Giouzlemedes

Giouzlemedes is the traditional hors d’oeuvre of Mytilini, imported to Lesvos by the Asia Minor refugees. One component of the name of this dish is “goz” (Turkish for eye), a reference to the bubbles forming on the surface of the dough in the course of baking or frying.

 

INGREDIENTS

100 ml olive oil

250 ml lukewarm water

1 kg all-purpose flour sifted

2 tbs. (tablespoons) vinegar

½ tsp. (teaspoon) salt

 

The filling:

250 gr. anthotyro cheese

200 gr. feta cheese

2 eggs

½ bunch fresh mint finely chopped or 2 tbs. dried freshly ground pepper

Niseste for the stretching of the dough

 

PREPARATION

Step1

Sift the flour in a large bowl. Open a small pit in the middle and add salt and olive oil, vinegar and water, moving some flour from the center to the edges.

Step 2

Knead the mix until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly making  a compact dough. Cover the dough with transparent film and let it set for one hour.

For the filling:

Step 1

Break up manually the anthotyro and the feta chesses into pieces. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the cheese, the mint and the pepper and mix them well. Let it set for awhile.

Step 2

Flour your preparation surface and open up with medium rolling pin fine sheets, sprinkling them with niseste all along. Cut the sheets in strips 5×10 cm, place at the edge of each strip 1 tbs. of filling and wrap them in small envelopes or triangles.

Step 3

Fold then tight so that no filling slips out during frying.

Step 4

Fry the giouzlemedes in hot olive oil for two minutes on both sides or until the wraps are browned.

Step 5

These wraps come in a salty and in a sweet version and are usually served with a nice salad and a chilled glass of ouzo. In the Apokries period they are served with sugar, honey or cinnamon but the filling must fresh no-salt myzithra cheese. There are many other versions of the filling, all equally delicious.