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Ingredients
2 TBSP olive oil

4 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

salt & pepper

1/4 tsp caraway seeds

1/8 tsp dried dill
optional - garlic
Own choice of dipping bread.

Cooking instructions
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the grated carrot and cook, stirring often, until carrots soften, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer carrots to a paper towel lined plate to drain and cool.

2. When the carrots are cool mix them together in a bowl with the yogurt, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Taste and season with extra salt & pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the dill and caraway seeds on top. Serve with bread.

Add additional dips and extras as needed.
Enjoy.

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Ingredients

2-3 garlic cloves

Chilli flakes to taste

Baby spinach - 120g

Fresh basil - to taste

1/2 cup ricotta

1/2 cup Danish feta (~ 180g)

1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano reggiano

Salt and pepper to taste

Puff pastry sheets x 4

1 egg

Sesame seeds

Method

1. Heat pan with olive oil

2. Add garlic and chilli flakes and stir

3. Add spinach and basil and cook until wilted

4. Remove wilted spinach and basic from heat. Allow to cool and chop up finely.

5. Crumble feta and mix feta, ricotta and Parmesan together in a bowl.

6. Season with salt and pepper (go easy on salt)

7. Add chopped spinach and stir

8. Cut puff pastry sheets into quarters

9. Spoon mixture into centre of each square being careful not to overfill

10. Fold corners together to make a triangle

11. Press down edges with fork to seal

12. Baste each bourek with egg wash and garnish with sesame seeds

13. Place onto baking paper lined trays

14. Cook at 160 degrees fan forced for 15-20 mins or until golden brown

Shalom!

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https://miakouppa.com/2016/11/17/fakies-lentil-soup/

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Mia Kouppa: Taking the guesswork out of Greek cooking...one cup at a time ™

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Fakes (Lentil soup) are a traditional Greek lentil soup with vegetables and a tomato based broth.
Fakes (pronounced F*@% - yes...seriously) is the Greek term for lentil soup. It is a meal which is filling, nutritious and very easy to prepare. It is perhaps also a welcome change from the more complicated and time consuming moussaka and yemista recipes we've recently impressed you with posted. We totally understand that sometimes you just need a quick, simple, go-to recipe in order to get the kids off to hockey, the laundry off the floor, or to make a dent in the television show you've been planning on binge watching.

It also a great idea to have in your apron pocket a few recipes which can easily, and inexpensively, feed a crowd. Fakes is certainly that kind of recipe. We love to entertain often but that does not mean that we are always in the mood to set up elaborate (and costly) affairs. Often times we just want to hang out with our family and friends, offer them some good food so that no one gets grumpy, and we want to do so without spending a fortune or the entire day in the kitchen. With fakes (lentil soup) all you have to do is add some bread, an assortment of olives, some feta cheese, a nice bottle of wine, and you are good to go.

What variety of lentils should be used for fakes (lentil soup)?

Lentils are not beans, they are pulses, which are a category of legume. Within the lentil family there are several varieties. Greek fakes call for brown (or sometimes green) lentils, which hold their shape well during the cooking process. We have also experimented with the more expensive Puy lentils. These are grown in the French region of Le Puy, and gave our fakes an extra European flair. Fancy, but not traditional, and certainly not necessary. You should not use yellow or red split lentils in this recipe. They will not retain their shape during cooking and their taste is significantly different from what you would expect for this soup. Save those lentils for recipes like our red lentil soup or our red lentil and bulgur wraps.

Do lentils need to be pre-soaked before cooking?

Our parents soak their lentils for 3 - 4 hours prior to cooking them and they change the water every hour or so (this is the method used in the recipe which follows). After soaking, they also pre-boil their fakes, believing that this makes them easier to digest. Who are we to argue?

Still, it should be noted that soaking and pre-boiling are not essential when cooking with lentils and most recipes which use lentils will not suggest that you take these steps. At the same time, soaking and pre-boiling will cut the cooking time almost by half. You can soak your lentils for longer than 3 - 4 hours if that is more convenient, without changing the water at all during the soaking process. We often soak our lentils before leaving for work in the morning and then prepare them that evening for dinner. We have also soaked them for 3 - 4 hours on one evening, drained them, and kept them in the refrigerator until the next evening when they are cooked. The soaking options are endless.

It is important to sort through your lentils.

Prior to soaking (or cooking) the lentils you will need to pick through them in order to remove any rocks or shrivelled up pieces. This is a fun job for little hands so if you have any kids around, get them to help.

Tips for buying lentils:

Make sure to buy your lentils at a grocery store or market where pulses and beans are popular. If you find your bag of lentils covered in dust and high up on some shelf, then pass. They will not be "bad" but they may be old, making them difficult to cook. Please (pretty please) avoid using canned lentils. The taste and texture are truly not the same.

The recipe which follows makes a relatively thick soup. If you prefer your fakes more liquidy, simply play with the quantity of water added during the cooking process. Start with the amount of liquid recommended in the recipe, and adjust according to your preference after the soup has been cooking for at least 15 minutes.

Add a splash of vinegar to your fakes (lentil soup)

Many people like to add an acidic element to their fakes upon serving. Our favourite way to eat them is with some red wine vinegar mixed in. Other options include fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

Freeze your fakes for another day!

Cooked fakes freeze well so if you have leftovers, portion them out and tuck them away in the freezer. Perfect for those times when cooking is the last thing you want to do.

