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nm1999

Active member
I have been cooking Greek food at home lately and I seem to have gotten stuck in a bit of a rut. Well, there's truly no such thing with Greek cooking because it's all delicious, but I do seem to be cooking the same things all the time. Here's what I have been cooking. Let me know if you have ideas of dishes I should try next:

** Tiropita and Spanakopita - I seem to alternate between them

** Souvlaki - I have the routine down with this and it's an easy one to put together. I make it with lamb, pork, chicken, or beef. Mostly it's either lamb or chicken, though.

** Dolmades

I think what I am looking for are dishes that are a bit simpler to put together than these.
 
Off the top of my head, here are some new ideas:
1. Spanakopita, but make your own phyllo.
2. Soutzoukakia
3. Giouverlakia
4. Fasolada
5. Fakes
6. Tigania (chicken or beef)
7. Giouvetsi
8. Stifado (with beef or rabbit)
9. Gemista
10. Gyros (chicken or pork) - if you do pork then try making tzatziki, if you so chicken then try making "sauce" which is a combination of Greek yogurt, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise that Greeks put on a gyros.
 
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Off the top of my head, here are some new ideas:
1. Spanakopita, but make your own phyllo.
2. Soutzoukakia
3. Giouverlakia
4. Fasolada
5. Fakes
6. Tigania (chicken or beef)
7. Giouvetsi
8. Stifado (with beef or rabbit)
9. Gemista
10. Gyros (chicken or pork) - if you do pork then try making tzatziki, if you so chicken then try making "sauce" which is a combination of Greek yogurt, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise that Greeks put on a gyros.

Thank you so much for chiming in! I think I will try to make that sauce or the gyros. Do you by any chance know the proportions? This is a great list, I can't wait to get started! For the Stifado, I beef will be a bit easier for me to find than rabbit - but I think I might try to track some rabbit down.
 
Where I am at, it is getting cold out but I have been getting a kick out of running the grill even as the days get shorter and colder. So, I have been cooking a lot of souvlaki, loukaniko, and recently I am on a big soutzoukakia kick. For those, make Greek meatballs and instead of rolling them out, work the meat onto skewers to cook.
 
Biftekia me patates sto fourno, Pastitsio (which is time consuming but freezable so you have dinner for another day), Imam.
 
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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?

What herbs do you use when making Greek stuffed zucchini?

I've been thinking about making Greek stuffed zucchini (kolokithakia gemista), and I'm curious about which herbs everyone uses in the filling. I've seen quite a few variations, and it seems like the combination of herbs can really influence the overall flavor of the dish.

Some recipes use plenty of fresh dill and parsley, while others include mint or even a little oregano. I've also noticed that some people add green onions for extra flavor. I'm wondering whether certain herbs are considered more traditional, especially when making stuffed zucchini with rice and ground meat.

Do you use a combination of herbs, or do you prefer to keep the seasoning fairly simple? Does your family have a particular recipe that has been passed down through generations?

I'm especially interested in how the herbs complement the avgolemono sauce. What combination do you think gives Greek stuffed zucchini the best flavor?

What is your favorite Greek potato dish?

Potatoes show up in so many Greek meals, and I think they are often at their best when they soak up plenty of olive oil, lemon, herbs, and cooking juices.

Greek lemon potatoes are probably the first thing that comes to mind for me. I love when they are roasted until they are soft inside, a little crisp around the edges, and full of lemon and oregano. Potatoes cooked alongside chicken or lamb are also hard to beat because they absorb so much flavor from the pan.

I also enjoy simple boiled potatoes dressed with olive oil, lemon, parsley, and salt, especially with fish or grilled meat.

What Greek potato dish do you make most often? Do you prefer lemon potatoes, potatoes roasted with meat, fried potatoes, or something else? And is there a particular seasoning or family method that makes your version especially good?

Favorite Greek Cheeses Beyond Feta

Feta gets most of the attention when people talk about Greek cheese, but there are so many other varieties worth trying. I’m curious which Greek cheeses everyone enjoys most beyond feta.

Graviera is one of my favorites because it works so well on a cheese plate, grated over dishes, or just eaten with bread. Kasseri is another one I really like, especially melted. I’ve also been interested in trying more regional cheeses like metsovone, manouri, kefalotyri, and formaela.

Some Greek cheeses seem to be much easier to find outside Greece than others, so I’d also love to know which ones people regularly buy and where they usually find them.

What Greek cheeses do you keep coming back to? Are there certain ones you associate with a particular region, dish, or family tradition? And if someone has mostly eaten feta, which Greek cheese would you recommend they try next?
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