Sfakianopita - A Cheese Stuffed Bread from Greece

I ended up trying a few Greek recipes recently owing to my 'Greek recipes' themed marathon this week and among them were a few bread recipes from the region. A stuffed bread named sfakianopita was one of those. These bread are stuffed with the local variety cheeses and in lieu of those, feta cheese would be a great substitution here. These sfakianopita proved to be a quick and easy deal as I am adept at making the Indian stuffed breads aka parathas. The toasted, cheese stuffed breads are served with chopped nuts, a dusting of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey, which makes it a treat.

Recipe source: Here
Ingredients:
1 & 1/3 cup flour + extra for dusting (I used wheat flour.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil + extra for toasting
 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Ground cinnamon
Honey

Method:
* Combine flour, salt, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl and mix. Next add water in increments and knead it into a soft, pliable dough. If the dough is sticky, add some extra flour and knead. If it appears too dry, add extra water.  
* Knead the dough for about five minutes and divide the dough into 6 or 8 portions. Roll the portions into balls. Work with one portion at a time and keep the rest of them covered.
* Roll the ball into a round shape of about 1/4 inch thickness and 6 inches wide. Place a tbsp. or more of cheese at the center and then fold side over. Knead the cheese and the dough together until the cheese is well mixed in. Again roll it back to the round shape as earlier.
* Toast the rolled out sfakianopita on a heated pan pouring a tsp of olive oil around the edges and spreading it over. Cook it until both sides turn golden brown, flipping in between.
* Repeat the steps and cook the remaining sfakianopita
* Sprinkle chopped nuts and cinnamon as needed over sfakianopitas before serving and drizzle with honey.
 
This goes to Blogging marathon #76, under the theme 'Greek Recipes'. Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking. 

Comments

A - Z Rice Dishes ~ J for Jodhpuri Vegetable Pulao

Here is an impressive and delicious pulao recipe that supposedly comes from the royal kitchens of Rajasthan. Interestingly, there is no addition of onion and garlic in this recipe which is a norm in any pulao / biryani recipe. May be the influence of the local vegetarian community or the arid weather. It is however loaded with nuts and dry fruits as it is fit to be a regal dish.

This pulao can be served along with some plain yogurt and the papad on the side. Or if looking for a spicy meal, serve it along with a gravy side dish of your choice. I served it along with a spicy dal (which is not pictured) as I found it bland.

Source: Sanjeev Kapoor
Ingredients: (yield 4 to 6 servings)
1.5 cups Basmati Rice 
1.5 tbsp. ghee 1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tbsp. raisins
1 tbsp. cashew halves
1 tbsp. almond slivers / almond halves
2 to 3 chopped, dried dates
1 tbsp. ginger paste / finely grated ginger
12 small cauliflower florets 
1/4 cup fresh peas
3/4 cup yogurt
2 cups water
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. garam masala
8 to 10 pepper corns, coarsely crushed 

Method:
* Rinse and soak rice in water for about 10 - 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
* Heat ghee in a pan or directly in a small sized pressure cooker. Add cumin and fennel seeds. When cumin starts to brown, add the nuts and dry fruits and saute for 30 seconds.
* Next add ginger and saute for 30 more seconds. Add rice and saute lightly for 30 seconds. Add vegetables and yogurt now and stir with a spoon. Then add salt, garam masala, crushed peppercorns and water. Stir once more.
* If using a pan, cover it with a lid and cook on low flame until the rice is done. No need to stir in between while the rice is cooking and it would be done anywhere in between 20 to 25 minutes.
If using a pressure cooker, cook for 2 to 3 whistles.

Recipes so far in A - Z Rice Dishes,
A for Achaari Chole Pulao
B for Bhuna Khichuri
C for Chintapandu Pulihora
D for Dindigul Thalapakatti Veg Biryani
E for Ellorai / Ellotharai  
F for Fodnicha Bhaat 
G for Gongura Pulihora 
H for Hare Moong ki Chaaswaali Khichdi 
I for Iyengar Style Kadambam

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68.

An InLinkz Link-up

Comments

Fresh Pineapple Juice

Fresh pineapple juice used to be a regular evening snack in our home, while growing up. Honestly speaking, I began eating pineapple in fruit form only after my husband came into my life. Thanks to my mother, everyone in my side of the family need a blender to consume pineapple. We were so used to the juice concept that we never thought of enjoying the fruit on it's own. My mother loves pineapple juice and that may be the reason why she chose to go the juice route. Or when I think about it now, it might have been because the fruit was not guaranteed to be on the sweeter side always and probably my mother thought that the juice would be consumed by everyone without complaints. Besides, I have noticed that the fruit available in India makes sometimes our tongues itchy.
 
The fruit available in the local U.S. markets is mostly sweeter and I enjoy the pineapple slices now with a slight sprinkle of salt and red chilli powder / pepper powder. Today, I thought of preparing the juice after a long time and realized that it would also fit my '3 ingredients' themed recipe for the day. And so here it is, the fresh pineapple juice that is quick and easy to prepare, considering that one has the prepared pineapple pieces handy. Otherwise, pineapple needs to peeled and prepared. This refreshing juice makes a perfect drink for hot, summer days.

 

Ingredients: (2 to 3 servings)
1&1/2 cups pineapple cubes
Sugar to taste (I drink it without adding sugar.)
A few pinches of freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

Method:
* Blend pineapple adding about 1&1/2 to 2 cups of cold water and sugar. Taste and adjust the sugar if needed.
* Add ice cubes if needed and sprinkle black pepper powder in juice glasses. (I froze the fruit for few hours so that I didn't have to add ice cubes to the juice.)


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Recipes using three ingredients' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

Comments

Spicy Koki

Another new day and new month of blogging marathon starts and I am here with wheat based dishes this week. I had earlier tried Vaishali's basic version of Koki, a flat bread from Sindhi community. Today's one is a spicy version I happened to watch on Sanjeev Kapoor's show a while ago. These koki make an interesting and flavorful variation to regular rotis. They can be served with a side dish of your choice and the combo together makes a great meal. These koki may look a little rustic because of the not so smooth edges, courtesy of the minced onions and spices in the dough. However the kokis were on a softer side and I enjoyed them.

Ingredients:(Yield 6)
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp semolina
2 tsp. toasted chickpea flour /besan
1/2 tsp carom seeds / ajwain
2 tsp. kasuri methi / dried fenugreek green leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp. finely minced onion
1 tbsp cilantro chopped
3 tbsp. melted ghee / oil
Ghee / Oil to make kokis

Method
* Toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds separately on low flame, until they start to turn a few shades darker. Remove the flame and slightly crush them using a mortar and pestle. There is no need powder them. 
* Lightly crush kasuri methi between your palms and keep it aside. 
* Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine. Add water in slow increments and make a soft, pliable dough. (I added about 6 to 7 tbsp. water.).
* Rest the dough for about 10 minutes. (I rested it for about an hour or more.)
 
* Divide the dough into 6 portions and roll them into smooth balls. Work one portion at a time and roll out the ball into a circle of about 4 - 5 inches diameter. Dust the work surface with wheat flour if needed or grease the dough ball, to facilitate easy rolling.
* Toast the rolled out circle on a heated griddle / flat pan, on medium flame. Drizzle 1/2 tsp. oil around the edges and cook until brown spots appear on both sides, flipping intermittently once or twice.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining dough balls.
* Serve them with your choice of side dish.


This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Wheat based Dishes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

Comments