Greek Recipes

For those of you who are fasting for Lent or practicing vegetarian/vegans, this is your lucky day. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Irish eyes are smilin'! :) Halva ready for service - Click to enlarge image One of the hardest aspects of a fast or strict dietary regimen is avoiding tempting sweets and finding acceptable substitutes for dessert courses. This is especially hard on kids. Confections like this one are popular amongst Greek families during the Lenten period. I simply loved this stuff as a child. Still do! There are probably as many variations on this recipe as there are Greek matrons with culinary opinions. My recipe is quite basic, feel free to add or substitute other elements like pine nuts, sesame seeds, walnuts, or whatever else tickles your fancy. A few drops of orange blossom water or even some lemon rind in the syrup could also be a nice touch. I should mention that not only are there numerous permutations for this recipe, there are also alterna...

A rustic Greek vegetarian dish from the Peloponnesus There was once a City Mouse who went to visit his cousin in the Country. The Country Mouse was a simple fellow but he loved his relative from the Big City and did his best to make him feel at home; all he could offer him were some beans and bread crumbs, and he generously spread these before him. The City Mouse snickered at the poor country food, and said: "Cousin, I cannot understand how you are satisfied with such simple food as this… Of course one really should not expect too much seeing as you live way out here in the Country, but why don’t you come back with me to the city for a while and let me show you how to really eat? A week in town with me and you will wonder how you could ever have been content with country living." And so, the two mice set off for the Big City and arrived at the City Mouse's residence late in the evening. "You look like you could use some refreshments after our trip," the Cit...

Greek Lemon Potatoes fresh out of the oven… I thought I might share my all-time favourite recipe for perfect Lemon Potatoes. This dish is simple to make and simply delicious! You can serve it as an accompaniment to a wide variety of meat or vegetable mains, or you can eat it on its own with a salad and a generous piece of real Greek feta cheese. And if you have some fresh crusty white bread handy you can use it to wipe up the excess lemon oil straight from the pan… As for the potatoes, I use (and recommend you use) the Yukon Gold variety as their yellow flesh bakes in and absorbs the lemon juice and olive oil wonderfully well, and yet they retain a nice cruchiness around the edges. When I'm in Greece, I only use Arcadian potatoes. The oregano has to be Greek, and only the highest quality Greek extra virgin olive oil will do. Now, follow my directions to the letter and you will enjoy a pan of perfect lemon potatoes! Recipe: 2.5 lbs. (1 kg.) potatoes washed and peeled. Juice from 2 ...