1 - 6 of 6 Posts

axariotisxy

Active member
I love making soups in winter and I thought I'd share with you my favorites. What are yours?

Avgolemono - A classic - my family used to make this once a week! The ultimate comfort food for me.

Fasolada - I will be making this soon - I found a bag of the white beans in my pantry.

Revithosoupa - this one is an easy supper for me - I use canned chickpeas, which I always have on hand.

Kakavia - I love to eat this and order it at restaurants when I see it. It's a lot of work to make, but when I do make it, it's totally worth it.
 
Mine is kotosoupa, which is, strangely, what Americans call Avgolemono.. if you ask for avgolemono in Greece you'll get the sauce that goes on dolmades.

Lentils, fasolada, and patsa are all a close second.
 
  • Like
Reactions: axariotisxy
I love making soups in winter and I thought I'd share with you my favorites. What are yours?

Avgolemono - A classic - my family used to make this once a week! The ultimate comfort food for me.

Fasolada - I will be making this soon - I found a bag of the white beans in my pantry.

Revithosoupa - this one is an easy supper for me - I use canned chickpeas, which I always have on hand.

Kakavia - I love to eat this and order it at restaurants when I see it. It's a lot of work to make, but when I do make it, it's totally worth it.
Avgolemeno and mageritsa (lamb tripe soup)
 
  • Like
Reactions: axariotisxy
These all sound great - I eat mageritsa once a year and love it - I have never made it though. Thanks for sharing ... And yes, I noticed that about kotosoupa - it also doesn't seem as common in Greece as it is in the United States? Unless I just didn't look for it in Greece...
 
These all sound great - I eat mageritsa once a year and love it - I have never made it though. Thanks for sharing ... And yes, I noticed that about kotosoupa - it also doesn't seem as common in Greece as it is in the United States? Unless I just didn't look for it in Greece...
Kotosoupa is just as common in Greece as it is in the United States. Giouvarlakia is another good one!
 
My favorites are lentil soup, avgolemono chicken soup, and the Greek tomato soup with orzo. Granted, the tomato soup doesn't taste as good this time of year as it does during the summer, but I still love it.
 

What herbs do you use when making Greek stuffed zucchini?

I've been thinking about making Greek stuffed zucchini (kolokithakia gemista), and I'm curious about which herbs everyone uses in the filling. I've seen quite a few variations, and it seems like the combination of herbs can really influence the overall flavor of the dish.

Some recipes use plenty of fresh dill and parsley, while others include mint or even a little oregano. I've also noticed that some people add green onions for extra flavor. I'm wondering whether certain herbs are considered more traditional, especially when making stuffed zucchini with rice and ground meat.

Do you use a combination of herbs, or do you prefer to keep the seasoning fairly simple? Does your family have a particular recipe that has been passed down through generations?

I'm especially interested in how the herbs complement the avgolemono sauce. What combination do you think gives Greek stuffed zucchini the best flavor?

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?

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 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?

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?
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