New Year's Dishes

Now, with Kyriakos, Eleftheria and Anastasia we will talk about New Year's dishes...
Yummyyyyyyyyyyy, i think is the best day!!!
Here in Greece people on New Year's day usually eat pork and turkey. Sometimes, a meat pie, which in Greek is called Kreatopita, takes the place of Vasilopita and in this case they put a coin inside. 
Everything i tried was delicious! So, i thought would be a good idea to write down the recipes!

Kreatopita (Meat Pie)

Fresh herbs make this a special treat. If fresh aren't available, use dried; however, instead of dried oregano, substitute with dried spearmint. This quantity is for a 16 1/2 x 12 inch (or equivalent) pan (roasting or lasagna pan)

Ingredients

• 1 quantity of Best Homemade Phyllo for Filled Pies
• 6 to 6 1/4 pounds of beef or lamb, cut in small pieces
• 2/3 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of dry red wine
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 cup of long-grain rice
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon of fresh finely chopped rmint
• 1 heaping tablespoon of fresh finely chopped oregano
• 1 level tablespoon of fresh finely chopped dill or fennel leaves
• 2 tablespoons of fresh finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3-4 cups of water

Instructions

Sauté the onion and garlic in hot olive oil. When the onion softens, add the meat and brown well. Dissolve the tomato paste in the wine and stir in, along with salt, pepper, herbs, and water. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is very tender and there's some liquid in the pan. (Cooking time and the amount of water needed will depend on the meat. If more water is needed during cooking, add boiling water.)
Stir in rice and turn off heat.
Preheat oven to 340F (170C).


Oil a 16 1/2 x 12 inch pan (or equivalent). Place the bottom sheet of phyllo on the bottom and spread filling evenly. Place the smallest sheet of phyllo on top of the filling, brush with olive oil, and place the final sheet of phyllo on top, and brush with oil. Tuck or crimp edges of the dough, and bake at 340F (170C) for 1 hour. The kreatopita is done when the corners of the crust don't stick to the pan.
Remove the pan from the oven and cover with a clean towel for 1 hour before serving. Cut into 4-inch pieces and enjoy!

Slow - cooked "aromatic" pork shoulder

Ingredients

1 pound pork shoulder (full track)
1 clove of garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried coriander
1 pinch white pepper
1 pinch ground allspice
4-5 dried rosemary leaves
juicy of 1 orange 
salt, black pepper, oregano
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170.
2. Wash the meat and place in pot.
3. Cut the garlic into slices and rub on the meat around. The pieces of garlic sweep them between the meat which has aspects or make holes with a knife and put them inside.
4. Salt it well with plenty of salt and between aspects. Add the remaining herbs and spices and finally add the orange juice.
5. Mix in the oil and seal the hull.
 
The total cooking time from the moment we put the pot in the oven is 3 1/2 hours.
Somewhere in the middle of cooking once we open the hull and sprinkle the pork with the juices that have turn out, making sure to go and between aspects.
The last quarter we leave open the lid to make the crust while we go and on the other side. 

Turkey stuffed with chestnuts

Ingredients

1 medium sized turkey
300g. chestnuts
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup pine nuts washed
1/2 cup black raisins
1/2 cup melted toast
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of onion routed grater
a little salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Peel the chestnuts from the outer peel and put to boil with water and a pinch of salt. Once half boiled, drain and clean the outer skin being careful to stay whole. Clean and wash the turkey thoroughly. Let it drain.In a saucepan, add the butter to burn and add the onion to golden brown. Mix in the breadcrumbs and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and stir until it becomes a thick cream. Sprinkle the parsley and pine nuts and stir remove from the heat. And add the chestnuts with raisins also washed and dried.Put salt and pepper in the opening of the turkey and fill with the stuffing. Carefully sew the thin white string and thick needle and put a similar pan. Bathe our turkey with lemon juice and pepper. Pour into the pan and melt the remaining butter and bake for 2 1/2 hours in a moderate preheated oven. To prevent drying, cover the turkey with buttered greaseproof paper or foil. When cooked turkey to put on a nice platter and decorate accordingly to our liking.