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ssherie_

Active member
I love grilling in the summer - I tend to make whole meals on the grill! Baked potatoes, corn, vegetables, meats.... I don't always do Greek-style grilling but it is one of my favorites. I start by marinating the meat in an olive oil and lemon type marinade that I make from scratch. I don't always do this, sometimes I just rub garlic and put oregano, salt, and pepper on the meat and don't marinate it.

For vegetables I like to make foil packets with mixed veggies. I add olive oil, salt, pepper - I use whatever I have.

What do you guys like to do for grilling (Greek style or otherwise!)...?
 
I love grilling in the summer - I tend to make whole meals on the grill! Baked potatoes, corn, vegetables, meats.... I don't always do Greek-style grilling but it is one of my favorites. I start by marinating the meat in an olive oil and lemon type marinade that I make from scratch. I don't always do this, sometimes I just rub garlic and put oregano, salt, and pepper on the meat and don't marinate it.

For vegetables I like to make foil packets with mixed veggies. I add olive oil, salt, pepper - I use whatever I have.

What do you guys like to do for grilling (Greek style or otherwise!)...?
i love to grill in the summer. Even though there are some amazing summer dishes that need to be cooked in the oven like gemista or imam, but nothing can beat some chicken souvlakia and a side of tzatziki.
I usually grill chicken that has salt pepper and then I drizzle it with ladolemono. I grill eggplants and peppers and make that into a side dish with some fresh garlic salt, pepper, parsley and olive oil. Sometimes when I’m lazy and the kids want pizza I use the pita bread (not pocket) and I add some pizza sauce and cheese and grill that as well.
 
I love grilling pizza! I do the same thing with pita bread or I will even get one of those Boboli crusts. I like to grill meats (of course), and I also grill packets of cut up vegetables, corn on the cob, etc. I always have tzatziki around to go with the meat!
 

What is the secret to making really good Greek lemon potatoes?

I've been making Greek lemon potatoes for years, and it's one of those dishes I make completely by feel. I don't measure anything, and I never really thought about how I make them because it's all second nature to me.

Recently, I tried teaching someone how to make them. Everything seemed straightforward while we were cooking together, but when they went home and tried making them on their own, all kinds of things went wrong! The potatoes weren't cooking evenly, the texture wasn't quite right, and the lemon flavor didn't come through the way it should.

It made me realize how much I rely on instinct when cooking traditional Greek food. I rarely write down recipes, so explaining every little detail is harder than I expected!

For those who make Greek lemon potatoes regularly, what tips would you give someone who's just learning?

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.

Now I’m curious about what is considered more traditional in Greek cooking. Is vinegar usually a standard part of fakes, or is it more of a regional or family preference? Are tomato-heavy versions just as traditional?

How do you make yours, and what did your family serve growing up?

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.

Do you put potatoes in your briam?

I've noticed that there are quite a few variations of briam, especially when it comes to which vegetables people include. One ingredient I'm particularly curious about is potatoes. Do you always put potatoes in your briam, or do you prefer making it without them?

I usually think of briam as a combination of zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and plenty of olive oil. I love how the potatoes absorb all those wonderful flavors as everything slowly roasts together in the oven.

However, I've seen recipes that leave the potatoes out entirely and focus more on the summer vegetables. I imagine that makes the dish a little lighter.

I'm also curious whether there are regional differences in how briam is prepared throughout Greece. Does your family have a particular way of making it? And what vegetables do you consider absolutely essential?

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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