Koliva Orthodox Commemorations

Used fondant for Initials and cross.
Painted with silver edible paint and sprinkles.

Piped a border of royal icing on my Koliva.
Fondant Initials with sprinkles.

Koliva, is a dish based on boiled wheat that is used liturgically in the Eastern Orthodox Church for commemorations of the dead. I found this recipe on GreekBoston.com. I pretty much used their recipe but added some of cranberries, finely chopped dried apricots, etc....  This is a recipe you can improvise.

Greek Orthodox Memorial Service (Koliva)

recipe source: GreekBoston.com

4 cups wheat grain, shelled

1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, lightly toasted

3/4 cup golden raisins

2 cups finely ground Zweiback, graham crackers, or paximadia

2 cups powdered sugar

.5 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sesame seeds lightly toasted

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Almonds, powdered sugar, silver candies, walnuts or white raisins for decoration (optional)

How to Make Koliva:

Wash the wheat thoroughly to get rid of any grit or sand. Add the wheat to a large pot. Fill the pot with water, add a few pinches of salt, and bring the water to a boil.

Cook the wheat until it’s fluffy and tender – this should take about 20 minutes.

Strain the wheat and let the water drain out thoroughly.

Special note:  Do not skip this step

Berries need to be thoroughly dry

Prepare a surface by layering some towels or a large clean table cloth down. Spread the wheat thinly on the towels or cloth and allow drying overnight.

Add the wheat, walnuts, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds and 2 tablespoons of the ground toast/crackers to a large mixing bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Place the mixture in a tray or bowl that you would like to use. Press the mixture down to smooth it out and shape it (mound for tray or flat for bowl). Sprinkle some of the remaining toast/crackers on the top of the mixture to cover (no need to use all the crackers).

Sprinkle the powdered sugar generously on top.

Decorate the top with any of the ingredients you choose. It is traditional to adorn the top with a cross.

Greek Bougatza

Burrito Style Method

Sheet Pan Method

Greek Bougatza

This is traditionally served in Greece for breakfast, but I eat it anytime of day.  It's not overly sweet.  My favorite  home-made puff pastry is Emeril Lagasse, but you can use store bought, it's a lot easier with great results.  I recommend Pepperidge Farms.  I prefer the Burrito Style of shaping Bougatza.  It is typically served like that on the island of Corfu.  It's placed in wax paper, you carry it with you and eat while you walk.  Love it.

Custard Filling

4 1/4 cups whole milk

1 cups sugar

1 cup 2 T. fine semolina flour

3 eggs

1 stick butter, unsalted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring milk to a boil in a medium size pot.  In a bowl mix eggs and semolina.  Slowly add a cup of hot milk to egg/semolina mixture.  Whisk vigorously to temper eggs.  Add the mixture to remaining milk in pot.  Heat gently to thicken to pudding like consistency all the while stirring with a wooden spoon.  Once the spoon is coated.  Remove custard from burner, add butter and vanilla.  Mix well.  Place a film of clear wrap on top of custard and set aside to cool.  Make puff pastry.  

Can buy ready-made puff pastry with super result. I have used Pepperidege Farm with great results in a pinch. 

  

Home Made Puff Pastry
Source of Recipe: Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 1/4 sticks, unsalted cold butter

1 cup ice water, plus more as needed

Directions

Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Dice 6 tablespoons of the chilled butter, returning the remaining butter to the refrigerator to keep cold. Place the diced butter into the mixing bowl and using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend until the mixture forms a coarse meal, similar to a pie-crust. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the water. Use a rubber spatula to gradually blend the water with the flour mixture, mixing just until a rough, sticky dough is formed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place the remaining butter on a work surface, (a marble surface is ideal). Using a rolling pin or the heal of your hand, smash the butter into the surface until pliable, taking care not to over work the butter as it should stay chilled. Work butter into a 5-inch square.

Remove the rested dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle, being careful not to pull or tear the dough. (The dough mixture may still be very rough and tacky.) Place the butter square into the center of the circle and fold the edges of the dough over the butter, pressing to seal the edges. You should now have a square of butter wrapped in dough.

Using a rolling pin, roll the square into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle. (The dough may need to be pounded with the rolling pin several times to allow the butter to become more pliable.) Be careful not to tear the dough. Fold the rectangle 3 times as you would fold a business letter. Place the rectangle in front of you lengthwise and roll into another 16 by 8-inch rectangle. Fold again 3 times as you would a business letter and make 2 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled twice. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Return the rested dough to a lightly floured surface and repeat the process of rolling the dough into a rectangle, making 3 business-letter folds, 2 times. Make 4 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled a total of 4 times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If desired, dough can rest refrigerated for up to 2 days at this point.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle and fold 3 times, similar to a business letter. Repeat process and make 6 small indentations into the dough. Wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Now the pastry is ready to be rolled and used in the desired puff pastry recipe.

