TRAVEL TO GREECE: 10 GREEK RECIPES YOU MUST MAKE AT HOME
I started off my ‘Travel Cooking Series’ with a trip to Denmark through Danish recipes, and now I’m taking you to Greece.
Greece was a trip that had been on my bucket list since I was in grade school. I have always been a lover of history and ancient mythology , which is why so many of my bucket list locations have this underlying thing in common. It was because of my love and fascination with Greek culture and history growing up my family took me to a Greek Festival in Portland for my birthday every year. The annual festival just happened to fall on the same weekend as my birthday and was the perfect way to get a great introduction to the culture through food, demonstrations and artisans.
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Greece also happened to be a place that before I had even made it there I knew I was going to love it. I had seen many photos of Greece, seen it in movies, and of course there were the olympic games in Athens when I was growing up. All of these things further cemented Greece into my ultimate travel bucket list.
At the end of summer in 2016 I was able to finally make my Greek dreams come true when one of my besties from college and I visited Athens, Mykonos and Santorini. Even though I went in with high expectations I am happy to say that they were met and far exceeded throughout my 10 day trip. My friend and I had such an amazing time full of food, activities and memories that we vowed to make Greece a tradition — a place we would travel back to together every 5 years.
I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic about my trip to Greece recently, which is why I thought it would be the perfect location for the second round in this cooking series.
10 Greek Recipes You Must Try At Home
Greek Mezze Plate
The mezze platter is the ultimate Greek appetizer option. It’s the perfect way to try a little bit of everything when it comes to small bites and is one of the easier items on this list to put together — mainly because it requires little to no cooking.
If you’re located in the US like I am, all you need to do is make a trip down to your local Trader Joes (which is where I was able to find all of the items needed). If you’re outside of the US, check your local specialty market, or if you live in an area with a strong Greek population (like I did in NYC) make a stop into one of their restaurants, bakeries and/or markets to get everything you need!
To make this delicious platter you will need:
High quality Mediterranean olive oil
Hummus (whatever flavor you prefer)
Pita bread
Kalamata olives
Tomatoes (cut in quarters and sprinkled with salt, pepper and olive oil)
Dolmades aka Stuffed Grape Leaves (these can be found fully prepared in a can at Trader Joes)
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Cheese Pie)
via Olives in the Oven
This is a classic Greek pie which can be found at pretty much any Greek restaurant. Aside from handling the phyllo dough it’s pretty easy to make.
Tip to note: Phyllo dough is very thin and delicate, make sure to handle with care so you don’t rip it.
It may look intimidating due to the amount of ingredients, but you can be sure once you have them all it’s all about mixing them up while you wait for your Phyllo to thaw. As per my intolerance to dairy made with cow milk I made a dairy-free filling (aside from the feta which was authentic and made with sheep’s milk).
To make the filling you will need:
1 lb spinach
2 bulbs green onion (with stalks)
2.5 tbsp olive oil
1.75 cups crumbled feta (preferably authentic sheep’s milk feta)
5 oz cream cheese (regular or vegan)
1/4 of a bunch of fresh dill
1/3 bunch of fresh mint
3 stalks of fresh thyme
1/3 bunch of fresh parsley
zest of 1/3 lemon (do not include the juice)
Salt & pepper to taste
For the Phyllo:
1/2 of a pack of Phyllo (can be found in the frozen section)
olive oil (to sprinkle in-between the sheets of dough)
Tomatokeftedes (Fried Santorini Tomato Fritters)
via Pizza Rossa
I had these fritters in Santorini, but had no idea that they were a speciality of the island. Now I know, and now I realize I’ll need to go back to Santorini to the two spots I had them.
I opted for a healthier version of this fritter by cooking it on a stove top with a little bit of olive oil vs the way I had them in Greece: which was fried. They tasted just as great and with a little dip in some homemade dairy-free tzatziki I was fully satisfied.
Like many of the recipes in this post they are pretty easy to make, it’s more of the prep that will take most of your time.
To make the fritters you will need:
18 oz fresh deseeded (this is important) and finely diced tomatoes (I used Romas)
1 small onion finely chopped (I used a shallot)
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp fined chopped, fresh, flat-leaf parsley (it’s important you get flat-leaf and not the curly parsley)
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
Salt & pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup of flour
1 tsp baking powder
olive oil for frying
Traditional Greek Salad
via Happy Foods Tube
The thing I realized really makes or breaks a good Greek salad are the ingredients — the fresh ingredients. You want to make sure you get the highest quality tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, olives, feta and olive oil. Luckily, all of this can be done on a budget at a place like Trader Joes. Or if you have a farmers market that is currently open, or accepting pick-ups for orders placed in advance, you can get some really great stuff at a decent price.
