Greek Style Veggie Pizza

Even though pizza is considered the ultimate Italian dish, it actually originated in ancient Greece.  Ancient Greeks used to cover flat breads with herbs, oil and cheese.  Later on, during Byzantine time, they called it “pita” meaning pie.  And the Romans topped their pizza dough with honey, bay leaves and cheese.  Everyone will argue of where the pizza came from.  Greeks can argue that it is their own invention.  Italians can argue that it originated in their country. In fact, the pizza that we eat today has originated in Italy.  Naples to be precise.  Which leads us to believe that it originated from Greeks, since the city of Naples (Neapolis in Greek) was founded by the Greeks.

During the early 1900’s pizza was introduced to Americans.  Even though pizza was originally Greek, it took a few centuries for Greeks to eat the Italian version of pizza.  When I first had pizza in Greece, many, many years ago, I was not too impressed.  I actually thought that I’d never have pizza again.  But when I tried the American style pizza I was hooked. 

As with everything else, that has progressed, so has the pizza and its toppings.  Traditional pizzas have the basic tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, but that’s not quite the norm any more.  We can have stuffed crust pizza, deep-dish pizza, thin crust, round and square shape, toppings like pineapple and anchovies, or Cajun chicken and pork sausage.  As with everything else in my Greek Fusion cuisine, I had to incorporate something Greek, Italian and American to my pizza.  I give you a Thin Crust Vegetarian Pizza, with roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, and of course mozzarella and feta cheese.  It turned out delicious and quite easy to do. 

Enjoy!

Pizza dough from scratch

This will make two (2) 14 inch pizzas

1 packet dry active yeast

1 ¼ cups warm water

Pinch of sugar

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour

2 tbsp olive oil

In 1 ¼ cups warm water dissolve the dry yeast. Add the sugar. Stir till well blended and let it stand for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, sift the flour and the salt together. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. With an electric mixer that has a dough hook begin blending the yeast/water mixture into the flour mixture. Add the olive oil. Continue beating until the dough is firm and has absorbed all the liquid. You will know that the dough is ready when it pulls away from the bowl.

On a slightly floured surface, begin kneading the dough for about 10-15 minutes, till the dough is smooth, elastic and springy when trying to pull. Put it in a floured bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ - 2 hours. This will make two (2) 14 inch pizza’s. (You can freeze 1/2 the dough before letting it rise. It will last for about 1 month in the freezer).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving(34.8g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 87
Calories from Fat 12
Total Fat 1.3g
Saturated Fat 0.2g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 98mg
Total Carbohydrates 16.0g
Dietary Fiber 0.6g
Sugars 0.1g
Protein 2.2g

Toppings for Greek style vegetarian pizza from scratch - these ingredients are for one (1) 14" pizza 

12 servings – this will make one (1) 14-inch pizza

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp oregano

1 cup shredded mozzarella

4 roma tomatoes sliced (about 1 cup)

¼ cup red onion thinly sliced

1 small can (4 oz) mushrooms

1 cup artichoke hearts quartered (packed in oil or frozen)

1 cup spinach, washed and roughly chopped

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a 15 inch pizza stone. You can use any 14-15 inch round pizza pan.

Preparing the ingredients:

Wash, pat dry and roughly chop the spinach. Set aside. Shred the mozzarella; set aside. Slice the roma tomatoes and set aside. Thinly slice the red onion. If you are using frozen artichoke hearts, make sure they are defrosted and warmed up by heating them in a little bit of water in the microwave. Crumble the feta cheese and set aside.

Roll out the dough to a round shape. No need to use any flour. The dough will be elastic and will stretch to the round shape. If you are using a pizza stone, make sure that it’s already preheated in the oven. If you are using a pizza pan, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use it for a pizza. Some might have a coating on it, and there is no need to brush the pan with oil. If not you might need to, so that the pizza won’t stick to it while baking.

Assemble the pizza:

Brush the pizza dough with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the oregano. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Spread the roma tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, artichokes, spinach and the crumbled feta on top.

The pizza assembled before it goes in the oven 

 Return to oven and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about half ( ½ ) hour or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool before cutting it. 

  The pizza hot out of the oven

Nutrition Facts 

Serving Size 1serving(62.5 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 70
Calories from Fat 41          

Total Fat 4.5g
Saturated Fat 2.3g
Cholesterol 11mg
Sodium 141mg
Total Carbohydrates 3.8g
Dietary Fiber 1.4g
Sugars 1.1g
Protein 4.5g

Note: The Nutrition facts are separate for the dough and separate for the toppings.  

Enjoy!!!!

