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auroracoor1

Active member
It's super simple! Here's how to make it :) :)
  • 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil or oregano leaves
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
 
What can I use tomato paste for?
 
Here is my Greek style sauce:

1. Canned tomato sauce, paste or fresh tomatoes
2. Fresh basil
3. Sea salt
4. Pepper
5. Greek oregano
6. Fresh garlic or garlic powder

Slow simmer for about 2 hours while mixing every 15 minutes, this is my Greek style sauce/paste :)
 
What can I use tomato paste for?
Many Greek recipes use tomato paste, like fasolakia (green beans). I also sneak a little bit in my lentil soup (fakes). You can also add some water and turn it into a tomato sauce. I sometimes even put a little in my pastitsio when I am cooking the ground beef!
 
What can I use tomato paste for?
You can reconstitute it with a little water to make it more like a sauce. There's something special about homemade tomato paste - it has a fresher flavor than the stuff you get in a can. You can use it wherever tomato paste or tomato sauce are called for in recipes.
 
What can I use tomato paste for?
Add water to it and then start using it when you make lentils, green beans, green peas, baked chicken and okra, octopus (served with pasta - a very common dish served in Greek schools), soutzoukakia, yiouvetsi, kokkinisto, and several other dishes
 
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Yes, this is the base for so many Greek dishes!
 
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Yes, this is the base for so many Greek dishes!
LOL seriously! If you want to know how to make anything taste good, just add a little tomato sauce/paste/juice. We seriously put it in just about everything.
 

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?

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.

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?

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?

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.
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