Regional recipes

I am never punctual when it comes to my blog (or life in general, for that matter), but I come through in the end. So here I am with some traditional recipes, from the island of Lesvos or Agiasos in particular.

Cabbage rolls filled with cod

makes 4 average-sized portions

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cod (here we sell each piece of fish individually, they are really salty and you need to put them in cold water from the night before, in order to get them ready to use. Change the water 3-4 times.)
• 1 big cabbage, separated into cabbage leaves
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 onions, minced
• 1 tomato, grated (made into tomato pulp)
• a handful of fresh parsley and spearmint
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• pepper to your liking

Preparation:

1. Cut the cod into tiny pieces and place it in a bowl.
2. Add the rice, onions, tomato, parsley, spearmint, pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bowl and mix well with a spoon.
3. Boil some water into a large pot and dip the cabbage leaves in it, for about 2 minutes. Drain.
4. Take each cabbage leave, fill it with some of the bowl mixture and close it, forming a roll.
5. Place your rolls into a large pot, add the olive oil, enough water so that all are covered, and cover the pot with a dish, turned upside down. Cook for about an hour, in low temperature.
   
   

Sfougato (oven-baked zucchini omelet)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 kg grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 1/2 cup hard cheese (like parmesan, for example), grated
• a bunch of fresh parsley or dill, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to your liking
  
  

Preparation:

1. Place the grated zucchini in a colander, add salt and let them drain for about an hour, occasionally pressing them with a spoon.
2. Place them in a bowl and add the feta cheese, the parmesan, the parsley/dill, 2 tablespoons flour and some pepper.
3. Beat 5 eggs with heavy cream/evaporated milk and gradually add them to the bowl too.
4. Butter a medium-sized pan and add the bread crumbs at the bottom.
5. In a small pot, melt the rest of the butter with the olive oil and combine it with the yolk of the 6th egg.
6. Put the bowl mixture into the pan, top it with the butter/olive oil/egg yolk mixture, sprinkle with some water and bake at 360 F for approximately 50 minutes.

Bon apetit!

So... now that you know the procedure, what do you say? Does it seem easy or hard? What hit you as weird/unfamiliar? I have to add that the Greeks are generally non-measure cooks, but I tried to be as precise as possible, when it came to ingredient amounts.

In my next post, I will be posting the recipe for giouzlemedes and anthoi. Until then, eat well and have fun!