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nm1999

Active member
I am trying to understand Greek cooking on a different level than what I do now. Whenever looking up recipes, that is all it is to me - a recipe. I know that in Greece, there is a notion of seasonality that somehow gets lost when I read a cookbook.

So, it is approaching mid-May. The weather here is really starting to get good. In Greece, I am sure it is also lovely, but the growing seasons are different than what I experience.

What is in season now in Greece? I want to figure out how foods are prepared throughout the year in Greece, I think it will help me understand seasonality in general.
 
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PemiKanavos

Administrator
Staff member
I am trying to understand Greek cooking on a different level than what I do now. Whenever looking up recipes, that is all it is to me - a recipe. I know that in Greece, there is a notion of seasonality that somehow gets lost when I read a cookbook.

So, it is approaching mid-May. The weather here is really starting to get good. In Greece, I am sure it is also lovely, but the growing seasons are different than what I experience.

What is in season now in Greece? I want to figure out how foods are prepared throughout the year in Greece, I think it will help me understand seasonality in general.
Growing up in Greece in the 80s and early 90s. All the food we would eat would be seasonal. Even the fish and meat were somewhat seasonal as well. There was certain fish we would eat in the winter and other during the summer. Lamb and goat would be mor in abundance during spring and summer rather than winter.
Veggies and fruit was the same. We could not find tomatoes in December or January, we couldn’t find strawberries in in the dead of the winter.

So you can imaging that the home cook would make certain dishes at certain times of the year. Gemista was only done in the summer, as well as fasolakia (green beans). Fassolada and baked beans were eaten in the winter.

Fast forward to 2023, Greeks still eat seasonally, but most of the fruits and veggies can be found all year round, but tend to be more expensive. But even so Greeks still like eating seasonally.
Here is a list of fruits and veggies out in may.

Fruit : orange , grapefruit ,
Strawberry, Cherry , loquat, nectarine
Loquat

Veggies : dandelions, green beans, artichoke , asparagus , cucumber , eggplant , peas , squash , cabbage, amaranth, lettuce , beats , peppers, radishes , spinach , broccoli
 
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k_tsoukalas

Moderator
Growing up in Greece in the 80s and early 90s. All the food we would eat would be seasonal. Even the fish and meat were somewhat seasonal as well. There was certain fish we would eat in the winter and other during the summer. Lamb and goat would be mor in abundance during spring and summer rather than winter.
Veggies and fruit was the same. We could not find tomatoes in December or January, we couldn’t find strawberries in in the dead of the winter.

So you can imaging that the home cook would make certain dishes at certain times of the year. Gemista was only done in the summer, as well as fasolakia (green beans). Fassolada and baked beans were eaten in the winter.

Fast forward to 2023, Greeks still eat seasonally, but most of the fruits and veggies can be found all year round, but tend to be more expensive. But even so Greeks still like eating seasonally.
Here is a list of fruits and veggies out in may.

Fruit : orange , grapefruit ,
Strawberry, Cherry , loquat, nectarine
Loquat

Veggies : dandelions, green beans, artichoke , asparagus , cucumber , eggplant , peas , squash , cabbage, amaranth, lettuce , beats , peppers, radishes , spinach , broccoli

This is a great list of seasonal produce. I noticed a similar thing while visiting Greece. You can find certain things year round, but it depending where in Greece I was. Since the non-seasonal produce is so expensive, I have also found that most Greeks tend to eat seasonally.
 
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Phyllo for savory Greek dishes?

I was looking in the food forum and I saw that someone made a remark that the phyllo in Greece used for sweet desserts like baklava is different than the phyllo used for savory dishes. I did notice while in Greece that the savory phyllo is thicker.

What is really the difference? Is savory phyllo homemade? Does it have different ingredients? Is it thicker on purpose? Finally, do you have a recipe?

I know on Crete some of the savory, handheld pies have a dough that is closer to a turnover dough than it is a phyllo. And yet the dish has the word "pita" in it. It was a greens-based handheld pie with no cheese and was spiced with cumin! The "phyllo" was really thick and I believe the pie was even fried.

Advice for making souvlaki for a crowd?

I am having a party and for some reason, people are requesting my souvlaki. I am thrilled that people love it, but I am having 30-40 people over. How do I pull this off?

Here are some things I am thinking:
  • Get help prepping - cutting the chicken can be time consuming - there might be two phases, I'll have to prep the skewers, too
  • Make a batch of ladolemono well in advance
  • Perhaps borrow another grill from my neighbor?
Has anyone ever done souvlaki for a party this size? I lost track of the guest list a little bit, there may actually be closer to 40, or maybe even more people than that. I have tried to nail people down so I can get a better count, but it's been hard.

braised lamb shank was rubbery

All the braised lamb shank I have ever eaten has fallen off the bone - and that is why it is so delicious!

So, I tried to make it thinking it would be foolproof.

Something went wrong - it was tough and rubbery. I am wondering if it is something I did, or if maybe the lamb was a bit tougher than I would have liked.

I asked around and one thing someone asked me is if I cooked it enough. I didn't know how to answer that since I followed the directions, and I got the recipe from a family member whose lamb shank I always enjoyed. What do you think?

Some things to know:

- I am not sure I initially seared the meat long enough
- I held back on the salt in the recipe
- I was forced into using a larger shank than the recipe called for because I couldn't find smaller ones

Making Ladokouloura at home - recipes I found

I am baking more because of the holidays. I love ladokouloura (kouloura made with olive oil). I usually buy it, but realized I can make it. Here is a recipe I can find. Does it look right? I believe it is slightly different from the video I found. What do you think about these recipes? Which should I try?

- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 cups of all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the wet ingredients (olive oil, sugar, orange juice, and vanilla extract) in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and cinnamon). Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring the ingredients together to form a dough. Knead the dough until it is smooth and not sticking to your hands.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Shape the cookies and place on the sheet spaced about an inch apart. Place the sheet in the oven and bake the cookies for about 20 minutes. They are done when they are a slight golden brown color.

Making the Greek baklava rolls?

I have my family's baklava recipe. They usually make it in a huge round pan.

Can I use this same recipe to make the version where it's all rolled, or do I need to do something different?

My plan was to figure out how to actually make the rolls, and then stuff it with the filling the way my family makes it, then make the syrup the way my family does (orange and cinnamon mostly).

My gut is that yes, this is possible.

I found a video on how to make the rolls. I needed to see it visually:

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