Greek eggs with potatoes

Growing up, I was averse to eating eggs. It drove my mom crazy. This, however, was one of the very few ways I would eat eggs, not in the least because the dish contained fried potatoes. I couldn’t and still can’t say no to fried potatoes.

 

This is by far one of the best eggs and potatoes dishes in Greek cuisine. It is also one of the simplest and quickest.

You fry a bunch of potatoes. Not until crunchy, but until cooked through with a light crispness and still a bit soft.

You beat some eggs in a bowl.

You add olive oil in a large frying pan and throw in the fried potatoes.

You add the eggs, that will cook in no time and all around the potatoes as you toss everything together, creating a frittata of sorts. Not scrambled eggs.

You sprinkle with black pepper and sea salt and you dig in.

You’re welcome.

 

 

 

 

Greek eggs with potatoes (Avga me patates)

This is not scrambled eggs with potatoes, and it’s not an omelette. It’s not a solid mix of the two ingredients. It is their marriage in the pan, harmonious and symmetrical.

The two ingredients embrace each other and become one, while maintaining their uniqueness. The eggs surround the potatoes, caress them, with a few big and juicy pieces wandering around in the pan away from them.

The potatoes should be soft, not crunchy, the eggs slippery and moist, with the olive oil marrying the two and the salt and pepper flavoring them.

 

Yield: 2 generous servings

 

Ingredients

3-4 large potatoes (I prefer the floury kind for fried potatoes)

Olive oil (or sunflower oil if you prefer it) for frying the potatoes

5 large eggs

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

 

Preparation

Peel the potatoes. Rinse them under cold water and cut them the classic French fries style. Rinse them again and leave in a colander to drain while you heat the oil.

In a wide and deep frying pan, add enough olive oil (or sunflower oil) to fill it by half. The oil should be enough for the potatoes to be completely immersed in it while frying. Heat the oil over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. It should be about 175°C if you’re using a thermometer. You can also test if it’s ready by dropping a potato in it. If the oil bubbles, then it’s ready. Be careful though. If the oil foams up vigorously, the oil is too hot. Lower the heat for a minute and test again.

Add the potatoes and fry over a medium heat until they become light golden with a nice crispy crust but not crunchy and deeply golden. You want them to have a soft-ish texture for this dish. They should be fully cooked though, not par-cooked.

Remove the potatoes from the pan with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl.

While the potatoes are frying, break the eggs lightly in another bowl using a fork, mixing them with some salt and pepper.

In a large, wide frying pan (28-30 cm in diameter), add the 2 Tbsp of olive oil and heat over a medium high heat. When it starts to shimmer, add the potatoes and spread them evenly in the pan. Immediately pour the eggs all over the potatoes. Wait for 10 seconds and then start to gently toss everything around using a heatproof spatula in order to mix the eggs with the potatoes. As the eggs start to cook, continue gently tossing, not breaking up the eggs completely. Do not overmix the eggs. You want big and smaller pieces of egg cooked all around the potatoes, not scrambled eggs.

Empty everything into a large plate, add some salt and pepper if needed and enjoy immediately.

I served the dish here with an assortment of olives that I had marinated, Greek soft mizithra cheese and sourdough bread.

 

 

Raspberry yoghurt ice cream

If you like raspberries, their tartness, their unique sweetness and gorgeous flavor, then this is an ice cream for you.

It’s quick, easy to make, with only three ingredients, and will cool you down from the summer heat in the best way possible. You just need to have a powerful food processor or a super strong blender to make it, frozen raspberries, Greek yoghurt, honey and a tiny bit of vanilla if you want.

 

It’s best eaten a short while after you have made it, when it has sat in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up but is still easy to scoop. When it stays in the freezer for many hours, it becomes super hard so when you want to serve it, you just need to move it to the fridge for about an hour to soften and become scoopable again. The reason this ice cream hardens so much is because it has a lot of ice crystals in it due to the high water content of the fruit and the lack of fat; there’s only the fat from the yoghurt which is just 10% as opposed to regular ice cream that contains egg yolks and cream, which has about 35% fat, and has a smoother and richer texture because of that. So if you’re looking for that kind of ice cream, take a look here and make the one that catches your eye.

 

This ice cream is fabulously refreshing and bright, with an incredible zingy taste that makes your taste buds come alive. It’s full of the flavor of the fruit with a mellow sweetness from the aromatic honey and an intensely vivid color from the raspberries.

I have made this ice cream several times the last few years and even though I love scooping it into nice round icy balls, my son prefers it as a popsicle. Your choice!

 

 

 

Raspberry yoghurt ice cream

Raspberries, especially frozen ones, tend to be tart, and Greek yoghurt has a tangy flavor so there’s the need for a sweetener. I prefer honey but you could use maple syrup or agave if you wish, although the kind and amount of sweetness they render differ to that of honey.

The amount of honey given in the recipe is more of an indication rather than a set figure, because the amount will depend on how much you like the tartness of raspberries, on how sweet you prefer your ice treats to be and of course on how sweet the berries you use are.

I love coating the whole ice cream in a chocolate shell (here’s the recipe) or just grate some dark chocolate on top because the raspberry-chocolate combination is very close to my heart, but the last time I made it, it was a bit more tart than I would have liked it so I drizzled a generous spoonful of honey over my portion. Let me tell you, it was scrumptious and I loved the viscous honey on top for added texture.

Use honey whose flavor you enjoy because you will taste it in the ice cream. The milder, though, the better, as you’ll get to taste more of the raspberries rather than the honey.

 

Yield: around 450 ml

Special equipment: strong food processor or super strong blender

Ingredients

200 g frozen raspberries

180 g Greek yoghurt, 10% fat (full-fat)

100 g runny honey, I use either lavender or Greek thyme honey (you can sub with maple syrup or agave but the level of sweetness will vary)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

 

Preparation

Place all the ingredients in a strong food processor or super strong blender and blend until you have a smooth mixture.

You can have some immediately if you want, given that the texture at this point is firm and solid cold. Mine usually isn’t because it’s too hot in the summer. Empty it in a freezer friendly container and freeze for a couple of hours or until firm enough to scoop into balls.

Note: It’s best eaten a short while after you have made it, when it has sat in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up but is still easy to scoop. When it stays in the freezer for many hours, it becomes super hard so when you want to serve it, you just need to move it to the fridge for about an hour to soften and become scoopable again.

You could also make popsicles by pouring the mixture into popsicle molds.

It keeps in the freezer for a couple of months.