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Lentils with Octopus and Rice

Ingredients:1 octopus (about 1 kilo)250 g. large brown lentils100 g. long grained rice½ cup of vinegar2 medium onions in slices½ cup of chopped spring onion500 g. ripe tomatoes without skin and seeds1 red and 1 yellow pepper, cut in small pieces1 cup of oilSalt, pepper Instructions:Put the octopus and the vinegar in a pan. Add enough water so the octopus will be covered and let it boil for one hour. In another pan put the lentils and the onions. Pour 3 cups of water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain the octopus and put it aside to cool. Remove its slimy skin and cut in pieces. Toss the boiled lentils with their broth into an ovenproof utensil. Spread the pieces of the octopus over the lentils. Add the rice, the spring onion, the tomato, the peppers, salt and the black pepper. Sprinkle with the oil and mix gently. Bake it at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the rice swells and the food stays with its oil only. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Chestnuts in Stew by the elder Prodromos

Ingredients:1½ kilo of chestnuts3 kilos of small onions (suitable for stew)1 garlic2 cups of olive oil1 cup of vinegar2 cans of tomato6-7 bay leaves1 tablespoon of salt10 grains of allspiceSome cinnamon sticksHalf nutmeg5-6 clovesHalf a teaspoon of black pepper Instructions:Peel the small onions and put them in salt water. Pierce each one of them with a small fork in two points. Poach the chestnuts and try to peel them carefully so as they are not fallen apart. Put the onions, the chestnuts and all the other ingredients in a pan. Add two glasses of water and put the pan on heat. When it comes to a boil, for about 5-10 minutes, lower the heat and let them boil for another one and a half hour. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Mount Athos Chickpeas Balls

Ingredients:2 cups of chickpeas2 large onions3-4 spring onions1 bunch of dill1 bunch of mint1 bunch of parsleySalt, black pepperOilFlour Instructions:Soak the chickpeas in water from the previous day. The next day, drain the chickpeas well and mash them in the blender. Then, finely chop all the other ingredients with a knife, put them together with the chickpeas and mix well. Let the mixture stay for 2-3 hours in the fridge. In a deep frying pan, pour a lot of olive oil and put it over medium heat. Shape the mixture into small balls, put them in flour and fry until they are golden. You can serve the dish with some lemon slices and tahini sauce. Tip: The traditional recipe suggests letting the chickpeas soak in water and not boiling them. If you boil them, as other recipes suggest, the balls will absorb much more oil while you fry them. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Spaghetti with Walnuts and Cinnamon

Ingredients:1 cup of finely chopped almonds and walnuts1/2 kilo pasta1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Instructions:Boil the pasta and drain them. Put them in a bowl and mix with the finely chopped almonds and walnuts as well as some cinnamon. The dish is served warm. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Orzo with Octopus

Ingredients:1 kilo octopus1 packet of barley1 large onion3 mashed tomatoes200 g. oil1 cup of white wine Instructions:Boil the octopus in a pan with a cup of white wine. Don’t pour any water, as the octopus will extract its own. When the octopus softens, remove its suction cups and cut it into pieces of two centimeters. Put the oil in the frying pan and sauté the onion. When it is brown, add the tomato and the octopus pieces. Pour one liter of water and let them boil for five minutes. Then, put it into a clay utensil. In the pan, add the barley and one tablespoon of the octopus broth. Bake to 180 degrees for 15 minutes. When all the liquids have been absorbed, the food is ready. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Fried Tope (shark fish)

Ingredients:600 g. tope slices (cut in pieces of 5 x 5 cm)150 g. oilJuice of a lemon1 teaspoon of mustardSalt, black pepper, cumin, oregano Instructions:Salt the fish, at least 2 hours before cooking and put it in a shallow pan, which should be big enough to fit all the tope pieces. Pour enough cold water for the fish to be covered. Then, put the utensil over heat. When it starts to boil, first add the oil and 15-20 minutes later add the mustard, the spices and the lemon juice. Shake the pan well and after a minute remove from heat. The food is ready. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Fresh Cod

