Greek roasted potatoes are addictively delicious. They are very similar to the potatoes from our roast chicken recipe, with the exception that they are prepared on their own and can be served as a vegetarian side dish. The garlic, lemon, olive oil, and white wine give these potatoes loads of flavor. We tend to prefer to prepare this recipe with yukon gold potatoes. They texture holds up best during baking. However, any large potato will do. Ingredients 8 potatoes 1 clove garlic Juice from half a lemon 1/4 cup white wine 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1-2 cups…
Gluten-Free
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Continue ReadingThis recipe is a wonderful way to enjoy beets’ earthy flavor on a warm summer’s day. Boiled in salt water and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, they are as delicious as they are easy to prepare. While beets are prized for the root, their leaves and stems are edible as well. This recipe walks you through how to prepare all parts. Ingredients 1.5 pounds beets 1 tablespoon of salt Water for boiling the beets 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons wine or cider vinegar Preparation Using a sharp knife, separate the stems and leaves from…
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Continue ReadingThis spinach and rice recipe known in Greek as “spanakorizo”, is one of the recipes that I am most often asked to share. It tastes as delicious as it is easy to make and my children are wild about it. You can enjoy this dish as an entrée topped with feta or as a side, which pairs well with nearly everything. Also, there is leeway with the ingredients. The traditional recipe calls for rice. However, if you prefer a different to use a different grain like quinoa, you can mix things up as long as you adjust the amount of…
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Continue ReadingAs fall sets in and temperatures begin to drop, one can’t help but get excited about soups. Our family enjoys a whole variety of them from spaghetti minestrone to seafood stew. When trying to choose which one to share first, I opted for my husband’s favorite and one that even my young children enjoy – lentil soup. This dish is both healthy and hearty thanks to the lentils, which are rich in protein and fiber, and easily serves as a main meal. We love to eat the soup with a thick slice of homemade bread. Another option, if you want to…
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Continue ReadingHomemade tomato sauce, oh how I love thee! Freshness and other benefits aside, a principal reason for making your own sauce is the ability to control its specific flavor. Many of our family recipes call for tomato sauce, the seasoning of which will influence the overall flavor of the dish. When away from Greece, I strive to precisely replicate my mother-in-law’s cooking. Using homemade tomato sauce is one of the ways I go about doing this. While we typically can our sauce, this recipe is written with freezing as the preservation method, for two reasons. First, the canning recipe calls for…
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Continue ReadingCauliflower; sure, you’ve seen it served on vegetable platers, in salads, side dishes, and soups, but have you ever thought of it as a main dish? That’s right, in our home, we don’t just like cauliflower, we eat it by the plateful! You’re probably wondering how cauliflower alone could sustain a person from one meal to the next. The secret is the amount of olive oil used in the cooking. It adds the necessary calories and combined with the tomato and onion, creates a wonderful sauce that you can enjoy with a slice or two of bread. Of course, if…
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Continue ReadingThis lamb shank fricassée is sure to delight anyone who enjoys lamb. The meat is fall off the bone tender and the flavors from the dill and greens are a nice change from the traditional lamb roasts and stews. While this specific recipe uses lamb shanks, the fricassée can also be prepared using chicken, pork, or beef, all of which I will share at a later date. As far as pairing is concerned, rice or couscous works well. In our family, we typically enjoy the meat and greens on their own with a slice or two of bread for sopping…
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Continue ReadingThis mediterranean stewed vegetables recipe is known in Greece as “Tourlou”. The stars of this recipe are the green beans and eggplant. Combined with the zucchini and potatoes, this dish is hearty enough to be eaten on its own with a thick slice of feta and some bread, and light enough to be served as a side. If you’re sitting there wondering how eggplant could possibly taste good, that is probably because too often it is prepared incorrectly. While well cooked eggplant is “melt-in-your-mouth” divine, incorrectly cooked eggplant tastes “rubbery” and in my opinion is simply inedible. Thankfully, this Mediterranean stewed vegetables recipe…
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Continue ReadingGreek shrimp saganaki is prepared using the popular pepper and onion tomato sauce. The recipe is straightforward and the saganaki can be eaten with rice, pasta, or on its own with some bread to sop up the sauce. That’s right, when your food includes sauce this good, I say, sop it up! While I describe this recipe using shrimp, it can also be prepared with the seafood of your choice. My mother-in-law makes a wonderful shrimp saganaki with coquina clams, which she picks fresh from the Ionian Sea. Ingredients 1 pound raw peeled shrimp 1 pound bell peppers 1 large…
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Continue ReadingWhile preparing stuffed grape leaves is somewhat labor intensive, enjoying a fresh batch far exceeds anything you’ll take from a can. There are many different types of stuffing recipes, some call for pine nuts, others are vegetarian. Our family recipe is a combination of rice and ground beef. Another bonus to this recipe is that you can substitute the grape leaves with romaine lettuce leaves, which is just as delicious. In the process steps below, I have detailed the preparation using both grape leaves and romaine lettuce. Ingredients 20-24 grape leaves or 3-4 heads romaine lettuce 1 pound lean ground…