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axariotisxy

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I love making soups in winter and I thought I'd share with you my favorites. What are yours?

Avgolemono - A classic - my family used to make this once a week! The ultimate comfort food for me.

Fasolada - I will be making this soon - I found a bag of the white beans in my pantry.

Revithosoupa - this one is an easy supper for me - I use canned chickpeas, which I always have on hand.

Kakavia - I love to eat this and order it at restaurants when I see it. It's a lot of work to make, but when I do make it, it's totally worth it.
 
Mine is kotosoupa, which is, strangely, what Americans call Avgolemono.. if you ask for avgolemono in Greece you'll get the sauce that goes on dolmades.

Lentils, fasolada, and patsa are all a close second.
 
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I love making soups in winter and I thought I'd share with you my favorites. What are yours?

Avgolemono - A classic - my family used to make this once a week! The ultimate comfort food for me.

Fasolada - I will be making this soon - I found a bag of the white beans in my pantry.

Revithosoupa - this one is an easy supper for me - I use canned chickpeas, which I always have on hand.

Kakavia - I love to eat this and order it at restaurants when I see it. It's a lot of work to make, but when I do make it, it's totally worth it.
Avgolemeno and mageritsa (lamb tripe soup)
 
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These all sound great - I eat mageritsa once a year and love it - I have never made it though. Thanks for sharing ... And yes, I noticed that about kotosoupa - it also doesn't seem as common in Greece as it is in the United States? Unless I just didn't look for it in Greece...
 
These all sound great - I eat mageritsa once a year and love it - I have never made it though. Thanks for sharing ... And yes, I noticed that about kotosoupa - it also doesn't seem as common in Greece as it is in the United States? Unless I just didn't look for it in Greece...
Kotosoupa is just as common in Greece as it is in the United States. Giouvarlakia is another good one!
 
My favorites are lentil soup, avgolemono chicken soup, and the Greek tomato soup with orzo. Granted, the tomato soup doesn't taste as good this time of year as it does during the summer, but I still love it.
 

How Much Garlic in a Batch of Tzatziki?

How much garlic do you usually put in a batch of tzatziki? I think I may be using a little too much. I usually make mine with about 2 cups of Greek yogurt and 4 cloves of garlic, along with cucumber, olive oil, and the other usual ingredients.

It tastes great when I first make it, but we usually take about three days to finish the batch. By the second or third day, the garlic flavor and smell become really strong. Some people in my household love that and don’t mind it at all, but others think it becomes a bit overpowering. I’m starting to agree that four cloves might be too much, especially since the garlic seems to get stronger as it sits.

What do you all do? How many cloves would you use for about 2 cups of Greek yogurt?

Is lamb or beef more traditional for giouvetsi?

I've been looking into traditional Greek giouvetsi recipes lately, and I'm curious about which meat is considered the most traditional. I've seen recipes that use lamb, others that call for beef, and even some that use chicken.

I love the idea of slowly cooking the meat in a rich tomato sauce with orzo until everything becomes tender and flavorful. However, I'm wondering whether lamb or beef would be the more authentic choice.

Is one traditionally preferred in certain regions of Greece? I've read that lamb is often associated with older Greek recipes, but beef seems to be very common in modern versions of giouvetsi.

I'm also curious whether the choice of meat changes the way the dish is prepared. Does lamb require different seasonings or cooking times than beef?

For those familiar with traditional Greek cooking, which version do you prefer, and which would you recommend trying first?

Do You Make Avgolemono Thick or Brothy?

I usually prefer avgolemono somewhere in the middle. I don’t like it so thick that it feels almost like a cream soup, but I also don’t want it completely thin and brothy. For me, the best version has enough egg and lemon to give the broth some body while still keeping it light.

A lot probably depends on what kind of avgolemono you’re making, too. In chicken soup, I like it a little more brothy because I want the rice or orzo and chicken to still stand out. With something like lahanodolmades, I don’t mind the avgolemono sauce being thicker because it is coating the food rather than serving as the soup itself.

The lemon level matters just as much as the thickness. I like enough lemon to make it bright and noticeable, but not so much that it overwhelms everything else. I think balance is really the key.

My Family’s Keftedes Recipe

Keftedes are one of those foods that always remind me of family gatherings. Everyone seems to make them a little differently, but this is the basic version my family has always used.

For about a pound of ground beef, we add one small grated onion, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, a little fresh mint, one egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, and a small splash of red wine vinegar. Sometimes we add a little grated garlic as well.

The important part is mixing everything well and then letting the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a little while before shaping the keftedes. We make them fairly small, roll them lightly in flour, and fry them in olive oil until browned on the outside and cooked through.

We usually serve them with lemon, potatoes, salad, or tzatziki.

How does your family make keftedes? I’m especially curious about which herbs and seasonings everyone uses. Thought I'd share!

Do you make Greek lentil soup with vinegar

I’ve always made fakes with a splash of vinegar, either stirred into the pot near the end or added individually at the table. To me, that little bit of acidity is part of what makes the soup taste right, especially with the earthy lentils, olive oil, onion, garlic, and bay leaf.

But I have a Greek friend who makes hers very differently. She doesn’t use vinegar at all and instead adds quite a lot of tomato product, so her version is much redder and more tomato-forward than mine.

Now I’m curious about what is considered more traditional in Greek cooking. Is vinegar usually a standard part of fakes, or is it more of a regional or family preference? Are tomato-heavy versions just as traditional?

How do you make yours, and what did your family serve growing up?
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