Italian cut Green Beans in tomato sauce

Don't be confused by the name "Italian cut." This type of bean is very common in Greece. You will most likely find these in Greece, rather than the string green beans. 

Since Lent has begun for both the Catholic and the Orthodox Church, it is common for believers to give up certain foods this time of the year. Greek Orthodox though have a more strict Lent practice than Catholics. Catholics can have fish on Friday where Greek Orthodox on the other hand, has a stricter fast. During Lent, fish, meat, poultry, and even dairy are not permitted (unless someone has specific diet needs and is instructed by his/her doctor. In that situation the priest forgives or rather allows the individual to eat what his diet needs are).

Every year, while I was growing up, I watched my mother follow a very ascetic fast for 40 days prior to our Greek Orthodox Easter. She tried to make dishes that were rich in flavor but without the meat. The green beans in tomato sauce are very rich in flavor. The use of flat leaf parsley gives it a savory and aromatic taste without the bitterness the curly leaf parsley has. The flat leaf is very common in Greece, whereas the curly leaf is not quite popular there.

You can find flat leaf parsley in any supermarket or fresh produce market. It is usually called Italian flat leaf parsley. This dish is great if you want to abstain from meat one day a week; for those who want to give up meat products for Lent, and for strict vegetarians. Serve it along with some fresh crusty Italian bread and you have yourself a healthy meal.

Italian cut green beans in tomato sauce             

Six (6) servings

½ cup olive oil

½ cup diced onion (1 medium sized onion)

2 tsp chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)

2 12oz bags frozen Italian cut green beans

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can water

½ cup chopped parsley

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

In a Dutch oven sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil till transparent.  Add the frozen green beans along with the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Add the one can of water.  Add the chopped parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir all the ingredients together.  Let it come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally.  Simmer for 45 minutes to one (1) hour until the beans are tender.  Serve warm. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size                                         12.007oz(340.4g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories                                                            224

Calories from Fat                                  166                  % Daily Value^*

Total Fat                                               18.4g                           28%

Saturated Fat                                       2.6g                             13%

Cholesterol                                           0mg                             0%

Sodium                                                 580mg                         24%

Total Carbohydrates                             14.7g                           5%

Dietary Fiber                                         5.5g                             22%

Sugars                                                 6.6g

Protein                                                 3.6g

Greek Style Chili with ground turkey and vegetables

On a cold, snowy day, I decided to make something that will keep us all warm.  This chili is a combination of a Greek bean soup (that is very popular in Greece, that recipe at another post) and the Mexican chili.  Greeks make their own version (shall I call it chili?) of a bean soup but they use pork pieces or just plain beans.  Since we all love chili in our family, this dish combines Greek spices, like ground cumin and ground coriander, which are also popular in Mexican cooking, along with vegetables and a better-for-your-heart version, by using ground turkey instead of ground beef.  Top it with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and you have another variation of chili.  More like Greek style chili. 

Enjoy!!!!

Greek Style Chili with ground turkey and vegetables 

Ten (10) servings of 15oz each. 

1/3 cup olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a Dutch oven pot)

¾ cup diced onion

1.5 lbs. ground turkey

1 ¾ cups diced celery

1 ½ cups diced carrots

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

1 14oz can tomato sauce

1 14oz water

2 tsps paprika

3 tsps chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

½ tsp coriander

1 15.5oz can of kidney beans

1 15.5oz can of red beans

1 15.5 oz can of cannellini or great northern beans

 Vegetable preparation

Prepare the vegetables by washing, cleaning and dicing the onions, carrots, celery and garlic.   Pour the olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Turn the stove on.  Saute the onions and garlic till translucent (don’t let the garlic burn).  Add the ground turkey and let it brown stirring constantly (see the picture below).  

Then add the carrots, celery, the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, coriander, and water.  Let it come to a boil stirring occasionally so that it won’t burn.  Lower the heat and simmer for ½ hour to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the veggies are soft. 

Open up the cans of beans and rinse under cold water to remove any sodium.  Add to the ground turkey/veggie pot and stir.  Heat it through, stirring constantly so that it won’t burn.  Once it comes to a full boil, turn the stove off and remove from heat. 

Serve with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, mozzarella cheese (mozzarella cheese is healthier than cheddar cheese), and some nice crusty fresh italian bread.

