A staple at our family events, Greek meatballs aren’t served with spaghetti or tomato sauce, but all on their own as an appetizer or as a meal with a side of greens, a tomato salad, or french fries. As with most of the recipes on this blog, these are also great with some crusty bread and a little feta cheese on the side. Here is the recipe, along with some pictures of our Mom, Athenoula, passing along the family recipe to the younger generation.

You will need: ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, egg, vinegar, fresh mint, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, olive oil, flour and vegetable oil for frying.

Everything goes into one big bowl, except for the flour and vegetable oil.

Don’t be shy. Get in there and mix it all up with your hands. 

Roll the meat mixture into meatballs. The kids used a fancy scooper, but you don’t have to.

Pour a few inches of vegetable oil into a deep skillet or pot and heat over medium high heat. Meanwhile, roll the meatballs in flour.

The oil is ready when it sizzles upon contact. Gently add the meatballs to the oil a few at a time. Don’t drop the meatballs in from too high, or you will get splashed with hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Not only will this reduce the temperature of the oil, but it will make it hard to roll the meatballs around so that they are cooked on all sides.  When the meatballs are browned all-around, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate to blot any excess oil. Allow to cool a few minutes, transfer to a serving dish, and enjoy!

Keftedes (Meatballs)
makes about 50

1 and 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup water or milk
1 medium onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. mint, chopped
drizzle of olive oil

1/2 to 1 cup flour
vegetable oil for frying

Add about 2-3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep frying pan or medium sized pot and heat over medium-high flame.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine breadcrumbs with either water or milk to moisten them, and then add ground beef, onion, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, vinegar, mint and a drizzle of olive oil. Combine well using your hands.

Prepare meatballs for frying. Grab about 1-2 T of meat mixture and roll it in between your hands to form a ball. Roll the ball in flour and set it aside. Repeat until you have formed all of the meat into meatballs.

The oil is ready when it sizzles upon contact. Add meatballs to the hot oil. Do not over crowd the pan/pot and leave enough room to rotate the meatballs so they can cook on all sides. Cook until browned on all sides. Drain on papertowel-lined plate and let cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. They are delicious no matter how you eat them!

Original article: Keftedes (Meatballs).

 

 Keep a careful eye on the Lalagithes and turn them until they are golden brown on all sides. If Lalagithes start to get too brown, too quickly you should reduce the heat a bit.

Original article: Lalagithes (Fried Dough for the Feast of Theophany).

When I was very little, I refused to eat eggs in any form, even if the eggs were nestled among crispy golden french fries. Silly, I know. Always ahead of her time, Yiayia realized that she just needed to ‘rebrand’ Patates me Avga in order for me to give it a try. She renamed it σκοτάδι, which means ‘darkness’, not because it describes the food in any way, but because it defined my state of awareness while eating this dish. Yiayia was a wise woman. Her trick worked like a charm and I would routinely devour Patates me Avga while blindly clinging to the belief that I did not eat eggs. I’m not sure if the moral of this story is if you add french fries to anything, you can get a kid to eat it? Or…lying to kids is good sometimes? Or… I wasn’t the smartest Greek kid on the block? Either way I’m so glad she tricked me because this dish is a keeper. French fries and eggs…it doesn’t get any simpler and there are few things more satisfying. 

All you will need is a potato, 2 eggs, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Peel and slice the potato to make the french fries. You can fry them in hot oil, or you can do as we did here and bake them at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. If you bake them, drizzle first with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Turn the potatoes half way through the cooking time so they cook evenly and don’t stick to the pan.

Transfer the cooked french fries to a large non-stick skillet over low heat. No need to add extra oil.

In a small bowl add 2 eggs, salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs well and pour over the french fries.

Let the eggs cook slowly over low heat until they are set on the bottom.

Use a spatula to flip the potato & eggs over to cook the other side.

When the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness, transfer to a plate. If you are an Americanaki, you might enjoy a little ketchup on the side. Perfection.

Patates me Avga (Potato & Eggs) Serves 1

Source: Athena Merianos

1 potato

2 eggs

Olive oil

salt & pepper

Peel and slice the potato to make the french fries. You can fry them in hot oil, or you bake them at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. If you bake them, drizzle them first with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Turn the potatoes half way through the cooking time so they cook evenly and don’t stick to the pan.

