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Nistisimes Syntages – Food for the Soul (Lenten Recipes)

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100 plus Lenten recipes image

 

“Nistisimes Syntages” are the Lenten recipes the Orthodox can eat during fasting periods.   The Orthodox religion has a lot of fasting periods.  The period of the Great Lent starts on Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday) and this period is called Saracosti. 

During the period of Saracosti  the faithful fast for a period of 48 days and not 40, as it is falsely believed: the six weeks of Lent and Holy Week.  This is not obligatory and most people fast for a couple of weeks before Easter.  The fasting period of Easter end after the resurrection of Jesus.  

The Christmas fasting period starts on the 15th November and ends on the 24th December.  From the 15th November till the 17th December, fish is allowed to be consumed but not on Wednesdays and Fridays, which in any case all Wednesdays and Fridays of the year are fasting days.

The fasting period before the Assumption of the Virgin, starts on the 1st of August and ends on the 14th of August and of course there are many other days when fasting is part of our religion.

Meat and animal prod­ucts (cheese, milk, butter, eggs, lard), fish (meaning fish with backbones), olive oil and wine (all alcoholic drinks) are not consumed during the weekdays of Great Lent.    Octopus and shell-fish are allowed, as is vegetable margarine, shortening, and vegetable oils, gelatin, olives, as well as honey are allowed.

collage Nistisima image

 

On weekends, olive oil and wine are permitted. Fish is permitted only on two Sundays during the Lenten period: on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) and on Palm Sunday (one week before Easter).

The purpose of fasting is to cleanse the body as well as the spirit in preparation for accepting the Resurrection at Easter, which is the most sacred of all observances in the Greek Orthodox faith.

Through fasting, we also learn to feel compassion for the poor and hungry and to save our own resources so that we can help those in need.

During this period I shall try and post mainly Nistisimes Syntages (Lenten recipes).   However,  I do have lots of recipes I have prepared before Lent, which I shall also post.

If you exclude the recipes with seafood, gelatine and honey all other recipes here are vegan:

Nistisimes Syntages (Lenten Recipes)

Main Dishes:

 

Agginares (artichokes) a la Polita

Ampelofassoula or louvi (fresh black-eyed peas salad)

Arakas Laderos (Peas with carrots in tomato sauce)

Aromatic Blackeyed Peas with Wild Greens and Quinoa

Black-eyed peas with spinach and Swiss chard in tomato sauce

Black Giant Beans with Spinach and Pasta

Briam (vegetable medley)

Gemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers)

Gigantes Plaki (Baked Giant beans)

Koupepia (Dolmadakia) Gialantzi (stuffed vine leaves with rice and herbs)

Fasolada (White beans in tomato sauce)

Fakes Moutzentra (Cypriot lentils with rice)

Kounoupidi me Patates Kapamas (stewed cauliflower with potatoes)

Lahanoryzo

Mpamies Giahni (stewed okra)

Koukia (Broad Beans, peas and artichokes à la Polita)

Fasolia Mavrommatika (Black-eyed peas)

Fassolia Piaz (Greek White beans salad)

Fasolakia Giahni  (Braised Green beans in tomato sauce)

Lentils with Carrοts, Orzo and Caramelized Onions

Lentils and Bulgur Spicy Salad/Pilaf

Patates lemonates (oven baked lemony potatoes)

Patates Antinahtes (whole potatoes with red wine)

Penne with Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic, Cilantro and Marinara Sauce

Penne Skordalia (garlic dip) with Courgettes and Olives

Pilafi pourgouri- (without the meat) Bulgur wheat pilaf

Pommes Lyonnaises (potatoes with onions)

Revithia (stewed chickpeas with spinach)

Revithokeftedes me Garides (Shrimp – chickpea patties)

Revithokeftedes (chickpea patties)

Rice pilaf with vegetables and vermicelli

Spanakoryzo (Spinach with rice)

Veggie burgers

 

Seafood:

Garides (Shrimps) Saganaki

Htapodi me makaronaki Kofto (Octopus with pasta)

Htapodi (Octopus) Salad

Kalamaria Gemista (Stuffed Squid)

Octopus Risotto

Shrimp Risotto

Shrimp Risotto (2)

Stewed Thrapsala (squid) with Mushrooms 

Three recipes with Thrapsala (Short fin squid)

Soups:

Borscht (beetroot soup)

Hoummous Soup (chickpeas soup)

Vegetable puree soup with pasta

Fakes (Lentil Soup)

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Fava and Pumpkin Soup

Bread / Snacks:

Aladoti Eliopita (No Oil Olive Bread with Tahini)

Bourekia me manitaria (turnovers with mushrooms)

Eliopita (olive pies)

Eliopsomo (Olive Bread)

Elioti (Olives Roulade)

Focaccia with Kalamata Olives

Herbed Eliopsomο (olive bread) with Pesto

Kolokotes (Squash Turnovers)

Koupes with Mushrooms

Lagana with Garlicky Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Rosemary

Lagana (a flatbread)

Olives and Carrot Bread Sticks and rolls

Tahninopita (Tahini filled pastry)

Tahinopsomo (Tahini Bread)

Tahinopita me Mila (Tahini Bread with Apple Filling)

Ladenia (Greek style pizza)

Koulouri Thessalonikis

Dips / appetizers:

