• 5 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• ½ cup parmesan, grated
• 4-5 scallions, sliced
• 1 pound chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• ½ lemon juice
• 2 cups béchamel sauce
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pour the chicken broth into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter, the rice and stir briefly. Cover the pan and let simmer for 18-20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, remove from heat and let stand covered.
3. In a sauce pan – heat the remaining butter and sauté the scallions. Add sliced mushrooms, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook in low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in béchamel sauce, the remaining parmesan and heavy cream. Remove from heat.
4. In a buttered baking dish add the rice and cover with the mushroom – béchamel mixture.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Romama’s Note: Garnish the Mushroom Risotto with parmesan flakes to enhance the taste!

Related recipes:

1. Oven Baked Seafood Risotto
2. Oven Baked Cod Fillets with Potatoes
3. Oven Baked Mashed Potatoes

• 3 ½ ounces cream cheese (7 tablespoons), at room temperature
• 1 avocado, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 3 ½ ounces small shrimps, boiled (if frozen – thawed)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 8 thin bread slices
• 3 tablespoons dill or parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor or blender add the cream cheese and avocado. Pulse until well combined and smooth. Add dill, lemon juice, and pulse until the mixture becomes green.
2. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and add the shrimps. Season with salt and pepper and mix. Spread the mixture over 4 bread slices and cover with the remaining slices.

Romama’s Note: Spread the mixture over 8 slices and server the Shrimp Sandwiches open. Decorate the shrimp sandwiches with tomato and cucumber slices.

Related recipes:

1. Shrimp Creole over Rice
2. Tagliatelle with Shrimp Sauce
3. Zucchini and Green Plum Salad

• 1 pound baby octopus, if fresh – washed and cleaned, if frozen – thawed
• 1 pound calamari, if fresh – washed and cleaned, if frozen – thawed
• 1 pound ink fish, if fresh – washed and cleaned, if frozen – thawed
• 1 onion, peeled
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 cups water
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 ½ cups Arborio rice
• ½ cup parmesan, grated

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a pressure cooker – place octopus, calamari, ink fish, onion, carrots and celery stalk. Add salt, pepper, water and wine. Seal the pressure cooker and put it over medium heat. When the giggler starts whistling, start timing, and cook for 15 minutes. Let the pressure cooker cool and then open the lid.
3. Remove the seafood with a slotted spoon. Do not discard the seafood broth. It should be 6 ½ cups (if not add some water). Cut the seafood into bite size pieces.
4. In a deep frying pan heat olive oil. Add sliced onion and fry until soft and browning. Stir in the rice, sweating it for a few minutes. Pour in the seafood broth and let simmer for 16-18’.
5. Grease an oven-proof dish, add half the rice and arrange seafood over the rice. Sprinkle with some grated parmesan and breadcrumbs.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes in the pre-heated oven and serve immediately.

Romama’s Note: You can add ½ teaspoon saffron threads or powder in the seafood broth just before adding it to the rice to make up for a healthier and more tasty Seafood Rissoto!

Related recipes:

1. Oven Baked Mushroom Risotto
2. Oven Baked Cod Fillets with Potatoes
3. Oven Baked Mashed Potatoes

• 2 eggplants, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 ½ cup white rice
• ½ cup black olives, pitted and sliced
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a deep skillet – heat olive oil and sauté the eggplants and garlic in low heat until softened.
3. Add rice and parsley. Sauté for a few minutes longer. Increase the heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Do not let the rice burn. Pour in the white wine, lower the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and let simmer until the wine is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add olives and mix.
4. Line a baking dish with a large piece of foil and spoon the rice in the center. Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Fold over the foil and seal the edges well leaving space for heat circulation inside the packet. Use a toothpick to poke one or two holes in the center of the sealed foil pack.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Snip down the foil.

Romama’s Note: Server the Rice with Eggplants and Black Olives Baked in Foil immediately for best results!

Related recipes:

1. Golden Baked Rice
2. Rice Stuffed Vegetables
3. Shrimp Creole over Rice

• 1 pound cabbage, coarsely shredded
• 3 carrots, grated
• 2 red peppers, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 cup Greek style yogurt
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a serving bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, red peppers, parsley, salt, vinegar and olive oil. Toss well to combine all the flavors.
2. Add yogurt and toss gently to combine.

Related recipes:

1. Colorful Fusilli – Pasta Salad
2. Bean Salad or Salata De Fijon or Piaz
3. Zucchini and Green Plum Salad

• ½ package, 8 ouches phyllo dough
• ¼ cup butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons semolina
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup French feta cheese, grated
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the milk in a sauce pan and stir in semolina. When it lightly thickens, remove from heat and add all the remaining ingredients. The mixture will be soft but not too runny.
2. Cut the phyllo sheets into 2 to 2 ½ inch strips. Place one strip on a working surface, and brush with butter. Put a rounded teaspoon of cheese filling at one end. Fold the corner over the filling, forming a triangle. Keep folding back and forth into a triangle to the end of the strip.
3. When you have finished with the filling and shaping the triangles, fry the cheese pies (tiropitakia) in a very hot oil until golden. Serve while still warm.

