[Erin]

I am currently re-reading the Illiad, ( brought on by recently seeing Brad Pitt in the role of Achillies), and am now on a Greek food kick. I make souvlaki, tzatziki and dolmades pretty frequently, so I want to mix it up. Do you have any Greek food suggestions?
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[Rainey]

Ooooh, Erin! Love it! What's the Greek version of hollandaise sauce with the fishstock base? I got interested in Greek cooking about a month ago and made it for the first time. I served it over a firm fleshed white fish that was topped with chopped sauteed shrimp. It was lovely. If you need a recipe I could pull out that cookbook that I just mentioned to my husband it was time to return to.

I also did an eggplant stuffed and roasted with a mixture of ground lamb, aromatic veggies and feta. We enjoyed that too.

My standard favs are spanikopita, pastitsio and moussaka. And I love a Greek salad (which out here does NOT contain anchovies! =o) but a Greek friend of my husband's tells him Americans have NO idea of what a proper Greek salad is anyway. So I guess I could relax about the anchovy thing...

A tiny little Greek deli in Vancouver used to make the most delicious roasted lemon potatoes. Lemon and fresh are exactly what I always think of when I think Greek food.

[mkraats]

I like Keftedakia ( rather fluffy meatballs with a lot of garlick), Stifado (beef stew), Bifteki and any of the popular fried vegetable dishes. I also like the very simple spinach with lots of lemon.

Best Greek food I ever had was in a huge Greek restaurant near Heraklion, the kind where they hold wedding parties.

And of course, in summer, have a frappe (Greek Iced coffee which has nothing to do with the Frappucino) with lots of sugar and milk.

[Erin]

Rainey,
The stuffed eggplant sounds great, I would love to make it. As far as the sauce, I don't know but I will consult my Greek cookbooks. I totally agree with you, when I think of Greek food lemons and the freshest ingredients are what come to mind!

mkratts,
I have had Keftedakia before but it has been a very long time. As I remember they were really tasty! I got them at Costa's in Seattle, everything from there is great!
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[Rainey]

It's avgolemono sauce. I had to pull my cookbook out to find it. You wisk together a couple eggs, lots of fresh lemon juice, a bit of flour to thicken. Then you drizzle in hot fish stock and wisk or whirl as though you were doing mayonnaise or hollandaise.

It's lovely and I could have eaten it by the spoonful!

Edited to add that I see it's more commonly made with chicken stock. And, apparently, it can be made with flour or cornstarch or they may be omitted entirely. It translates (my book says) as "egg-lemon".

[brighidsdaughter]

I can't find my Greek cookbook, but the best Greek food I've ever eaten was at a little outdoor cafe. This very rustic vegetable casserole is real "country-style" cooking and is somewhat like a Greek version of ratatouille.

It contained zucchini, eggplant, onion, tomato, waxy-type potatoes, artichoke hearts, green beans, red and green sweet peppers, and fennel bulb. And it had plenty of olive oil, garlic, lemon, oregano, and I think I tasted a hint of anchovy also. (I'd probably use good canned tomatoes out of season)

This recipe could be used as a guide:
http://recipes.chef2chef.net/recipe-archive/4/A04738.shtml

The husband and wife cooked together at this little place, and she said the ingredients vary, with no set amounts. It's apparently a common summer food. I think it would be a wonderful thing to eat this time of year when you're tired of winter! It was served in a shallow bowl, with a chunk of crusty bread to mop up the juice, a cube of feta, and a handful of olives marinated with herbs. Yum.

[rebecca]

My favorites have already been mentioned: spanakopita, moussaka, pastitsio, dolmades and the humble Greek salad. I also have a recipe for Greek meatballs somewhere at home. I don't remember what they're called but dill and rice are mixed with ground lamb, chopped garlic and diced onion. The town I live in has a number of Greek immigrants and there are gyros cafes all over the place. Lucky me!

Avgolemono is not just a sauce. It's also a lovely creamy lemony soup.

[Rainey]

[jenanoelle]

We're talking about Greek food here, and some of the classics have barely been mentioned! Spanikopita(spinach pie)/Tiropita(cheese pie)/Loukoumi("Turkish delight").. for the first 2, all one has to do is get their hands on some filo and they practically make themselves! (not to mention the heavenly taste, and the oohs and aahs..)

Speaking of filo.. does anyone know where to pick some up in the Parisian area? All I've been able to find is brick.. (not even close, but close enough to be a substitute.. sort of... spinach pie pockets, anyone?)

[Erin]

I love ratatouille, this dish will be perfect. Thanks for the link.
Where I live the stores are somewhat limited to say the least. I finally found a store that carries grape leaves so I bought a few jars to last. The leaves were so small I had to use two jars! Anything for my dolmades.
These suggestions are great, keep them coming!
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[lee_loreya]

ratatouille =greek?? I thought it was a provencale specialty...

In France, brick sheets are to be found at the frozen sections, next to the pates a pizza, brisée, feuilletée, a croissant, a tarte flambee etc... but I found some filo sheets once next to algae sheets, in the epicerie fine section, you know where they have kosher products, or italian or japanese.

I do approximative greek food like aubergines fried with some brown rice, coriander, pinenut seeds and garlic. When I was in Paris to see Ariane Mnouchkine's 6hr play Le Dernier Caravansérail they served dinner and snacks with a very Oriental flavor, and since the place in in the outskirts of Paris, there were no restaurants around. Anyway, you could choose between lamb and aubergines or the vegetarian plate. It was a very good idea to be in the same place for the whole afternoon and totally stay in the spirit of the play.

[Erin]

We are talking about a Greek dish that resembles ratatouille, not the real thing.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[David]

I'm not sure how to spell it but my all time favourite Greek flavour hit was bowls of taramasalada, a thick paste made from pine nuts, olive oil and fish roe (I think, it's been years!!) wonderful for dipping pita into and washed down with ice cold retsina. I had a wonderful Greek boss in Australia (Melbourne) who used to take us all out for long luxurious Greek lunches but what I remember most was that delicious dip.

and Lemon, yes lemon and Greek food!
_________________
Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

[rebecca]

Sadly I have never developed a taste for retsina or ouzo. Can anyone recommend other Greek wines or liquors for the faint of palate?

[Erin]

David,
I have been eyeing a recipe for that and with your stamp of approval I think I will try it! Thanks for the suggestion!

Rebecca,
It has been a very long time since I have had a Greek wine, I am remembering them fondly. They are out there!

Does anyone know how to make those yummy lemony potatoes? I have tried before but can never get the combination right.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."