Buffet ideas for New Year’s Eve - The Best from Greece

Posted on: 26/Dec/2011 On the day of the party, prepare the recipes well ahead of time. You can grill or puree one or two hours before serving.
Prepare dips and sauces at the last minute.

To plan a buffet dinner that won’t have you in the kitchen all day, order any ground meat you need from the butcher’s a few days ahead. Likewise, buy sausages and herbs well ahead. Get any unusual products from a reputable delicatessen to ensure you’re not left without an ingredient that will make all the difference.

Buy ready-made pastry ahead of the date, as it flies off the shelves at Christmastime. If you are making your own pastry, you can prepare it two days ahead and refrigerate it in plastic wrap until needed.

You can prepare soups the day before – but don’t puree the ingredients – and refrigerate them covered. You can also make meatballs a day before and refrigerate until cooking time.

Recipes

Velvet mushroom soup shots
Ingredients (for 25 shots)

50 ml olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
500 gr fresh mushrooms (small white or Portobello), finely chopped
120 gr chestnuts (ready cleaned and vacuum packed) or 300 gr fresh chestnuts, boiled for 35 minutes and peeled
600 ml chicken stock
2 tbsp fresh cream
3-4 small shallots (the green shoot), finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tsp truffle oil

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over a moderate heat and saute the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, turn up the heat and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Add the chestnuts and stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the chestnuts are soft.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the cream and stir. Puree the soup in a blender. If you want it even finer, pass it through a sieve. Clean the saucepan well and put the pureed soup back into it. Warm the soup over a low heat for 1-2 minutes and taste to check the seasoning. Pour into small wine glasses, add 2-3 drops of truffle oil and decorate with the shallots.

Lamb kebabs
Ingredients (for 16 kebabs)

800 gr ground lamb (from the leg) – ask the butcher to mince it twice
1 onion, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ketchup, preferably organic
1 tbsp grape juice concentrate, optional (“petimezi” in Greek)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
16 small Arabic pitas, for serving
Preheat the grill to a high heat.

Mix the ground lamb, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, ketchup, petimezi, vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Knead until well blended. Form 16 small, slightly oval balls with the mixture and pierce with metal or wooden (pre-soaked for half an hour in cold water) skewers.
Place the kebabs on a slightly oiled baking tray and grill for 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove from the oven but keep the grill on.
Quarter the pitas and grill for 2-4 minutes on the top rack of the oven until golden and crispy.
To serve, place the kebabs on a platter, the pitas on another, and serve with the two dips in separate bowls.

Yogurt & lemon dip
Heat 4 garlic cloves in 3-4 tablespoons of water over a moderate heat, uncovered, until all the water has evaporated. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Mash the garlic on a plate using a fork and put the pulp in a bowl with 250 gr sheep’s yogurt, the leaves of half a bunch of finely chopped parsley, the zest and juice of one unwaxed, preferably organic lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, half a teaspoon powdered ginger, salt and pepper and mix well with an egg beater. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Yiaourtlou
Using a fork, mix 250 gr strained yogurt with 1 tablespoon of red pepper paste*, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate till needed.
*Sweet Florina peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded. Available ready-made in some spice stores and delicatessens and in most supermarkets.

Vasilopita

Greeks bring in the New Year with a “Vasilopita,” either a cake or soft sweet bread containing a lucky coin. It is traditionally cut as the New Year is rung in. Traditionally, the first piece goes to Christ, the next to “the house,” then to each family member in turn (usually from oldest to youngest) and then any guest present. (There are variations on the latter.) This version by popular confectionery chef Stelios Parliaros is a blend of the traditional Greek Vasilopita with a touch of Christmas pudding and includes pureed dried fruits that have been soaked in cognac.

Ingredients (for 16 pieces)

250 gr butter at room temperature
250 gr sifted icing sugar
250 gr ground blanched almonds
6 large eggs, preferably organic
250 gr all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
100 gr raisins
100 gr prunes, stoned and finely chopped
100 gr dried figs, finely chopped
200 ml cognac

Soak the dried fruits in the cognac overnight. The next day, puree the mixture. Preheat the oven to 170-180C. Beat the butter, icing sugar and ground almonds until a fluffy white cream forms. Keep beating and gradually add the pureed fruit, mixing well. Then add the eggs gradually. Stop beating and add the flour and baking powder, stirring with a spoon. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 30 cm diameter cake tin. Bake for an hour.
If desired, glaze the Vasilopita with lemon icing: Mix 200 gr of icing sugar with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and spread over the cake. Otherwise, dust the cake with sifted icing sugar.

 

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