Greek Recipes

Gigantes Tiganiti … Pan-Fried Giant Beans make an excellent appetizer dish. Since time immemorial beans and legumes have figured prominently in regional dishes throughout Greece. Dried Gigantes beans (pronounced YEE-GAN-DES) are a staple of Greek cookery and can usually be found in Greek specialty shops and bakeries, or most well-stocked supermarkets around the world. Also referred to as Elephant beans, Gigantes are about 1 inch long or roughly twice the size of conventional lima beans, and are a variety of runner bean . Cultivated largely in north central Greece, these beans can be prepared and served as an appetizer, as part of a salad, or as a main course. Indeed, this bean is so popular in Greece that five varieties of Gigantes/Elephant beans have been recognized as Protected Designation of Origin ( PDO ) / Protected Geographical Indication ( PGI ) produce by the European Union. The extraordinarily meaty and buttery texture of this extra large bean has served to make them a ub

Stuffed Peppers and Zucchini just like grandma used to make... This is one of the quintessential Greek dishes and can either be cooked as a vegetarian meal or made with the addition of ground beef. This version is vegetarian and Lenten friendly for those of you who may be avoiding meat or fasting. This particular recipe was my grandmother’s and she used to make it in a wood-burning oven which made all the difference in flavour. Variations on this dish include stuffing tomatoes and other vegetables; however, this specific recipe works best with peppers and zucchini. Years ago, here in Canada, before Greek food became synonymous with fast food fixes like Souvlaki and Gyros, all of the Greek restaurants on Danforth Avenue (Toronto’s Greek town) served stuffed vegetables along with other “ magirefta ” or ‘ready-cooked’ meals. Of course, this was back in the 60’s and 70’s when Greek eateries catered largely to a Greek immigrant clientele who were familiar with such dishes. Back then, w

This posting is a re-post which I inadvertently unpublished. Here it is again for those of you who are looking for a refreshing and tasty salad idea. Lahanosalata… Greek Coleslaw Salad all dressed up! One of the things that always amuses me whenever I see it on a menu or in an advertisement is the phrase “Greek salad”. Now, Greek salad is commonly understood as either one of two things: a combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and feta cheese (and sometimes peppers), or the same aforementioned ingredients with the addition of lettuce. The truth is, Greeks consume more vegetables (both raw and cooked) than all other Europeans, and the numerous “salads” one can find throughout the various regions of Greece are as varied as the terrain. The one thing, though, that never makes it into a “Greek salad” in Greece is lettuce! Whenever I visit my aunt in Athens, I always look forward to her Lahanosalata. Although North Americans are familiar with coleslaw as a side for fish and ch

My Greek Rigatoni in my special pasta bowls This pasta dish is one of my original signature dishes. I make it when I am short on cooking time, as it only takes 15 minutes to prepare. However, this does not mean that this dish is lacking in any way; as far as I am concerned, my Greek Rigatoni is one of the healthiest and tastiest pasta recipes around. Try it and let me know what you think… A couple points: As much as possible, I use only authentic Greek ingredients for all my recipes as I know it makes a difference in the taste of the final product(s). Any style of pasta noodle can be used for this recipe, though I recommend using something like rigatoni, penne, and farfalle as opposed to linguine or spaghetti type shapes. I alternate between rigatoni and a Greek pasta type known as “makaronia kofta” or “cut macaroni”, which is short-cut tubular pasta (“tubetti” in Italian). Same recipe with the Greek short tube pasta Recipe: ½ lb. Rigatoni (or other) pasta ½ lb. G

Greek almond biscuits When making social calls to friends and family, Greeks invariably show up toting a ribbon-tied box from a local Greek bakery. Nine times out of ten, the box will contain some of these cookies. My earliest childhood memories of welcoming visitors and paying visits include these biscuits. In my reminiscences, they always conjure up images of good times and wholesome relationships. Amygdalota biscuits are a staple product in any Greek bakery and they are wildly popular. They are the perfect accompaniment to a Greek coffee and an ideal anytime treat. If you are not already familiar with these cookies, then you will be in for a pleasant surprise should you decide to mix up a batch. The ingredients are simple and the process is straightforward and rewarding – both visually and gastronomically. Recipe: 1 pound (½ kg.) blanched almonds 1 ½ cups of sugar 2 eggs 1 tbsp. fine semolina 1 tbsp. orange blossom water 1. Add the blanched almonds and the semolina to a food p

Revithosoupa… Chickpea soup, easy to make, healthy and hearty. One of the reasons I believe Greek food is among the healthiest cuisines on the planet, is a simple recipe like this… The earthy goodness and nutritional value of this dish makes its own case. For those of you who are vegetarians or for those who are trying to cut back on meat consumption, this dish provides a heart healthy and hearty alternative to more common legume/bean soups. Canned or dried chickpeas can be used for this recipe. If you are going to be using dried chickpeas, make sure to wash and soak them overnight so as to soften them up and prepare them for cooking. Also, make sure to rinse the soaked chickpeas well before using them (this applies to the canned varieties as well). Recipe: 1 lb. (½ kg.) of chickpeas 2 finely chopped onions 1 cup (250 ml.) extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp. (5 ml.) dried Greek oregano Salt and pepper to taste *optional: several strands of Greek saffron 1. Heat oil in a

Galatopita (milk pie) straight out of the oven This Greek dessert is one of my all-time favourites as it is not too sweet and very, very easy to make. Although similar in many ways to the dessert known as “Galaktoboureko”, this pie is not meant to be syrupy, nor does it require any phyllo for an outer shell as the mixture congeals and forms its own shell when cooked, as can be seen in the photo above. Recipe: 5 cups of milk 1 cup fine semolina (also known as farina ) ½ cup of butter 3 eggs 1 cup of sugar Cinnamon 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. On stovetop, bring milk almost to a boil in a saucepan, and then add butter, sugar and semolina making sure to stir continuously over the heat until a thick crème is formed, then turn off the heat and let stand for a couple minutes to cool slightly. 3. Beat the eggs and add them to the thickened mixture and incorporate them well with a whisk. 4. Butter/oil the sides and bottom of a pie dish or other high-walled oven pan and pour in the thicke

Fava with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon & dried oregano Each year with the approach of Lent, Greeks all over the world prepare for the Easter celebration by fasting for a forty day period. The greater part of this fast consists in abstaining from meats and animal by-products including dairy foodstuffs like eggs, milk and butter. Coincidentally, this fasting period (called Sarakosti or 'forty days') arrives at just the right time to help us shed some of the extra weight we have put on during the winter months! Of course, it is always a challenge to come up with appropriate foods that are both tasty and varied, but thanks to the wide range of Greek gastronomic specialties this period can be anything but monotonous. Fava is essentially a yellow split-pea purée and it is especially popular on the Greek islands, particularly Santorini (or Thera) and Crete. On Santorini, fava is an important element in that island’s cookery, and it is eaten year round as an