The nutrition facts below do not include the calories for yogurt or mozzarella. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size                                         15.62oz (442.8g)

Amount Per Serving

                        Calories                                    536

Calories from Fat                                  232

% Daily Value^*

Total Fat                                               25.8g                           40%

Saturated Fat                                       5.8g                             29%

Trans Fat                                              0.0g

Cholesterol                                           139mg                         46%

Sodium                                                 936mg                         39%

Total Carbohydrates                             28.4g                           9%

Dietary Fiber                                         9.7g                             39%

Sugars                                                 6.3g

Protein                                                 46.4g

Eggplant and Penne with Bechamel Sauce - Greek Style

This is my version of moussaka.  Instead of layering the eggplant with the meat sauce, I decided to do a vegetarian version.  I took the eggplant and made a tomato base sauce with it.  Instead of the eggplant as the base of this dish (the layering), I used penne pasta.  Covered it with the bechamel sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked it in the oven.  It came out delicious.  

This could be quite an intimidating dish to make for the novice cook.  It's not that difficult, but one needs to be organized.  You can start by having all the ingredients on hand, before you even begin to make this dish.  Once all the ingredients are ready, you start making it without any difficulty following the instructions.  This dish takes me about two hours to make from start to finish.  An hour to prepare the sauce and assemble and an hour in the oven.  But I do have a couple of the elements on my stove burning at the same time.  While the sauce is simmering I boil the pasta.  Once the pasta is done and the sauce is almost there, I drain the pasta and begin on the bechamel sauce.  I pay full attention to the bechamel sauce.  I want it to be perfect without any lumps.  In the meantime, the sauce is off the hot stove and the pasta has drained well.  When the bechamel sauce is done, I begin the assembly.  And from there it's just baking it in the oven... and the one thing that all of us don't like to do, is washing and cleaning up all the pots and pans.  In the end, though, you have a wonderfully tasting good dish.  Serve it with a romaine lettuce salad, or a spinach salad.  it actually tastes good the next day too and packs well as lunch for work or school.  Just reheat in the microwave.    


Enjoy!!!   

Eggplant and Penne with Bechamel Sauce Greek Style         

Eight (8) servings (approximately 13 oz/per serving)

½ cup olive oil + 1/3 cup olive oil for the tomato sauce

½ cup chopped onion

1 tsp chopped garlic

4 cups diced eggplant

½ cup parsley

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 14.5 oz box of multi grain penne

Peel the eggplant, in stripes (1).  Rinse under cold water, pat it dry and dice it.  In a heavy saucepan, over high heat, add the ½ cup of olive oil.  Add the chopped onion and chopped garlic.  Sauté, until transparent.  Add the diced eggplant.  The eggplant will absorb all the oil.  Sauté until the eggplant is moistened with the oil (look at the picture below)  

Add the fresh-diced tomatoes, the chopped parsley, the canned diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, and the extra 1/3 cup of olive oil.  Add the salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer until the eggplant is tender but not mushy (approximately 30-40 minutes) (See picture below).  Remove from heat. 

In the meantime, bring a big pot of water to a boil.  Add salt, if you prefer in the water (2), and then add the pasta (penne).  Cook according to the package directions.  When cooked, remove from heat, drain and rinse under cold water, if you added salt.  The rinsing will rinse the extra salt off the pasta but without leaving it bland.  Set aside.

Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce)

4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I buy the part skim milk/low moisture mozzarella)

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, melt the 4 tbsp. butter.  Add the 4 tbsp. flour stirring constantly.  Gradually add the 2 cups of milk stirring constantly with a whisk.  Lower the heat to low and continue cooking and stirring to avoid any lumps (3).  Continue cooking over low heat until the sauce thickens.  Remove from heat.  While still hot, add the 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and continue stirring with the whisk until the mozzarella melts and the sauce becomes velvety smooth.  Set aside. 

The Bechamel Sauce

The assembly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a 13x9 (4) pan, layer half the pasta, then the eggplant/tomato sauce and then the rest of the pasta.  

The penne pasta layered with the eggplant tomato sauce

Pour the béchamel sauce on top, covering all the pasta. 

Bake in the oven for about one hour and a half or until it’s bubbly and the top golden brown.  Wait to cool a bit before serving. 

 Baked, out of the oven.  

Serve when cool.

Notes:

(1) When I peel an eggplant I don’t peel all the skin away.  I will peel it in stripes.  I will cut the stem first, then I will peel it lengthwise; leaving about half an inch of skin, peel another half inch, and so on.   

(2) Adding salt when boiling pasta.  I usually add 1 tsp of salt when I boil the pasta.  This way there is some flavor in the pasta.  Afterwards I rinse it in cold water.  Some of the salt will rinse off, but the flavor of the salt will stay with the pasta.  If you try to add salt after the pasta is cooked, it will not flavor it.  This is on individual tastes.

