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Do You Prefer Gemista With Rice Only or With Ground Meat?

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knicks_fan87

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I usually make gemista with a mixture of rice and ground meat, which is how my family has always prepared it. I love how flavorful and hearty it turns out, and it's one of my favorite traditional Greek dishes to make.

However, I have a vegan family member, and I want to make a version that uses just rice and vegetables so everyone can enjoy it. I've had gemista prepared this way before, but I've never actually made it myself. I'm wondering what adjustments I should make to get the same rich flavor without the meat.

Do you prefer gemista with rice only, or do you typically add ground meat? For those who make the vegetarian version, what herbs, seasonings, or other ingredients do you use to give the filling plenty of flavor?
 
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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 Prefer Gemista With Rice Only or With Ground Meat?

I usually make gemista with a mixture of rice and ground meat, which is how my family has always prepared it. I love how flavorful and hearty it turns out, and it's one of my favorite traditional Greek dishes to make.

However, I have a vegan family member, and I want to make a version that uses just rice and vegetables so everyone can enjoy it. I've had gemista prepared this way before, but I've never actually made it myself. I'm wondering what adjustments I should make to get the same rich flavor without the meat.

Do you prefer gemista with rice only, or do you typically add ground meat? For those who make the vegetarian version, what herbs, seasonings, or other ingredients do you use to give the filling plenty of flavor?

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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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?

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.

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