Yiayia's Bread (for dough cycle of bread machine)

Every week my grandmother made several big round loaves of bread. She didn't use a recipe and it took the family years (after her death) to re-create a bread that tasted somewhat like hers. The recipe here isn't exactly Yiayia's bread, but it comes close. And I think she would approve.

Makes one large loaf.

Place in bread machine pan, in the order listed:

1-1/3 cup warm water

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten

5 cups flour*

Make a well in the top of the flour and add:

1-1/2 t dry yeast

Set the bread machine on the dough cycle (this should take the bread through the first rise).

Remove the ball of dough. On a lightly floured surface, punch it down and turn it over a few times to remove any air bubbles. Shape into a round or oval loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush the top with a beaten egg and cover loosely with plastic wrap (spray the wrap with oil so that it doesn't stick to the bread). Then cover with a dish towel and let rise until double in size.

With a very sharp knife or a razor blade, make several shallow slashes in the top of the loaf.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and continue baking for 25-30 additional minutes. When done, the bread will be dark golden brown and sound hollow when you rap on the bottom of the loaf.

Place on a wire rack to cool. Don't slice it until it has cooled for at least half an hour (it's even better to wait for an hour).

For a soft crust, rub a pat of butter over the loaf as soon as it has been placed on the cooling rack.

This bread is excellent the first day. The second or third day it makes to-die-for toast.

*Flour labeled as "best for bread" or "for bread machine" gives this bread a nice chewiness. All-purpose flour is just fine, but you may end up with a finer-textured loaf. You can also use three rises instead of just the two in this recipe (one in the bread machine, the second in a bowl, the third after the loaf is formed).

Greek Island Shrimp

(2-3 servings as a main course; 5-6 servings as an appetizer)

1 lb. medium/large raw shrimp
olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2-3 plum tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
1/2 tablespoon coursely ground pepper
3 tablespoons fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1/3 cup fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly olive-oil a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Peel (and devein, if you like) the shrimp, leaving on the tails. Place in single layer in pie plate.
3. Add the garlic and tomatoes, then drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the top.
4. Add the feta, olives, pepper, and oregano. Add a little salt, if you like.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and the cheese sizzles.

6. Top with parsley and serve hot.

Horiatiki Salata (Traditional Salad)

A traditional Greek salad does not contain lettuce. It is topped not by crumbles of feta but rather by a slab.

Horiatiki Salata
(2 servings)

In a bowl combine:

2 large tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced (peeling is optional)
2 sweet banana peppers, sliced into thin rings
one-quarter red onion, in thin slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 t red wine vinegar OR 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
a little salt and pepper

To serve, place half the salad on a plate.
Top with a half-inch-thick slice of feta and five or six black olives
Sprinkle with a little oregano and drizzle some olive oil over the top.
Repeat with the other half.

How To Make Yogurt

Why buy supermarket yogurt filled with additives such as pectin and sugar, when you can make your own? The method described below requires no special equipment. If you get really serious about making yogurt, you could consider buying a commercial yogurt maker. My favorite is the Yogourmet. Still, an electric appliance is totally unnecessary. Throughout my childhood, my grandmother made several gallons of yaourti each week with only a pan, a spoon, a huge bowl, and a dish towel. Making yogurt is like magic. When I sit down at the table to have a bowl of my very own thick, strained yogurt, I remember the big bowl of yogurt on my grandmother's kitchen table. My cousins and I would dip chunks of her homemade bread into the wonderful white paste. Or, we would top the yogurt with almonds and honey for a delightful old-world snack. Decades later, it tastes just as delicious as grandmother's yogurt.

Fool-Proof Yogurt

1/2 gallon milk (1%, 2% or whole, but don't use skim)*
6 tablespoons plain yogurt (be sure to use a yogurt with abundant active cultures such as Mountain High)

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring milk to the almost-boiling stage, stirring often to prevent burning.

2. Cool to about 110 degrees. If you have a thermometer, great. If not, use the "wrist test": Sprinkle a few drops of milk on your wrist. It should feel warm, not hot. It takes a while to cool the milk. Don't rush. If the milk is too hot it will kill the cultures.

3. In a small bowl mix together the yogurt and about a cup of the milk. Stir until silky smooth.

4. Stir the yogurt mixture and warm milk in large glass bowl. Place the bowl in a draft-free place (an unheated oven works great). Cover with a dish towel and leave undisturbed for 5 hours.

5. Remove the towel, cover the bowl (with foil, a plate, or plastic wrap) and refrigerate.**

* If using 1% milk, add 1/2 cup dry milk. Otherwise the yogurt might be a bit too thin. If using 2%, add 1/4 cup dry milk (this is optional for 2%, but can help to make the yogurt a bit thicker). For whole milk, don't add any dry milk.

** For thick(er) yogurt: After the yogurt has been refrigerated for at least 4 hours, strain it through cheesecloth or a fine sieve (a permanent, wire mesh cone-shaped coffee basket works great) for 12-24 hours. Leave on kitchen counter for the first 8 hours, then strain for remaining time in the refrigerator.

To keep the culture going: After refrigerating the yogurt for a few hours, spoon about half a cup into a small glass jar or container with a tight lid. Use this for your next batch of yogurt. If you make yogurt every week, you can "keep it going" for months . . . without having to buy a new container of plain yogurt. Some people think you must purchase commercial yogurt starter to make yogurt at home. Of course it works, but it costs a lot more than starting with plain yogurt. In fact, my yogurt is usually more successful when I start with yogurt rather than yogurt-culture granules.