Fried zucchini

INGREDIENTS:

Some courgettes
Salt
Oil
Flour

METHOD:

Wash the courgettes and cut them into thin slices. Salt them and dip them in the flour. Fry them in hot oil. Let them drain afterwards (use a absorbing piece of paper for the purpose).

Saganaki Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

1 Whole Egg
1/4 Cup Flour
1 Item Kefalotiri (Cut into 3/4" pieces)
1 Whole Lemons (Squeezed) Preferred Measurements: Imperial Metric

METHOD:

Beat the egg in a bowl and put the flour on a plate.
Dip the pieces of cheese in the egg, then roll in the flour.
Heat butter in a frying pan and fry the cheese until the flour coating is golden.
Squeeze a lemon on the cheese before removing from the pan and serve immediately (excellent hot).

Meatballs With Ouzo

Greek people like meatballs too much and for that reason there are many meat ball recipes. One of the tastiest is meat balls with ouzo, relatively easy to prepare.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg minced chicken
750 gr soaked stale bread, finely drained
1 bunch finely chopped parsley
1 bunch finely chopped dill
4 onions, diced
2 eggs
oregano
Flour for coating
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying

For the sauce

1 wine glass ouzo
1 glass of water milk cream
Salt
Pepper

METHOD:

In a large bowl place the minced chicken, the parsley, the dill, the oregano, the onions and the eggs. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Mould mixture and shape it into small balls. Heat oil in a frying pan. Coat each ball and fry until brown. In a saucepan place the cream, salt and pepper and boil. Add the ouzo, mix and boil again. Add the meatballs and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Greek Souvlaki

This is probably the most popular Greek dish. Greek Souvlaki is made of pita bread, pork meat, tzatziki, onions and tomatoes. It is easy to prepare, nutritious, absolutely delicious and sold everywhere in Greece.

What is souvlaki?

Souvlaki is a fast food served in souvlaki restaurants or "souvlatzidika" as Greeks call them. These are small or bigger eateries that also serve gyros and other grilled meat dishes. You can buy one to take away and eat it on the street or sit in and enjoy it as you would do with a normal meal. Souvlakia are small cubes of pork threaded on a small wooden skewer, also known as a "kalamaki".

The history of souvlaki

Souvlaki is Greek, no dought about that. It first made its appearance in ancient Greece, as proved by a recipe from that time. The dish was called "kandaulos" and combined grilled meat, pita, cheese and dill. Many centuries later street vendors were selling souvlakia with pita in Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium.
The first souvlaki restaurants in Greece appeared in Livadia in 1951, selling souvlakia on a stick and gyros.
Today souvlaki is available in souvlaki shops and restaurants in every Greek town and city. You can order it as a takeaway and of course you'll always find it sold at canteens at street markets, on the beach or by the side of the road. At every festival there's at least one vendor filling the air with the delicious smell of char-grilled souvlaki.

Souvlaki types

Apart from the classic pork souvlaki, you can also try chicken or any other meat. One shop in Athens even serves ostrich souvlaki. All these variations were invented to provide a different taste, and also contain far less fat and cholesterol than pork.
In restaurants (but not souvlaki restaurants) the souvlaki is not the typical Greek souvlaki but it is rather bigger, threaded on a metal skewer and not served inside the pita. There are also swordfish, prawn or vegetable souvlaki.
The traditional kebab is also cooked on a spit but it's not called a souvlaki. It's made of lamb or pork mince with spices and looks like a big elongated meat patty.

Souvlaki Preparation

After you buy fresh pork meat you should chop it in small pieces, preferably cubes and marinate it in olive oil, oregano, thyme and a bit of vinegar for 8-10 hours. Then, add some salt and pepper and place the pieces on souvlaki skewers. Be careful not to over-grill the meat.
Pita breads are essential to have a genuine Greek souvlaki so grill the pitas and then add some tomato, onion and tzatziki (prepared with yoghurt, garlic, cucumber and olive oil) along with the meat and dinner is served.

