Tomato braised sausage, known in Greece as “spetzofai”, is a family favorite in our home. The traditional recipe has a slight kick from the spicy sausage. My boys prefer a non-spicy version, which is easily achieved by swapping out the spicy sausage for sweet Italian sausage. It pairs well with pasta, rice, oven roasted potatoes, french fries or a few thick slices of bread, which is how we enjoyed it during a recent trip to the Greek island of Zakinthos.
Gluten-Free
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Continue ReadingBeet salad makes for a wonderful summer appetizer. Our family also enjoys these beets as a side dish to accompany our baked lamb on Easter Sunday. It’s simple to make and adds a wonderful pop of color to the table. Be sure to use fresh beets. While using precooked beets will significantly cut down on the preparation time, they won’t yield the same vibrant pink color. You can also opt to serve these beets as a dip. Simply prepare the salad in a blender and blend until smooth. Ingredients Preparation
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Continue ReadingThis navy bean soup, known as “fasolada” is Greece’s national dish. Simple and unassuming, this soup is both comforting and nutritious. Being vegan/vegetarian it is well suited for the season of lent, during which Greek’s forgo meat and dairy. One can also opt to top it with some crumbled feta for an added touch of saltiness and enjoy with a thick slice of country bread. Ingredients Preparation
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Continue ReadingIf there was ever a dish that conveyed how melt-in-your mouth delicious eggplant can be, it is this tomato baked eggplant recipe, known in Greece as “imam bayildi”. The sauce is prepared one of two ways – with homemade tomato sauce, which yields a deeper flavor, or diluted tomato paste, providing a “lighter” sauce. This tomato baked eggplant is best served with pasta, rice, or on its own with a thick slice of country style bread. If serving as an entrée, you’ll definitely want to include the crumbled feta, which will add substance to the dish. Ingredients Preparation
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Continue ReadingGreek baked beans is a type of large lima bean baked in tomato sauce and is one of the most satisfying vegetarian dishes I have come across. One of the qualities of Greek cooking is the natural balance that exists between meat and vegetables. And in the case of these Greek baked beans, it is as hearty as a good beef stew! Their large size gives the beans a wonderful meaty quality. Baked in a rich tomato sauce with carrots, onions, and celery, these beans aren’t meant to play second fiddle and provide a fulfilling meal with a thick slice…
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Continue ReadingHomemade hummus dip is sometimes mistaken for a Greek dish, when its roots are found in Arabic cuisine, with the word “hummus” meaning “chickpeas” in the Arabic language. This confusion is understandable with so many restaurants describing their cuisine as Mediterranean, which encompasses traditional foods from multiple countries that border the western Mediterranean. While hummus isn’t indigenous to Greece, it is a wonderful dish. Having recently attended a gathering at Yafo Kitchen with the Charlotte Food Bloggers, where we learned to make a delicious homemade hummus dip, I simply had to share the recipe! Ingredients 12 ounces dry chickpeas 1 tablespoon baking soda 1/4…
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Continue ReadingThe true translation for this recipe is “fried pork” but “mustard pork” seems more appropriate given its flavor. There are a variety of ways to prepare this dish. Some include mustard, while others do not. This particular version is inspired by a meal we enjoyed at a small taverna, while exploring the southern Peloponnese. It pairs well with rice, potatoes, and vegetables and is relatively simple to prepare. When selecting a cut of meat, be sure to avoid one that is too lean. Boneless ribs work well. Also, choose your favorite mustard for this recipe. We love to use a…
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Continue ReadingWith fall comes the celebration of all things pumpkin and one of my favorites – pumpkin soup. While there is no shortage of Greek recipes for this wonderful vegetable, it is out of season during our summer visits, limiting my exposure. Instead, I draw inspiration from my childhood in Switzerland, where school children enjoyed two hour lunch breaks allowing for hearty home cooked meals. These lengthy interludes led to frequent lunch dates at friends’ homes, which provided exposure to a diverse range of cooking. On one such occasion, my friend’s French mother prepared pumpkin soup. What was particularly noteworthy about…
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Continue ReadingTraditionally served with “avgolemono” or egg-lemon sauce, our family’s Greek meatball recipe is slightly lighter, forgoing the egg and served instead in a clear lemony broth. Introduced to this version by my mother-in-law several years ago, it remains my favorite due to the broth, which reminds me of the beloved chicken noodle soup of my childhood. The ingredients are the same as those used to prepare stuffed grape and cabbage leaves. This lead my mother-in-law to lovingly refer to the dish as “orphan soup”, when first asked about it. Inquiring why it was named as such, she smiled and simply…
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Continue ReadingSpicy feta dip is one of our standing orders when we visit a Greek taverna. It consists mainly of feta cheese and red chili peppers and there are a multitude of ways to prepare this recipe. Part of the fun is tasting each taverna’s interpretation. From using different types of chilis, to incorporating small pieces of diced cucumber and bell pepper, the opportunities to be creative with this dip seem endless. The key is to use your favorite feta and just enough chilis such that the heat is noticeable but not unpleasantly hot. Served with bread or pitas, this dip is…