Ingredients (5-6 servings):1.5 to 2 kilos fresh cod4 large chopped onions or onion broth300 g. oil5-6 peeled cloves of garlic5-6 lemons (about 200 g. lemon juice)1 bunch of parsleyBlack pepper Instructions:Clean the cod and cut it into pieces of five to six cm in thickness. Wash well all the pieces. Inside the cod’s belly there is a film, which you must carefully remove as well as any blood remaining, until it is totally white. Then, sprinkle it with lots of coarse salt and let it stay in the sieve for two to three hours at least. Before you start cooking it, you must slightly rinse the cod and put it in the pan. Add the onion broth and fill with cold water until the fish is covered. In the case that you don’t want to make any onion broth, you can also use finely chopped onions. Put the pan over very high heat and when it starts to boil, skim and then pour the oil and the garlic (as well as the chopped onions if you don’t have onion broth). About 45 minutes later, lower the heat to the half and shake the pan occasionally (do not stir), so as the food doesn’t stick to the bottom of the utensil as its sauce becomes thicker. When its liquids lessen and the food is thick enough, pour the lemon juice, about thirty to forty seconds before you remove the pan from heat. Then, shake the pan very well so as the lemon juice spreads evenly. At that time you can see something very important: when lemon juice is added in the pan, the sauce gets thicker and even whiter. At that moment, remove from heat and add the chopped parsley and the black pepper. Finally, cover the utensil with the lid. It is served warm. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Stuffed Artichokes with Salmon

Ingredients:12 artichokesHalf a kilo of salmon1 large onionParsleyOreganoLemonSaltBlack pepper Instructions:Cut the leaves of the artichokes and keep the inside. Sauté them in oil in a frying pan and place them on an oven pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano and lemon. Saute the salmon with the chopped onion, the parsley and the tomato. Fill the artichokes with this mixture and roast until they brown. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Octopus with Thimple Oasta (by Elder Epiphanios)

Ingredients:1 octopus (1 to 1 ½ kilo)Half a kilo thimble pasta2 onions3 to 4 cloves of garlic200 g. of oil6-7 ripe tomatoesBlack pepper, red sweet pepperCumin, oil, salt Instructions:Boil the octopus and cut in pieces of 1 ½ to 2 centimeters in length. Peel the onions and the garlic and finely chop them. Put them in a pan with the oil and sauté over low heat. When they are brown, pour half a liter of water and the tomatoes, which have been grated. Add a spoonful of octopus broth, salt and all the spices. When it comes to boil, toss it to a heatproof utensil or a baking pan. There, add the octopus pieces and the thimble pasta and mix well. Put it in the oven, which is preheated to 180 degrees for 30- 40 minutes until the food absorbs all its liquids, and then it will be ready. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Cuttlefish with Spinach

Ingredients:1 kilo cuttlefish1 kilo spinach15 spring onions1 bunch of dill1 bunch of fennelSome mint leaves300 g. oil Salt, black pepper, oreganoCuminJuice of 1 lemon Instructions:Poach the cuttlefish and cut them in pieces as you like. Then clean, chop and wash the spinach well. Dip the spinach in boiled water for a while. Get it out and drain it. Clean and chop the spring onions, the dill and the fennel. Pour the oil in a pan and sauté the spring onions and the cuttlefish. Then, add the spinach. Add a spoonful of broth from the cuttlefish, as well as the salt. When it comes to boil, add the dill and the fennel. Don’t pour much broth, as the spinach will bring out its own liquid and will boil very quickly. Add the spices and lower the heat. Wait until all the liquids are evaporated and the food stays with its oil. Add the lemon 1 minute before you remove from heat. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Orzo with bay Leaves and Cumin

Ingredients:500 g. of barley2 bay leavesCumin2 onions3-4 cloves of garlic1/2 cup olive oilSalt Instructions:Saute onion and garlic in oil. Fill the pan with water until the middle, add salt, cumin, bay leaves and let it boil. After it boils, add the barley. Let it boil until the liquids evaporate. Find here the cookbook: Traditional Recipies of Holy Mount Athos by Monk Nikitas Agioreitis

Barley with Mushrooms by the Father Gedeon

Ingredients:700 g. of barley600-700 g. of mushrooms3-4 onions4 cups tomato juiceParsleyGarlic, oilSalt, pepper Instructions:Saute the onions and the mushrooms. Add the tomato sauce and water and let it boil until the mushrooms soften. Then, add the barley. Remove from fire when the liquids evaporate. Find here the cookbook: Traditional Recipies of Holy Mount Athos by Monk Nikitas Agioreitis