Oman Dining: Go Greek this week

Lifestyle Monday 11/December/2017 19:25 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman Dining: Go Greek this week

TZATZIKI
It is a creamy, delightful Greek dressing made with yoghurt, garlic, cucumber, and olive oil preferably. It is also served as a dip and a sauce for wraps or sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 large cucumber, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups plain full-fat Greek
yoghurt
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

PREPARATION
Grate the cucumber and drain thoroughly. Keep in the refrigerator overnight. Combine the yoghurt, garlic, oil, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer the grated cucumber and fresh dill to the yoghurt mixture and stir to combine. Serve chilled with pita bread for dipping.

SPANAKORIZO
A traditional recipe with few ingredients, this classic Greek spinach-and-rice dish can be a one-pot meal or a side dish.

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch spring onions (chopped)
1/3 cup olive oil
1kg spinach (chopped, washed, drained)
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/3 cups long-grain rice
5 1/4 cups water
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice

PREPARATION
In a pot, sauté the chopped spring onions in the oil over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Add spinach and 1 1/3 cups of water and cook until the spinach wilts. Add rice and 5 1/4 cups of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice and salt, cook for another 5 minutes and remove from heat. Serve hot with wedges of lemon and freshly ground pepper.

HOMEMADE GYRO
Marinated lamb/beef sausages are grilled to perfection and are wrapped with warm pita, and topped with a creamy tzatziki sauce and fresh veggies.

INGREDIENTS
For Meat mixture
1 pound ground lamb (or beef)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For the Sandwich
4 pita breads
1 leaf of lettuce
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Tzatziki sauce

PREPARATION
Thoroughly combine all the ingredients for meat mixture in a bowl. Divide into four equal portion sausages to fit into the pita. Refrigerate for an hour till spices combine with the meat.
Either fry these sausages or grill them till well done. Now build the gyro sandwich by spreading tzatziki sauce down the centre of a flat round bread. Add a lettuce leaf, some diced tomato, and a few thin onion slices. Add the grilled or fried meat sausages, fold the bread and enjoy.

TRADITIONAL GREEK BAKLAVA
Baklava is a delicious traditional Greek dessert made of layers of crispy golden brown phyllo, filled with chopped nuts and garnished with lemon scented syrup and is simply divine.

INGREDIENTS
For the baklava
300g butter, melted
25-30 phyllo sheets
500g walnuts, chopped (or a mix of walnuts, pistachios, and almonds)
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons grounded clove

For the syrup
600g sugar
2 cups of water
Zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 cinnamon stick

PREPARATION
To prepare this baklava recipe, start by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat, being careful not to burn it and grease the baking dish. Begin by layering the sheets of phyllo on the bottom of the baking dish to form the base of the baklava. Layer the sheets one at a time, making sure to sprinkle each one with melted butter. Use about 10-12 layers on the bottom side of the baklava. In a large bowl, mix the chopped nuts, the cinnamon and grounded clove. Sprinkle the nut mixture over the phyllo base and continue forming the top of the baklava. Top the nuts with the rest of the phyllo sheets (10 of them), sprinkling each one with melted butter and brush the top of the baklava with enough butter. Place the baklava in the fridge for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut into pieces. Remove the baklava from the fridge and using a sharp knife cut the pastry all the way down into pieces. Place the baklava in preheated oven at 150C and bake for about 1 1/2- 2 hours, until all the phyllo layers are crisp and golden. Let the baklava cool down completely and serve after the syrup has soaked throughout.
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