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Early Spring Greek Dishes

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auroracoor1

auroracoor1

Active member
We are going through a bit of a warm spell now, which makes me feel like spring might come a little earlier. Even if it doesn't it has me in the mood to think about spring and the traditional Greek foods that are eaten in spring.

This isn't something I have thought of before! In Greece, what is in season in early spring? I looked online and I saw some dishes that involved onions, fava beans, foraged greens - some of them, like dandelion, do seem to taste better in early spring. I appreciate your thoughts.
 
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auroracoor1 said:
We are going through a bit of a warm spell now, which makes me feel like spring might come a little earlier. Even if it doesn't it has me in the mood to think about spring and the traditional Greek foods that are eaten in spring.

This isn't something I have thought of before! In Greece, what is in season in early spring? I looked online and I saw some dishes that involved onions, fava beans, foraged greens - some of them, like dandelion, do seem to taste better in early spring. I appreciate your thoughts.
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Early spring dandelion and chicory don't need much to make them taste amazing. They taste great fresh and in a salad. Once the growing season progresses you pretty much need to boil them to take some of the bitterness out. This time of year, gently cooking all the new spring foods that you can forage outside is the way to go, if you cook them at all (I don't recommend cooking the early dandelions). They get bitter shortly after they flower, but we have some time before that happens.
 
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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?

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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!

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