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Different Greek Dishes to Cook?

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nm1999

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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ellinasgolfer0320 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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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JOIN THE DISCUSSION AND READ OTHER GREEK INFO:

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.

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?

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?

Do you put potatoes in your briam?

I've noticed that there are quite a few variations of briam, especially when it comes to which vegetables people include. One ingredient I'm particularly curious about is potatoes. Do you always put potatoes in your briam, or do you prefer making it without them?

I usually think of briam as a combination of zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and plenty of olive oil. I love how the potatoes absorb all those wonderful flavors as everything slowly roasts together in the oven.

However, I've seen recipes that leave the potatoes out entirely and focus more on the summer vegetables. I imagine that makes the dish a little lighter.

I'm also curious whether there are regional differences in how briam is prepared throughout Greece. Does your family have a particular way of making it? And what vegetables do you consider absolutely essential?

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.
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