Veteran Corfu author Effrosyni Moschoudi shares with is her local recipe, as featured in The Flow, book 2 in The Lady Of The Pier trilogy:

3-4 eggs

1 large onion, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

1 large (or two medium) ripe beef tomatoes

1/3 teaspoon of sugar

Salt, pepper

 

Grate the tomatoes (leave out the skin)

In a large frying pan, fry the onion in the olive oil until soft, add the tomato, salt, pepper, sugar, and a small amount of water (about 1/4 of a wine glass). Cook in medium heat for about 15-20 minutes.

Break eggs and place in a bowl.

When the sauce has thickened (only oil left, no water), add the eggs in one go, then quickly start stirring with a fork or wooden spatula.

Serve immediately with a salad and fresh bread.

To read more, and to find out more about The Lady Of The Pier Trilogy, please visit: Effrosyni Writes

As we head into autumn, out come the warming traditional Greek recipies.  Check out this one for stuffed peppers, a very popular Greek recipie. 

• 6 green or red peppers
• 1 1/2 cup olive oil
• 250 gr minced meat
• 6 heaped tablespoonfuls of rice
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 grated eggplant
• 1 grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped or grated
• Allspice at the tip of the spoon
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• salt and pepper
• 3-4 potatoes

Use peppers that are neither too small nor too large. They should be similar in size, so they will cook at the same time. Wash and dry them. With a sharp knife cut off the top. Scoop out the seeds. Do not throw away the top, because you will need it to cover the filling.

Put ½ of the olive oil in a pan and sauté the minced meat with the onions, grated eggplant and zucchini, stirring and breaking up the lumps of meat.

When they have browned lightly, add the rice and let it sauté for 4 minutes. Add the wine and let it simmer until it evaporates. Then add about ¾ of the pulp of the tomatoes, a glass of water, the parsley, salt and pepper and let the mixture simmer gently for about 10 – 15 minutes.

Make sure that the mixture is not too dry at the end of the cooking time. There must be about 2 cups of liquid, so that the stuffing in the peppers will have enough liquid to cook nicely. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings.

To read more, please visit: Cooking In Plain Greek
Also see the alternative recipe with soya mince.

Have you ever heard of a Greek Goddess dip?  The Greek element to this recipe comes from using dill instead of watercress.  Use it as a dip at parties for vegetables or even to dip chips in.  What's more, it's gluten free.  Great for summer and winter.

Preparation takes 5 mins, and it can serve 4-6 people.

• ½ cup packed fresh dill
• ½ cup packed fresh mint
• ½ cup packed fresh parsley
• ⅓ cup packed fresh basil
•  2 garlic cloves, chopped
•  2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced
•  1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  Pinch salt, more to taste
•  ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
•  ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
•  ½ cup Greek yogurt
•  ¼ cup mayonnaise, optional
•  Raw chopped vegetables or pita chips, for serving

To read how to prepare, please visit: New York Times

As we head into autumn, this dish is perfect for the season.

Tourlou tourlou, which literally means all mixed up, is really the most wonderfully delicious mix up of vegetables!  Perfect with fresh veggies and a few simple ingredients and you’re on your way to one of the best traditional vegetable meals in all of Greek cooking.

This dish also known as Briam from the Turkish version and is also very similar to the traditional French dish Ratatouille. Full of flavor and so satisfying, you can enjoy tourlou tourlou hot right from the oven or the next day at room temperature. Serve as a filling meal or as a tasty veggie side dish to just about anything and its a great take for lunch option too!

One of the great things about tourlou tourlou is it's amazingly flexible.  This dish can accommodate whatever is in season and can be made with a huge variety of vegetables such as okra, green beans, peas, green peppers, mushrooms - feel free to be creative!

To read more, including how to make Tourlou Tourlou, please visit: The Greek Vegan

Rakomelo is a Greek mixed alcoholic drink.  It is a digestive spirit that's high in powerful antioxidants, like flavonoids, and it's been used as a home remedy for a sore throat or cough for centuries.

Rakomelo, a delectable blend of Raki (Crete's traditional spirit) and locally made honey, is the ideal alcoholic beverage to enjoy during the harsh winter months. It's even better when spiced up with cloves and cinnamon. During the summer, some people drink it at room temperature or even ice-cold, but the warm version is more popular.