Greek Recipes

 

Pastitsio

INGREDIENTS:

1 packet of tube pasta
½ kilo of minced meat
½ cup of oil
½ of roughly chopped cheese
1 ½ cups of tomato juicesalt, pepper
parsley
a little cinnamon and nutmeg
Bιchamel Sauce

Preparation:

Boil the pasta for around 15 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside until the minced meat is prepared.
Place the oil, minced meat, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg in a pot. Sautι for 15 minutes and then add the tomato juice and leave to simmer for half an hour. During this time prepare the Jotis Bιchamel sauce in line with the instructions on the packet. Add 3 lightly beaten eggs if desired and stir in. Add 1/3 of the bιchamel sauce and the cheese to the minced meat and stir in.
Oil a medium sized casserole dish and place half the pasta in a flat layer. Place the minced meat on top and cover with the remaining pasta.Cover the entire surface of the pastichio with the remaining bιchamel sauce and sprinkle with some melted butter. Sprinkle with some grated gruyere too if desired.
Roast at 180oC in a fan-assisted oven for approximately 1 hour.

Bιchamel Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 small onion studded with 2 Or 3 cloves, optional
1 small bay leaf
dash dried leaf thyme, crumbled
salt and white pepper to taste
nutmeg, to taste

Preparation:

In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When butter starts to foam, add the flour all at once, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Cook over low heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate and cook flour. Remove pan from heat and let stand, up to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, scald milk (heating it until just below boiling point). Return saucepan with roux to medium-low heat. Add all of the scalded milk at once (to avoid the formation of lumps). Simmer, stirring gently with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Add studded onion, bay leaf and thyme sprig. Cook, stirring, over low heat, 15 to 20 minutes, until smooth and thickened. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. Makes about 2 cups.

Moussaka

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilo of aubergines
½ kilo of minced meat
1 cup of butter
1 average-sized onion, finely chopped
1 cup of tomato juice
parsley
salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg
300 gr. of Feta cheese, finely crumbled
4 cups of milk
a little grated gruyere cheese
Bιchamel Sauce

Preparation:

Place half the butter in a pan and sautι the onion, add the minced meat and stir until the minced meat whitens and forms into lumps. Then add the tomato juice, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg and allspice. Leave the minced meat and sauce to simmer until the liquids have evaporated. Prepare the Jotis Bιchamel Sauce in accordance with the instructions on the packet. Take one cupful of Bιchamel sauce and stir into the minced meat. In the meantime wash and cut the aubergines into fine slices. Melt the remaining butter and using a brush butter the aubergines on both sides.
Place them flat in a casserole dish and roast in a hot oven until golden brown on both sides. Place a layer of aubergines in an oven-proof dish, cover with half the minced meat mix and sprinkle over half the Feta cheese.
Repeat, once again covering the aubergines with the minced meat mix and Feta cheese. Finally add another layer of aubergines and place the remaining Bιchamel sauce on top and sprinkle with the gruyere cheese. Roast in a fan-assisted oven at 180oC for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Bechamel Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 small onion studded with 2 Or 3 cloves, optional
1 small bay leaf
dash dried leaf thyme, crumbled
salt and white pepper to taste
nutmeg, to taste

Preparation:

In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When butter starts to foam, add the flour all at once, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Cook over low heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate and cook flour. Remove pan from heat and let stand, up to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, scald milk (heating it until just below boiling point). Return saucepan with roux to medium-low heat. Add all of the scalded milk at once (to avoid the formation of lumps). Simmer, stirring gently with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Add studded onion, bay leaf and thyme sprig. Cook, stirring, over low heat, 15 to 20 minutes, until smooth and thickened. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. Makes about 2 cups.