When it comes to assembling it happens in a breeze, and depending on how many times you make this you’ll get really good at chopping efficiently. If you are making this for yourself feel free to cut the recipe in half.
To make the salad you will need:
3 large tomatoes (I used Romas)
1 large English cucumber
2 green peppers
1 small red onion (I left this out because I really don’t like onions)
1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives
3 oz of feta cheese (again try to get authentic feta that is made of sheep’s milk)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
Homemade Pita Bread and Dairy Free Tzatziki
Pita via Philos Kitchen, Dairy-Free Tzatziki via The Real Food Dietitians
I’m not going to lie, the thought of making pita bread from scratch did kind of scare me. Mainly because of the yeast and from watching Great British Baking Show, and partially from my own experience, knowing that it can either go very right or very wrong.
Full disclosure: I had to make the dough twice, as the first time I tried I used a recipe that didn’t call for sugar to be mixed with the yeast. This was a mistake. Always use recipes that have you mix sugar with your yeast!
Once I got a hang of the dough and I saw that it rose almost 3x its original size I knew I would be good to know. A simple fry in a small cast iron with a bit of olive oil and you’re good to go!
After making my own pita I definitely do not plan to ever buy it again.
The tzatziki was also pretty simple to make but I definitely recommend using full-fat coconut milk. I used reduced fall and ended up having to add a bit of cornstarch to thicken up the liquid. Mine turned out super runny. Still very edible and very delicious, just a bit of a mess when I was trying to pour it over things like my gyros haha.
To make the pita bread you will need:
5.75 cups of bread flour (I used all-purpose flour and it worked great!)
2 cups + 2 tbsp water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 oz (or 7 grams) of dry yeast (both instant and active work)
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp salt
To make the tzatziki you will need:
1/3 cup full fat canned coconut milk
1/3 cup mayo
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, finely diced and laid out on a paper towel to soak up the excess water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp fresh dill
dash of salt and pepper
Full pita bread recipe can be found here.
Full tzatziki recipe can be found here.
Easy Lamb and Beef Gyros
via The Food Charlatan
The gyro: the classic Greek “sandwich” many of us know and love.
One thing that was different that I noticed when I was in Greece though is that many times Gyros are served with fries inside of them. Seems like a great drunk food after a night out on the town, but in general that is too much starch and just “too much” inside of a pita for me.
This recipe does not encourage the addition of fries, but I say go for it if you want to try it!
Another difference you will notice about this recipe is the meat is not actually shaved lamb. I’m sure you can find that somewhere, but I wanted something that was quick and easy and would provide the seasoning and flavor we all know and love from the tradition spit.
These mini patties did the trick and because they are made basically like a baby meatloaf and once they are baked are super easy to store for future gyros.
Since you’ve already made your pitas and tzatziki sauce, after making your meat all you need to do is chop up the fillings and layer everything into your pita. Yum!
To make the gyro meat you will need:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
2 tbsp butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used dairy-free)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped (I used a shallot)
6 cloves minced garlic
4 tsp salt (it seems like a lot but you need all of it)
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp marjoram, optional (I definitely do not have this in my pantry so I left it out)
To assemble:
Tzatziki sauce
Pita bread
2-4 tomatoes, sliced
1-2 cucumbers, sliced lengthways and then in half
fresh dill for garnish, optional
Moussaka
via Unicorns in the Kitchen
How many of you immediately think of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ when you hear the word moussaka? I definitely do! It’s that scene when Toula is in grade school, she’s at lunch and pulls out leftover moussaka, and the little girls who are teasing her say, “moose-caca?!”.
In full confession, that is my only “experience” when it comes to moussaka. I’ve never tried it before, I didn’t have it when I was in Greece, and I definitely have never made it before.
After looking at the recipe I realized there is nothing to be afraid of. It’s like a Greek version of lasagna, super easy to put together and I had a feeling it would be delicious. I was right.
Moussaka is slightly time consuming due to the multiple layers and them all needing to be prepared separately and then assembled. But if you budget your time well i.e. prepping and cutting everything in advance, you can cooking your meat, boil your potatoes and roast your eggplant all at the same time.
