Greek Peasant Foods

Greek Peasant Salad

Bobota
Fasolada
Gigandes


Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup)

This is a simple and extremely popular dish - some people say that this, in fact, is the real Greek national dish! It's very easy to prepare, the only time-consuming part is soaking the beans overnight. And it's tasty and nutritious, ideally eaten with fresh bread and olives.

17 oz cannelini beans

1 large onion grated

2 carrots diced

1 tablespoons roughly chopped celery leaves

1 red hot chili pepper

½ TB tomato paste

A little less than ¾ cup slightly concentrated tomato juice

A little less than ¾ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Soak the beans overnight.

The next day put the beans in a deep pan with enough water to cover them.

Boil them, but before they come to the boil remove with a wooden spoon the froth that comes up to the surface.

After they come to the boil simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the beans and drain them in a colander.

Put them back in the pan and add enough boiled water to cover them. (about 2 fingers above the surface of the beans)

Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour or more – until the beans are tender.

Gigandes

Serve at room temperature as part of a meze, or on top of toasted sourdough

1 pound dried butter beans

3 tbsp Greek extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

1 Spanish onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato purée

28 ounces ripe tomatoes, skins removed, roughly chopped

1 tsp sugar 

1 tsp dried Greek oregano 

pinch ground cinnamon

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley , plus extra to serve

1.Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. Drain, rinse, then place in a pan covered with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then simmer for approx 50 mins until slightly tender but not soft. Drain, then set aside.

2.Heat oven to 350F. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, tip in the onion and garlic, then cook over a medium heat for 10 mins until softened but not browned. Add the tomato purée, cook for a further min, add remaining ingredients, then simmer for 2-3 mins. Season generously, then stir in the beans. Tip into a large ovenproof dish, then bake for approximately 1 hr, uncovered and without stirring, until the beans are tender. The beans will absorb all the fabulous flavors and the sauce will thicken. Allow to cool, then scatter with parsley and drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve.

To make it quicker - You can use 3 x 1 pound cans of butter beans. Make the sauce as recipe, tip in the drained and rinsed beans, then continue as before.

calories 431
protein 22g
carbohydrate 66g
fat 11 g
saturated fat 1g
fibre 19g
sugar 15g
salt 0.2 g

Greek Peasant Salad

3 radishes

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

8 slc cucumber

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

2 lettuce leaves, thinly shredded

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

4tsp chopped parsley

4tsp chopped mint

Dressing:

1/2 tsp oregano

3 1/3tbl olive oil

4 tsp cider or wine vinegar

4 oz Feta or other white cheese, cut into small pieces

8 black olives

1. Place washed and prepared salad ingredients in a bowl.

2. Mix dressing ingredients thoroughly and pour dressing over the salad. Mix gently with a wooden serving set. Add the cheese and the olives. 

Serves 2- 3.

Fresh ingredients and easy preparation make this salad-with its contrasting textures and flavors-a perennial summer favorite.  Tomatoes, cucumber and Feta marry beautifully with fresh herbs and a few garden surprises to create great taste and healthy nourishment. Add whole grain bread and you have a quick, delicious, and economical lunch. Those Mediterranean peasants really know how to live!

Oversize soup bowls, piled high above their rims with orzo, feta cheese and chicken or shellfish; a substantial striped bass fillet buried under an avalanche of tomatoes, onions and peppers and a belly-busting dish of pastichio with alternating layers of pasta, chopped lamb, chopped beef and béchamel sauce.

Our often entree-size starters included an array of four traditional Greek spreads, another sprawling dish of melitzanosalata, or eggplant dip, a bowl of full-bodied red lentil soup and a shepherd salad that would itself serve as an appetizer for a table of four. Add an unending parade of warm pita and garlic bread and you have a restaurant that lives up to its slogan, ''A Greek Mediterranean feast.''

Bobota - Simple Cornbread Yield: one 9-inch pie pan (4-8 pieces)

In Greek: μπομπότα, pronounced bo-BOH-tah
Depending on the region of Greece and local customs, the word bobota can mean anything from cornmeal to any bread or polenta-type dish made with cornmeal. Cornmeal recipes were very popular during times of hardship, and bobota is considered by many to be a classic "peasant" dish. This basic recipe has a little sugar, but has no flour, milk, eggs, or butter, appropriate for Lent. It produces a dense, crumbly cornbread.

Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 40 minutes

• 2 cups of cornmeal

• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

• 1/4 cup of sugar

• 4-5 tablespoons of fresh orange juice (juice of 1/2 large orange)

• 1/4 cup of corn oil

• about 1 cup of lukewarm water

Preheat oven to 350°F (175-180°C)
Whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder to combine well. In a separate bowl, mix oil, orange juice, and water, and stir until well blended. Add liquids to the dry ingredients and stir.
Pour batter into a well-oiled 9-inch pie pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the pan. It should come out dry.
Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To increase the recipe, increase all ingredients proportionately.
Note: In some parts of Greece, raisins are added.