Greek Recipes

In Greek, the grape harvest is called trygos. During the trygos, from late August to November this traditional pudding, made from moustos (grape must) will be made at home or you can find individual portions in little plastic dishes in bakeries and supermarkets. Moustos is the unfiltered and unfermented juice from freshly pressed grapes. It has many culinary uses in Greece from moustalevria to petimezi - grape molasses syrup, pies, bread and the very popular Moustokoulora, which are grape must cookies. Moustalevria is a simple, very traditional pudding and the texture sits somewhere between thicked cream and a gelled dessert. It can be made in a variety of ways, in some homes petimezi is used instead of moustos to a sweeter, more concentrated version. The most traditional way involves tying up a small amount of wood ash in cheesecloth and placing it in the boiling moustos to draw out the impurities and clarify the pudding. The first time I tried Moustalevria was at Varsos in Athens. Th...

by.George Portokalakis HOME COOKING STEP BY STEP STRIFTOPITA: SPIRAL WILD GREENS PIE A traditional Greek pie made of thin handmade pastry and filled fresh wild greens or spinach Sweet memories frommy grand mother and my mother made this savoury pie of greens, herbs, from afamily recipe. My sister and my wife have taken the charge to make it thepresent days: Greens and herbs are the secret to a successful and fragrant hortopita.   In  Crete , we have access to a big variety of greens year round so we can enjoy this hearty, nutritious meal any time.  (Spinach, fennel leaves, leeks, nettles, dandelion sorrels, white beets, endive leaves, wild chicory, spring onions, dill, parsley, coriander) You can use some of them or all of them at same time. T he combination of greens for this pie (pita = pie), include dandelion, sorrel and white beet greens combine with plenty of green onions and fennel leaves coarsely chopped, parsley and dill, ol...

by.George Portokalakis HOME COOKING   STEP BY STEP: Melomakarona: Christmas Honey Cookies Melomakarona are traditional Christmas cookies, wonderfully spiced and soaked in honey-based syrup. Sweet, delicious and addictive! S oft, dipped in honey syrup and covered with chopped walnuts and roasted sesame. One of the most popular treats during the Christmas Holidays and their smell makes every house smell just ... Like Christmas! Melomakarona is a dark, succulent cookie, juicy and dripping honey, walnuts and roasted sesame all over the place and are made with olive oil, honey, orange juice, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, spiced with cinnamon and a shot of brandy and flour. Soaked with simple syrup of honey and water. Walnuts and roasted sesame sprinkled on top  INGREDIENTS For the dough (makes 50 - 55 bisquits) 1 1/2 cups (1 cup = 250g) olive oil 1/2 cup margarine (125g) (room temperature) 1 cup sugar (250g) 4 cups flour (1000g...