Visit the Greek Islands from your kitchen > Seafood Souvlaki
Summer is a good time to visit the Greek island of Crete, but you can do it all the year round at least from your dining table.
The traditional Crete diet is so well known for its focus on leafy greens that the people of Crete were once called “mangifolia”, meaning “leaf-eaters”. The diet also focuses on [...]
Greek dishes full of flavor > Tzatziki [cucumber yogurt sauce]
Ingredients >
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
8 oz plain yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped mint or dill
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Method >
Place cucumber in a kitchen towel and squeeze out excess water.
Drain yogurt in a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth for about 1 hour, discard liquid.
Combine all [...]
Greek dishes full of flavor > Dolmadakia me Rizi [stuffed grape leaves with rice]
Ingredients >
1 jar 15 ounces grapevine leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups hot water
For the Filling >
1 pound onions, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup black currants (optional)
Method >
To make filling > Sauté onions in olive [...]
Baklava (Greek pastry)
Ingredients >
2/3 pound nuts (almonds and walnuts)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
9 sheets filo dough
5 tablespoon butter, melted
24 whole cloves
Syrup >
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 orange, cut in half
1/4 cup Chestnut Honey
Procedure >
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, combine nuts, 1/4 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse until all nuts [...]
Kourabiedes (Greek cookies Pastry)
Traditional Greek Christmas cookies coated with powdered sugar – This is one of the two kinds of confection that are traditionally consumed in large quantities in Greece during the holiday season.
Ingredients >
2 c Butter, unsalted
1 c Sugar, powdered
3 Egg yolks
3 T Brandy
2 t Vanilla extract
6 c Flour
1/2 c Almonds (blanched), chopped
1 lb Sugar, powdered
Procedure >
Beat [...]
Stuffed Tomatoes Santorini (Greek)
Ingredients >
10 tomatoes
1 lb (500 g) eggplant, peeled and coarsely grated
1/2 cup (100 g) rice
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 garliccloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp currants
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and reshly ground black pepper
Procedure >
Cut a slice off the top of each tomato and scoop out the flesh. Sprinkle the insoides with [...]
Octopus with Onions (Htapodi Stifado, Greek)
Ingredients >
1 1/4 kilograms octopus
1 kilogram small onions
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar (red)
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1 cup water
3/4 kilogram tomatoes ripe
salt
4 peppercorns
Procedure >
If the octopus is not tender enough, soak it overnight in water with added vinegar. Cut the octupus in pieces one to two inches length long.Wash the pieces [...]
Shrimp Mikrolimano (Greek)
Ingredients >
1 pound shrimp peeled
6 tomatoes seeded and pureed
3 cloves garlic chopped fine
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons parsley chopped fine
1/3 cup olive oil
8 oz feta Greek cheese cut in chunks
2 tablespoons butter
salt
pepper
tabasco sauce (optional)
Procedure >
Simmer the pureed tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until they become a thick sauce.
Transfer the sauce to a shallow ovenproof [...]
Turkey Spanakopita with Sun-Dried Tomato Fondue (Greek)
Ingredients >
1/2 cup olive oil
3 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest minced
4 teaspoons garlic minced
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoons flour
1 quart cream
2 cups spinach chopped and lightly packed
2 cups Kalamata Greek olives pitted and chopped
2 pounds feta Greek cheese crumbled
2/3 cup vegetable oil
48 sheets phyllo dough
Sun-dried Tomato Sauce [...]
Stuffed eggplants (Greek Eggplant Papoutsakia)
Ingredients >
5 whole eggplants cut in half
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
3 whole scallion chopped
1 whole onion chopped fine
1/2 cup parsley chopped fine
2 cups tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup oil
1 whole egg
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese grated
10 slices tomatoes
salt and pepper
Procedure >
Wash and cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and let [...]
