My Culinary Blog

Dr. Michalis Stagourakis has seen a transformation of his pediatric practice here over the past three years. The usual sniffles and stomachaches of childhood are now interspersed with far more serious conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. A changing diet, he says, has produced an epidemic of obesity and related maladies.

Small towns like this one in western Crete, considered the birthplace of the famously healthful Mediterranean diet — emphasizing olive oil, fresh produce and fish — are now overflowing with chocolate shops, pizza places, ice cream parlors, soda machines and fast-food joints.

The fact is that the Mediterranean diet, which has been associated with longer life spans and lower rates of heart disease and cancer, is in retreat in its home region. Today it is more likely to be found in the upscale restaurants of London and New York than among the young generation in places like Greece, where two-thirds of children are now overweight and the health effects are mounting, health officials say.
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Filling:

1 pound walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pastry:

1 pound phyllo pastry
6 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Syrup:

1/2 pound sugar
10 oz. water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
some lemon peel
2 tablespoons honey

Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl.
Liberally butter the base and sides of an elongated or round baking dish. Measure the length of the phyllo against the baking dish roughly
and, allowing 1 inch extra approximately for shrinkage, cut to length with a sharp knife. Brush each layer of phyllo with melted butter and spread over the base of the container as evenly as possible. Once you have used 5 layers of pastry, sprinkle a thin layer of filling all over
the surface and add 3 more layers. Sprinkle a thin layer of filling and place 2 more sheets of phyllo on top. Sprinkle on all the remaining filling, spreading it evenly, and cover with 7−8 more layers of phyllo, brushing individually with butter. Fold any excess pastry on either of
the sides over the filling and brush it with butter. Brush the top layer liberally with butter in order to get it crisp and golden. Trim any
excess pastry with a small sharp knife, keeping in mind that it will also shrink.

Cut the top layers of fyllo carefully, either diagonally into diamond shapes or straight, which will result in square or elongated pieces.
Be careful not to cut right down to the base, but only the top layers. This is done in order to make cutting and lifting the pieces out, once
it is cooked, much easier and efficient. Using the tips of four fingers, sprinkle drops of water all over the surface and cook it in a preheated
oven at 375F for 15 minutes; lower the heat to 350F and cook for a further 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Place all thesyrup ingredients, apart from the honey, in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 6−8 minutes, add the honey and simmer for a further 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Let the baklava cool down then pour the hot but not boiling syrup slowly all over,
through a strainer.
Let it stand and absorb the syrup. Cut and serve.

Ingredients

Take two cans of evaporated milk.
One can of condensed milk
One 16 Oz wipped cream
1\4 cup pista
1 pinch safron

Method

1.Take a pot and mix evaporated milk, condensed milk and wipped
cream with the hand grinder (mixer grinder)
2.Now mix pis ta and saforn in it
3.Put into a air sealed container and put in the freezer for 4 hours.
Note: It will taste authentic with falooda

Ingredients

1 medium size carrot
1 medium size potato
1 medium size beet root (optional)
4-5 Beans
Peas (optional)

To Grind

garlic 1 small piece
Fennel seeds 2-3
Green chili 2-3
Coriander leaves little bit
One medium sizes onion finely cut & keep.

To dip

2-3 tablespoon of Maida & add little bit of water and mix them well (it should be pouring like idli flour)

Powder
Take 3-4 slices of bread & powder them. (you can use either breads crumbs)

Method

1.Finely cut all the above said vegetables.
2.Wash & Pressure-cook with little bit of water, turmeric powder & salt.
3.Smash them & keep it aside (if there is any excess waterin the cooked vegetables just drain).
4.Heat one tablespoon of oil.
5.Fry onions till it turns into brown & add the grounded paste. Just fry for few seconds.
6.Then add the smashed vegetables & fry till it gets thickened. Wait to cool.
7.Then make them into small balls and dip it in the above said Maida consistency & immediately smear them in the above said powder and
spread them in the plate or paper to dry.
8.Once everything over just do deep-fry or roast both the sides of them by adding little bit of oil till it turns into brown in the wok or thava.
Servings: 12-15 (depends upon the balls you are making)
Side Dish: Ketchup, Chilly chutney

Ingredients

4 Slices of bread
1 cup of channa dal
1 spoon chilli powder
1/4 spoon corriander powder
salt to taste.
Oil for frying.

Method

1.If you prefer onions you can put 1/2 onion cut into small pieces.
2.Make the paste of channa dal by adding some water and mix salt,
chilli, corriander powder and some corriander leaves for taste.
3.Cut the bread into four pieces and dip them in channa dal paste and
deep fry them in the oil till golden brown.
4.Serve them with some hot sauce or ketchep.

