am an Australian girl who has married into a Greek-Australian family. This is my story of becoming (almost) Greek...

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Welcome

Καλώς ορίσατε! When Kat met her now husband at a New Year’s Eve party, little did she know how much it would change her life – especially the culinary aspects! Kat’s mother in law was a phenomenal talent in the kitchen; creating all of the classic Greek favourites but also regional dishes from her home Island of Zakynthos. Regretting not recording the recipes of her own Grandmother’s, Kat was not going to miss the opportunity to record the recipes and stories of her mother in law Sophia. Starting out as a personal project to document her family’s recipes, Mulberry Pomegranate has become a widely read guide to the Greek Mediterranean way of life. Read more 

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Spring is in the air and the freshly caught octopu Spring is in the air and the freshly caught octopus is at its  very best! 

Here is a super easy family recipe for grilled octopus the Greek way; lightly charred and left to soak in a gentle bath of lemon, extra virgin olive oil, smoked red pepper and aromatic oregano. 

Serve simply with good hortiatiko bread to soak up all the delicious dressing, and a little ouzo, with plenty of ice on the side and a little chilled water. 

You will need:

1 octopus, cleaned 
3 medium garlic cloves
A few cloves 
1 glass of white or rose wine 
Greek extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Greek Oregano (rigani) to taste 
Smoked red pepper flakes 
Juice of 1 – 2 lemons

Instructions

Place the clean octopus in a pot, add the garlic cloves, whole cloves, wine and olive oil. Cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove from the pot, at this point you can remove the skin if desired and then cut into pieces.

Combine the extra virgin olive oil, rigani, smoked red pepper flakes and lemon juice. You can also add a little crushed garlic. Mix well and set aside.

Heat the barbecue on medium-high, before laying down the octopus pieces on the grill. Barbecue the octopus pieces on both sides until lightly charred. 

Add the octopus pieces to a serving bowl that contains the dressing and mix well. 

The octopus benefits from a good soak in the dressing before serving, but do make sure to serve while still warm. 

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Wishing everyone who celebrates Easter this evening a joyful and blessed celebration!

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#mediterraneandiet #bluezoneskitchen #bluezones #greekfood #provencalefood #autumnvibes
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