Loulla shares three Greek and Cypriot recipes, combining baked feta and vegetables, lamb simmered with green beans, and a traditional grape pudding.
Nicosia, Cyprus. Loulla’s Greek and Cypriot recipes bring together a baked feta dish combining Bouyiourdi and Saganaki, a lamb and green bean casserole, and the traditional grape pudding Palouzes.
Baked feta with tomatoes, onions and peppers
Bouyiourdi and Saganaki are traditionally separate appetisers. Bouyiourdi is a spicy baked feta dish, while Saganaki refers to food fried or baked in a small, two-handled pan. This recipe combines the two to make a warm dip for sharing.
Baking softens feta’s sharp, salty flavour and gives it a creamy texture. The oven’s high heat causes the cherry tomatoes to burst, releasing juices that combine with the olive oil and garlic to form a sauce.
Ingredients for two servings
225g vine cherry tomatoes, halved or left whole if very small; 6 red onions, cut into rings; 6 thin green peppers, cut into rings; 4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole; 1 block of feta cheese, 200g; dried oregano; chilli flakes; 1 tablespoon honey; 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan. Place half the onions and peppers in a saganaki dish or a small, round oven-safe dish. Add the cherry tomatoes and whole garlic cloves.
Place the whole block of feta in the centre and scatter the remaining onions and peppers around it. Sprinkle a pinch of dried oregano and chilli flakes over the top, then drizzle with the honey and extra virgin olive oil.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the cheese softens and the tomatoes are lightly charred. Bring the dish straight to the table and serve immediately with fresh, crusty bread to scoop up the warm juices and cheese.
Lamb and green bean casserole
This traditional Greek and Cypriot dish combines lamb and dwarf beans, also known as French beans, in a tomato sauce. The beans are simmered until very soft rather than left crunchy, reflecting the Greek cooking preference described by Loulla.
Ingredients
700g shoulder or leg of lamb, diced into large pieces; salt and pepper; 100ml olive oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 glass white wine; 6 medium Cyprus potatoes, peeled; 700g fresh green beans, washed and trimmed; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 bay leaves; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 600ml warm water; 1 lamb or chicken stock cube; juice of ½–1 lemon; 2 tablespoons chopped dill; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.
Preparation
Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and brown the lamb in two batches, transferring it to a large casserole.
Sauté the onion in the same oil until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds. Return the lamb to the pan and deglaze with the white wine.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for one or two minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, ground cinnamon and sugar.
Season with salt and pepper, pour in the warm water and crumble in the stock cube. Ensure the meat is covered with water. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes, or until the meat is almost tender.
Stir in the potatoes and trimmed beans, adding more hot water if necessary. Continue simmering for another 40 minutes, or until the meat, potatoes and beans are fork-tender. Finish by adding the lemon juice, dill and parsley.
Palouzes grape pudding
Palouzes, as it is known in the Cypriot dialect, or Moustalevria in Greek, is a traditional autumn grape jelly dessert. It can be made with fresh grape juice or concentrated grape juice when fresh juice is unavailable.
Loulla associates the pudding with her childhood in Cyprus, grandmothers, village kitchens and seasonal food preparation. Her simplified modern version uses good-quality, 100% unsweetened supermarket grape juice, avoiding the time-consuming preparation and straining of fresh grape must.
Ingredients
650ml 100% pure, unsweetened grape juice; 2–3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste; 4 heaped tablespoons cornflour, also known as cornstarch; 2 tablespoons rose water. To serve: ground cinnamon and crushed walnuts.
Preparation
Pour the cold grape juice into a saucepan. Whisk in the cornflour and sugar while the juice is still completely cold to help prevent lumps.
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir continuously, first with a whisk and then with a wooden spoon. The mixture thickens quickly, so keep stirring to prevent it from sticking to or burning on the bottom of the pan.
Continue cooking until the mixture is thick and glossy, coats the back of a spoon and develops large bubbles on the surface. Stir in the rose water.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Rinse the serving bowls with cold water, then pour in the warm Palouzes. Allow the bowls to cool before refrigerating to chill.
Just before serving, sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon and finish with crushed walnuts.
Book and further recipes
Loulla’s book My Kosmos My Kitchen can be ordered from www.amazon.com or www.austinmacauley.com/book/my-kosmos-my-kitchen. More traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes and inspiration are available through her Facebook group, Loulla’s Recipe Share.