Ancient Greek Foods
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| My Greek meal. |
I really enjoy baking/cooking ancient/historical foods for my family.
The other night I decided we would eat ancient Greek foods.
These foods filled our mouths with vibrant flavors that were quite rewarding.
My menu was:
- Homemade Pita bread
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- Greek Balsamic Chicken
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- Greek Roasted Potatoes
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- Spinach salad. Note, the Spinach salad is just a typical anywhere salad. (Not Greek.)
My meal was healthy, tons of flavor, and really was nice to eat.
My family gave me two thumbs up for the whole meal. This means they would welcome me making this meal anytime to eat.
Greek Roasted Potatoes recipe, I wrote down years ago. This recipe link I'm providing is close to my recipe, but is a bit different.
My recipe I wrote down called for:
- 8 large potatoes, cut into wedges. (My potatoes were Red potatoes that I left the skin on. I cut them into 4-6 slices/potato.
- 4 garlic cloves, minced.
- 1/2 cup of Olive oil. (Use a quality Olive oil that you enjoy.)
- 1 cup of water. (I used 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of unsalted Chicken broth.)
- 1 Tablespoon of dried, Mediterranean Oregano. (I used dried Oregano.)
- Juice from 1 fresh lemon.
- Salt and pepper. ( I used Sea salt.)
Bake for 40 minutes. (Directions say to take out after 40 minutes and mix. Place back in oven for another 40 minutes, adding 1/2 cup of water more if look dry.)
I only baked mine for 40 minutes. They were tender and full of flavor.
Greek Balsamic Chicken recipe: (Note the recipe actually is called Balsamic Chicken)
This recipe does not take long to make. The thin chicken cooks up on my electric stove in 4-5 minutes/side.
Each breast, I cut in half (so I had two pieces of about 2" x 3".) I did this to make smaller portions.
I've never had Balsamic chicken before, but after eating this recipe, I will continue making it.
I used unsalted Chicken broth in mine. This way I can add back whatever amount of salt I desire.
Carefully watch the Balsamic vinegar mixture when you reduce it to syrup. At first it seems like it will take a while, but then all of a sudden it's there.
Pita Bread recipe
I cannot remember where I obtained this recipe from.
Over the years it has been my pride and joy recipe for making Pita bread and bagels.
Yep, you read me right. I use this same recipe for bagels also and they are awesome.
Makes 6-12 Pitas
3 1/2 cup of white flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of dry yeast.
1 Tablespoon of Olive oil
1 cup of water, warmed.
I always double my recipe to give me 24 pitas or 24 bagels.
The salt, I usually use 1 teaspoon only.( I don't like salty.)
Doubled: (With my alterations.)
4 cups of Whole Wheat flour
3 cups of White flour
1 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of warm water.
2 Tablespoons of Olive oil. (Quality Olive oil.)
3 Teaspoons of yeast.
In a heavy duty mixer, add all dry ingredients. (Note, I add dry yeast into flour mixture. So if you do this, make your water temperature 120-129 degrees F.)
Next add all wet ingredients. Mix with a dough hook until smooth. Add more water if your Whole Wheat flour tends to make the dough on the dry side.
Raise until doubled.
Take your fist and smush down the dough in the bowl. Take dough out on to a floured surface.
Roll into a long strand. Now cut 24 even pieces. (12 pieces if you did not double the dough.)
Heat up your oven to 500 degrees F.
Cover all your dough balls so they do not dry out while rolling. I use plastic wrap.
Now take one dough ball, and roll out the dough into about a 4-6" circle. I'm looking for about a 1/8 inch thickness.
Place this on a floured counter and cover with a towel so they do not dry out. ( I use a towel.) (Note, if you forget to flour counter well before laying down the Pita, it will stick to surface.)
Continue on doing this process until you have rolled all your balls out.
Take a flat baking sheet, spray with some Olive oil spray. Add four Pitas to the baking sheet.
Place in oven for 6 minutes. (Maybe 5 minutes. You'll need to check it.)
Take Pitas off promptly and place on a cooling rack. I stack mine while I go.
Note, if the Pitas are not puffy when they come out of the oven, either:
- You rolled them too thin.
- Some how you ruffled up the dough when you placed the pita on the baking sheet. This happens when my pita was sticking on the counter a bit. When you pick up the pita, you must pick it up gently and place it down gently, being careful not to ruffle up the dough.
If you want to try to make bagels, follow every direction up to making the balls.
Now instead of rolling them out, you will take your thumbs and create a hole in the center of the ball. Stretch the dough a little bit to make the bagel look like a bagel. Place bagels on a floured counter and cover.
Take a large, deep soup pot and place 2 quarts of water in it. Bring to a boil. Add 1 heaping Tablespoon of Baking Soda in it. Turn down heat so it simmers.
After you have finished all of the bagels, now take 2-3 bagels and place gently into the simmering water.
Let the bagel simmer for 3 minutes. (After 1 1/2 minutes, you will want to turn the bagel over to simmer for another 1 1/2 minutes.)
After the 3 minute simmer, gently take bagels out on place on a cooking rack to drain off the excess moisture.
Turn on your oven to 500 degree F.
Place 6 bagels on to a greased baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes.
Note, before baking you can add egg white wash on top of each bagel and top them with:
-Everything sprinkles.
-Sesame seeds
-Poppy seeds
-Cinnamon
Etc.
I hope you try some of these recipes. They are sooooo good.
Let me know if you do.
Have a great evening of Greek food.
By Cynthia Bergsbaken
Try playing some unique music during dinner called Rembtika. This type of music is a melting pot of Greek music with Oriental elements formed in the underground of civilization in the 1930's.
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April 11, 2020
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