Greek Recipes

The use of alternative flours in Greek cooking goes back to a different era, when wheat flour (now more commonly used in Greece) was expensive or difficult to obtain. The buckwheat bread and flour used in this dish imparts a subtle 'toasted bread' flavour. Of course you can use wheat bread and flour in this recipe if you prefer, or experiment with a half/half mixture of wheat and buckwheat flour.  Gluten-free zucchini fritters (κολοκυθοκεφτέδες - χωρίς γλουτένη) Serves 4-5; Preparation time: 30 mins; Cooking Time: 25 minutes Ingredients 1 kilo of zucchini 1 medium onion (not a sweet variety) 1 egg 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I used toasted buckwheat bread) 1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder  3/4 cup of grated kefalotiri or kefalgraveria 1/2 bunch of mint or parsley, finely chopped Buckwheat flour Salt and pepper Olive oil for frying Method 1. Clean and wash the zucchini well and then grate the zucchini using the coarse side of the grater. Place in a mesh sieve. ...

There is nothing my mother in law likes more, than to be in her kitchen creating food for her family. After a serious illness over the last few months, it has been wonderful to see Ma feeling just well enough again to be back in the kitchen doing what she loves best - cooking. When she is not cooking, then there is nothing more that we like to do together more, than talk about food and recipes. Yesterday, Ma shared with me two of her recipes, octopus pilafi, a traditional Greek Lenten dish and her own, more revolutionary (and certainly not traditionally Greek), chilli puree.  My lovely brother in law recently shared with me a story about Ma's discovery of chilli. It was about 20 years ago and after a period of experimenting, she hasn't looked back since! Ma loves chilli for its reported health benefits as well as the heat and flavour it brings to her dishes. However, as it is not a traditional Greek ingredient, Ma uses it sparingly in the form of a milder chilli puree made from...

Give a Greek person a vegetable, any vegetable, and they will transform it into a mouthwatering feast. Summer vegetables, especially succulent tomatoes hardly require any exhaustive transformation because they are just so delicious - all you need is a little oil and vinegar. However, in this traditional Zakynthian dish, summer tomatoes combine with the humble eggplant and a lot of garlic to make a truly spectacular dish. If you were in Napoli, the garlic in this dish would be replaced with oozy mozzarella cheese and dustings of parmigiano reggiano. In Greek cuisine, there are strict (albeit unsaid) rules when it comes to using cheese. Hard cheeses are for eating at the table, with along with a generous bowl of olives. Soft cheeses, like feta, are crumbled into pies or a large slices adorn salads. Rarely are cheeses used in vegetable dishes - perhaps this comes from the tradition of fasting in the Greek orthodox church. In the long fasting months leading up to Ch...

There is no greater love in the Greek home kitchen than a warm salad. A salad made with cooked vegetables, rather than leaves and tossed in a lemony dressing. I love this way of serving vegetables, a meal in themselves when accompanied by a slice of feta dusted in riagni and good quality Greek olives. A warm salad of broccoli is regular home-style staple on the Greek table and simply dressed beetroot is also a big favourite. In summer a warm salad of baby zucchini, baby potatoes and sweet vlita (amaranth) leaves is also very popular. This salad takes its inspiration from the summer garden with fresh artichokes, baby potatoes and lemony purslane. Artichoke, purslane and potato salad ( Σαλάτα με γλιστρίδα, αγκινάρες και πατάτες ) Ingredients 8 artichoke bottoms, fresh or frozen 6 baby potatoes 8 small bunch of purslane, cleaned of any grit and tougher stems removed (save a couple of leaves for garnish) 8 small pickling onions 2 tablespoons dill, chopped For the dressing: 8 teaspoons of o...

In part two of my ode to summery zucchini blossoms, I bring you the recipe for baked blossoms. In part one of this series of posts, I featured the stove top method for cooking these beauties. As I mentioned before, how you prepare the blossoms really depends on how you were taught by your mother or grandmother. Both methods are equally delicious and without further delay, I bring you the baked recipe!   Stuffed zucchini blossoms: the baked method (Κολοκυθοανθοι γεμ ιστοι) Serves 6; cooking time 60 minutes Ingredients 30 zucchini blossoms 15 or so baby zucchini (these should be available with the blossoms) 4-5 small potatoes, halved or quartered 1 cup Greek Carolina or other medium grain Calrose rice 1 small  brown onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, finely chopped 2 tablespoons of fresh mint, finely chopped 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped Dried bukovo chilli flakes, to taste Salt and g...