Taramosalata (Roe dip)

Melitzanosalata (Eggplant dip)

Houmous (chickpeas dip)

Elies tsakistes (green crushed olives)

Elies Kalamon (kalamata olives)

Pantzaria Xydata (Beets preserved in vinegar)

Spanakopita nistisimi (vegan spinach pie)

Black-eyed pea patties

Revithokeftedes (Chickpea Patties)

Mpiftekia Revithion

Snails Stiffado Saganaki (without the feta)

Desserts:

Almond and Strawberry Halvas

Akoumia (Symian Doughnuts)

Bougatsa (a vegan custard filled pastry)

Butternut Squash Mandarin Cake with Butternut Squash – Almond Glaze 

Carrot cake with chocolate

Cherry Olive Oil Cake

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Carrot Cake with Chocolate-Tahini Glazing

Chocolate Orange Cake and Muffins

Chocolate Puddings

Coconut Mandarin Samali (semolina Cake)

Daktyla (almond filled lady fingers)

Fanouropita (olive oil spice cake)

Halvas (store bought) and Bourekia me Halva

Halvas with Chocolate, Nuts & Dried Fruit

Halvas with fruit and almonds

Halvades:  Creative Pot Halvades

Kalon Prama (Samali)

Kattimerka

Ladlokouloura (Olive oil biscotti)

Loukoumades (Doughnuts)

Mini Apple Turnovers with Homemade Apple Sauce

Moustalevria (grape must pudding)

Moustokouloura (without the cheese)

Pischies (Pastry bathed in syrup)

Pastelli (Sesame Honey Candy with Peanuts)

Roxakia (Orange Dough Cookies)

Ryzogalo (Rice Pudding) Gluten and Lactose Free

Shiamishi (pastry filled with semolina pudding)

Strawberries with Chocolate

I apologize if in some of the links you do not find some of my Cypriot recipes.  This means that they have been included in my cookbook and had to be removed.

You can find my Greek recipes in my cookbooks «More Than A Greek Salad» and«Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!» both available on all Amazon stores. Read more here.

 

Kalo Pascha!

Kopiaste

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

About Ivy Liacopoulou

Ivy Liacopoulou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus, a beautiful island in the eastern Mediterranean, where her passion for cooking began as a child, helping her mother in the kitchen. Ivy belongs to a new generation of home cooks who loves to experiment and create new recipes of her own. She is the author of two cookbooks and she owns and manages Cooking Classes, in Nafplio, Peloponnese.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Peter

    Ivy, that’s quite an array of Lenten dishes and food for thought for those looking to add a new dish to the Sarakosti trapezi.

    Kali Anastasi.

  3. Sam Sotiropoulos

    Bravo Ivy! A nice introduction to the Lenten period AND a very wide assortment of nistisima foods. One could craft their entire Lenten menu from this collection alone! Impressive.

  4. maria

    Wow, what a great round up of Lenten dishes Ivy! So many great things to choose from here, you don’t feel like you are giving much up! Kali Sarakosti kai xronia polla!

  5. Scrumptious

    What a wonderful collection of recipes! Everything looks so unbelievably delicious – no deprivation here!

    I wanted to let you know the announcement for the March theme for Sugar High Fridays has been posted:
    http://inmybox.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/announcing-sugar-high-fridays-53-the-test-of-time/

    The theme is Desserts over a century old, and I know a lot of the recipes you cook and post about here are traditional dishes. I would be so delighted to learn a 100+ year-old Greek dessert recipe, or anything else you feel like cooking up.

    Hope to see you there this month!

  8. Niki

    B/w you and the other couple of lenten blogs, I have my entire menu for all of Lent planned out!!!
    I can’t wait to try some of these Ivy!!!

  9. Lubna Karim

    Wow so many yummy, scrummy, new, tempting and alluring recipes……Feast to the pallette and eyes….Ummmmm

  11. Happy Cook

    Wow this is what i call a feast, wow wow wow.
    A wonderful delicious post.
    Oops…forgot to say great post! Looking forward to your next one.

  12. Joan Nova

    I was very interested to read the origins and reasons behind Lent in Greek history. However, this looks more like feasting than fasting! 🙂

  13. deeba

    That’s quite a delicious storm you’ve cooked up Ivy! HOW DID YOU MANAGE?

  14. Rosie

    Kudos to you Ivy this is such an awesome Lenten array of dishes!! So much variety to choose from and which one to start with – a feast to my eyes!

    Please pass by my blog and collect some awards ;o)

    Rosie x

  15. Simona

    I read with interest your description of the Lent traditions. The array of dishes is amazing. Looking forward to exploring some of them.

  16. bobby

    Nice collection of recipes. The shrimp risotto looks really good. I will be preparing some meals for lent as well.

  17. giz

    Wow Ivy – and what will you cook for tomorrow (hahahaha). I love these customs and how people can change and do things they don’t normally do when they feel purpose. Beautiful array of yummies.

  18. Mercina

    This is absolutely wonderful, Ivy. Thank you posting these lenten dishes. I’m going to make fakes soupa tomorrow. Take care!

  19. Sophia

    Nice collection of recipes. The shrimp risotto looks really good. I will be preparing some meals for lent as well.

  21. Fiona

    Amazing Recipe and excellent experience of Cooking . This recipe seems easy to me i will try this within this week 🙂