Youvetsi

INGREDIENTS:

450gr (1 lb) Barley-shaped pasta (Kritharaki)
1/2 Cups of butter
1 Onion
2 cups tomato juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
100gr grated parmesan cheese
Salt
1Kg (2 lbs) Lamb
Pepper

INGREDIENTS:

1. Cut lamb to several medium sized pieces (its important not to cut the meat to small pieces).
2. Peel and dice onion to small pieces
3. Peel and chop garlic cloves to slivers.
4. Heat some butter in deep frying pan or medium sauce pan and lightly sute the lamb pieces along with some chopped onions and the garlic.
5. Add the tomato juice and tomato paste in the pan and mix.
6. Add water in the pan (enough so that the meat is fully covered in sauce) along with some salt and pepper and stir well.
7. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low setting (or very low depending on your stove).
8. Allow enough time for the lamp to become tender.
9. In a pot boil water and add the Barley-shaped pasta.
10. After pasta is ready (check pasta box for cooking time), drain and add about half of it in a baking pan.
11. Add the meat to the baking pan and then add the rest of the pasta.
12. Pour the tomato mixture over the baking pan and use a spoon to even the pasta in the pan.
13. Sprinkle some grated parmesan over the pasta.
14. Bake (in a preheated) oven for 15 minutes at medium heat.
15. Serve hot.

Soutzoukakia from Smyrna

Soutzoukakia is a special Greek dish with minced meat and red sauce accompanied with French fries or rice. Its origin is from Smyrna and its preparation is not very difficult.

INGREDIENTS:

Half a kilo of minced veal meat
4 slices of bread
1 wine glass of olive oil
5 squashed tomatoes or a spoonful of tomato paste and a box of tomato juice
1 spoonful of cumin
4-5 smashed garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
A cup of water

Preparation:

We put the bread in a bowl of water and when it's all wet we remove the water and the bread's crust and we add the minced meat, the cumin, the garlic, the salt and pepper and we mix well with our hands until we have a unified mixture. We take small quantities of the mixture and create long, narrow pieces that look like small sausages.
There are two ways of pre-baking soutzoukakia. The traditional way is to fry them in a pan of hot olive oil. The second way is to grill them lightly in the oven and then put them in a big pot where you will also add the tomatoes. It would be best to use fresh instead of canned tomatoes. After that you should add a glass of water, salt, pepper and half a teaspoon of sugar.
After the sauce is boiled add the soutzoukakia in the mixture and after 15 minutes (in medium temperature) the food is ready to be enjoyed. You can add green olives inside the sauce to add a special flavour.
You can either serve with rice or mashed potatoes or your favourite pasta
Half a kilo of minced meat corresponds to three good portions.

Greek Recipes

 

Greek Salad

Greek salad is the favourite of tourists, it is delicious and nutritious prepares with fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumber, feta cheese, olive oil, peppers and olives.

INGREDIENTS:

3 - 4 tomatoes
half cucumber
1 onion
feta cheese
olive oil
salt
olives
oregano

METHOD:

Cut the tomatoes, the onion and the cucumber in slices. Mix them, add salt and some pieces of feta cheese, oregano and at the end pour some olive oil.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a very popular Greek dish with a very easy recipe. You only need yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, salt and olive oil to prepare it. This is the best side dish!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
250 ml yoghurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ Tbsp dill, chopped , or oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
2 dill sprigs for garnish
pepper
3 bowls
2 sieves
1 spoon

METHOD:

Step 1: Strain the yoghurt

Place a sieve over a large bowl. Pour in the yoghurt and leave for half an hour to drain the liquid.

Step 2: Strain the cucumber

Place a sieve over another bowl, add the cucumber and salt. The salt draws out the water in the cucumber. Stir a little and leave for half an hour.

Step 3: Make the tzatzki

After half an hour, the water should have drained from both ingredients.
Spoon the cucumber into a bowl. Then add the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix together until it is well combined. Finally, cover with cling film and chill for one hour before serving.

Step 4: Serve

Spoon the tzatziki into a serving bowl and garnish with a sprig of dill or a sprinkle of chopped mint.Tzatziki is very versatile and can be served as an accompaniment to dishes such as lamb kebabs or grilled fish and vegetables, spread on squares of pita bread as a snack, or served as a dip with cruditιs (batons of raw carrot, celery, spring onion etc.).

Greek Recipes