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RECIPES AROUND EUROPE: GREECE

RECIPES AROUND EUROPE: GREECE

MOUSSAKAS

Greek Moussaka is Greece’s most popular, traditional dish! It is made with baked or pan-fried eggplants and potatoes, a rich beef or lamb mince sauce with a creamy bechamel sauce on top. It is served in the most of tavernas and at home we make it on special occasions!

PIES

There is a great variety of Greek pies. Greeks make pies with almost everything it is possible to be eaten. Savory or sweet, with or without a filo, round, triangular, simple or complex, traditional pies are a big chapter in Greek gastronomy.

You can find many different types of pie in each region in Greece.Sometimes they are the main course or a tasty and healthy snack during the day!

With different ingredients, different way of serving and many different names, pies are a typical traditional dish in every corner of our country. The characteristic of the Greek traditional pie is the fresh handmade filo. Some pies are made with several layers of filos.

Some well known kins of pies are: Cheese pie, spinach pie, chicken pie, batsina, Skopelos twister, kreatopita (pie with minced meat), galatopita, bougatsa .

SOUVLAKI

It is a popular Greek fast food with small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It is usually eaten straight off the skewer while still hot. It can be served with or inside of a rolled pita, typically with lemon, sauces, vegetables, such as sliced tomato and onion, and fried potatoes. The meat usually used in Greece is pork or chicken.

GREEK DOLMADES (STUFFED VINE/GRAPE LEAVES)

A great vegetarian appetizer made from tender vine leaves wrapped into little rolls and stuffed with rice and fresh herbs.

GEMISTA (GREEK STUFFED VEGETABLES WITH RICE)

A Greek style risotto, a delicious vegetarian recipe with vegetables like tomatoes, green bell peppers, eggplants, zucchinis stuffed with rice or gruel and served with baked potatoes.

PASTITSIO

It is a very popular Greek dish which has at the bottom layer pasta, with cheese or egg ; a middle layer of ground beef with tomato sauce, cinnamon and cloves and a béchamel top layer . Goat cheese is often sprinkled on top. Pastitsio is a common dish, and is often served as a main course, with a salad.

MELOMAKARONA

Melomakarona is an oval-shaped Greek dessert made mainly from flour, olive oil, orange fresh juice, cognac, cinnamon and honey. It is a traditional dessert prepared usually during the Christmas holiday season. They are also known as "finikia".

by Ioannis

RECIPES AROUND EUROPE: TURKEY

RECIPES AROUND EUROPE: TURKEY

Kebabs of all kinds are common in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisines. This particular version is named after the city of Adana in Turkey, where it is said to have originated, and is traditionally made of minced lamb mounted on a skewer and grilled over charcoal.

Different cities and regions debate over how spicy the Adana kebab should be, but the inclusion of ground lamb as the choice of meat is a constant.

This recipe seasons the lamb with onion, garlic, cumin, sumac, and red pepper flakes. The cooked kebabs are often served over warm flatbread to catch the drippings and are accompanied by roasted tomatoes, green or red peppers, sliced onions, and parsley. Less traditional, but equally delicious, would be to serve them over a bed of cooked basmati rice or an herbed couscous.For this recipe, you'll need four metal skewers or wooden skewers that have been soaked in ice-cold water for an hour.

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb

1 small onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons ground sumac, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 tablespoons ice water

For Serving:

Pita bread (or naan bread)

Romaine lettuce leaves

Chopped red onion

Fresh parsley

Grape tomatoes, sliced in half

Chopped cucumber

by Nizar

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Turkish Yogurt Drink

Healthy and super easy to make, ayran, or Turkish yogurt drink, is so refreshing to have on a hot summer day.

You’ll only need water, yogurt, and sea salt to make this nutritious drink. Everything’s ready in 5 minutes.

Using a blender isn’t necessary unless you want to add other ingredients like grated cucumber, ground cumin, or chopped mint for flavoring.

For the best consistency, the recipe instructs to follow the 1:1 ratio of yogurt and water.

Of course, you can make adjustments depending on your preferred thickness for the drink.

Turkish Coffee

The traditional way to make Turkish coffee is to brew the ground coffee in a small pot, along with a cardamom pod. Adding sugar is optional.

There’s no need for cream or milk, so expect the Turkish version to be stronger than other types of coffee.

Fun fact: Turkish coffee is also used for fortunetelling. Psychic advisors believe that there’s a meaning behind the residue of coffee grounds in your cup.

Turkish Lamb Kebabs

These chunks of lamb are grilled on a metal skewer and marinated in tomato paste and classic Turkish spices.

These lamb kebabs will give you a flavor bomb!

Once it’s cooked, place on a flatbread along with juicy, roasted tomatoes and devour. I’m sure it’ll be gone in seconds.

If you like kebabs, you’ll also enjoy other variations of this dish that use marinated beef and chicken.

by Buğlem , Emre

QUIZZES & CROSSWORDS

QUIZZES & CROSSWORDS

by Kazımpaşa Ortaokulu's Pupils

Our team and our 1st issue!

Teachers from Greece, Romania and Turkey met on the e-Twinning platform and decided to create an e-newspaper where students can express themselves , improve their writing skills , get to know each other's country and make new e-friends!

Here are our schools: