MEDITTERENEAN DIET- APPETIZERS

TZATZIKI (CUCUMBER DIP)
Greeks use this dish as a side dish to a meal with meat.

Ingredients:
1 item peeled Cucumber
1 pinch Dill diced/ to taste (optional)
4 clove Garlic pressed
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 pinch Pepper to taste
1 pinch Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Vinegar
2 cup of strained Yogurt
1 carot

Directions:
grate the cucumber and carot and strain tightly. Mix in all other ingredients. Process until well-combined.You can use an black olive for dressing. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.

DACOS

INGREDIENTS
4 barley rusks (they are round)
4 ripe tomatoes
1/4 kilo fresh mizithra (also feta ot cottage cheese)
salt
oregano
basil and olive if you want
Directions:
Slightly sprinkle the rusks with water. Pour a tablespoon oil on each daco, or more if you like. Grate the tomatoes and spread them over each daco. Add salt, oregano and fresh mizithra.

SKORDALIA (Garlic Sause )

This saucein Greece is traditionally served with fried salt cod on March 25th, Palm Sunday and August 6th.Skordalia is a sauce made with garlic and thickened with potatoes, nuts, or bread. Skordalia is indespenseable to a variety of fried foods -fish, squash, eggplant, crusty bread and many other. Can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish for fish meals.

INGREDIENTS
6 cloves garlic.
4 medium potatoes boiled and mashed.
½ cup to ¾ cup good olive oil.
½ lemon juice
Salt
Pepper .
Directons:
Put diced potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook untill the Potatoes are quite soft, about 15 minutes. Remove the Potatoes peel them and put them to a food processor, and reserve the liquid.
Add crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to potatoes. Slowly add the oil, making sure that it is absorbed. Blend untill no longer chunky. Taste and adjust seasoning. Use water if too dry.
It tastes best if allowed to sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Garnish with parsley if you like. Will keep for 1 week.

SPANACOPITA WITH PASTRY SHEETS (Spinach pie)

INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 kg. spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 cup Feta cheese
½ cup of cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 pound phyllo pastry sheets
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. Steam the spinach until just wilted.
2. In a medium pan saute the onions with dills and stir together with the spinach. Remove the spinach mixture and put it in a large bowl, with feta cheese, cottage cheese, onion, dill, pepper and salt.
1. Grease with oil a deep dish pie pan. Place a sheet of phyllo on the bottom of the pan, and brush oil over the sheet. Repeat until there are 4 or 5 sheets in the pan. Spread half the spinach mixture over the phyllo. Put above another brushed phyllo pastry sheet . Add the rest of the mixture. Add top one by one 4- 5 oil brushed phyllo pastry sheets. Make a few small slits in the top of each rolled pastry sheet. Trim dough to the edge of the pie dish.
2. Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Note:
Make sure bottom crust is nice and golden- if it isn't- put it directly on floor of oven for about 10 minutes to brown faster.

TIROPITA (Cheese pie)
INGREDIENTS
1 (1 lb) package frozen phyllo pastry sheet
1/3 cup milk
5 eggs
3 tablespoons fl 3 teaspoons of flower
1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
3/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated parmesan cheese or kefalograviera cheese or regato cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese (or anthotiro or cottage cheese)
8 ounces butter, melted

Directions
1..Thaw phyllo dough completely.
2. Melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan.
3. In a mixing bowl put in three well beaten eggs then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil , parsley and combine the three cheeses mixing thoroughly with flowerr. Cover and set aside.
4. Grease with oil a deep dish pie pan. Place a sheet of phyllo pastry on the bottom of the pan, and butter brush over the sheet. Repeat until there are 4 or 5 sheets in the pan. Spread half the cheese mixture over the phyllo. Put above another brushed phyllo pastry sheet . Add the rest of the mixture. Add top one by one 4- 5 butter brushed phyllo pastry sheets. Make a few small slits in the top of each rolled pastry sheet. Trim dough to the edge of the pie dish.
5. For the top mix the 1egg slightly with milk and brush the top of sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour, or until golden brown.

Note:
Make sure bottom crust is nice and golden- if it isn't- put it directly on floor of oven for about 10 minutes to brown faster.