Greek Recipes

An excellent seasonal eggplant salad - Click to Enlarge Image This posting is all about appreciation. Appreciation for the people who visit this Greek food blog and take the time to comment when they see something they like; appreciation for those who share this blog with their friends, and those who share its contents with the world by Digging , Stumbling , or otherwise adding it to their social networks; appreciation for the many friendships I have made with other bloggers who post about their lives and passions, whether these be Greek food related or not. It continues to be my great pleasure to share my thoughts and Greek recipe selections and reflections with all of you. I am deeply moved and inspired by the encouragement and support you have shown to a perfect stranger who rambles on about Greek cooking and history and the like. Truly, your example typifies the concept of xenia (Greek notion of a guest-host relationship) and I graciously thank each and every one of you for...

Melitzanes Tylichtes (Eggplant Rolls) - Click to Enlarge Image Greeks are simply crazy over eggplant or melitzana ( μελιτζάνα ) in Greek, pronounced “meh-lee-TZAH-nah”. We puree, braise, boil, stew, stuff, bake, fry, grill, roast, and preserve them as sweets; a culinary obsession which may lend some credence to the original European prejudice against the fruit which was dubbed "mala insane" (Latin for “apple of madness”), as it was believed to cause insanity. Both the Italian ( melanzano ) and Greek ( melitzana ) words for “eggplant” are derived from this medieval nickname. The French term for eggplant "aubergine" is derived from Arabic. As the eggplant, like the tomato and potato to which it is related in genus is not native to Europe (witness the lack of any Roman or ancient Greek word for it), its introduction from the East sometime in the Middle Ages was initially greeted with suspicion and only gradually was it embraced, cultivated, and consumed with any gu...

Click to Enlarge Photo  I will now share my recipe for Moussaka that is fit for a Queen … I have made Moussaka [pronounced “moo-sah-KAH”] often enough to have broken the process down to a science. As I am particular about how I like my Moussaka, I have developed a certain technique which - if followed to the letter - will produce consistently tasty and presentable results, time and again. As Moussaka is oftentimes considered one of the national dishes of Greece (though I have a different opinion on that subject ), I think it behooves us to approach the matter in as methodical and respectful a manner as possible. More than its constituent ingredients, the process of creating Moussaka is about the structuring of a specific type of alternately layered, rich casserole dish that may or may not include meat or cheese, and can contain a variety of vegetables from eggplant and potato, to squash and zucchini. Rather than go into a lengthy discussion about the regional or preferen...