Rakomelo's history dates back to the 12th century when the Peloponnese peninsula was occupied by the Franks. Others, though, place its story on  Crete and the Cyclades.

Rakomelo combines natural honey in complete harmony with the strong raki spirit, while cinnamon and clove buds bring the final touch to a distinctive and outstanding flavor, regardless of the real narrative.

Apart from being served Rakomelo in a cafe, bar, or taverna, you can buy this bottled in shops that sell traditional Greek products, especially Cretan ones.

Ingredients
    •    1lt of raki or tsikoudia (grape pomace drink)
    •    4-5tbs of honey
    •    2 cinnamon sticks
    •    4-5 cloves

Directions
Place the ingredients in a pot and boil them on a low fire, while stirring continuously. As soon as they boil sufficiently, turn off the flame and leave the rakomelo covered for approximately another 10’ to absorb the flavoring. Remove the cinnamon and cloves. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a bottle.

Recipe by iCookGreek.

Traditional Greek cuisine is based on the pure products from Greek Mother Nature to form a balanced nutritional model that can ensure a better quality of life and physical health.  Products with unique quality and unsurpassable nutritional values include; olive and extra virgin olive oil, dairy products, honey, ouzo, fish, juices, water, nuts, wines, mastic from Chios, crocus from Kozani and much more  These products have blended together and created a noble cuisine rich in nutritional ingredients, which can satisfy the high gusatory and nutritional needs of modern man.

Let's take a look at some of the highly regarded Greek products:

As the basis of every recipe found in traditional cuisine, olive oil plays a dominant role in Greek nutritional habits. Greek olive oil is known worldwide for its purity, exceptional taste and high nutritional value.  You will find it everywhere - in glass or plastic containers with the words "visrgin" and "extra virgin" printed on them.

You will find unique cheeses of exceptional quality in the market, and you should make the effort to try these cheeses, such as kaseri, graviera, kefalotiri, myzithraand metsovone. These cheeses vary according to their origin, taste and name. Some of these cheeses are found throughout the country, while others are locally produced for local consumption. The most famous is of course Greek feta cheese. This is a white semi-soft, heavily salted cheese which is the basic ingredient for the Greek or Horiatiko salad, but it is also used in many other recipes.

Greece is not only the birthplace of Dionysus (God of Wine), but also the birthplace of wine making.  This wine came from the islands of Chios and Thassos and was famous throughout the Ancient world.  Historical and social reasons, as well as various natural disasters, were the main reasons why the art of wine making was neglected from the middle of the 19th century up tot he beginning of the 60's.  Greek winds are produced from a variety of grapes, many of which are unknown to Western wine lovers.

To read more, please visit: Visit Greece

Souvlaki is one of the most popular street foods in Greece and for good reason. Its stuffed with well cooked and seasoned meat, garnished with a cooling tzatziki sauce, wrapped in a delicious crispy pita and best of all? It tastes like heaven! Souvlaki stands for “meat-on-a-skewer”, however the majority of Greeks and especially those from Athens call any type of pita wrapped meat a souvlaki, specifying the type of meat and method of roasting separately. For example Souvlaki with Pork Gyros or Souvlaki with Chicken Skewers etc.

This souvlaki recipe can actually be a very healthy dish if prepared the right way. By using good quality pork for your pork gyros, low fat yogurt for the tzatziki and avoiding dipping the pita in oil and frying but opting for a healthier baked version instead you can have the full-blown souvlaki with pork gyros experience in less than 270 calories – yes that is less than your average sandwich! That being said, if you feel a little naughty add some extra virgin olive oil to your souvlaki with pork gyros and enjoy a more street-food like experience.

Homemade souvlaki recipe – Preparing the pork gyros
The most important step in making the perfect, traditional Greek pork gyros souvlaki is nothing else but the pork! Select good quality pork meat, preferably slices of tenderloin and season with a selection of Greek spices like oregano, thyme, garlic and onion. The secret ingredient in this traditional Greek pork gyros recipe is adding a tiny bit of honey and vinegar to the marinade to break the intense pork meat texture. Marinading your pork gyros in the fridge for at least a couple of hours will allow the spices to infuse the gyros and give it the desired aromas.

