Greek Recipes

          Mediterranean summers are very hot and heat calls for light meals. In Greece we use many vegetables in our summer cuisine - in salads, in vegetable stews, grilling them, baking them,  or making fritters for more filling bite size snacks.       The most famous Greek salad among locals and tourists is choriảtiki the base of which is tomato, cucumber, and onion topped with a generous slice of feta cheese. Choriatiki is also garnished with olives, green pepper, capers and dry oregano. Olive oil is the final and most important ingredient of any salad; it has to be fresh extra virgin olive oil because salads are not cooked, and therefore all special characteristics of the oil used affect the taste.      A zucchini fritter ( kolokythokeftẻdes ) is a nice way to turn zucchinis ( kolokỳthia ) into a tasty snack. It is usually served as a first course or as a meze for your ouzo or wine. Some Greek yoghurt  is al...

       Our country cottage is in a small village. There was no shop to buy anything, and we had to visit the nearest town to get supplies. Of course we always would buy goods in advance, but there was one thing that as a kid I was missing in summer and that thing was ICE CREAM!!!.       As you know, mums don’t like their children to be miserable, so I had a favorite ice cream substitute that my mother could easily make at our cottage with no special equipment. This was her chocolate and biscuits log; she called it mosaico. It is not her own invention; it’s actually a quite popular dessert all mothers used to make since the 70’s.       My mother makes this delicious dessert with vegetable margarine, cocoa, eggs and a couple table spoons of brandy to eliminate the egg flavor but, as an adult, I prefer to use less fat and  make it with dark chocolate and whipping cream. I will give you both recipes to decide which one fits better ...

      Yellow split peas or fava, as we call them in Greece, are cultivated in many regions of the country where different microclimates give them completely different tastes. Santorini , apart from being one of the most beautiful islands, is the place of origin of the best quality fava beans produced in our country. The volcanic soil and the unique dry climate give to the beans an exquisite taste but the limited production makes it difficult to find them outside the island. Very good fava is also produced in the valley of ancient Feneόs here in the Peloponnese.         Fava is usually cooked as a puree and since its taste is quite neutral, caramelized onions, capers or some finely chopped Greek salad on top, can transform it into a gourmet dish.  Serves 2 For the fava puree: 70gr olive oil 1 medium onion chopped 250gr yellow split peas 1,5 litre of water salt and pepper to taste  For the caramelized onions:       ...

      Sometimes I wonder what makes something traditional in cooking. I suspect it is a combination of factors: local ingredients, eating habits  and  sometimes our ability to incorporate into our own tradition methods and ingredients that come from other countries with different cultures or even a  different climate.       This flexibility probably keeps traditions alive within generations and endlessly produces more traditions. A good example is spices. They are now widely used all over the planet in all cuisines. Who can imagine pastry making without vanilla? Such ingredients seem to have been in our kitchens since the day we started cooking our food.       That’s how my grandmother used to make her delicious coconut ravani cake , - without ever wondering what coconut ( καρύδα in Greek ) had to do with Greece. We usually make this light dessert when the weather gets warmer because it smells like summer and it’s the ve...

       My father liked hunting with my uncles on the winter weekends when hunting was permitted; so we often had wild rabbits and birds for special meals at home.       The most common and delicious way to cook game in Greece is   stifảdo  (στιφάδο) . This is a meat stew with baby onions. Since most people, including myself; don’t  like hunting,  stifảdo can also made with beef, rabbit or any kind of poultry hunted down at your local butchers       Baby onions keep their shape during cooking making for a nice presentation and giving  a sweet taste to this dish. Adding a teaspoon of tomato paste gives a warm rich color to the sauce. Serves 4 4 chicken legs (or any other part) 1 onion chopped ½ cup olive or vegetable oil for frying (110gr) 28 baby onions ½ cup of olive oil for cooking (110gr) 1tsp tomato paste 1.5 litres water 6 cloves 1 bay leaf 1 garlic clove 1Tsp vinegar  salt and pepper to taste ...

     Legumes are an important part of the Greek diet. Lentils ( fakẻs in Greek) are usually cooked as a soup with carrots and garlic and are traditionally served with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar.      I remember lentil soup was a Tuesday dish in my home and, as you know, kids don’t usually like legumes. So my grandmother would make omelet for me with my mother hesitating to agree, - thinking  that I would become spoiled. So I was almost ten years old when I first tasted my mother’s lentil soup. We were on summer vacation with my cousins who loved lentil soup and they convinced me to try it. Since that day I have never argued about this dish. Actually I really like lentils a lot, so why don’t you try them for yourself? Serves 4 500gr brown lentils ½ cup olive oil 1 large onion chopped 1 carrot grated or cut in cubes 1 bay leaf or some fresh dill 2 garlic cloves 1 ½ litre water salt and pepper to taste      Place the lentils in a...

           This year, Greek Orthodox Easter is on Sunday April 15, a week after the Catholic Easter.            During the “ Holy Week" preceeding Easter, my grandmother would make the Easter cookies and sweetbreads. You can imagine the aromas of vanilla, butter, orange zest, and mastic, spreading all over the house and my anticipation to taste everything coming out of the oven. Unfortunately, I was forbidden to touch anything until Sunday because dairy products and eggs were not consumed during the “Holy Week”. So I had to watch all these goodies being wrapped in colorful transparent plastic wrap to keep them fresh and pretty, before half of them would be given to friends and relatives for Easter.  This entire “patience test” didn’t serve to make me any more religious!          The sweetbreads my grandmother used to make are called “tsourẻkia” .They were once special Easter sweet breads , but now...