“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.
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
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)
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)
Seafood:
Htapodi me makaronaki Kofto (Octopus with pasta)
Kalamaria Gemista (Stuffed Squid)
Stewed Thrapsala (squid) with Mushrooms
Three recipes with Thrapsala (Short fin squid)
Soups:
Hoummous Soup (chickpeas soup)
Vegetable puree soup with pasta
Bread / Snacks:
Aladoti Eliopita (No Oil Olive Bread with Tahini)
Bourekia me manitaria (turnovers with mushrooms)
Herbed Eliopsomο (olive bread) with Pesto
Lagana with Garlicky Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Rosemary
Olives and Carrot Bread Sticks and rolls
Tahninopita (Tahini filled pastry)
Tahinopita me Mila (Tahini Bread with Apple Filling)
Dips / appetizers:
Melitzanosalata (Eggplant dip)
Elies tsakistes (green crushed olives)
Elies Kalamon (kalamata olives)
Pantzaria Xydata (Beets preserved in vinegar)
Spanakopita nistisimi (vegan spinach pie)
Revithokeftedes (Chickpea Patties)
Snails Stiffado Saganaki (without the feta)
Desserts:
Bougatsa (a vegan custard filled pastry)
Butternut Squash Mandarin Cake with Butternut Squash – Almond Glaze
Chocolate Carrot Cake with Chocolate-Tahini Glazing
Chocolate Orange Cake and Muffins
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
Halvades: Creative Pot Halvades
Ladlokouloura (Olive oil biscotti)
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)
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 and Kali Orexi,
Rosa
A great collection of recipes! Everything looks so yummy!
Cheers,
Rosa
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.
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.
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!
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!
Peter G
Phew! Who said Lenten foods were boring or limited? That looks like quite an array Ivy!
Bellini Valli
That is an amazing array of dishes Sis. There is not a single thing that I would not love to enjoy any day of the week:D
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!!!
Lubna Karim
Wow so many yummy, scrummy, new, tempting and alluring recipes……Feast to the pallette and eyes….Ummmmm
Happy Cook
Wow this is what i call a feast, wow wow wow.
A wonderful delicious post.
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.
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! 🙂
deeba
That’s quite a delicious storm you’ve cooked up Ivy! HOW DID YOU MANAGE?
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
Simona
I read with interest your description of the Lent traditions. The array of dishes is amazing. Looking forward to exploring some of them.
bobby
Nice collection of recipes. The shrimp risotto looks really good. I will be preparing some meals for lent as well.
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.
Mercina
This is absolutely wonderful, Ivy. Thank you posting these lenten dishes. I’m going to make fakes soupa tomorrow. Take care!
Sophia
Nice collection of recipes. The shrimp risotto looks really good. I will be preparing some meals for lent as well.
tanaya
looking so delicious and easy to make, thanks for sharing such a wonderful article.
Fiona
Amazing Recipe and excellent experience of Cooking . This recipe seems easy to me i will try this within this week 🙂