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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.
 

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.

What is your favorite Greek potato dish?

Potatoes show up in so many Greek meals, and I think they are often at their best when they soak up plenty of olive oil, lemon, herbs, and cooking juices.

Greek lemon potatoes are probably the first thing that comes to mind for me. I love when they are roasted until they are soft inside, a little crisp around the edges, and full of lemon and oregano. Potatoes cooked alongside chicken or lamb are also hard to beat because they absorb so much flavor from the pan.

I also enjoy simple boiled potatoes dressed with olive oil, lemon, parsley, and salt, especially with fish or grilled meat.

What Greek potato dish do you make most often? Do you prefer lemon potatoes, potatoes roasted with meat, fried potatoes, or something else? And is there a particular seasoning or family method that makes your version especially good?

What Is the Best Way to Serve Taramosalata?

I absolutely love taramosalata and have it pretty regularly at home, but I’m having some people over soon and was wondering about the best way to serve it when entertaining.

Normally I just eat it with some bread or pita, so I don’t really put much thought into presentation. For guests, though, I’d like to make it part of a nice Greek-style spread with a few other things on the table. I was thinking warm pita triangles, crusty bread, maybe some cucumber and other vegetables for dipping, but I’m curious what everyone else usually serves with it.

Do you drizzle a little olive oil over the top or add any kind of garnish? And are there particular meze that you think pair especially well with taramosalata?

I’d love some ideas for making it look a little more special while still keeping everything traditional and simple.

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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