Mezedes is a large selection of dishes with small helpings of varied foods, brought to the table as a progression of tastes and textures. The meal begins with black and green olives,tahini, skordalia (potato and garlic dip), humus, taramosalata (fish roe dip), and tzatziki, all served with chunks of fresh bread and a bowl of mixed salad. Some of the more […]

Ingredients 1 pound (4 cups) blanched almonds or walnuts or a combination of both, finely chopped 3/4 cups sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 pound filo pastry 3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing filo SYRUP 2 cups water 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice A 2-inch strip of lemon rind […]

In Greek: πατσαβούρα γλυκό, say: paht-sah-VOO-rah ghlee-KOH This sweet phyllo pie with yogurt takes its common name (patsavoura) from the Greek word for “rag” because of the way the phyllo sheets are bunched up. Also called tsalakoto (wrinkled) and “lazy cook’s pie,” this version with syrup is a delicious sweet treat to make as an appetizer, snack, […]

In Greek: παγωτό κρέμα, pronounced pah-ghoh-TOH KREH-mah This basic recipe for vanilla ice cream is delicious as is, or with additions of chocolate chips, pieces of cookies, or other additions of your choice. Also, try topping with homemade chocolate sauce orstrawberry dessert sauce. Ingredients: 2 cups of full fat milk 6 egg yolks 1 cup of granulated […]

There is almost nothing you can put in pasta sauce that doesn’t go with eggs. If you serve pasta and sauce separately, mix them for the recipe. This works with baked pasta dishes as well. The quantities given are an indication, and for one serving. Increase or decrease the number of eggs per cup of […]

In Greek: ντόνατς, pronounced DOH-nuts This is a basic Greek donut recipe. The key to this recipe is the temperature: all ingredients need to be at room temperature; work surfaces should be at room temperature as well, and the cooking environment needs to be warm and dry. If countertops feel cool or cold to the […]

In Greek: ξεροτήγανα, pronounced kseh-roh-TEE-ghah-nah The end result of this recipe for honey-dipped spiral pastries is similar to that for thiples, but the dough for xerotigana does not usually contain eggs, and the recipe does not contain any hard-to-find ingredients. And the pastries are fabulous. Quick-fried spirals of the thinnest dough are dipped in a honey syrup and […]

In Greek: λουκουμάδες, pronounced loo-koo-MAH-thes This recipe calls for yogurt. Look for thick, strained Greek yogurt at your grocer’s or use plain (unflavored) yogurt and strain it using a piece of muslin or a clean white dish towel. Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 2 eggs 3/4 cup of strained yogurt 2 cups of all-purpose flour […]

In Greek: σφακιανόπιτες, pronounced sfah-kiyah-NO-pee-tes It is customary in Greece for local dishes to be given the name of the area or region where they originated; thus, sfakianopites are named for Sfakia, a lovely area of Crete. These cheese pies, made with ouzo, can be served as a meze with ouzo, raki, or tsikoudia (local spirits), as […]

Loukoumades are golden puffs of fried dough that are bathed in sweet syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and walnuts. This recipe hails from Matina Caribacas a friend and fellow parishioner at our church who perfected her loukoumades after many years of trial and error. They are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside – […]