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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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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.

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 Put Cinnamon in Your Keftedes?

I’m curious how everyone here makes keftedes, especially when it comes to cinnamon. I know some Greek families add a little cinnamon to the meat mixture, while others would never think of putting it in.

In my experience, even a small amount can change the flavor quite a bit. It gives the keftedes a warmer, slightly sweeter spice in the background, but I can also see how it might not be for everyone. I’ve had versions that lean more heavily on oregano, mint, parsley, garlic, and onion instead.

Do you put cinnamon in your keftedes? If you do, how much do you usually use, and was that something your family always did? I’d also be curious to know if it varies depending on what part of Greece your family comes from.

Would love to hear how everyone seasons theirs and what you consider essential for really good keftedes.

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!

Greek cooking without a recipe?

I've been thinking about how much traditional Greek cooking relies on instinct rather than following exact recipes. Some of the Greek dishes I learned to make were taught to me by feel, with someone showing me what to do rather than measuring everything out.

I actually enjoy cooking this way, but I've noticed that it can make certain dishes difficult to recreate consistently! Sometimes everything comes together perfectly, and other times I wonder what I did differently.

I'm curious how others approach this. Did you learn Greek cooking by watching your yiayia, mother, or other relatives? Do you measure ingredients, or do you just know when something looks, smells, or tastes right?
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