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nadellii

Active member
I am on a real vegetable soup kick. It's easy to eat lots of vegetables and be healthy so that I can achieve my new Year's goals! I thought I would share my recipe. It's "Greek inspired", since I kind of made it up and I am not sure this is actually something people in Greece make. I used flavors that are typical of Greek soups.

Ingredients:
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 4 tomatoes, diced
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons of dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cups of vegetable, chicken, or mushroom broth

Instructions:

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté until fragrant and slightly browned.

Next, add the diced bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and cabbage to the pot. Stir well to combine all the veggies, and sauté for a few minutes until they start to soften.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir well and let the mixture cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to break down and form a thick broth.

Finally, add the vegetable broth to the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the soup cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the veggies are tender and the broth has thickened.
 
Sounds delicious
 
This looks like a delicious recipe1 I make something similar but in reality, I just use whatever I have around. I always have carrots, celery, and onion on hand so I just start with that.
 

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 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.

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?

For those familiar with traditional Greek cooking, which version do you prefer, and which would you recommend trying first?

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?
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