I hope you had a wonderful Easter and breathed fresh air of the countryside to give yourself plenty of endorphins, spent happy moments with your family and friends, and if you have overeaten, do not worry, that’s why I’m here to inspire you with my recipes. I spent Easter in Rome eating everything I avoid all year round: ice creams, pasta and pizzas, so we’re on the same boat. I’ll make a post with suggestions on what to eat (not necessarily healthy) in Rome.
Today I want to talk to you about a new partnership that makes me very happy. I will work with the AB Vassilopoulos supermarket chain and we will be presenting a healthy and tasty recipe from Sacha Life using AB products throughout the year. I am especially happy about this cooperation because AB is one of the most up-to-date supermarkets in Greece with high quality products, and you can almost find all the ingredients I use in my recipes. During the cooperation, we will also film recipes that I think will make your life easier. You will find delicious video recipes not just of me, but other very talented food bloggers on AB’s website http://www.ab.gr/en-gr/recipes.
My first assignment was to prepare a vegetarian version of a traditional Greek recipe using products of local origin from the AB Greek land series, an amazing collection of products from a specific source of crops of the most famous regions of Greece. I decided to experiment with a classic Cypriot recipe, Pork Afelia, which are usually served on a base boulgour. I don’t know if I already mentioned this, but my grandfather and grandmother had a tavern in Cyprus, so I literally grew up surrounded by smells and flavours of their kitchen. Cypriot cuisine is one of the most exuberant kitchens in the world, clearly influenced from Eastern cuisine. Its main ingredients are cumin, coriander, spices, carob and tahini (which is why I love both so much). But unfortunately for me, it is a highly meat-eating culture. Imagine how shocked my grandmother and grandfather were when I stopped eating meat at school and did not eat their delicacies! Afelia are among the most famous traditional Cypriot recipes, found in all Cypriot taverns. They are made of pork pieces marinated in red wine and coriander seeds, roasted with rosemary and served on delicious boulgour with tomato and onion. You will also see them accompanied by small potatoes cooked with their skin, coriander and red wine.
Our vegetarian version replaces pork with eggplants and plums, for a delicious, healthy variation of the favourite Cypriot dish!
My inspiration for this particular recipe was the Macedonia boulgour from the AB Greek land series. Boulgour is ground wheat and is a cereal rich in fibre and synthetic carbohydrates. You can replace it with peeled rice and pasta, especially if you want to lose weight. Compared to other cereals, it has lower glycaemic levels, which means that after eating it, blood glucose is increased much more gently, making it an excellent source of carbohydrates. Because of its low glycaemic levels, it is considered to be highly satiable, or in other words it is more saturated than other sources of carbohydrates, such as rice and potatoes, while essentially giving the same energy.
- It contains much more fibre than white rice and spaghetti and significant amounts of B complex vitamins, such as thiamine, riboflavin and especially niacin, which are essential for smooth metabolism and proper function of the nerve cells, hence the brain.
It also contains vitamin E, which contributes to the good functioning of the cardiovascular system, triple amounts of potassium and four times the amount of phosphorus compared to macaroni and white rice, and significant amounts of metallic elements such as iron, magnesium and zinc, but also trace elements such as selenium, which has strong antioxidant action. However, it includes gluten, so it’s not recommended for those who avoid it in their diet.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
For the afelia:
4 large eggplants cut into cubes
about 20 dried plums
400g tomato sauce
2 glasses of AB Macedonian Xinomavro wine
4 spoons olive oil
fresh rosemary
4 spoons AB grated corn seeds
1 stick of cinnamon
Salt and pepper
For the boulgour:
1 packet of Macedonian boulgour AB close to earth series
1 onion, finely chopped
1 fresh tomato, diced
1 lemon juice
5 cups of boiled water (about 1lt) -> the video says 1lt
2 spoons olive oil
salt
The materials in the pictures are:
Instructions
For afelia:
- Cook the eggplants in olive oil along with coriander for about 5 minutes, on medium heat.
- Add the wine, cinnamon, tomato sauce, prunes and salt pepper, put the lid on top and let them cook for about 20 minutes until the water evaporates.
For the boulgour:
- In another utensil, sauté the onion and the fresh tomato in olive oil, on medium heat.
- Add the boulgour, water, a little salt and lemon juice and let them absorb the water.