Assembly:

You can roll out puff pastry into 8 x 10 square, rolled out thin.  Place a few heaping tablespoons of cooled filling and roll up burrito style, making sure filling is completely closed on all sides, (seam side down on parchment).  Prick gently on top with fork.    Place parcels on buttered parchment paper or silpat.  Bake in 375 degree oven about 30 minutes or until golden brown.  While still hot, generously sift powder sugar and cinnamon on top.  Be generous, it adds a lot of flavor.

Also you can roll out one sheet of pastry very thin and put into a 9x13x2 pan, sprayed with non-stick.  Place pastry sheet down and up sides.  Place custard on top, spread evenly with off set spatula.  Roll out second sheet of pastry, a little smaller to fit right on top of custard.  Then, fold sides in from bottom pastry over the top pastry.  Prick with fork.  Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  After removing from oven generously sift powder sugar and cinnamon.  Cut into pieces when completely cool. 

Plastos Pie

Filled with greens and Greek Feta

Ready for Oven

                                                     

This is what I grew up on and all the grand-kids in my family.  My mother made this and it originates from Greece.  My mother was born in Epirus, Greece.  It basically is a pie made from wild field greens, eggs, cornmeal and feta.  Well, in America I don't have any wild field greens growing in my yard, but if you do, I highly recommend you use them.  I love this pie when zucchini blossoms are in season, chop them up and add them to the mix.  Wow, those blossoms take it to another level.  We call it in my family, ba-sty-hra or something like that.  The easy version is Plastos.

My mother traditionally serves it with a bowl of buttermilk.  You would crumble a piece of room temperature Plastos and add it to the butter milk, touch of salt and pepper, a drizzle of Greek olive oil.  Yummy and healthy!

Now, this recipe is kind of one that you throw in what you have available more or less, but I do recommend green onions, dill, leeks and zucchini blossoms, but hey, if you have chard, arugula, etc.  go ahead and toss it in.  Here is a base recipe to work with below.

Plastos:
All Your Greens:
4 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Can use fresh spinach but just add a lot more it shrinks to nothing
5 to 6 green onions sliced thin
1 sweet onion chopped
3/4 cup chopped dill
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 stalk of leek (white part only) sliced fine
2 cloves garlic grated
5 Zucchini blossoms if available, chopped
* Any kind of greens you have in fridge (Chop them up and toss in)

Cheese Mixture:
1 medium container cottage cheese, more or less
2 cups, more or less crumbled feta
1/2 cup grated cheese (sharp) like romano
* Can add some ricotta or shredded cheeses
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 whole eggs (beaten set aside)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 stick butter (melted set aside)

1 box corn bread mix (such as Jiffy)

Directions:
In a very large skillet, saute onion with olive oil until translucent.  Add all other Green ingredients and saute until everything is soft, but not thoroughly cooked. It should look fresh.

Remove from heat, cool down.  In a large bowl add saute greens and the Cheese Mixture, plus box of corn bread mix.  Mix all ingredients well with a big spoon.

Use a very well oiled round deep dish pizza pan.  I use a 16 inch round.  Drizzle a little extra oil on bottom of pan.   Add entire green/cheese mixture and spread out evenly in pan.  Bake in 375 degree oven for about 1 hour until very golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool several hours before cutting into squares.  Refrigerate left overs.  

Alevropita

This is a take on a village-style Greek pizza. The name Alevropita actually translates to flour pie.  I remember eating this as a small child at a dear friends house who happened to be Greek, and her family was from the same village as my family.  It's definitely something I did not invent, but remember eating fondly.  

My mother grew up during WWII in a typical Greek Village in Epirus.  She shared stories of hardship and starvation during the war.  She often shares recipes with me that she remembers during this time.  Greeks definitely lived off the land.  My mother has a real knack for finding edible weeds and making a feast out of nothing.  I'm sure in Greece when food was scarce in the old days, and all you had to eat if you were lucky was feta, flour, eggs and olive oil this was probably served as dinner.  

Alevropita

SERVES 8-10

Ingredients

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

1 1/3 cup water

1 egg

1 1/ 2 cups  all purpose flour

Pinch salt

1/2  tsp. baking powder

3 Tablespoons olive oil for brushing on pan

12 oz. feta, crumbled

2 tbsp. unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)

1 tsp. dried oregano (optional)

 A little extra Olive Oil to Drizzle on to top of pizza

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a half size rimmed sheet pan or a round 16 inch pizza pan with rim into hot oven for 10 minutes.

