Greek Recipes

This posting is a re-post which I inadvertently unpublished.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 a...

Taramosalata (or Tarama) garnished with an olive. Fish roe is a superb source of vitamins A and D, zinc, and long-chain fatty acids. As deficiencies in one or all of these nutrients can cause birth defects during pregnancy, I highly recommend this recipe for pregnant women in particular. This is not to say that the rest of us cannot benefit from the inherent richness of this dish, so let us follow the dictum of Hippocrates and “make our food our medicine”. Carp roe (also called ‘ Tarama ’), is the variety most commonly used today for taramosalata and there are two types: one is distinctively dyed a salmon-red colour and the other is the undyed natural beige coloured roe. When I was very young, I thought this dip was like a pudding and I simply could not get enough of it, I did not bother to eat it with pita or any other kind of bread; I preferred it on its own. However, it appears my palate has mellowed with age and I have grown to appreciate some warm Greek-style pita bread as an acc...

Feta and Roasted Red Pepper Piquante When outdoors in the late summer and early autumn, in neighbourhoods where there are Greeks, chances are you'll catch the scent of roasting peppers wafting on the breeze. With our family this practice is almost a ritual. My father visits the farms north of Toronto to find the best peppers available. We then set aside the better part of a Saturday afternoon and we hold a pepper roast! The wonderful scent of grilling peppers is one of my earliest and fondest reminiscences of family cooking as a child. So, I just love going into the freezer and pulling out the roasted red peppers we froze from last summer. I roasted an entire bushel of red peppers on the barbecue and then we packed them in small batches and put them in the icebox for use throughout the winter months. This recipe is one of my favourite things to do with those roasted red peppers; it is easy and quick to make, and is an excellent appetizer dip for entertaining guests. Recipe 1...

This is one of my favourite cheese appetizer dishes. Once you try this, you will have a hard time going back to eating plain feta cheese.  It is really important that you use a good quality feta cheese for this recipe. I used the best: Feta Tripoleos, which is authentic Greek feta cheese from the southern Greek city of Tripolis. This particular feta is stored in wooden barrels and not tins or plastics. Some of the finer cheese shops will stock this variety and I highly recommend it. Recipe: 250g of Greek feta cheese 1 egg 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon oregano fresh ground black pepper sesame seeds 1. Using a sharp knife and without hesitation, cleanly slice the feta into 1/2 inch thick slices, be careful not to crumble or break the cheese when slicing. When the cheese is cut, put the slices on a plate and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to ensure that the cheese is firm. 2. In a shallow bowl, be...

Biankéta ... Almond Tangerine Bites. Puréed blanched almonds flavoured with tangerine rind and juice, sweetened with brown sugar and dusted with confectionery sugar before serving. These wonderful little delights leave a lingering tangerine flavoured scent in your mouth long after you eat them up! Cute little morsels... The almond (' amygdalo ' in Greek, pronounced "AH-MEEG-THA-LOW") has a long history in Greece. Today, Greece is the fourth largest producer of almonds in the world after the United States, Spain and Italy. The epicentres of Greek almond production are the prefectures of Magnesia, Larisa, Serres and Kavala, and the cultivation of the almond tree is a traditional practice that dates back to ancient times. In the Classical period, almonds were common "dinner ornaments" ( αναθήματα δαιτός ) and those from the island of Naxos were especially prized. Other centres of almond production in the ancient Greek world included Cyprus, Thasos, Paphlagonia...

Bakaliaros me Stafida... Cod with Raisins. A specialthy of the coastal city of Kalamata. --- Dear Greek Food Lover, This dish consists of the rather unusual combination of cod and raisins and is a specialty of the Greek coastal city of Kalamata in the Southern Peloponnese. This dish is quite easy to make and is an excellent mid-week, comfort meal. Here's the recipe: Bakaliaros me Stafida... Cod with Raisins. 1/2 kg of cod (salted, fresh or frozen... I used fresh) 1/4 kg of onion 150 gr. of black raisins 75 ml. of olive oil (5 tablespoons) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1. If you're using salted cod, make sure to soak the cod in water for at least 24 hours, ensuring to change the water several times, to remove the salt. 2. Heat olive oil in a cooking pot over medium heat, add chopped (not too finely) onions and sautee lightly for a few minutes; make sure to stir constantly to avoid browning the onion, we want it tender but not burnt. 3. Dilute tomato paste in 3/4 cup of wat...