Dolmades        

5-6servings
½ kilo (1 lb. 2 oz) long-grain rice, wash and stained
½ kilo (1 lb. 2 oz) fresh or preserved vine leaves
2-3 spring (fresh) onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Knossos mint
300 grams (5 oz) Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt-pepper
Wash the vine leaves well, scald them with boiling water and place them on a platter. 
Prepare the stuffing as follows:
Saute the onions in the olive oil lightly. Add the washed and strained rice, the chopped parsley and dill, the mind, a small amount of water, salt and
pepper and let these cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool. Place a teaspoon of the stuffing near the base of the leaf (at the stem end) and fold it as follows:
Press the stuffing into a small sausage-like shape and fold over it the stem end and both edges-towards the middle-inwards. Then roll the stuffed leaf over to make a tight small bundle. Line the bottom of a pot with vine leaves and lay the stuffed leaves in circles. When one layer is finished, begin a new one on its top. Add same water and lemon juice and cover the last layer of stuffed leaves with an inverted plate to prevent the leaves from coming apart. Cook on medium heat for an hour and a half. Serve cold.

 Greek Salad 

3-4 tomatoes
2 medium-sized cucumbers
1 sliced onion
1 lettuce (cut)
1 green sliced pepper
200 grams (7 oz) Feta cheese
3-4 tablespoons Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 table spoons vinegar
150 grams (5 oz) black olives
2 tablespoons caper (optional)
Knossos Oregano
Salt & Pepper
First wash all the vegetables very well. Slice the tomatoes in thin quarters. Peel and slice thinly the cucumbers. Add the cucumbers, the lettuce, the oregano, the black olives, the onion, the green pepper and the caper (optional). Dress the salad with the olive oil, vinegar and salt and mix them. Add the Feta cheese broken into small pieces.
The above recipe is for 5-6 servings.

 Aubergine Salad (Melitzanosalata)    

5-6 servings
4-5 eggplants (Aubergines)
2-3 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1 small onion, grated
2 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped
150 grams (5 oz) refined oil
The juice of one lemon
Salt-pepper
Pierce the eggplants with a fork, place them in a pan and bake in a medium oven for about an hour and a half. Remove the eggplants from the oven, let them cool and prepare them as follows: slice each eggplant in the middle and scoop out the pulp. Finely chop the pulp, drain it to remove all liquid and place it in a bowl. Drain the diced tomatoes and add them to the eggplant pulp along with onions, salt and pepper and parsley. Gradually add the lemon juice and oil while mixing all the time.
Note: you may replace the refined oil with a jar of mayonnaise.

 Saganaki with Cheese      

4-6 servings
12 eggs
4-6 portions Gruyere cheese
1 teacup flour
2 teacups Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Be careful not to burn or smoke. Mix 2 eggs with flour to make a paste. Divide the Gruyere cheese into portions, immerse each portion into water first, then into the egg and flour mixture, and fry it in the heated oil until it becomes on both sides light brown in colour. Fry the remaining eggs separately in olive oil and serve them alongside the fried cheese.

Shrimps with tomatoes and Feta cheese  

1 kilo (2 lbs 4 oz) medium sized shrimps
2-3 ripe diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 diced onions
250 grams (7 oz) Feta cheese
1 teacup Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
1 Knossos Bay leaf
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and Pepper
Clean the shrimps
Saute the diced onions in the olive oil in a pot Add the tomatoes, the bay leaf, the sugar, the garlic, salt, pepper and an adequate amount of water. Cook the sauce for approximately 30 minutes Drop the shrimps into the sauce and continue cooking for another 4 minutes. Remove it from the heat. Place the shrimps and the sauce in a Pyrex dish. Spread thin slices of Feta cheese over them and bake in a strong oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
The above recipe is for 5-6 servings.

 Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)   

½ kilo (1 lb.,2 oz) spinach
6 spring onions, finely chopped
½ teacup dill, finely chopped
1 ½ teacups Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
Salt-pepper
Feta cheese
PASTRY
½ kilo (1 lb., 2 oz) flour
2 eggs
½ teacup butter
1 teacup warm water
Salt
Clean and wash the spinach meticulously, then drain it well. Saute the spring onions in the olive oil on medium heat until they become transparent but not brown. Shred the spinach in large pieces and add it to the onions. Season to taste. Cook for about 15 minutes over a medium heat so as the ingredients remain in the pot without any liquid, stir in the dill and the feta cheese.
Prepare the pastry as follows :
Place the flour in a bowl, add the eggs, the melted butter, salt and as much warm water as is necessary for a dough that is pliable. Knead the dough well and roll it out in thin pastry sheets with a rolling pin. Line an oiled pan with a pastry sheet, brush with olive oil, then lay two or three pastry sheets brushing each one with olive oil again. Spread the filling evenly and cover it with 3-4 layers of pastry sheets oiled in the same way as previously. Bake in a medium oven for about 45 minutes. Cut the spinach pie into pieces and serve it either hot or cold.

 Tyropita (Cheese Pie)   

1 lb Feta cheese
1 lb Filo pastry
1/4 lb Ground Kefalograviera cheese
1 cup Milk
3 tb sp Butter
4 Eggs (beaten)
Dill or Knossos Mint (diced)
Pepper
A little margarine
Mash the feta cheese with a fork and add the Kefalograviera, milk, butter, dill (or mint), eggs and pepper. Butter a pan with the margarine and place half the sheets of Filo on the bottom also buttered with the margarine (so it doesn't stick) Pour the cheese mix and cover with the rest of the Filo sheets, also buttered with margarine. Bake in medium oven for about 1 hr.

 Tzatziki             

½ kilo (1 lb 2 oz) strained yogurt
1 cucumber
4-5 cloves grated garlic
4 tablespoons Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Drain the cucumber. Mix the yogurt and the cucumber in a bowl. Add the garlic. Pour in the olive oil and vinegar alternately mixing with a mixer Serve it as an appetizer.

Zucchini Blossoms

30 Zucchini blossoms
3 tb Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
4 Scallions, minced
1 Garlic clove; minced
1/3 cup Raw long grain rice
1/2 cup Canned tomatoes; drained
3 tb Chopped parsley
3 tb Chopped fresh Knossos mint or dill
Salt + freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp Granulated sugar

Soak the stems in cold water overnight, without soaking the blossoms. The following day, wash and drain on a towel. Cut off and discard the stems without breaking the blossoms, and set the blossoms aside while you make the filling. Heat the oil and saute' the scallions until soft. Add the garlic and rice and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomatoes, herbs, and enough water to cover the rice, then season with salt and pepper and the sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes, and remove from the heat. Using a teaspoon, stuff each blossom carefully, holding it in the palm of one hand, then close it and lay it on its side in a buttered flameproof casserole large enough to accommodate all the blossoms. Continue until all are filled. Pour 1 cup of warm water into the casserole. Invert a plate over the flowers, then cover the casserole and simmer over lowest heat about 1-1/2 hours. Check every 30 minutes to see if more water is needed; if so, add warm water (it should all be absorbed when cooked). Serve with poultry, meat or fish dishes, or as a delightful first course.

Skorthalia

5 - 6 Cloves of Knossos grated garlic
4 tablespoons Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

1/3 lb Boiled Potatoes
Salt and Pepper

Skin and mash the garlic. Add the potatoes and mash them as well while slowly adding the olive oil. Salt and vinegar to taste.

Homus

2 cups Chick peas (cooked)
1 tb sp Tahini
1 Whole pressed Knossos garlic
1/2 cup Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together in your food processor. Serve with warmed pita bread

Taramosalata

1/4 lb Tarama (fish roe)
2/3 lb Boiled potatoes
1 cup Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
1 Small onion
1 1/2 Lemons (squeezed)

Mash the tarama the potatoes and the onion. Beat the mix until very soft and creamy. Add the olive oil and lemon juice together very slowly while mixing. Serve with olives.

Calamari

2 lbs Baby squids
Flour
Vegetable oil
2-3 Lemons
1/2 cup Chopped onions
Salt

Mix the flour with the salt. Wash the squid and toss it in the flour to bread it. Fry well on all sides in hot vegetable oil. Top with the onion and serve hot with sliced lemon.

Marinated Octopus

2 med. octopus
1 cup Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup wine vinegar
1 lg. onion
1 tablespoon Knossos oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons rosemary
1/2 cup lemon juice

Place octopus in a large pan with plenty of water and boil for 2 hours. Remove from heat; wash and remove the skin. Cut in desired size pieces. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the lemon juice, and add octopus. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
When ready to serve stir in the lemon juice.

Traditional Cretan Salad (Dog Bread)

Ripe red tomatoes
1 large Cretan Hard Bread rusk. (Dog Bread).
1/2 kg. strained yogurt
1 cucumber
2 large onions
Parsley
1 green pepper
Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
Vinegar
Salt - black pepper - red pepper

Chop the tomatoes in cubes. Chop the onions, the cucumber and the green pepper in slices. Put the rusk on the bottom of a salad bowl. On top, spread a layer of tomato, onions, cucumber, parsley, olive oil and vinegar. Then spread a new layer of yogurt , salt and red pepper. Spread another layer of tomato, onions and cucumber and another one with yogurt. On top, spread the slices of green pepper, the chopped onion, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar. Lift the bowl and tilt it from one side to the other so that the sauce goes everywhere. Place it in the refrigerator and serve cool. sprinkle with the rest of the parsley before serving

Traditional Cretan Fried Courgettes (Kolokythakia Tiganita)

1 kg large courgettes
Sitia extra virgin olive oil
1 small bottle of beer
2 teacups flour
Salt - black pepper

Wash and cut the cougettes into thin slices. Salt and place in a colander for about an hour to drain. Prepare a thick batter as follows: Mix two cups of flour with one cup of beer and a liitle salt. Let the batter sit for half an hour. Dip the courgette slices one by one in the batter and fry in very hot oil. Serve hot or cold with Tzatziki or Skorthalia.

Traditional Cretan Fried Aubergines (Melitanes Tiganites)

1 kg large Aubergines
Sitia extra virgin olive oil
1 small bottle of beer
2 teacups flour
Salt - black pepper

Wash and cut the aubergines into thin slices. Salt and place in a colander for about an hour to drain. Prepare a thick batter as follows: Mix two cups of flour with one cup of beer and a liitle salt. Let the batter sit for half an hour. Dip the aubergine slices one by one in the batter and fry in very hot oil. Serve hot or cold with Tzatziki or Skorthalia.

Traditional Cretan Fried Peppers (Piperies Tiganites)

1/2 kg long Peppers
Sitia extra virgin olive oil
Salt - black pepper

Wash peppers well, remove seeds, salt and drain.Heat oil in frying pan, add the peppers turning as soon as they brown. Arrange them on a small plate and sprinkle with vinegar. Serve cold with Ouzo or Wine.

Mizithropites (Cottage Cheese Pie)   

kilo of flour
2 tbsps of   Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
water and a small glass of raki to make a fluffy dough
1 kilo of mizithra (sweet or sour)

Roll out the dough, cut out round pieces, and place some Mizithra cheese (sweet or sour, whichever you like) on each half, folding the other half over it and forming crescents. Deep-fry.

Scrambled Eggs with Tomato and Courgettes (Avga Strapatsata)   

1 lb. of Courgettes
1 lb. of tomatoes
1 cup of   Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion
5 eggs
salt - pepper
Cut the zucchini in small peices and brown them with the finnely chopped onion in a pan with oil. Add the tomatoes the salt and pepper: Simmer

When zucchini are cooked, beat the eggs, and add them to the pan. Stir and let the eggs cook.

 

Patzaria Salata (Beet Salad)   

4-5 Beetroots, with stalks and leaves
Sitia Extra virgin olive oil
Vinegar
Salt
1-2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped (optional)

Wash the beetroots and the stalks very well under cold running water many times to remove any dirt. Cut the most bottom part of the beet but leave the stalks and upper leaves intact. Boil the beets for 35 to 45 minutes or until tender (depending on size), and allow them to cool in their own water. When cool enough to handle, peel the beetroots, and cut them in rounds or quarters. Cut the stems in half or thirds, depending on length. Place the beets and stems in a bowl and dress with the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and 1-2 tablespoons of the water that they were boiled in (and the garlic, if used) and mix well. This salad is an excellent accompaniment to fried or broiled fish.