How to cook: Youvetsi

Ingredients

* 450gr (1 lb) Barley-shaped pasta (Kritharaki)
* 1/2 Cups of butter
* 1 Onion
* 2 cups tomato juice
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 100gr grated parmesan cheese
* Salt
* 1Kg (2 lbs) Lamb
* Pepper


Directions

1. Cut lamb to several medium sized pieces (its important not to cut the meat to small pieces).
2. Peel and dice onion to small pieces
3. Peel and chop garlic cloves to slivers.
4. Heat some butter in deep frying pan or medium sauce pan and lightly sute the lamb pieces along with some chopped onions and the garlic.
5. Add the tomato juice and tomato paste in the pan and mix.
6. Add water in the pan (enough so that the meat is fully covered in sauce) along with some salt and pepper and stir well.
7. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low setting (or very low depending on your stove).
8. Allow enough time for the lamp to become tender.
9. In a pot boil water and add the Barley-shaped pasta.
10. After pasta is ready (check pasta box for cooking time), drain and add about half of it in a baking pan.
11. Add the meat to the baking pan and then add the rest of the pasta.
12. Pour the tomato mixture over the baking pan and use a spoon to even the pasta in the pan.
13. Sprinkle some grated parmesan over the pasta.
14. Bake (in a preheated) oven for 15 minutes at medium heat.
15. Serve hot.


Note: You can use a diferent pasta if you can not find the one mentioned here, if possible, try to find pasta that is aproximately the size of two grains of rice.

Greek Coffee!

Greek coffee is easy to make. First, measure the required cups of water into the briki. The measure should be one of the cups that the coffee is going to be served in. It is advisable not to make more than 3-4 small cups of coffee at a time.
Greek coffee can be made in four different ways. He can be sketos (without sugar, strong and bitter), metrios (medium, usually with one teaspoonful of sugar), glykys or vari glykos (almost honey-sweet) and glykys vrastos - sweet but boiled more then once so it loses most of its froth. Depending on which art of Greek Coffee you like, measure and add into the briki the coffee, a teaspoonful of coffee per cup, and the sugar. For a medium coffee the best balance is to add the same amount of sugar as coffee. Put the briki on a low heat and stir its contents a little, until the coffee is diluted in the water. Hold the briki by the handle all the time as it boils so quickly and spills everywhere. Watch it starting to rise with a bubbly foam. Let it rise - and don't panic! - until it reaches the lips of the briki and then immediately withdraw from the heat. Once the coffee has been made, let it stand for one minute to allow the coffee grounds to settle at the bottom of the briki. Pour a little in each cup, to distribute the froth in all the cups. Then proceed and just fill them up to the brim.
Greek coffee is never stirred once it has been made and served and is drunk slowly. Serve it together with a glass of cold water.

How to cook: Feta and Tomato Slices

Ingredients

* 1 Loaf of bread
* 6 tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 tomatoes
* Dried Oregano
* Ground Pepper
* 250gr (.5 lbs) Feta Cheese
* Salt

Directions

1. Cut 5 thick slices from the loaf.
2. Brush a little bit of olive oil on the slices.
3. Crumble the feta cheese in a bowl.
4. Add a little bit of olive oil, oregano, pepper and salt in the bowl and softly mix it with the crumbled feta.
5. Chop the tomatoes into small cubes and add to the bowl, again mixing softly with the cheese mix.
6. Top each slice with the mix and serve as a cold appetizer.