A variety of beans are used in Greek cooking. Small beans, such as haricot beans are used in fasolada soup or chilled summer salads. However, giant white beans, known as 'butter beans' in English are the sole contenders for being baked in the oven in a classic dish called "gigandes plaki " also spelled gigantes or yigandes (γίγαντες πλακί). While many there many different regional recipes for this dish, most commonly the beans are first cooked in water to soften them and then baked in fresh tomato sauce with carrots and celery. In some areas, particularly in northern Greece, a more hearty winter version of the dish calls for spinach, sausage or even spicy whole chili peppers to be added. In our family, my mother in law's Zakynthian origins shine through in this recipe with a classic Ionian style freshly grated tomato sauce, flavoured with plenty of parsley and garlic. You can reduce the amounts of these in the recipe if you prefer a more mildly f...

A change from the usual watermelon, this super quick, cooling summer meze uses melon. Any type of melon works for this recipe too - depending on the season. As this salad is really quick to throw together and very simple, it does rely on having an absolutely ripe melon that is full of flavour. If there is no aromatic scent from the melon - choose another one! A spicy but smooth Greek feta, made from a blend of sheep and goat's milk is also important for this dish. The piquant saltiness of good Greek feta works so well against the sweet melon. However, the success of this dish depends on a really good quality black pepper, freshly ground, and a very peppery, green young olive oil - any extra expense will be worth it! Serve outdoors on a warm summer night as a simple starter or along with a few other small  mezedes, accompanied of course by a very chilled glass of ouzo.  Melon and feta salad (Σαλάτα με πεπόνι και φέτα) Serves 6 Ingredients  1 ripe melon (honeydew or rockmel...

As soon as summer arrives, my cravings for stuffed zucchini blossoms begins. Stuffed zucchini blossoms are a summer staple dish in many Greek homes. They are incredibly delicate and have a subtle flavour, taking well to aromatics such as fresh herbs and lemon or for a more spicy approach, fresh grated tomato and smoky bukovo chilli flakes. There are two ways in which the blossoms are traditionally prepared in Greece; either via a stove top method or baked in the oven. Both ways of preparing the blossoms is delicious and usually really comes down to how you were taught by your mother or grandmother. In this post, I'm offering the stove top method and a follow up post will feature the baked method! While zucchini blossoms are relatively cheap and easy to buy at markets in Greece, the same is not true in Australia. Although, they do make an appearance at some of our farmer's markets and are of high quality, the blossoms are o...

I can't imagine summer without chilled watermelon, its fresh cool juice and crunchy edges. During our summer in Greece last year, every market we visited from Athens to Naxos had stalls selling huge watermelons, all piled up into pyramids or towers. Driving in the country side, there were trucks pulled over on the side of the road selling the hot pink and green fruits - the infamous summer kapouzi was inescapable!  When the weather is so hot that you can't even face cooking, this salad is perfect. The watermelon is tossed together with salty Greek sheep milk feta cheese, mint and Thai basil leaves, sweet red onions and a little hit of chilli. It's best served really chilled, so you can prepare the salad and leave it in the fridge - just add the herbs and pour over the olive oil and toss before serving. It's just like a Greek summer on a plate!  Watermelon, feta and chilli salad ( Σαλάτα με καρπούζι, φέτα και πιπεριά τσίλι) Serves 4; preparation time 15 mins  Ingredients...

While artichokes will always remain my true love of springtime, broad beans come a very close second. This recipe is inspired by my father in law, who while working as a grocer in his store in Dulwich Hill would often make himself a quick lunch of flash fried young broad beans in between customers. Ba would lightly dust the young tender broad beans in seasoned flour and fry in Greek extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). He says this quick lunch reminded him of the ones his mother, Ekaterini, would make when he was a young boy in his family villaged, called Diasella,  in the Peloponnese.  My twist to the recipe is to enrich the batter a little and add a dash of ouzo. This makes a great light springtime dinner, with a little smoked trout or (for the more robust taste buds) Greek herring called Renga (Ρέγκα) and some punchy, garlicky skordalaia. This light spring time meze is best accompanied by a chilled glass of ouzo. Broad beans fried with ouzo (κουκιά τηγανητά με ούζο) Serves 4...

Surprisingly, 'swiss chard'  isn't native to Switzerland. It’s homeland is the Mediterranean and it has been a revered vegetable (particularly for its medicinal qualities) since Ancient times. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle wrote about chard in the fourth century B.C. Today, swiss chard continues to be a much loved vegetable on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, where it is known in the local dialect as ‘seskala’. In the rest of Greece it is  referred to as seskolo. The Zantiots prize the flavour of seskala, which is similar to spinach, but with a stronger, more assertive (some think, bitter or earthy) flavour. The fantastic variety of phytonutrients in seskala is quickly recognizable in its vibrant colours, from the rich dark green leaves to the rainbow of reds, purples and yellows. Sekala is rich in vitamin K, A, C as well as iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. It also has lutein, shown to help with eye health. Although seskala is available throughout the...