Category: Greek Mains

Greek okra stewed in tomato sauce (Bamies latheres me domata)

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A traditional Greek side dish or main meal of okra stewed in tomato sauce, bamies latheres me domata.

A traditional Greek side dish or main meal of okra stewed in tomato sauce, bamies latheres me domata

Μπαμιές λαδέρες με σάλτσα ντομάτα. Yes, there are people out there (and here) that love okra. We are of those people, and we think you might be too, even if you don’t know it yet! Once you embrace the idea of trying okra, and you make our recipe for Greek okra stewed in tomato sauce, we think that it will become your new favourite side dish. In fact, this recipe is so good, we often make it as the main meal – we just eat more of it! Serve with some bread and some feta and olives and you have a meal fit for a King or Queen (also, speaking of Queen, check out this heirloom variety of okra called Silver Queen).

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Ladenia Greek flatbread

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Ladenia, a Greek vegan tomato and onion flatbread.

Ladenia, a Greek vegan tomato and onion flatbread

Λαδένια. We are so happy to introduce you to what is probably one of our favourite summer meals. Ladenia (pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable) is a recipe that brings us way, way back, and very far away. This was a recipe that our grandmother often made during our summer stays in Greece, and it was always such fun to sit around her wooden, rickety kitchen table and watch as she cut it into slices. Our eager hands and hungry bellies eyed each piece, carefully assessing them to see which was the largest, and which had slightly more toppings.

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Lahanodolmades or cabbage rolls with tomato

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Lahanodolmades, Greek stuffed cabbage rolls with tomato sauce.

Lahanodolmades, Greek stuffed cabbage rolls with tomato sauce

Λαχανοντολμάδες με σάλτσα ντομάτας. We feel sorry for cabbage. If vegetables were sentient beings, we could imagine cabbage sitting in the corner, huddled together with okra and eggplant, maligned and misunderstood. It’s no secret that many people, given the choice, would pass on cabbage. With a reputation for being gas-producing and unglamorous, cabbage is one of those vegetables that we can easily ignore, because we know that if and when we need it, it will be there.

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Spetzofai (spetsofai) – Sausages with peppers and tomato

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Traditional recipe for spetzofai (spetsofai) - Greek sausages with peppers and tomato recipe.

Traditional recipe for spetzofai (spetsofai) – Greek sausages with peppers and tomato recipe

Σπετσοφάι. If you are looking for a traditional and simple rustic Greek recipe, this is it! Spetzofai (sometimes spelled spetsofai) is a humble food that is made with a few simple ingredients. This recipe is a shining example of how basic items, treated well, can produce something lovely!

Spetzofai (spetsofai) can either be served as a meal or as a meze. It goes amazingly well with ouzo, or ouzo based drinks like our ouzo lemonade. You should always try to serve it with some olives (our marinated olives would be perfect!) and cheese; feta or a nice sharp kefalotyri would be ideal accompaniments. And don’t forget the bread! A perfect spetzofai has just enough liquid that a nice piece of bread can soak it up and clean your plate.

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Giant beans (gigantes) with greens

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A Greek recipe which combines giant beans (gigantes) with a mixture of greens.

A Greek recipe which combines giant beans (gigantes) with a mixture of greens.

Γίγαντες με λαχανικά. Have you met our parents? If you have, in person, then you have hopefully visited them in the summer and taken a stroll through their garden. They love sharing this outside oasis with family, friends and people they just met. A garden is a lot of hard work, but the payoff is priceless. The pride of growing your own food, knowing that it is as fresh and as clean as possible – well, there is nothing better. It also offers a perspective that you can’t really appreciate otherwise. A garden, big or small, gives you a glimpse into the work that our farmers and agriculturalists experience every day to keep us fed.

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Youvetsi with lamb

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Youvetsi with lamb is a classic Greek slow cooked meal made with lamb and orzo.

Youvetsi with lamb is a classic Greek slow cooked meal made with lamb and orzo.

Γιουβέτσι με αρνί. Several years ago one of us was gifted a cookbook called Slow Food. Like all great cookbooks it was bedtime reading for weeks. Only after every page had been turned over at least once did the book make its way into the kitchen, where a few of the recipe were tried. We still have that book, and love it. The photos are appetizing, the recipes varied and delicious, and the spirit of the book is exactly what we needed then, and now. Slow cooking (not to be confused with slow cooker cooking) is about intentionality, calm and patience. Since that book, the slow food movement has ebbed and flowed in its popularity but one thing is for sure – the Greek kitchen is full of recipes that require time, and little else.

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Prasorizo Greek leeks and rice

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Prasorizo is a classic Greek vegan meal made with leeks and rice.

Prasorizo is a classic Greek vegan meal made with leeks and rice.

Πρασόριζο. Our father was a little older than 18 when he left his village in Messinia to fulfill the obligation that all young men in Greece, to this day, must fulfill. Universal and compulsory military service for men (women can now enroll on a voluntary basis) meant that young men like our father would leave their homes for several months in order to take part in this national service. Universal conscription was introduced during the military reforms of 1909 and was seen (and is still seen by some) as a rite of passage for young men; a final stepping stone before entering the real world

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Chicken souvlaki

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Marinated chicken breasts which make an amazing chicken brochette.

Marinated chicken breasts which make an amazing chicken brochette.

Σουβλάκι κοτόπουλο. Years ago our parents, and each of our families, spent several weeks in Greece. It was a special trip because we were all together, for almost the entire summer. There were periods during which we went our separate ways, to visit places and people outside of our Kalamata home base, but otherwise we were together. It was also the year that our dear cousin got married, and the first time that our extended family met Billie’s daughters, the youngest being 3 years old at the time.

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Vegan moussaka

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A recipe for a plant-based, soy-free version of the classic Greek moussaka.

A recipe for a plant-based, soy-free version of the classic Greek moussaka.

Νηστίσιμος Μουσακάς. Settle in guys, this is going to be a long one. No, not the post…don’t worry about that. If you’re here only for the recipes, you’ll be happy to know that this particular blog entry doesn’t come with any nostalgia, no family stories, and no personal anecdotes that some people seem to find annoying on food blogs. Also, some people love them and if you happen to be in that group of people, head on over to posts like Horta and How to dye really cool Easter eggs…and Thea Voula’s cheesecake. Heck, most of our posts come with a healthy dose of, well, US!.

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