Lentils

When I was younger I never used to eat legumes. It was not because my mom never used to makes legumes for meals, it was because I could not stand eating them. The only legumes I ever ate was lentils. Legumes in the Mediterranean diet is very important and one has to eat of this food group at least twice a week.
It was just recently that I started eating legumes with a passion because I decided that I wanted to shed 2-3 kg. I was going to do this by eating more legumes and less meat and fast food. I did loose the weight, but I put it back on again. I am a meat person, what can I say ? Don't get me wrong...I still eat legume three times a week, and I love it! Plus is is great for one's GI tract.
What follows is the recipe for how I make legumes which is adapted from the way my mom makes them.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of lentils (brown coloured)
• 0.5 cup of rice
• 2 onions (chopped)
  
• 1 cube of stock (beef or chicken)
• olive oil (to fry the onions)

Method

• Fry onions until golden brown and set aside
• Boil water in a saucepan and add lentils. Boil lentils for 15 minutes.
• Strain the water and pour fresh boiling water in the saucepan with the lentils.
• Add the rice, the cube of stock and and the fried onions and boil for another 15-20 minutes depending on whether you like the lentils soft or crunchy.
• Drain the excess water, if any.
  
• Enjoy!

Rustic Olive Pie

Ingredients

4 eggs
200ml oil (100ml sunflower oil & 100ml olive oil)
1 cup black olives ( pipless and cut in pieces)
120ml evaporated milk
100ml orange juice
2-3 tsp dried mint
1 onion finely chopped
600ml of plain flour
2 tsp baking powder

Method

• Whisk the eggs until they become white colour
• Add milk, oil, orange juice and mix well.
• Then add olives, mint and onions and again mix well.
• Little by little add the mixture of baking powder and flour to the egg mixture.
• Place in a baking pan or Pyrex and bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when you prick the olive pie.

Koubebia

KOUBEBIA

Koubebia is a very traditional Cypriot dish and there is no mother or grandmother that doesn't know how to prepare them. In Greece they have something similar called Dolmadakia, but Koubebia is Cypriot and basically it is minced meat and rice wrapped in vine leaves.

Ingredients

1/2 kg of minced meat
1 large onion chopped very finely
5 stalks of fresh parsley chopped finely
1 tsp of dried mint (rub between hands to make into fine powder)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup of rice
5 tablespoons tomatoe juice
40 vine leaves


Cooking Ingredients

5-6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup tomatoe juice
30 ml water


Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. If you will be using fresh vine leaves, soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes and then in cold water to stop the cooking process. This ensures that the vine leaves will not tear when stuffing them. If you will be using bottled vine leaves, soak them in luke warm water for 10 minutes.
3.Use one tablespoon of mince mixture for each vine leaf. Place the mince mixture on the edge of the vine leaf and roll slightly to cover the mince mix, fold over the sides of the leaf and then roll again until you have used all of the leaf. Keep doing this until all the mince mix has been used.
4.Take a saucepan that will fit all the Koubebia and pour in 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil. Pack the Koubebia tightly in concentric circles in the saucepan. Continue this until multiple layers are formed and all the Koubebia are used.
5. Pour 1/2 cup of tomatoe juice over the Koubebia and place a plate that fits into the saucepan ontop of the Koubebia to hold them down during the cooking process.
6.Pour 30ml of water over the plate that is covering the Koubebia and close the saucepan with its lid.
7. Cook over low heat for 30-35 minutes. Check if the water and tomatoe juice have been absorbed by the Koubebia every 7-8 minutes. If yes, add a few more tablespoons of water. You will know the Koubebia are cooked by opening one and if the rice is soft(cooked), the Koubebia are ready to eat.