2.  In a bowl, whisk together 3 Tablespoons olive oil, egg, and 1 1/3 cup water in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and whisk until smooth, similar to pancake batter. 

3. Brush remaining oil over bottom of hot pan and pour batter, smoothing batter with an offset  spatula to coat the bottom evenly.  Add cheese uniformly over batter, and dot with butter cubes. Sprinkle dried oregano and drizzle a little olive oil on top.   Bake, for approximately 20 minutes until crispy.  I turned my pan once to rotate during baking.  This helps to bake evenly.   Cool slightly before cutting with pizza cutter.  Serve as appetizer or even a main course with a Greek salad.

Chocolate Koulouria

The traditional Greek koulouria cookies are just made with white flour, but I figured why not chocolate.  So here is the result and they are delicious dipped in a hot cup of coffee.  Enjoy!
  
Chocolate Koulouria
Preheat oven to 350 degees
Grease 2-3 cookie sheets
Makes a big batch of cookies.   Recipe can be cut in half.

1 pound unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
rind of one orange grated
10 large eggs, beaten
1 jigger whiskey

Sift all dry ingredients
4 teaspoons baking powder
10 cups flour
2 cups cocoa powder

Glaze:
2 cups powder sugar
1/2 tsp. powder egg white
Add water to get a medium/thin consistency
Chocolate Sprinkles
 
Melt butter and cool.  Beat with sugar until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and almond extract.  Add orange rind.  Beat until incorporated.  Add eggs, whiskey  beat well.  Continue beating until all are blended well.  Add sifted flour/cocoa one cup at a time being careful to blend thoroughly.  Knead well and make a 5 inch rope and twist.  Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Cool completely.   Make Glaze in a bowl and mix ingrediets for glaze with a whisk until desired consistency is reached.  Dip top half of cookie in glaze and sprinkle with sprinkles.

Special note:  If dough is too sticky add a little  extra flour just until dough is not sticky and you can roll into ropes and twist.  Be prepared to make extra glaze if needed.

Mama's Moussaka

This is one of my favorite Greek dishes.  My mama often made it for me as a child.  I loved it as a kid and I still love it as an adult.  This is my comfort dish when I am stressed out.  My only problem is that I can eat the whole casserole.  I do however, make it lighter than the traditional way of making it, which is frying the veggies, and it comes out even better in my opinion.  It is not greasy and heavy.  I roast all the veggies on a cookie sheet on top of parchment paper.  Parchment paper is key here.  It really does a great job with roasting and there is never any sticking to cookie sheet. I love it.  The vegetables cook to perfection!  You save calories and you don't have to make a mess frying.  

I sometimes make this dish for large dinner parties.  I will prepare the veggies and cook them one to two days before the assembly.  It is a wonderful dish to prepare ahead of time.  You can even do the sauce ahead of time and layer the veggies and sauce, let them mingle in the lasagne dish a day before.  Then make your bechamel right before your planning to bake in oven.  It makes this dish super easy.  You can even assemble the entire dish a day ahead of time and just pop into oven.  Freezes great too. 
Sauce:
2 T. olive oil
1 chopped medium size onion
1 carrot finely diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 pound ground beef
3 Sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup red or white wine
2 tsp. Italian dried seasoning blend
Salt and Pepper to taste (well season is important for flavor)

In a large pot, add oil, saute onion, carrots, garlic until translucent.  Add ground beef and sausage, continue saute on medium heat, until meat is nicely brown and separated into small pieces.  Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, sauce, spices and red wine.   Mix well and simmer on very low heat for about 40 minutes.  Continue to watch so that the sauce does not burn on bottom.  Stir the pot throughout the cooking process and remember to season with Salt and Pepper.

Veggies:
2 large eggplants sliced 1/4 inch thick, cut lengthwise with skins on
4 medium russet potatoes with skins on, washed well cut 1/4 inch thick, length wise

Extra olive oil for drizzling
Salt and Pepper

You need two Cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and greased with olive oil.  In a 350 degree oven lay evenly your eggplant on both cookie sheets, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 25 minutes until tender.  Remove from oven and place on a plate, set aside.  Now, do your potatoes the same way as eggplant, drizzle again with olive oil and season.  Roast in oven until tender and lightly golden brown.  Remove from oven and place on a different plate and set aside. 

