6 best recipes for dishes from Greece! Prepare them easily at home.

Greek dishes are delicious and not at all complicated to prepare.

So why not cook some of them?

Get inspired by our 6 luxurious recipes from Greek cuisine, thanks to which you will suddenly be transported to a land full of history, sun and olives.

We have sweet baklava, healthy salad and authentic moussaka for you.

Enjoy your meal!

Greek moussaka

A traditional specialty of Greek cuisine, the preparation of which is lengthy and complex, but the result is definitely worth it!

Ingredients

• 3 large eggplants (thinly sliced)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 800 g of ground lamb (we can substitute 400 g of ground beef and 400 g of ground lamb)
• 420 g of crushed tomatoes from a can
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• herbs to taste (fresh coriander, parsley, basil, marjoram, chives…)
• salt and pepper to taste

For the béchamel:

• 75 g of butter
• 1/3 cup plain flour
• 2 cups of milk
• a pinch of salt and white pepper
• grated nutmeg to taste

Method

1. Cut the eggplant into thin slices, add salt and let it sweat for about 15 minutes, then drain the excess water and dry it on a towel.
2. Fry the eggplant slices for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned.
3. Transfer the baked eggplant to a plate where it will cool.
4. Fry finely chopped onion and garlic in oil until golden brown.
5. Add the minced meat and combine it with the onion.
6. After frying the meat, season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, sweet paprika, herbs and add crushed tomatoes.
7. Bring to a boil and reduce the temperature.
8. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the excess liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens.
9. In the meantime, prepare the béchamel.
10. Heat the butter in a saucepan, sprinkle in the flour and, stirring constantly, create a roux, which we cook for about 1-2 minutes so that the sauce does not taste like flour.
11. Gradually pour the milk into the roux and whisk.
12. Reduce the heat and simmer until the béchamel thickens.
13. Salt, pepper and grate a little nutmeg, mix and remove from the stove.
14. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
15. Layer the eggplants in the baking dish, then the meat, then a layer of eggplant slices, then you can repeat the layering and always finish with béchamel.
16. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden.
17. Before serving, let the moussaka stand for 10 minutes so that it can be portioned better.

Keftedes meatballs

These juicy Greek meatballs are absolutely TOP! The balls are slightly crispy on the outside, pleasantly flavored with red onion, fresh parsley, mint and dried oregano. Serve them as an appetizer with tzatiki and pita bread or as a main course with a salad.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 red onion, grated
• 500 g of ground beef
• 200 g of minced pork
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 60g panko breadcrumbs (or use regular)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 6 large mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil

To serve:

• finely chopped parsley (optional for garnish)
• tzatziki or Greek yogurt

Method

1. Grate the onion straight into a large bowl and then add all the remaining meatball ingredients except the flour and oil.
2. Mix well with your hands so that the mixture is smooth and everything is beautifully combined.
3. Leave the mixture in the fridge for an hour, it will make it easier to shape the balls and they will hold their shape better.
4. We measure the balls by scooping them up onto a tablespoon.
5. Then we roll them out on the work surface – there should be about 32 – 35 of them.
6. Heat most of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat (it should cover the surface of the pan).
7. Fry the balls in 2 to 3 batches.
8. We always lightly dip them in flour, shake off the excess flour and put them in the pan.
9. Turn them over and fry for 5 to 6 minutes until golden.
10. Remove to a plate, cover to keep warm and repeat with the remaining balls.
11. Served with pita bread and tzatziki or on its own with a Greek salad.

Greek tzatziki

A popular fresh delicacy from Greece made of yogurt, fresh dill, garlic, cucumber and lemon juice, which almost everyone likes. It works great as a dip for meat or vegetables or just with a baguette.

Ingredients

• 1/2 salad cucumber
• 200-300 g Greek plain yogurt
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• a little lemon juice
• fresh dill
• olive for garnish

Method

1. Pour the yogurt into a bowl.
2. Peel the cucumber and grate it on the coarse side of the grater.
3. Squeeze well and mix into the yogurt together with garlic, a spoonful of lemon juice, dill and oil.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve garnished with an olive and drizzled with a little olive oil.