Romama’s Note: This recipe makes 25-30 mini Cheese Pies. You can either refrigerate the Cheese Pies for one day or freeze up for 2 months before frying. If you freeze up the Cheese Pies, just thaw before frying.

Related recipes:

1. Tagliatelle with Spinach and Cheese
2. Leeks with Tomato and Cheese
3. Tomato Sauce with Eggs and Feta Cheese

For the dough:

• 2 ½ cups flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water

For the cream:

• 6 tablespoons corn flour
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt

For the Taska cream:

• ½ cp almonds blanched sliced
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 3-4 apples, peeled, halved and slice partway through, not all the way

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl – combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter and rub with your fingertips to blend. Add egg, water and knead until completely absorbed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In a sauce pan – combine milk, sugar, corn flour and salt. Scrape out vanilla seeds and add to milk mixture. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until vanilla cream thickens. Remove from heat.
3. Combine the taska cream ingredients in a small sauce pan and stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the mixture just reaches boiling point.
4. Roll out the dough and lay in a buttered tart pan. Pierce with a fork all over the surface of the dough. Bake in a preheated at 400 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. Let cool and spoon in vanilla cream. Arrange the apples and top with the taska cream. Bake the tart at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes until the apples softened and the topping is golden brown.

Romama’s Note: Serve the Apple Tart preferably while still warm.

Related recipes:

1. Walnut Pie
2. Easy Cherry Pie
3. Boston Cream Pie (aKa The Kok)

For the English cream (Crème Anglaise):

• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon corn flour
• A pinch of salt – vanilla powder

For the filling:

• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 5-6 medium size bananas, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds or almond flakes
• 1 9inch refrigerated pie crust or homemade pie crust

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the English cream by heating milk in a sauce pan. In a bowl – beat egg yolk mixture while beating. Place the bowl with the cream mixture in a bain marie and stir until the cream is slightly thickened. Let cool and add vanilla powder.
2. Place the pie crust into a buttered baking dish covering the bottom and up the sides. Poke holes with a fork on the bottom of the crust and bake for 10 minutes on 425 degrees F. Remove from the oven.
3. Spread apricot jam over the crust. Cover with banana slices, raisins and half the almonds. Spread all of the cream over bananas and sprinkle the remaining almonds over the top.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Romama’s Note: Dust the Almond Banana Cream Pie with 2 teaspoons of confectioners’ sugar!

Related recipes:

1. Banana Crepes
2. Almond Crumb Cherry Pie
3. Boston Cream Pie (aKa The Kok)

• 1 pound fresh spinach, washed and finely sliced
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• ½ cup butter
• Parsley, chopped
• 8 ounces ricotta or mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1 packet tagliatelle
• Grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS

1. Add pasta in a large pan of slated boiling water and cook according to packet instructions.
2. In a frying pan – add half the butter and sauté scallions. When scallion have softened, add spinach and parsley. After 5 minutes it will have wilted down. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a food processor – pulse heavy cream and cheese until well combined.
4. In a frying pan – heat the remaining butter stir in the cheese mixture and spinach. Stir over medium heat and then add a little ladle of cooking water from the pasta.
5. Place drained taglatelle in a deep serving bowl, add the spinach-cheese mixture and toss everything together. Check for seasoning and serve immediately with grated parmesan.

Romama’s Note: Serve the Taglatelle with Spinach and Cheese while still warm.

Related recipes:

1. Spinach Balls
2. Tagliatelle with Shrimp Sauce
3. Spinach Pie or (The Greek Spanakopita)

• 1 cup dried mushrooms, soaked for 2 hours in warm water
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 pound shrimps
• 2 tablespoon Worcester sauce or soy sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon ketsup
• 1 packet tagliatelle
• 4 tablespoons butter melted and kept hot

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Drain the mushrooms and ad into small pieces until translucent. Add mushrooms and shrimps and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in Worcester sauce-ketsup and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
3. Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Using a pair of tongs pull pasta out of the water and place in the shrimp sauce (don’t worry about the pasta water as it adds flavor). Give it a good stir to make sure everything is mixed together.
4. Transfer pasta with shrimps in a deep baking dish and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Romama’s Note: You can serve the Tagliatelle with Shrimp Sauce right from the frying pan without baking it. It will be equally delicious!

Related recipes:

1. Shrimp Creole over Rice
2. Tagliatelle with Spinach and Cheese
3. Delicious Green Shrimp Sandwiches