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Cauliflower in Oven with Eggs

Ingredients:1 kilo of cauliflower8 eggs4 tablespoons milkSalt, pepper, oregano Instructions:Wash cauliflower and cut into small bouquets. Boil them in salt and pepper until they become smoother. Then, drain it in a colander. Spread them evenly in a baking pan. Mix the eggs with milk, salt, pepper and oregano. Pour over cauliflower and bake in moderate oven until it becomes brown. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Stuffed Squids

Ingredients:1 kilo small squids1 large onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 tablespoon chopped parsley1 tablespoon chopped dill1 tablespoon tomato paste or lemon juice1 cup oilRice (as needed)Salt, pepper Instructions:Wash and clean the squids. Remove their heads and cut in to small pieces. Put the squids in boiling water for 10 minutes just to become smoother. Put them in a colander to drain. Saute the onion and garlic with the oil of the half cup. Then, add the heads of the squids, chopped, the parsley, the dill, salt, pepper and the tomato paste (if you prefer it with tomato). After all these ingredients boil, add the rice (as much as you estimate that it takes to fill the squid, the half of it). Turn them at each side two or three times and add half a cup water. When the water is absorbed, remove from the heat and stuff the squids. You can hold the opening of the squids with a toothpick. Then, spread them in a wide pot. Drizzle the squids with the remaining oil and one cup water. Simmer, until they are left with their oil. At the end add the lemon juice, if you did not use tomato paste. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Marinated Anchovies

Ingredients:1 kilo of anchovies5 tablespoons coarse salt1 cup oil (preferably vegetable oil)1/2 tablespoon oregano3 tablespoons vinegar Instructions:Clean the anchovies and pull out the heads. Put the fish in a colander, salt them and leave overnight. The next day, put them in a bowl and mix with 5 tablespoons of salt. Add vinegar, stir well and let them for 10 hours. Then remove the middle bone from the fish and get the filets. Place the filets in a glass jar with fennel and oregano. Fill the jar with oil, cover it and save it in a cool place. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Cod with Tomato, Thyme and Oregano

Ingredients:750 g. Desalted Cod3 tablespoons Olive Oil1 shot of ouzo with aniseed400 g. chopped tomatoes or 1 canned tomatoes concasseThymeOregano1 teaspoon sweet sugar Instructions:Cut the cod into portions, rinse and let dry. In a deep pan, sauté in hot olive oil the fish, both sides. Add the ouzo and let the liquid slowly evaporate. Add the tomatoes, herbs and sugar. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the fish softens. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Mousakas (non lenten)

Ingredients (for 8-10 servings):1.5 kilo of potatoes7 aubergines5 medium onions4 cloves of garlic1.5 kilo of fresh tomatoes250 g. breadcrumbsSome ground cinnamonSome ground cuminBlack pepper, oil, salt. Part APeel the potatoes and the aubergines. Wash them and cut them in slices. Then, sprinkle the aubergines in salt and let them sit for about an hour at least. After that, fry the potatoes first and then the aubergines, after you have washed and drained them. Peel the onions and the garlic and chop them. Saute them and when they brown, pour the tomatoes, which have been mashed first (in the blender). When all the ingredients are boiled for 15 minutes, pour the spices and then turn off the heat. Then, prepare the baking pan. Make a layer of potatoes and using a deep spoon, spread some of the stuffing onto the potatoes. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and some grated yellow cheese (kefalotiri). After that put another layer of aubergines. Repeat the procedure, that is, potatoes, stuffing, breadcrumbs, yellow cheese, aubergines, stuffing, breadcrumbs, yellow cheese. The adequate amount of the ingredients is to make two layers of potatoes, two layers of aubergines and four layers of breadcrumbs, yellow cheese and stuffing. Part B Béchamel (white sauce)Ingredients for the béchamel (sauce):250 g. flour5 eggs200 g. oil1.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg In a sauce pan put the oil over low heat as well as the flour in small amounts. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets brown. Put the milk and the eggs, which you have already beaten. Go on stirring until the mixture starts to be thick. Then take it away from heat and add the nutmeg. Spread the cream all over the baking pan until the food is evenly covered. Put it in the oven, to 180 degrees and after half an hour it will be brown and ready. It would be better to wait until it is cool enough before you cut in pieces otherwise it will not be cut properly. You can also make our moussakas without stuffing. You will only need breadcrumbs, yellow cheese and béchamel to put on the top of it. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Giouvetsi

Ingredients (for 6 servings):1/2 kilo of barley2 onions3 cloves of garlic200 g. oilSalt, black pepperSome tomato paste Instructions:Peel the onions and the garlic and chop them in small pieces. Put them in a “tavas” (deep frying pan with a lid and handles) and sauté them over low heat. Then, pour two liters of water in the tavas and when it starts to boil, lower the heat. Afterwards, add the barley and stir all the ingredients well. When they start to boil, add some tomato paste, as well as the salt and pepper. Put the barley in a heat proof utensil and bake to 180 degrees in preheat oven for about 20 minutes. This dish can also be cooked without oil. Find here the cookbook: Traditional Recipies of Holy Mount Athos by Monk Nikitas Agioreitis