Fakes (Greek lentil soup recipe)

Published by miakouppa

Join us in taking the guesswork out of Greek Cooking View all posts by miakouppa

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Fakes (Lentil soup) are a traditional Greek lentil soup with vegetables and a tomato based broth. Fakes (pronounced F*@% - yes...seriously) is the Greek term for lentil soup. It is a meal which is filling, nutritious and very easy to prepare.

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Be sure to make your gnocchi from scratch! Delicious.

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Pan fried gnocchi - crispy, golden and buttery on the outside, soft on the inside, tossed with roasted pumpkin and spinach. This is one of my favourite ways to make gnocchi without blowing my carb meter and making a dreamy buttery sauce without using tons of butter!

Pan Fried Gnocchi

I absolutely adore gnocchi. If I go to an Italian restaurant, chances are I'll order gnocchi.

I put it above handmade pasta. That's how much I love it.

And up until maybe a year ago, I was a total gnocchi snob. I would only ever have fresh or homemade gnocchi. Scarred from my uni days when I made store bought gnocchi and it was so chewy and tasteless.

But in the years that have passed, I must say that packaged gnocchi has come a long way and now I happily use packaged gnocchi!

This gnocchi is served with a butter sauce which is a classic sauce for gnocchi.

What does Gnocchi taste like?

Gnocchi is a potato flour dumpling, so it tastes like a cross between pasta and mashed potato. It's soft on the inside, and when pan fried like in this recipe, it's crispy on the outside.

Plain gnocchi, like pasta, does not actually have much flavour in itself. So it's used with sauces and ideal for add-ins, like pumpkin and spinach which is what I'm using here.

Filling out Gnocchi with Pumpkin

So nowadays, armed with the convenience of store bought gnocchi, the only thing that holds me back from a weekly gnocchi fix is that it's so high in carbs.

250g/8oz of gnocchi has 90g of carbs, 400 calories. And it's super dense so it's only about 1 cup in volume which isn't enough for a meal (at least, not for me!)

Add a sauce and the calorie count starts hiking up quite considerably....

So to "lighten" it up and fill it out more, I like to add roasted pumpkin which has only 20g of carbs and 85 calories per 250g/8oz, almost 1/4 of gnocchi!

Plus roasted pumpkin is so juicy, it provides more "wetness" to this dish instead of adding more butter.

Adding roasting pumpkin adds flavour as well as filling out the gnocchi dish to make it a filling meal

Butter sauce for Gnocchi

I think a simple butter sauce is the best sauce for gnocchi. But you don't need tons of butter! If you just make this with loads of butter for the sauce, it's far too rich.

So the way to make a butter sauce is to add some of the water used to cook the gnocchi. This water is starchy, and when tossed with the butter sauce, the starch in the water reacts with the butter to thicken the water and creates a glossy butter sauce.

It's how a real proper Alfredo is made, the way restaurants make it, without using tons of cream. 🙂

So I use that same technique to make the butter sauce for this Pan Fried Gnocchi too. So every piece of golden crispy gnocchi is coated in a buttery sauce that actually clings to the gnocchi rather than pooling in the base of the bowl.

You will love this, I promise! Yes it's indulgent, and yes it's still carb heavy, but it is lighter than making it without pumpkin. Try this with fresh garden salad on the side, tossed with Balsamic or Italian dressing!- Nagi x

Gnocchi Lovers!

And some cosy risottos!

Just because when I think of gnocchi, for some reason there's always a passing thought of whether to make risotto instead...

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Pan Fried Gnocchi with Pumpkin & Spinach

Author: Nagi @ RecipeTin Eats

{See video below} Soft fluffy gnocchi, pan fried in butter to create a beautiful golden crust then tossed with roasted pumpkin & spinach in a butter sauce. I use pumpkin to fill out this recipe because it has far less calories than gnocchi for the same weight and it adds a gorgeous flavour to this dish!

Preheat oven to 200C/390F. Place pumpkin in a large bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, spread out on tray and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, turning once, until golden and soft inside. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add a good pinch of salt. Cook gnocchi according to packet directions, or until gnocchi pops to the surface of the water (see video). SCOOP OUT a large mug of cooking water, then drain gnocchi.

Place butter in a skillet then put on the stove over medium high heat. Once it foams, add gnocchi immediately. Stir, turn up the heat to high, then leave to cook for about 30 seconds.

Add garlic and sage, then stir / toss for no longer than 1 1/2 minutes (i.e. 2 minutes in total - see note 2) until gnocchi is golden on both sides.

Add about 3/4 cup of gnocchi cooking water and toss - the water will evaporate quickly and transform into a sauce.

Then add the pumpkin, spinach and about 1/4 cup of cooking water. Stir quickly , then season with salt and pepper. Toss then serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan.

1. I use both refrigerated and non refrigerated store bought gnocchi. I don't have a favourite brand, but the ones you get from Italian delis are extra great!

2. If you pan fry gnocchi for too long, it becomes chewy inside which is not very nice! That's why I limit the pan frying to 2 minutes.

3. Pan Fried Gnocchi with Pumpkin and Spinach nutrition per serving.

I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Pan Fried Gnocchi with Pumpkin & Spinach recipe video!

Whenever you see a photo of a table laden with food like the one above the recipe card, just know that this fur ball is sitting right underneath it. Always.

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Pan Fried Gnocchi with Pumpkin & Spinach

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Pan fried gnocchi - crispy, golden and buttery on the outside, soft on the inside, tossed with roasted pumpkin and spinach. This is one of my favourite ways to make gnocchi without blowing my carb meter and making a dreamy buttery sauce without using tons of butter! I absolutely adore gnocchi.