As with all recipes I make, I cut this down in half, and I used dairy-free substitutions.
To make the moussaka fillings you will need:
2 large eggplants, thinly sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (I used two shallots)
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb ground beef
1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme (I used dried)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
For the bechamel sauce layer:
5 tbsp unsalted butter (I used dairy-free)
5 tbsp all purpose flour
3 cups room temperature whole milk (I used dairy-free)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup parmesan (I used vegan parm)
2 eggs at room temperature
Chicken Souvlaki with Grilled Halloumi
via The Mediterranean Dish
Souvlaki is another one of those classic street food dishes in Greece. You can find it everywhere in a variety of meats. I went for the chicken version and actually prepped my chicken marinade at lunch so that it had plenty of time to soak up all the juice and spices before dinner.
The first time I had grilled Halloumi was when I was in Athens and my friend and I stopped in at a random restaurant for lunch after spending the first half of the day climbing up to the Parthenon and exploring around in the insane heat.
Tip to note (for lactose intolerant friends): I thought I would be fine eating the Halloumi because it is made of sheep milk and normally that doesn’t bother me — the feta did not bother me. But after eating the Halloumi I realized i could not be more wrong. My stomach was definitely upset afterwards. And after conferring with a friend I also learned that her lactose intolerance (but tolerance for sheep’s milk) also cannot tolerate Halloumi. So there’s that.
To make the souvlaki marinade you will need:
10 garlic cloves, peeled (I used minced garlic)
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp sweet paprika (I just used the paprika I had)
1 tsp each, salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (I didn’t have any so I left it out)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 bay leaves
Full souvlaki recipe can be found here.
When it comes to grilling the Halloumi all you really need is the cheese, which I was able to find at Whole Foods, olive oil, salt and pepper. I opted out of putting salt on my Halloumi because I had a feeling it would be salty already, so I just cut it into slices, rubbed each slice (on both sides) with a bit of olive oil, topped with some cracked black pepper and put it on my grill.
Avgolemono Soup with Chicken and Orzo
Originally from Cooking Light magazine.
Online Recipe via MyRecipes
This soup is something my sister and I grew up on. I have no idea how long the recipe has been around, but to give you some reference the paper that my mom ripped out of a Cooking Light magazine is so old it is discolored and looks like it’s been run through a dishwasher.
Although it may not be the most authentic recipe, I LOVE this version which is why I wanted to share it with you. I think it’s the addition of orzo that makes it so yummy to me. And aside from the recipes that have a handful of ingredients, this whips up in a flash as you make almost the entire recipe in a blender.
To make the soup you will need:
6 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable broth because that is what I had)
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
4 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup shredded carrot
1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper
8 oz of chicken breast (I used chicken thighs because I prefer dark meat)
Loukoumades (Greek Doughnuts in Honey Syrup)
via Dimitra’s Dishes
As much as I love all of the recipes in this post I can honestly say these are my absolute favorite. Aside from Spanakopita and Baklava, Loukoumades were probably some of the first Greek food I was introduced to. Back when my family would take me to that Greek festival for my birthday.
These pillowy, honey and cinnamon dough balls are to die for. You could honestly eat a whole bowl full of them — I know I could. In general when I have had them they have come in round ball/doughnut hole form. But I have also seen them shaped like a traditional donut shape with a hole in the middle.
Surprisingly during my entire 10-day trip to Greece I only had Loukoumades twice. The first time they were a complete surprise, brought out complimentary at the end of my first meal after landing in Athens, served with vanilla ice cream. And the second time I had them was when we were on Santorini, staying in the town of Thira, at this amazing little shop called LukuMum.
These are slightly more involved as you have to make the dough from scratch, and to be completely honest this recipe makes way too much dough. I would try to figure out how to cut it down, but I’m a little afraid to due to the yeast element haha. That being said if you do not live alone these are the perfect recipe to make for yourself and your roommate/partner/family!
To make the Loukoumades you will need:
2 cups lukewarm water
1 cup lukewarm milk (I used dairy-free)
2 (.25 oz) packages of yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups oil for frying (I used sunflower oil from Trader Joes, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil)
To make the honey syrup (for the Loukoumades) you will need:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick (I don’t have cinnamon sticks, so I just used a pinch of ground cinnamon)
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