Ingredients

Brinjal - 300 gms
Onions - 2-3 medium sized
Coriander powder, Chilli powder, Salt to taste
Rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 1/2 cups
Cooking oil - 2 tbsps
Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method

1.Cut the brinjal & onions to not very fine pieces. If u cut the brinjals too fine, they will get mashed up and will lose their taste.
2.Saute the onions till they get transparent. Then, add the brinjals also.
3.Add the spice powders and saute the curry for 4-5 minutes.
4.Cook the rice in the quantity of water mentioned above. Do not overcook.
5.Allow it to cool and then mix it with the curry just prepared above taking care to see that u do not mash them up.
6.Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
7.Serve hot.

Ingredients

1/2 kg brinjal (small size)
3-4 onions (cut in big pieces)
2 tbsp of grated coconut (dried)
1 whole garlic
ginger
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
small lump of tamrind
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tsp jeera

Method

1.Take all the ingredients grind it at once in mixer, do not add water.
2.Add 2 tbsp of oil in pan and heat it, put the mixture in the pan.
3.Fry the mixture properly. Take of the pan from stove and let it cool.
4.Take the brinjal slit it in 4, fill the mixture in the brinjal.
5.Pour 2 - 3 tbsp of oil in kadai, heat it and then put the stuffed brinjal, cook it.
6.Add little water to the brinjal. Put small piece of jaggery to taste if required.
7.Let it cook for 15-20 minutes.

Your tikha brinjal masala is ready

Ingredients

2 cups tur dal
6-7 green chilles, chopped
3tb.spoon cumin seeds
1 pinch asafotida
Salt to taste
3tb.spoon finely chopped corriander leaves
3-4tb spoon grated coconut

Method

1.Soak tur dal over night. Then wash it thoroughly.
2.Grind it coarsly.
3.Then add chopped chillies, corrinder leaves, grated coconut, cumin seeds, asafotida & salt mix it thoroughly.
4.Then make small koftas (balls) with the mixture pressure cook for 15 min.
5.Serve hot with rice dishes.

Ingredients

1 canned (small) crushed pineapple
1 table sp sesame seeds
1 table sp urad dhal
1 table sp channa dhal
3 red chillies
2 green chillies
1 tsp chick peas
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
a small piece of jagerry OR 1 table sp brown sugar
1/2 cup grated coconut
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4-5 table sp’s Oil for frying
1 tsp mustard seeds

Method

1.Dry fry sesame seeds, urad dhal, channa dhal, red chillies and asafoetida till they all turn roast(frying time 5-6 mins)
2.Grind the fried ingredients with green chillies, chick peas, tamarind paste, jaggery (or brown sugar) and grated coconut to a smooth paste
(add little water while grinding).
3.In the meantime, keep oil in a kadai and let it heat for a minute. Then put mustard seeds and turmeric powder and allow mustard seeds to pop.
4.Then put the canned crushed pineapple to it and fry the pineapple for about 15 mins approximately.
5.Later on, add the ground paste to the fried pineapple and fry further 10 mins.
6.Add salt according to taste
7.Remove kadai from the heat.
8.This goes well as a side dish with chapatis or rice & rasam and can be eaten hot or cold.

Ingredients For Koftas

1/2 medium size Cabbage Shredded
2 tbsp Besan or all Purpose flour
Oil for frying

For Gravy

1 medium sized onion
a Piece of ginger
1 Cardamon
1 cinanamon stick small
1 clove
1 spoon jeera
1 spoon dania
2 medium sizes Tomatoes

Method

1.Take the shredded Cabbage in a bowl, add flour & make small round
balls with the same.
2.Deep fry the balls in the hot oil & keep aside
3.In a seperate pan heat 1 tsp of oil & add bay leaves & the paste, salt
according to taste & little bit of sugar.
4.Let the paste cook till the oil seperates.
5.Can add little water if the paste is too thick.
6.Switch off the flame add the Kofta’s & Cover till Serving.
7.Before serving garnish with fresh coriader leaves.