Greek Recipes

Greek cooking rests on olive oil, lemon, wild greens, beans, bread and fresh cheese, with lamb for feasts and fish along the coast. Ottoman and Venetian rule left their marks in moussaka, pastitsio and soutzoukakia, while the islands kept their own habits: barley rusks in Crete, yellow split peas in Santorini, spiced meat sauce over pasta in Corfu. The Orthodox calendar shapes what people cook. Lent and other fasting days produced a large repertoire of meatless dishes called nistisima, built on legumes, vegetables, olives and, on some days, shellfish and octopus. Easter brings roast lamb, red eggs and tsoureki bread, and Christmas brings honey cookies. Meals are social: mezedes are small plates shared over ouzo, tsipouro or wine, the main meal comes late in the afternoon, and bread, olives and cheese are always on the table. Dessert is usually fruit, yogurt with honey, or a syrup-soaked phyllo pastry.

Staple ingredients

• olive oil
• feta and other sheep and goat cheeses
• lemon
• oregano
• wild greens (horta)
• beans, lentils and chickpeas
• lamb
• honey and nuts

• Appetizers 9
• Soups 2
• Salads 2
• Main Dishes 11
• Breads 2
• Desserts 6
• Drinks 2
• Sauces, Dips and Condiments 1

Appetizers

• Dolmades Yialantzi (Rice-Stuffed Vine Leaves)GR2 hMedium
• Htapodi sti Schara (Greek Grilled Octopus)GR1 h 35 minMedium
• Keftedes (Greek Meatballs with Mint and Oregano)GR50 minEasy
• Saganaki (Greek Pan-Fried Cheese)GR15 minEasy
• Taramosalata (Greek Fish Roe Dip)GR40 minMedium
• Fava Santorinis (Santorini Yellow Split Pea Purée)GR1 h 5 minEasy
• Melitzanosalata (Greek Smoky Eggplant Dip)GR40 minEasy
• Tiropita (Greek Feta and Cheese Phyllo Pie)GR1 h 20 minMedium
• Tomatokeftedes (Santorini Tomato Fritters)GR45 minEasy

Soups

• Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice)GR1 h 25 minMedium
• Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup)GR2 hEasy

Salads

• Horiatiki Salata (Greek Village Salad)GR15 minEasy
• Dakos (Cretan Barley Rusk Salad with Tomato and Cheese)GR10 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Gyros Pita (Greek Pork Gyros Wrap)GR45 minMedium
• Moussaka (Greek Eggplant and Potato Casserole with Béchamel)GR2 h 50 minMedium
• Souvlaki (Greek Pork Skewers with Lemon and Oregano)GR37 minEasy
• Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Feta Pie)GR1 h 40 minMedium
• Gemista (Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers)GR2 hEasy
• Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce)GR2 h 20 minEasy
• Kleftiko (Slow-Roasted Greek Lamb with Lemon and Potatoes)GR4 h 20 minMedium
• Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta with Meat Sauce and Béchamel)GR2 h 15 minMedium
• Kotopoulo Lemonato (Greek Lemon Roast Chicken with Potatoes)GR1 h 30 minEasy
• Stifado (Greek Beef and Pearl Onion Stew)GR3 h 10 minMedium
• Pastitsada (Corfu Spiced Beef with Thick Pasta)GR3 h 15 minMedium

Breads

• Koulouri Thessalonikis (Greek Sesame Bread Ring)GR50 minMedium
• Tsoureki (Greek Easter Sweet Bread)GR1 h 15 minMedium

Desserts

• Baklava (Greek Walnut Phyllo Pastry with Honey Syrup)GR1 h 55 minMedium
• Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Phyllo Pie with Syrup)GR1 h 45 minMedium
• Loukoumades (Greek Honey Doughnut Puffs)GR50 minMedium
• Halvas Simigdalenios (Greek Lenten Semolina Halva)GR35 minEasy
• Kourabiedes (Greek Almond Butter Cookies with Powdered Sugar)GR1 hMedium
• Melomakarona (Greek Honey and Walnut Christmas Cookies)GR1 h 10 minMedium

Drinks

• Elliniko Kafe (Greek Coffee)GR7 minEasy
• Frappé (Greek Iced Foam Coffee)GR3 minEasy

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

• Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt, Cucumber and Garlic Dip)GR15 minEasy