Bechamel Sauce
6 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups whole milk plus 1/2 cup half and half (room temperature)
Pinch nutmeg
3 egg yolks
1 cup Romano cheese grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, saute butter until melted, add flour and mix well with butter to form a paste (aka roux).  Add room temperature milk and half and half and whisk vigorously so lumps do not form.  Reduce to medium/low heat and continue whisking.  When it just starts to bubble remove from heat.  Add nutmeg, cheese and 3 egg yolks and whisk again vigorously.  You do not want your eggs to cook so work quickly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Assembly:
In a lasagne pan with at least 2 1/2 inch sides usually a 10x12 or 9x13.  It should be deep dish.  Grease with olive oil.  Start with the potatoes on bottom it builds a solid foundation and do an even layer.  Place a ladle of meat sauce on top of potatoes, spread evenly.  Layer with eggplant then sauce, repeat again with potatoes, eggplant, etc.  always using sauce in between veggies.  Your last layer should be sauce.  Then on top of that add your bechamel.  Bake for 50 minutes uncovered, place pan on cookie sheet to protect your oven, sometimes juices overflow.  Cool for at least 25 minutes before serving.  Serve with a Greek salad.  If there is extra sauce leftover, freeze for a later use and serve over pasta.

Greek Pastitsio

One of my favorite comfort foods is Pas

titsio.  It is Greek comfort food like mac & cheese and mash potatoes & gravy for Americans.  I absolutely love it.  It is definitely stick to your ribs comfort food, but it is so well worth it.  My Greek Mama made this for me as a kid  and now I make it for my munchkin.  This is our family recipe.  Yes, it is a lot of work but that is why it taste so good.  The leftovers or even better the next day.  Enjoy.

Pastitsio
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 - 50 minutes

10 x 12 pan with at least 2 1/2 inch sides(the higher the better)
Place your baking pan on top of a Cookie Sheet the juices sometimes
leak out.  This little extra precaution keeps your oven clean and happy.

Meat Sauce
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 large spanish onion
1 carrot diced
3 large cloves of garlic
1 T. dried Italian seasoning
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb
1 (6oz) small can tomato paste
1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup of white wine
1 tsp. sugar
2 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, add butter and olive oil, saute onion, carrots and garlic until translucent.  Add Italian seasoning, ground meats and saute until meat is all broken up and evenly browned.  Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and white wine.  Add sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Stir the pot thoroughly.  Cook on medium simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.  Check to make sure you do not burn your sauce.  You should be stirring the pot occasionally through out the cooking time. 

Pasta
1 pound package of Misko #2 Macaroni found in Greek Grocery Stores
*You can substitute  with ziti pasta
1 Tablespoon of salt for pasta water

4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese or Kefalotyri Cheese (A Greek sharp aged hard cheese)
5 egg whites (save yolks for Creme Bechamel sauce)
Pinch salt and pepper
(Also you will add 1/3 of Bechamel to pasta before layering in baking pan)

In large stock pot filled with boiling water add one Tablespoon of salt to water, boil pasta until tender. Rinse pasta in cold water and drain.  Add pasta back to pot, pour melted butter, grated cheese, pinch salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Add egg whites and mix well again.  When bechamel sauce is finished add 1/3 cup or a ladle size to pasta.  I actually use very clean hands and toss pasta gently not to break.

Crema Bechamel Sauce
4 cups room temperature whole milk
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup flour + 1 Tablespoon flour
5 egg yolks beaten
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese or Kefalotyri cheese.
1/4 teaspoon of Grated nutmeg

In a large saute pot, add butter until melted, add flour and using whisk beat until a smooth paste is formed. This is actually called a roux.  Whisk for about a minute.  Slowly add room temperature milk and whisk vigorously.  Continue whisking until Crema is thick and you see the first bubbling on top.  Remove from stove top.  Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a bowl with whisk.  Add a few spoons of hot crema to eggs and beat with whisk immediately.  Your are now tempering your eggs.  Add the beaten eggs into the rest of the crema in pot and whisk vigorously.  Add cheese, nutmeg and whisk again until all of the mixture is incorporated.  Set to the side. 

Extra Nutmeg and Grated Cheese for Topping right before baking

Assembly:
Oil your baking pan with olive oil.  Be generous this is not a low calorie dish.  You will be doing 2 layers of pasta.  Start with your first layer of prepared pasta and flatten down.  Add a generous amount of meat sauce.  You will have a few cups left over of sauce but you can freeze for another day.  I use it for pasta Bolognese just a touch of heavy cream to the sauce.  Then add your second layer of pasta flatten with palm of hand nicely.  Add your crema and using a spatula spread out evenly.  I then grate some extra nutmeg on top and I use about another 1/4 cup of grated cheese on top, as well.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.  Enjoy with a Greek Salad and a glass of red wine.