Greek Food, Cooking and Recipe Community

Greek pasta dishes to try?

1 - 4 of 4 Posts
GreekGirlCooks

GreekGirlCooks

Active member
I just got back from Greece and one thing I noticed, which I didn't realize about Greece, is that there were a fair amount of pasta dishes on the menu.

As a kid, we didn't eat a lot of pasta. All we did was make a Greek-style meat sauce with spaghetti, pastitsio, and a pasta dish that involves an egg that I believe came from some family members that were from the Peloponnese.

What else do people make? I see a lot of Italian inspired pasta dishes. Are they any traditionally Greek dishes.
 
All the typical Italian pasta dishes I would see on menus occasionally. There are also some Greek pasta dishes I love:

- Pasta sauce made with Greek yogurt. It looks and tastes a bit like Alfredo, but a little tangier.
- Pasta dish made with olive oil, fried egg, and grated cheese. I think this dish may have come from somewhere in the Peloponnese. My family has roots there and we made it all the time.
- Greek meat sauce with a thinner tomato sauce than the Italian version, and spiced with some cinnamon!
- Pastitsio - the baked meat and macaroni dish - sometimes called Greek Lasagna, but it isn't really that
 
k_tsoukalas said:
All the typical Italian pasta dishes I would see on menus occasionally. There are also some Greek pasta dishes I love:

- Pasta sauce made with Greek yogurt. It looks and tastes a bit like Alfredo, but a little tangier.
- Pasta dish made with olive oil, fried egg, and grated cheese. I think this dish may have come from somewhere in the Peloponnese. My family has roots there and we made it all the time.
- Greek meat sauce with a thinner tomato sauce than the Italian version, and spiced with some cinnamon!
- Pastitsio - the baked meat and macaroni dish - sometimes called Greek Lasagna, but it isn't really that
Click to expand...
Oh my yeeesss, the pasta with the fried egg hails from the region of mani and it is called Tzouxti.
It is a simple dish that the ladies from Mani would make because they were to busy working the fields that they needed some quick easy and affordable (since meat back in the day was a luxury).
 
PemiKanavos said:
Oh my yeeesss, the pasta with the fried egg hails from the region of mani and it is called Tzouxti.
It is a simple dish that the ladies from Mani would make because they were to busy working the fields that they needed some quick easy and affordable (since meat back in the day was a luxury).
Click to expand...
That's fascinating I never knew the dish name was called Tzouchti - for my pappou and dad it was comfort food - I always suspected that side of the family was from Mani but we never talked about it for some reason.
 
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION AND READ OTHER GREEK INFO:

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.
Sign up for a free account and share your thoughts, photos, questions about Greek food, travel and culture!

WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology.
Join Worldwide Greeks here!

JOIN COMMUNITY FOR FREE

LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
Back
Top