Homemade gyros

Try making your own gyros at home and you will see that you will never want another one! Serve it with pita bread and tzatziki for a traditional Greek treat.

Ingredients

• 800 g pork tenderloin or chicken breast or beef tenderloin
• 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
• ground cumin (or ground pepper, chili)
• 200 ml of yogurt
• 1 clove of garlic
• a handful of fresh coriander or dill
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 red onions
• ¼ lettuce
• salt
• olive oil
• 1/2 large onion
• 4 pieces of pita bread
• 200 g of tzatziki
• 200 g of fried French fries
• strong wooden skewers

Method

1. Let’s prepare the marinade for the meat.
2. Mix yogurt with spices, garlic, salt and olive oil.
3. Wash the meat, cut it into larger slices and put it in the marinade.
4. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
6. We will prepare a sheet on which we will create a temporary skewer.
7. Insert a thick skewer into half of the onion.
8. We impale the marinated meat on a skewer.
9. Finish the skewer with half a lemon to firm it up, and press the meat together well.
10. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
11. We take out the meat and gradually cut it.
12. Prepare pita bread, put chopped salad, tomato, onion, fries and tzatziki on it along with meat.
13. Roll into a cone and serve.

Traditional Greek salad

This authentic salad from Greece is packed with fresh tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, salty feta cheese and olives. It is beautifully fresh and perfect as a light dinner or side dish.

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 large red onion
• 2 large cucumbers
• 1 cup black olives
• 120g high-quality feta cheese, crumbled or chopped
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons capers (optional)
• salt

Method

1. Cut the tomatoes into coarse pieces, remove and discard the seeds.
2. Put the tomatoes in a large bowl and add a few pinches of salt.
3. Finely chop half of the red onion.
4. We alternately peel strips from the cucumbers to create a ribbed pattern.
5. Cut the cucumbers in half and remove the seeds with a spoon.
6. Then cut the cucumbers into approximately centimeter pieces.
7. In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, red onion and cucumbers with 1 cup olives, feta, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar.
8. We can add 2 tablespoons of drained capers and a teaspoon of dried oregano.
9. Stir gently to combine.
10. Serve immediately or let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.

Baklava

Try this Greek dessert, which you will fall in love with thanks to the touch of delicate lemon flavor that offsets the sweetness of the whole dish. All of this is topped off with a touch of cinnamon. Baklava is really delicious!

Ingredients

• 450 g frozen Filo dough (1 package)
• 350 g of melted butter
• 400 g ground walnuts
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ground pistachios for garnish

For the syrup:

• 250 g of granulated sugar
• 4 full spoons of liquid honey
• 150 ml of water
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• a piece of butter to wipe the mold

Method

1. Defrost the dough.
2. Put water, sugar, honey and lemon juice in a saucepan.
3. Cook for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Then set aside the syrup and let it cool to room temperature.
5. Grease the baking pan with butter.
6. Coarsely grind the nuts together with the cinnamon.
7. We put the dough in the baking pan, which we brush with clarified butter.
8. We layer another dough, which we again spread with clarified butter and then repeat, but add more nuts and cinnamon.
9. We repeat this 3 more times and cover with the last sheet.
10. Cut diagonally in the baking dish with a sharp knife.
11. Bake in an oven heated to 190 degrees Celsius for about 25 minutes.
12. Immediately after taking the baklava out of the oven, pour syrup all over it.
13. We will use all the syrup.
14. Let cool and serve!

Among the most frequently used spices in Greece are those that are typical for the so-called Mediterranean cuisine. This means that basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel, thyme and parsley are popular and widely used. In addition, cumin, marjoram, bay leaf and dill are also commonly used. Spices are often used and sold as various seasoning mixes. Food is quite often seasoned with garlic .

Also in Greece, boiled, baked or fried potatoes are used as a side dish, often seasoned with spices, garlic and various herbs, which give them a unique taste. Quite often, only bread is served with meals.

And how did the Greek food go for you? Write to us in the comments!