By JULIA TASONI

 

 

 

Greek chefs and nutritionists recommend traditional veal for New Year’s Eve. From sweet pumpkin and tofu patties, to delicious kourambies, gnocchi and famous Greek melomakarona, for tasty holidays!

 

 

The talented chef Vassilis Kalidis, owner of the coolest canteen in Athens, Uberness, shared with us a special recipe to make our festive table more delicious and special veal

 

Preparation time: 3 to 20 minutes

Materials for 6 people

2 kg of beef, diced

1 kilo of sliced potatoes

4 sliced onions

3 cloves of garlic in slices

1/2 fl. olive oil

2 red peppers in slices

1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 12 allspice grains

1 fl. olive oil

1/2 fl. Red wine

salt and pepper

 

Implementation

 

Sauté the meat over high heat in a non-stick pan in two batches, in the hot olive oil, until it takes on color. Sprinkle with the spices and mix well.

 

Spread the potatoes and half the onions in a pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread the meat with its juices.

 

Add the kefalotyri, garlic, remaining onions, peppers, olive oil and wine.

 

Cover the shell and bake for 3 hours in a preheated oven, on the resistances, at 180 degrees.

 

Tips for perfectly cooked meat

 

1. Buy good quality meat. Talk to your butcher and tell him what you will be cooking. Listen to his advice.

2. Remove the meat from the refrigerator at least two hours before cooking to allow it to reach room temperature.

3. After your food is done, let it stand for about 20 minutes. The food is calmed by the boiling and the flavor is completed after the boiling has stopped.

4. In general, follow each recipe to the letter. If you're not sure, don't experiment!

 

 

A New Year’s Eve sweet pumpkin patties with tofu shared with us chef Evangelos Bilibas

 

Today we give you inspiration for such a recipe, aromatic, healthy, delicious and vegan, which can, however, stand on any table, directly from the new edition "Pythagorean Diet: From Antiquity, to the Modern Vegan Trend" signed by the journalist and author Margarita Ikariou. This edition includes - apart from the philosophical view of nutrition based on historical evidence - and 24 original modern vegan recipes of ex. chef and global gastronomy judge Evangelos Bilibas, based on the Pythagorean exhortations and with an emphasis on the quality agricultural production of our homeland.

 

This is a luxurious, collectible and tasteful volume, which attempts to bridge the philosophical and cultural value of the "Pythagorean diet" with the global trend for quality, not quantity, in nutrition. The aim of this edition is to promote Greece as a place that applies the ancient philosophy of nutrition to its culinary identity from the 6th century BC to the present day, highlighting at the same time the excellent agro-food products.

 

We asked the author Margarita Ikariou what the Pythagorean diet is and what are its characteristics. He answered us with the following "Pythagorean exhortation" as recorded in the texts of Iamblichus: "You must not neglect your physical health, but have moderation in drinking, eating and exercising. And by measure, I mean the one you won't regret. Learn to live a pure, frugal life, and be careful not to do things that cause envy. Do not spend needlessly, as those who are ignorant of good things do. Nor do you lack, because excellence is the measure of everything. Do what will not harm you and think before you act."The "Pythagorean diet", the author told us, "demonstrates the principles of a balanced life, with moderation and harmony as the main characteristics. Pythagoras, exploring the physical properties of raw materials, made the most of them. According to the historical sources, it combined the raw materials harmoniously to nourish the body for longevity and strength, while also providing a shield of protection against disease. The diet together with the exercise of the body and the mind. They create the conditions not only for physical but also for mental health and, by extension, the quality of life, the "quality" at every level of expression of human existence. After all, it is no coincidence that the great philosopher said that "The man is what he eats, drinks and thinks".

 

So we drew from this edition and present you with a unique recipe that will amaze your friends, health-conscious and non-healthy, at the festive table:

 

Sweet pumpkin pies with tofu and petimezi

 

Materials

 

1 kilo (roasted) sweet pumpkin

3 dry chopped onions

100 ml olive oil

200 gr. tofu (grated on a coarse grater)

1 c. c. cinnamon

1/2 c. c. spice

1/2 c. c. pepper

100 gr. sugar

 

Cut the pumpkin into large pieces and bake it in the oven until soft. We drain it and let it extract its liquids. Finely chop three onions and saute them lightly in olive oil, but without turning any color. Add the pumpkin and mix the ingredients for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the tofu, spices and sugar.

 

Dough ingredients

 

500 gr. hard flour

juice of 1/2 lemon

250 gr. water

1/2 c. c. salt

1/2 c. c. sugar

1 tbsp oil

250 gr. coconut butter

 

Implementation

 

Pour the juice, salt, sugar, oil and water into a bowl. Add the flour. We create a soft dough. Add the coconut butter to the dough and knead well. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Roll out into 2 mm thick sheets.

