Moshari Yiouvetsi: Beef & Pasta Casserole

In Greek: μοσχάρι γιουβέτσι, pronounced mohs-HAH-ree yoo-VET-see

This is one of my girls favorites, and a great way to start with oven-baked casseroles that are so common in Greek cooking. Whether you use a traditional yiouvetsi (fired clay casserole pot) or another type of oven-proof casserole dish, this oven-to-table main dish is sure to please.

Yiouvetsi is the name of a fired terracotta casserole pot in which dishes with meat, poultry, or seafood are traditionally cooked with pastas, however any oven-proof covered casserole dish can be substituted. An easy one-pot oven-to-table dish. This recipe doesn't require any special cut of beef; cheaper cuts do quite well.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

· 3 - 3 1/2 pounds of stew meat, cut into serving-sized chunks (not bite-sized)
· 6 tablespoons of olive oil
· 2 large onions, minced
· 4 cloves of garlic, diced
· 1 pound of ripe tomatoes (chopped) or 3 cups of canned stewed tomatoes
· 4 cups of beef broth or water
· 1 pound of small or medium orzo pasta
· 2 teaspoons of sea salt
· 1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
· 1 small stick of cinammon
· grated kefalotyri or pecorino cheese or regato or parmesan (parmigiano)

Preparation:

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the meat in 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until browned on all sides (about 10 minutes). Remove the meat with tongs or a spoon (do not pierce with a fork) and set aside. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion softens. Add the water or broth, cinammon, tomatoes, pepper, and meat (using tongs or a spoon). Stir to mix and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender (about 1 hour). With a wooden spoon, stir in salt and orzo, cover and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).

Spoon the meat into a an oven-safe covered casserole dish, and pour the orzo and liquids around the meat. Cover and bake for approximately 50 minutes, until the orzo is cooked and there's still some liquid sauce.

Remove from oven and let rest, covered, for 30 minutes. Serve with grated cheese.

Yield: serves 6

Serving suggestions: Divide and bake in 6 covered oven-proof terracotta or ceramic bakers for individual servings. (The small bakers can be covered with foil during cooking if they don't have lids.)

Variations:

· Lamb can be substituted for the beef.
· Short macaroni-type soup pasta (ditali or tubetti) can be substituted for the orzo.

Souvlaki: Grilled Pork Kebabs

It's time to fire up the grill (if you haven't already) - and get your souvlaki on! Last-minute souvlaki is best made with pork or chicken. They are tender meats and just need a short time in the marinade. Lamb and beef are tougher and need a long time to marinate.

Souvlaki (say: soov-LAH-kee) - skewered kebabs - is one of those foods that have become synonymous with Greece, as popular with Greeks as they are with non-Greeks. Souvlaki is a favorite street food on the skewer or in pita wraps, and a family favorite at home, cooked on the grill. A quick marinade of herbs, spices, oil, is all that's needed.

Ingredients:

· Pork Loin
· Garlic, finely chopped
· Olive Oil
· Lemon, fresh juice
· Red Onion, finely chopped
· Green bell pepper
· Tomatoes
· Salt and pepper
· dried Greek oregano (rigani)

Prepare the meat and cut in bite size pieces and place them in a bowl. Add the garlic, onion, oregano and olive oil and season with the pepper and salt. If making bigger quantities, use plastic bags and place the meat with the marinade in each bag, shake well and store in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours. Make sure to shake the plastic bags several times so that the marinade can distribute evenly. If marinating the meat in the bowl, turn it with a spoon several times (that’s what I prefer and you can actually prepare that 2 days in advance it becomes more tender).

When ready to make, put the meat pieces on the skewers (with or without thin slices of onion, tomatoe and green bell pepper between) and grill them for a few minutes. Don’t overdo it since pork loin gets harder when extensively grilled.

Of all the versions of souvlaki, pork is the most frequently used meat in Greece. This is an easy recipe to make, and even easier to eat. Make the skewers with small pieces of meat to recreate a classic Greek street food, or make them large for a meal.

Favorite taste combinations: When fixing this recipe for Pork Souvlaki at home, I always figure on at least ½ killo of meat per person because these are such favorites. But that's a lot of meat - so side dishes are kept pretty minimal. We enjoy these with fried potatoes, a classic Greek salad, some great crusty country bread (or grilled Greek or Cyprus pitta bread if available), and tzatziki.

Keftedakia (Meat Balls)

Keftethakia are a favorite dish and easy to make. I usually make up large batches of the meat mixture and use some for these cocktail meatballs, and others for hamburger patties or meatballs in sauce.
Tip: When buying the ground meat, ask the butcher to grind it twice. The grind used in the originals is finer than that usually found in grocery stores.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

· 1 Kilo of lean ground beef
· 2 large onions, grated
· 5 tablespoon of Greek Mint
· 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
· 1 tablespoon of sea salt
· 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
· 2 slices of white bread, crust removed (best if slightly stale)
· 1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
· 3 tablespoons of olive oil
· 1/4 cup of toasted breadcrumbs
· 2 big potatoes thinly grated and squeeze out the juice
· 1 teaspoon BP
· olive oil for frying
· some flour


Preparation:

Wet the bread, squeeze out the moisture. Mix all ingredients for 10 minutes by hand until soft and well blended.
Form the meat into slightly flattened balls with a diameter of about 1 3/4 inches at most (about the diameter of a golf ball)and roll them in the flour.
Pour about 1/3 inch of olive oil into the frying pan and heat until hot. Add meatballs, and fry over medium heat until brown on all sides (about 15-20 minutes). (A 10-inch frying pan will hold about 25 meatballs.)
Serve with lemon wedges.
Yield: 40 cocktail meatballs
(if the micture is more than you wish to use for the day you can always safe the rest in a special freezer bag for another day to use!!