Yoga Retreat Week, July 2020

RECIPES FROM ELIZABETH Kythera island, Greece.

Kythera is also famous for its local products, thyme honey, olive oil, and kytherian salt to mention a few.

Elizabeth Stais, a renown local cook and producer , knows the local cuisine and creates mouthwatering authentic recipes, using fresh fruits and vegetables from her own garden and local organic products known for their healing qualities. Here are a few of her recipes to share with you.

We share a passion for cooking foods made from local produce and every recipe shared becomes your own as you change it and mould it to suit your tastes, this unites us all in some way.

We are very happy to share our passion of Kytherian and Greek food with you.

Elizabeth is from Vilana Studios https://vilanastudios.com/

Panagiota now lives permanently in Kythera and is hoping to learn more about the local food specialities. pen.conomos@gmail.com

Enjoy your food journey. Kali Orexi!!!

The Menu

Saturday

Lentil Soup, Stuffed Tomatoes, Green Lettuce Salad with French style dressing, Fruit

Sunday

Melon,coconut and lime smoothie

Spanokopita

Tomato Soup, Artichokes a la Polita, Chickpea and lettuce Salad with Moroccan Dressing, Fruit

Monday

Banana Smoothie

Salad and Roast Vegetable Wraps

Light Vegetable Soup, Pasta with Tomato salsa, Marinated Eggplant Salad, Fruit

Tuesday

Pineapple and coconut smoothie

Lagana with sun-dried tomato, sea salt and oregano

Tahini Soup, Spanokorizo, Red Cabbage Beetroot Salad with Italian Dressing, Fruit

Wednesday

Apostolia’s smoothie

Potato and leek Soup, Green Salad with French Dressing, Fruit

Thursday

Carrot, orange and ginger smoothie

Leek Pie

Pea and Fennel Soup, Briam, Greek Salad with black eye beans and Figs, Fruit Salad

Friday

Beetroot, pomegranate and mulberry smoothie

Zucchini Pie

Minestrone, Mousaka, Vlita and zucchini salad, Fruit Tart with Almond Paste

Saturday Brunch

Tahini smoothie

Spinach pastries, cheese pastries

Banana Bread, lathotiri, local olive oil matured cheese, mizithra, fresh cheese served with local the honey

YEMISTES TOMATOES Stuffed Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

For 10 tomatoes

1/2 cup Olive oil

3 medium onions finely chopped

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 carrots finely chopped

1/2 cup corn

50 g pine nuts

1+1/2 cups short grain rice

1/4 cup raisins or chopped sultanas

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt and pepper

10 tomatoes

4 potatoes cut lengthwise into quarters

1/2 extra olive oil

METHOD

Cut tops off tomatoes and reserve

Carefully scoop out tomato flesh into a bowl. Grate into a pulp

Place a large fry pan or wide based saucepan on high heat, when hot add olive oil and and onions, when withered add garlic, carrot, corn , nuts and rice. Stir constantly. When aromatic, gradually add tomato pulp, just enough to continue the cooking of the rice. Add gradually more pulp and continue stirring until there is about 1cup of tomato pulp left and the rice is still underdone/ firm. The mixture may or may not need a little water. Add salt, pepper and currants and stir through.

Spoon mixture into tomato shells but not to the top as rice will swell, place in a baking dish and top tomatoes with lids.

Add cut potatoes to the baking dish, salt and pepper and the rest of the reserved tomato pulp.

Drizzle extra olive oil on top of tomatoes and potatoes. Bake in a moderate oven, 170°C, till potatoes are done, about 2 hours. Enjoy!

GREEK ARTICHOKE STEW Agkinares-ala-polita

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
4 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
3 carrots
2 potatoes
600 g artichokes, frozen
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 vegetable bouillon cube
750 g water, boiling
lemon zest, of 2 lemons and lemon juice of 2 lemons
1/2 bunch dill
Salt and pepper

METHOD

Place a pot over high heat and let it get very hot.
Cut the onion into 1 cm slices and cut the spring onions into 1 cm rounds.
Add the olive oil to the hot pot and then add the onions.
Stir with a wooden spoon and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Thinly slice the garlic, cut the carrots in half and then into 0.5 cm slices. Add both to the pot.
Chop the potatoes into 1-2 cm cubes and add them to the pot.
Stir and sauté until all the vegetables turn golden.
Add the artichokes and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until light golden.
Add the flour, bouillon cube, water and lemon juice.
Stir, cover pot with lid, lower heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes.
When ready, remove pot from heat and uncover.
Finely chop the dill and add it to the pot along with salt and pepper. Stir.
Serve with dill, lemon wedges and olive oil

Pea and Fennel Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
2 fennel bulbs
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
750 ml vegetable stock (check it is vegan)
200 g frozen peas
100 ml coconut milk
1/2 lemon

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
Trim the stem and tips from the fennel and cut it into wedges. Peel and slice the onion. Place both in a roasting tin or baking tray with the oil and garlic cloves (leave them in their skins, do not peel), and season with salt and black pepper.
Roast for 25-30 minutes until the fennel is soft and turning brown, (see photos above).
When cool enough to handle, squeeze the flesh of the two garlic cloves out into the roasting tin and discard the skins.
Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the roasted fennel, onion and garlic, then the frozen peas and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and use a hand blender, food processor or blender to blitz to a smooth purée, (keep going for a minute or two, this needs to be really smooth), then add the coconut milk, lemon juice and blitz again. Taste and add more salt or pepper if required.

Panagiotas Salad Recipes and Dressings

There are 4 main dressings I use in salads depending on what type of ingredients you use.

One of these will work.

Generally green salads with lettuce and soft additives such as spinach, rocket, herbs, shallots tomatoes cucumbers and avocados require a delicate dressing such as the French style one.

Salads which are more robust and with ingredients such as chickpeas, eggplant, capsicum, zucchini , potato, rice, require a stronger dressing such as the Morrocan or Asian one.

Its really challenging and entertaining to play with the different dressings and ingredients and make them your own special salads.

Put all the ingredients in a jar and shake well.

All of these ingredients will dress a salad for 4 to 6 people.

Green Salad Dressing / French Style

4 Tablespoons Olive oil, 2 Tablespoons white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard, Juice of 1 small orange, zest of 1 small orange, salt ,pepper, toasted sesame seeds

Morrocan Style Dressing

2 Teaspoons Paprika, 1 Teaspoon Cumin, Juice and rind of 1 lemon, 1/2 Teaspoon honey, 4 Tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, optional 1 crushed garlic, chilli/cayenne

Italian Dressing/Salse Verde

1 cup chopped herb eg basil, mint,parsley, 4 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves crushed garlic, salt , pepper

Asian Dressing

4 tablespoons Olive oil, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, juice and rind of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon cane sugar, chopped shallots, 1 chopped garlic, 1 chopped chilli optional

Panagiotas Vegan Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream and Orange Syrup

I used the Love and lemons recipe originally and added a few of my special ingredients

This site has some awesome vegan recipes. Don’t miss it!!!