Cooking Recipes and Gastronomical Information

Greek Cooking Recipes
An island country in the heart of the Mediterranean, Greece is home to some of the most sumptuous cuisine thanks to its zesty natural abundance of fruits, vegetables, cheeses and meats – all coming from its countryside – but also Greece’s exquisite ingenuity and millennia of culture; Greeks have been preparing food since, practically, the dawn of human history. And so when Greeks talk about how to prepare food, we listen.

Cheese and Potato Piroshki
A cousin to South America’s empanada and England’s Cornish pasty, the Piroshki is by far the most delicious savory pastry, and this recipe is an explosion of flavor.

Ingredients (dough):
· 4 cups of flour
· 2 egg yolk to glaze with
· 1 ½ cups chilled butter
· 8-12 tablespoons ice water
· 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients (filling):
· 6 tablespoons butter
· 2 cups graviera cheese, grated
· 4 medium onions, minced
· 2 pounds potatoes
· salt and pepper
· 2 eggs

Directions (dough):
Chop up the butter before adding it in with the salt and flour and blending it all together, then take a spoon and dip it into the ice water before sprinkling it atop the doughy mixture, four tablespoons. Ball up the dough, then add two more tablespoons of ice water, take this dough and put in the fridge for an hour, preferably wrapped up in saran-wrap. Once it is sufficiently chilled roll it out till it forms a rectangular shape and fold it over in thirds, then roll it out again. Repeat seven times, then put it in the fridge for another hour. You’ll finally be ready to pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, butter up the cookie sheet and roll out the dough one more time, this time so that it measures an eighth of an inch in thickness, then cut it up. With the filling (sea directions below for preparing the filling), place a tablespoon in each dough-circle, fold it into a semi-circle and nip it closed. Glaze with the egg yoke and bake it for half an hour or forty minutes, until a golden-brown color has been achieved.

Directions (filling):
Heat up the butter and fry the onions until translucent, mash the potatoes and then season with pepper and salt before adding in the eggs and the onions. This is a classic Greek piroshki recipe.