Mussels with Rice

Ingredients (5 servings):½ kilo long grain rice (Carolina)1 kilo fresh or frozen mussels150-180 g. oil6-8 fresh spring onions2 green and 2 red peppersSalt, black pepper, cumin (optional)Lemon juice from 2-3 lemonsSome dill Instructions:Wash the mussels and the rice well. Put the finely chopped onions and the oil in the pot and sauté them over low heat. When they get browned, add the peppers and then the rice. Mix twice to three times without adding any water. Add the water later, preferably warm. You should be very careful with the amount of water because the success of the recipe depends on the proportion of water and rice. That is, we use one part of rice and two and a half parts of water. Then, add the finely chopped dill, the salt and all the other ingredients (except for the lemon). When the rice is about to boil, add the mussels in the pot. It is important to add the mussels at this time of the cooking process because otherwise the mussels will shrink and get stiff. When all the liquids have been absorbed, remove the pot from heat and set it aside, stirring well. Cover the pot with a towel and put the lid on top of it. After a while, stir again so that the rice will absorb all of the liquids and then add the lemon. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Mount Athos Grouper in White Sauce (by Elder Epiphanius)

Ingredients (8-10 servings):2 kilos of fresh grouper (in slices)4 large onions, chopped or onion broth5-6 cloves of garlic (peeled)5 lemons (about 250 g. of lemon juice)450 g. of olive oilBlack pepper (as well as some ground black pepper)1 small bunch of chopped parsley Instructions: Rinse the grouper, remove its guts and gills and cut it in slices of 5 to 6 centimeters thickness. Wash the pieces well and carefully remove any blood remaining. Wash them again and put them into a sieve to drain. Sprinkle them with coarse salt. The fish must stay in salt for at least three or four hours, if you haven’t prepared it from the previous day. In the latter occasion, keep the grouper in the fridge, in the sieve and use a tray (usually a baking pan) under the sieve to collect the remaining liquids. Do not remove the grouper’s skin! Put the slices of grouper on the pan in a way that its entire bottom is covered. It is also recommended to put the grouper’s head together with the slices, because in that way the food will be tastier and the sauce thicker. Add cold water, as much as the fish is covered. Then, put it over very high heat. When it comes to boil, skim it using a skimmer, add the chopped onions, the garlic and pour oil. Alternatively, you can prepare some onion broth with the onions of the recipe. In that case, after you have spread the fish on the pan, sprinkle it with the onion broth, which should be cold and add extra cold water. Add the black pepper and let the food boil over high heat for about an hour. Then, lower the heat by half and shake the pan occasionally (without mixing with a ladle). When the liquid is less, the sauce starts to thicken. Be very careful with the fish not to stick to the bottom of the pan, especially at the end of the cooking process. Pour the lemon juice thirty seconds before you remove the food from the heat. When you do that, add the ground pepper and the finely chopped parsley and cover the pan with its lid for at least half an hour. The food should always be served using a turner, so as the fish does not fall apart. Carefully pour the sauce on top. It should be served warm, otherwise the sauce gets very thick. Instructions for the onion broth:Use the specific amount of onions you need for the corresponding. Rinse them and chop them in big pieces. Boil them in a saucepan with plenty of water over high heat for about an hour. Then, when it gets cold, put the onions and their broth into the blender and mash them. In that way, it turns into a thick liquid, which is called onion broth. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Mount Athos Lentils with Rice

Ingredients:1 octopus (about 1 kilo)½ cup of vinegar300 g. large brown lentils2 medium onions80 g. long grained rice½ cup finely chopped fresh spring onion800 g. finely chopped ripe tomatoes without skin and seeds1 red and 1 green pepper in pieces1 cup of olive oilParsleySalt, black pepper Instructions:Put the octopus and the vinegar in a pan. Pour as much water as needed so as the octopus is fully covered and let it boil for an hour. Put the lentils and the onions in another pan. Add 3 cups of water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain the octopus and let it cool. Remove its slimy skin and cut in pieces. Pour the lentils with their broth into an ovenproof utensil. Spread the pieces of octopus over the lentils. Add the rice, the fresh spring onion, the tomato, the peppers, salt and black pepper. Pour the oil and mix gently. Bake to 180 degrees for 40 minutes or until the rice swells and remains only the oil. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy

Mount Athos Noodles

Ingredients:750 g. noodles700 g. Mount Athos aubergine pureeParsley, salt, black pepper Instructions:In a pan, pour 4-5 glasses of water and a little salt and when it comes to boil, add the noodles. Let them boil for 15 minutes but not more, because they will be like porridge. Drain them and let them cool. In the pan, put the Mount Athos aubergine puree with its oil and let it until it comes to boil. Turn off the heat, add the noodles in the pan and let them simmer for about 3 minutes, while you mix well for three or four times. Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.

Vegetables Stew

Ingredients: 500 g. spinach 3 leeks 1 kilo of various wild greens 200 g. spring onions ½ bunch of parsley 1 bunch of dill 100 g. mint 300 ml. olive oil 4 lemons (juice) Black pepper, salt Instructions: Wash the vegetables carefully. Sauté in oil the finely chopped spring onions in a pan. Then, add the finely chopped herbs. Sauté them and last add the chopped spinach and the other greens. When you have sautéed all the ingredients, add water and when it comes to boil, put the salt, the black pepper and the lemon juice. The food is ready when all of its liquids are evaporated.

Fish Balls with Cod

Ingredients:1 kilo fresh codStale bread without its crust1 mashed onion1 large tomato,1 tablespoon of oreganoDill, salt, black pepper Instructions:Soak the bread. Remove any bones and skin from the cod and cut it in pieces. Mash it with the soaked bread, the onion, the tomato and the herbs. Roll the balls in flour and fry them. Find here: Cookbooks and Pastry books for Monastic Gastronomy