Greek cuisine is full of flavor, uses great ingredients and most recipes are surprisingly simple. Some of the lightest of these are also the best, which is a good option for any cook who wants to dabble in this area. We have put together some of the simplest and most iconic Greek dishes for you in this article so that you can prepare appetizing dishes yourself without much effort during the summer days and in general. From delicious butter cookies to spinach casseroles and popular lamb and chicken main dishes, there are some Greek recipes here to suit every occasion and taste.
Koulourakia: Greek recipes for shortbread cookies with sesame
A “Kouloura” (koo-lou-rah) means a twisted stick in Greek and is one of the tasty baked goods. The name for these traditional shortbread cookies comes from their round, twisted shape, but you can also see koulourakia as small braids or in the shape of the letter “S.” This pastry tastes delicious dipped in coffee or milk and is prepared at Easter. Greek recipes for preparing 12 to 15 portions require approximately 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 350 grams unsalted butter
- 1-2 cups sugar
- 6 Owner
- 6 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 Teelöffel Backsoda
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 50 Milliliter Ouzo
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to maximum. Mix the butter with the sugar and add the vanilla extract with the ouzo. While the mixer is running, add eggs one at a time and let them mix well. In a separate bowl, sift the flour with baking powder and soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. The dough is soft and malleable, but should not be too sticky. You should be able to cut a ball of dough from it to roll into a string or thin tube. To shape the cookies, pinch off a piece of dough the size of a walnut. Then roll a tube shape out of the dough the length of a table knife. Fold in half and twist twice. Greek shortbread recipes also allow for the creation of an inverted circle or S-shape.
Beat the remaining onestwo eggs in a bowland add a splash of water. Lightly “wash” the cookies with the egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Finally, place the koulourakia on baking paper or a lightly greased baking tray and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Spanakopita – The famous filled cake
If there is a Greek dish recipe that will make you love this cuisine, it is the spanakopita. For this filled cake, you use puff pastry and a combination of feta cheese and spinach to create a delicious snack or light main dish. It's fantastic and surprisingly easy to make. You will definitely want to offer it to your guests at a party or for dinner.
Day 1: Prepare the filling
- 2 kilos of fresh spinach, washed and chopped
- 1 large or 2 small spring onions, chopped
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup water
Over medium heat, sauté the onions in olive oil until softened. Add spinach and water, bring to the boil and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place the cooked spinach in a colander to drain. Once cooled, cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
Day 2: Make the rest
Bring the spinach from the previous day to room temperature. Greek recipes for spanakopita still call for the following ingredients:
- 1 No
- 350 grams of solid feta cheese
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 450 grams of puff pastry or filo pastry (14-18 rolls)
- 2 tablespoons water
Start with thatprepared spinachand preheat the oven. The spinach became soft on the first day, but it will still drain. Therefore, keep it over a bowl. This way, if you add other ingredients, they will mix better.
Beat the egg with a fork and add it to the spinach. Crumble the cheese over the spinach. Mix the feta cheese and egg with the spinach well. Unroll the dough and count the sheets. Since half of it is used on the bottom and half on the top, you should be able to roughly estimate the number. Grease a baking dish that measures the same or slightly less than the sheet size with 2 tablespoons of oil and place the first half of the dough.
Pour the spinach mixture into the baking dish and spread it over the dough. Place the other half of the leaves on top. If necessary, fold the overlaps together so that the dough fits into the baking pan. To get a smooth top, hold one sheet from the top layer and place it on top of the other. Trim the edges with scissors if necessary. Using a sharp knife, cut into 20 pieces all the way down to the bottom. Spray the top evenly with 2 tablespoons of water. Bake at about 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Since the filling will be hot afterward, Greek recipes state that the spanakopita pieces must be served at room temperature.
Arni me Fassolakia: lamb stew with green beans
That in manyLamb meat was sought after in Far Eastern cuisinesis also a popular product for Greek recipes. The best way to enjoy it is in a hearty stew. The only real work that goes into this dish is preparing the ingredients. Once that's done, the rest seems like a breeze. If you want to speed up the cooking time, turn to your pressure cooker. It's a little trick that Greek chefs use all the time.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 kilos of leg of lamb cut into portion sizes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 150 ml olive oil
- approx. 400 ml tap water
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 kilos of green beans with ends trimmed
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce
- 1.5 kilos of potatoes, cut into large pieces
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
- fresh chopped mint, 1 tbsp
- 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pinch of cinnamon, ground
Preparation:
In a casserole dish or pot, sauté the onion and meat in olive oil over medium heat until well browned. Add water, tomatoes, tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the meat is tender. Then add the beans, potatoes, mint, dill, parsley, cinnamon and the remaining salt. Bring to the boil again and leave covered on the stove for another 30 minutes. Finally, remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Add more water if necessary.
Kotopoulo Skorthato: Lemon Garlic Chicken
This is also a typical example of Greek recipesprepared with chickenare. Greeks eat this dish on festivals and holidays. It's very tempting because you just have to fry the chicken and potatoes in a mixture of oregano, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice without much effort. The classic Mediterranean taste of lemon and oregano will make this dish unique.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium chicken, cut into quarters
- 1.5 kilos of potatoes
- 1/4 cup lemon juice from 2 to 3 medium lemons
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 heaped tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 400 ml water
Preparation:
Preheat the oven and then rinse and pat the meat until dry. Peel the potato and quarter it lengthwise. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan. Add oregano, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and distribute evenly. Add water and fry, uncovered, over low heat for a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Halfway through (about 50 minutes), turn the chicken and continue to simmer. Check regularly to see if there is still some water in the pan. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more if necessary. Bon appetit!