The best way to serve your traditional Greek souvlaki with pork gyros is nothing other than wrapped in a delicious traditional Greek pita. Finding the original Greek pita can be quite challenging as most supermarkets stock only the arabian style ones but you can most likely find them at your local Greek deli. Of course tzatziki is the preferred sauce to garnish with. Don’t forget to garnish with some salt and paprika, sweet or spicy if you like an extra kick. Most Greeks enjoy their traditional Greek souvlaki with some potato chips stuffed in the pita so feel free to try adding some as well.

To read about how to prepare. please visit: My Greek Dish

It's Christmas time! Melomakarona (Greek honey cookies) are one of the most popular treats throughout Greece during the Christmas holidays, and their intense homely smell makes every house smell like Christmas. These sweet little Greek honey cookies (melomakarona) are quick to bake, so much fun to make, and highly addictive to eat. Consider yourself warned.

This easy-to-follow traditional Greek melomakarona recipe makes 60 delicious festive cookies, plenty for everyone to try.  Serve with a hot cup of coffee, and you have a match made in heaven! Let the smell of freshly baked cookies, orange, and cinnamon remind you it’s Christmas. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the Melomakarona

    •    150g thin semolina (5.3 ounces)
    •    500g flour (soft) (17.6 ounces)
    •    1/2 tbsp baking powder
    •    100g orange juice (3.5 ounces)
    •    3 tbsps cognac
    •    100g sugar (3.5 ounces)
    •    1 flat tbsp powdered cinnamon
    •    1/3 tsp nutmeg (powder)
    •    1/3 tsp clove (powder)
    •    1 tsp vanilla extract
    •    1/2 tbsp baking soda
    •    90g water (3.2 ounces)
    •    125g olive oil (4.4 ounces)
    •    125g vegetable oil (4.4 ounces)
    •    50g honey (1.8 ounces)
    •    zest of 1 orange

Ingredients for the Syrup

    •    500g water (2 cups)
    •    1 kg sugar (35.27 ounces)
    •    150g glucose (5.3 ounces)
    •    1 cinnamon stick
    •    some orange peel
    •    500g honey (17.64 ounces)

For the Garnish

    •    200g chopped walnuts (7 ounces)
    •    powdered cinnamon (optional)
    •    powdered clove (optional)

To see the full recipe and preparation instructions, please visit: My Greek Dish

 

Galaktoboureko is a traditional Greek dessert made with layers of golden brown crispy phyllo, sprinkled with melted butter, filled with the most creamy custard and bathed in scented syrup.. Simply amazing! This is a very easy to follow Galaktoboureko recipe for you to recreate this traditional sweet delight from scratch. After a lot of experimenting, My Greek Dish has distilled the essence of this delightful traditional Greek dish to a few easy to follow steps for you to make the very best Galaktoboureko on your first effort!

This easy to follow recipe can be summarised in three key stages:

1) Layering the phyllo sheets

2) Preparing the creamy custard filling

and

3) Preparing the scented syrup

The key for thee most flavourable Galaktoboureko is to use a good quality fresh butter to butter the phyllos sheets. The authentic Greek Galaktoboureko recipe calls for 'galaktos' butter - made from a mix of sheep's and cow's milk, but if you can't handle very strong flavour, then you can substitute with good quality fresh butter from cow's milk.  When preparing phyllo based desserts, a little trick to make the phyllo crispier and flakier is to sprinkle the melted butter over the phyllo sheets, rather than brushing them.  Working with phyllo can be trickey as it's brittle and can dry out very quickly, so check the handling tips before preparing.

For the custard, all traditional Greek Galaktoboureko recipes use thin semilina, to achieve the characteristic grainy texture of the crea, which in this case is not considered a flaw.  On the contrary, what is considered a flaw of this recipe is a very smooth, starchy and tight custard.  In most recipes, the eggs are added whole towards the end, but with Galaktoboureko, the eggs are beaten into meringues and combined in the semolina based cream. This is the secret to a more fluffy and creamy custard and to avoid the egg-y semall, which can ruin the flavour of this dessert.  Just be sure to add the semolina slowy to the warm milk to avoid it forming lumps!

To read more, please visit: My Greek Dish