 

Cut into strips, oil each strip separately. Spread the filling along the strip, roll it up and then twist it like a "snail". Grease the pan. Brush each bun with a well-greased brush. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees, until they get a nice golden color. Serve with a side dish.

 

 

According to the nutritional analysis of M.Med.Sc.clinical dietitian-nutritionist Panagiotis Varagiannis, this recipe is rich in vitamin A, fiber, manganese and selenium, while it is low in cholesterol. Manganese participates in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, while also contributing to good skin health. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant.

 

The recipe of Chef Evangelos Bilibas is included in the collector's edition: "Pythagorean Diet: From antiquity to the modern vegan trend", published by "Terra Samia". 

 

Sides: make the healthiest dessert with an expert recipe

 

Melomakarona and kourabiedes

 

The Clinical Dietitian-Nutritionist, Giorgos Milesis, gives us the perfect recipe in a healthier version, for the delightful Christmas dessert that does not have sugar.

 

Melomakarona or kourabiedes? Is it not even a dilemma, since there is a third competitor?

 

For the Peloponnese (mainly) and Central Greece, there are also doubles. In fact, as we will see below, under certain conditions they are the healthiest option, as long as we leave the pan aside and turn on the oven.

 

They are easily made without sugar, with all their sweetness coming from the honey. And their portion does not give more calories than a third of a chocolate - as long as they are not fried. And in this case, they don't even have cholesterol.

Check out the delicious recipe below:

 

Next to the oven, without sugar

 

Materials (for 24 pieces)

 

500 gr flour

3 tbsp. olive oil for the mixture and 3 tbsp. for spread

3 tbsp. Ouzo

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/4 kg of salt

(Flour for opening the dough)

 

For the syrup

 

1 cup of water

1 cup of honey

1 star anise (optional)

1 tbsp. Orange zest

3 tbsp. orange juice

 

For serving

 

Cinnamon

1 cup of walnuts

 

Implementation

 

In a metal bowl, mix the flour, salt, ouzo, 3 tbsp. olive oil and hot water. Next, knead the mixture.

 

Let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes and then cut it into small balls.

 

With a floured rolling pin, roll out each ball into a thin sheet, 2mm thick or less. Cut it in half, oil it with a brush and roll it into a rose shape.

 

In a preheated oven at 180 degrees, bake the diples for 15-20 minutes, until golden.

 

At the same time, prepare the syrup: dilute the honey with lukewarm water and add anise for flavor 

 

 

Bring a little bit of Italy to China festive table and make a difference this year with your own potato gnocchi from Dietician-Nutritionist Konstantina Papadimitriou and diatrofi.gr, which are sure to impress.

 

Potato gnocchi (Gnocchi) is a classic Italian recipe that is famous for its special taste and enchanting aromas. They can stand as a main course or as an accompaniment to meat dishes, as it is a material that can be combined in various ways and is amenable to various experiments. It is an easy dish to create as it is simply a mixture of melted potato, egg and flour which is kneaded and shaped. The result, however, is truly a handmade dream.

 

Ingredients for 4-5 servings of potato gnocchi

 

500 grams of potatoes

2 large eggs

180 grams of all-purpose flour for cooking & a little more for the workbench

80 grams of grated parmesan

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 

How to make potato gnocchi

 

Wash the potatoes well, put them with the skin in a large pot of cold water and add a little salt to boil.

 

Place the pot on high heat for 25-30 minutes, until our potatoes are soft. To make sure that the potatoes are ready, place a knife in the center of them. If we find no resistance, it means that they have softened enough.

Strain the potatoes, transfer them to a tray and leave them for 15 minutes until their excess moisture evaporates. The more dehydrated they are, the more successful the recipe will be.

 

When the potatoes are cool enough, remove the insides and discard the skin. Grind them in a vegetable grinder and transfer the puree to a bowl. If we don't have a grinder, melt the potato gnocchi with a fork.

 

Leave aside to cool and cover with film, so that a "crust" does not form. Once the puree has cooled, add the eggs, flour, parmesan, salt and pepper. We mix our ingredients until a dough forms. We should not work it too much, because it will acquire a chewy texture.

 

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pour a little more flour on top, so that we can roll it out with the rolling pin. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 cm and with a knife cut it into strips, 1 cm wide. Cut the strips into rectangular parallelogram pieces and flour them well, so they don't stick together.

 

Put water and a little salt in a pot, put it on high heat and let it boil. Then put ice water in a bowl and grease a plate well.

 

Lower the heat and at the point where the water is simmering, carefully add the gnocchi. As soon as they appear on the surface, take them out and place them in the water we prepared with ice to stop the boiling. When they are cold, remove them from the ice water with a slotted spoon, strain them, wipe them well with a paper and put them on the oiled plate.

 

We serve them with hot tomato sauce and Kefalotiri or with hot melted butter and Parmesan cheese. Of course, we don't skip the fresh chopped herbs.

 

Bon appetit!