Pasta Flora with Olive Oil
July 2023.
Greek Pasta Flora is a traditional Greek jam tart recipe, and Marianna’s Pasta Flora uses olive oil instead of butter, which makes it way healthier and par excellence Mediterranean!
Stage 1
In a bowl, mix the oil and sugar until the sugar is well dissolved.
Add the orange juice, cognac and lemon zest.
Stage 2
Pour in the flour and farina, stirring gently until you have a light dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
Avoid kneading to make the tart crispy.
Stage 3
Pour a little less than half of the dough into a regular sized pie dish, to make it thin.
Put it in the oven at 170 degrees for about half an hour or until it is golden brown (not completely baked).
Stage 4
Take it out of the oven and spread the jam of your choice (strawberry, apricot or any other mainly homemade jam in your kitchen).
I have made excellent pasta flora with mandarin, orange, and blackberry jam. Any flavour is good, as long as the jam is not too thick.
Stage 5
Make ribbons with the rest of the dough, making shapes similar to those in the photo. You can play with all kinds of shapes, especially if you have help from your children or grandchildren. 😉
Put your Pasta Flora back in the oven and bake at 170 degrees for half an hour until golden brown and enjoy!
Serves: 12
Ingredients:Â
- 150 gr organic oil
- 75 grams of sugar
- 10 teaspoons orange juice
- 10 tsp. cognac
- zest of one lemon
- 300 grams
- 250 gr jam of your choice
- 300 grams of all-purpose flour
- 10 tablespoons of self-rising flour (Farina)
Linguine with prawns and zucchini florets
June 2023.
Is there anything that compliments Kalopsia’s colourful plate better than this summer pasta dish? Fresh prawns and zucchini florets to satisfy the most demanding palate. Just follow the simple directions below and you will not be disappointed!
Serves: 4
Ingredients:Â
- 20 prawns – in their shells
- 4 spring onions
- 4 garlic cloves very thinly sliced
- 550 gr linguini (for 4 persons)
- 4 tomatoes (remove seeds and skin)
- 16 baby tomatoes
- a dash of sugar
- 1 espresso shot ouzo
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Greek oil
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 basil leaves ( 4 for the sauce and 4 to garnish )
- salt and pepper
- fresh chili (remove seeds)
- 200 gr flour
- 1 glass of sparkling water
For the garnish:
- zucchini florets
- 4 of the prawns, tails attached
- oil of your choice for frying the florets and prawns
Stage 1
Shell 16 of the prawns and keep the remaining 4 with their tails intact. Wash the zucchini florets and the 4 prawns leaving them to dry completely.
Stage 2
Whip the 1 cup of flour with the sparkling water into a fluid consistency batter that will be used for frying, making sure it is not too thick.
Stage 3
Heat the olive oil and sauté 4 peeled and diced tomatoes and the cherry tomatoes with the spring onions (including the green leafy part) together with the garlic cloves, bay leaves, half the amount of the chopped basil and add a pinch of sugar; salt, pepper and chili to your preference. Cook at about 30min to a thick consistency. Add the ouzo once the sauce has been reduced.
Add the shelled prawns into the sautéed tomato sauce and sauté for 3 minutes.
Stage 4
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the linguini and cook according to packet instructions. Once ready, sieve the linguini reserving a small cup of the pasta water.
Add the tomato sauce with the prawns into the linguini and stir carefully through, then set aside. Use the reserved water if needed.
Stage 5
Add the zucchini florets and the 4 prawns one by one carefully into the batter (prepared in the Step 2) making sure they are totally covered.
Fry the florets in oil over a high heat. Once cooked to a crispy state, take them out of the pan and place them on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
Fry the remaining 4 prawns with their tails intact for 1-2 minutes.
Serving
Arrange the linguini on a plate with the sauce, garnish with the crispy prawns and florets, decorate with the fresh basil leaves, et voilà !