Giouvetsi Ki'alios

cowboys, ninjas and children are also big on eating out on the steps.

Whenever Yannis makes this dish I think of my early days of cooking adventures. Yannis learned alot of his cooking skills hanging out in his Yiayia's kitchen while she would explain the smallest details of her sauces' secrets.  I actually got my  recipes, if you could call them recipes, from my imagination. From the time I was about ten, my Mom would leave me every Tuesday when she went golfing to care and cook for my baby brother.  Steve would always beg for "glop"--a combination of macaroni, summer sausage, tomato soup, chili powder and  any spice that caught my fancy that day. It always turned out amazing and we would sit on the front steps and devour large quantities of the concoction.  When Yannis makes giouvetsi it always seems to take so long before it's ready; unlike glop that I could turn out in less than twenty minutes!  It's always worth the wait--and like glop, we devour large quantities of it!  It would probably taste even better if we ate on the steps!

Giouvetsi
3 lbs. beef (or lamb),  boneless and cubed
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 ripe tomatoes, grated
1/2 cup tomato paste diluted in 1/4 cup water
2 cups orzo (kritharaki)
4 Tables. olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 cup water, more may be needed

careful you don't leave your glop to fester...

Rub clean and dried meat with salt and pepper and place it in heavy oven-proof pan; add the garlic and onion and 1/4 cup butter.  Brown the meat in a pre-heated 450F/220C oven, stirring so it's brown on all sides.When the meat is brown, add wine and cook another 20 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350F/180C, add the water,1/4 cup butter, tomatoes and tomato paste and bake another 45 minutes. Meanwhile parboil the orzo for 5 minutes in salted water; drain and add to sauce in roasting pan.  Stir well and bake another 20 min.; adding more water as needed.  Serve with grated cheese and a green vegetable or a green salad dressed in vinegar and oil and a little lemon.  A robust red wine, thick-crusted bread and Greek olives makes this dish almost as good as glop!!