(3) If by any chance you get any lumps on the béchamel sauce, take a fine mesh strainer and pour the sauce through it, to another pot, while the strainer holds back any lumps.  Return to heat, and continue cooking and stirring, till it’s velvety smooth.  

(4)  The pan measurements are inside the pan.

(5) The nutrition facts below include the béchamel sauce.

Nutrition Facts (5)

Serving Size                                         1serving (355.9 g-approximately 13 oz)

Amount Per Serving

            Calories                                               563

Calories from Fat                                              307                              % Daily Value

Total Fat                                                           34.1g                           52%

Saturated Fat                                                   9.4g                             47%

Trans Fat                                                          0.0g

Cholesterol                                                       28mg                           9%

Sodium                                                             1009mg                       42%

Total Carbohydrates                                         58.1g                           19%

Dietary Fiber                                                     6.4g                             26%

Sugars                                                             9.1g

Protein                                                             12.8g

Hummus with Sun-dried tomatoes and Sour dough bread toasts

Hummus is not very popular in Greece.  It originated in the Middle East, but more and more restaurants in Greece begin to offer hummus as an appetizer dish.  Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are popular in Greece, but they are used mostly for soups or mixed with cooked rice.  On the other hand, tahini or sesame paste, can be found in Greece.  (Greek tahini is even exported in the US.  On occasion, I will find it in the whole food stores).  From what I remember from my grandmother, tahini was sometimes used to sooth stomach ulcers or upset stomach.  I am not quite sure of its medicinal powers but for someone to eat it just plain has to acquire quite a taste. 

I think tahini (sesame paste) tastes better when it is mixed with chickpeas, garlic and lemon juice.  Thus, I give you my variation of hummus with sun-dried tomatoes.  

Enjoy!!!

Hummus with Sun Dried Tomatoes           

Forty Five (45) servings approximately (about 2 tbsp per serving)

2 cans-15 oz each chickpeas

1 tsp garlic (about 2 cloves garlic) crushed or chopped

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

6 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)*

1 cup reserved juice from the chickpeas (there will be about 1 ½ cups liquid from the canned chickpeas) or you can substitute 1 cup of water. 

½ cup lemon juice (about 1 and ½ lemons)

¼ cup olive oil

Drain and rinse the chickpeas reserving the liquid.

In a food processor, or blender, pulverize (grind) together the chickpeas, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and tahini.  Add one (1) cup of the reserved liquid from the chickpeas while blending.  Add the lemon juice alternating with the olive oil while blending.  It should come to a thick consistency.  If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more of the reserved liquid from the canned chickpeas.  Garnish the hummus with sun dried tomato pieces and a drizzle of olive oil (per picture).  You can serve right away, or refrigerate and serve later, with sour dough and rosemary toasts or vegetables. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size                                                     1 serving(30.8g) (approximately 2 tbsp)

Amount Per Serving

            Calories                                                            47

Calories from Fat                                                          23                    % Daily Value^*

Total Fat                                                                       2.6g                             4%

Saturated Fat                                                               0.4g                             2%

Cholesterol                                                                   0mg                             0%

Sodium                                                                         61mg                           3%

Total Carbohydrates                                                     5.1g                             2%

Dietary Fiber                                                                 1.1g                             4%

Sugars                                                                         0.1g

Protein                                                                         1.3g

*Tahini or sesame paste can be found in any whole foods stores and even supermarkets.

Sour dough bread with olive oil and rosemary toasts                                                              

Fourteen (14) pieces

3 slices of a day old sour dough bread cut in quarters (I was able to loosely fill a 4-cup measuring cup)

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp dried rosemary (crush the rosemary between your fingers to break up the pieces)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the bread into quarters (it depends how big the slices are.  My bread was a sour dough bowl bread.  Since the slices were quite large, I was able to use just 3 slices and make about 14 pieces). 

Put the pieces on a cooking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil.  Sprinkle with the crushed dried rosemary.  Place on the top rack in a 400 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven and bake until golden brown.  By turning the oven to 400 degrees instead of broiling, both sides of the bread will toast to a golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and serve with hummus.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size                                                     1serving(9.5g)

Amount Per Serving

                        Calories                                               52

Calories from Fat                                                          37                    % Daily Value^*

Total Fat                                                                       4.1g                 6%

Saturated Fat                                                               0.5g                 3%

Cholesterol                                                                   0mg                 0%

Sodium                                                                         29mg               1%

Total Carbohydrates                                                     3.5g                 1%

Dietary Fiber                                                                 0.3g                 1%

Sugars                                                                         0.2g

Protein                                                                         0.4g