Transfer the cooked french fries to a large non-stick skillet over low heat. No need to add extra oil. In a small bowl combine eggs, salt and pepper. Beat well and pour over the french fries. Let the eggs cook slowly over low heat until they are set on the bottom. Use a spatula to flip the potato & eggs over to cook the other side. When the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness, transfer to a plate.

Original article: Patates me Avga (Potato & Eggs).

Whether you love fall or dread it, you have to admit it’s a great time for a nice hot bowl of soup. Fasolada is a delicious white bean soup that warms your bones and fills your belly. It also happens to be vegan, so you can pat yourself on the back for making healthy choices while you enjoy this soup. Careful, don’t hurt yourself.

In addition to the beans, Fasolada requires onion, carrot, and celery. Our parents grow celery in their garden…

so that is what we used here, but supermarket celery will work just fine.  You will also need some form of tomato, either tomato sauce or paste or fresh tomato if you have it. Tomato paste  will thicken the soup up a bit and adds more intense flavor. When the soup is almost done, you will add olive oil. Use high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best results. Here are the details…

To make Fasolada you will need a bag of Great Northern Beans, carrot, celery, onion, tomato paste or sauce, and olive oil.

 Pick through the beans and remove any small pebbles or misshapen/broken beans.

Rinse beans and drain.  

Meanwhile, heat 6-8 cups of water in a kettle or pot. Add beans and hot water to a medium sized pot. Boil for 2 minutes uncovered and then cover and set aside for one hour.

While beans are soaking, separate celery leaves from stalks.  Chop celery stalks, carrot and onion. Leave celery leaves whole.

After beans have soaked for an hour, they will be soft on the outside but still crunchy on the inside. Drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add carrots, celery stalks and onion, then add about 5 cups of hot water. The water level should be about 1 inch above the beans.

Fasolada (White Bean Soup) 

Makes 4-6 servings

(Source: Athena Merianos)

Original article: Fasolada (White Bean Soup).

Our parents’ generation grew up during very difficult times in Greece. World War II followed by the Greek Civil War resulted in widespread poverty and unrest. They don’ talk about it very much, but the few stories they do share are pretty harrowing. While our own working-class, immigrant upbringing was modest by American standards, compared to what our parents endured we grew up in the lap of luxury: plenty of food on the table, clean clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads in a safe environment. Like a lot of American kids we were picky eaters, which was frustrating for parents who knew what it was to be truly hungry. Our Yiayia used to shake her head in disbelief when we rejected the food placed in front of us. One meal that we would always eat was Yahnista Macaronia. For our parents, this food is a symbol of poverty — they ate this in Greece because they had nothing else — so it is more than a little ironic that this is one of our all-time favorite meals. It is one of those simple comfort foods that fills your belly and makes you happy. The spaghetti is cooked in sort of a tomato-onion broth. When the starch from the pasta is released into the broth it transforms into a delicious sauce that coats every bite. Here is how you make it: 

All you will need is spaghetti, one onion, olive oil, water, salt,  pepper, and some form of tomato. We like to use canned pureed tomato because of the smooth, thick consistency. If it is tomato season you can add pureed fresh tomato and it will amp up the flavor.

Dice the onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 15 minutes.

Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Add 1 tablespoon salt and spaghetti.

It will look like there is not enough water in your pot, but that is the secret to this dish. If you add too much water you’ll wind up with a watery, flavorless sauce. In order to prevent the pasta from sticking, you need to stir frequently. Keep a small pot of water simmering on the stove in case you need to add a bit, but do so with caution. Less water=more flavor. Cook for about 1 or 2 minutes less than what is stated on the package directions. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for about 3 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Add pepper to taste.Serve immediately. Yum.

Yahnista Macaronia (Poor Man’s Spaghetti)

Serves 4

Source: Athena Merianos 

2 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 cups tomato puree (you can also use crushed tomatoes, tomato paste or fresh tomatoes. Adjust the amount of tomato to suit your taste)

5 cups water

1 lb pasta

1 T salt

pepper to taste

In a medium sized pot, heat oil over medium heat and add chopped onion. Saute until translucent. Add tomato and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper and pasta. Adjust heat so the water doesn’t boil too rapidly and stir frequently to keep pasta from sticking (keep small saucepan of water simmering nearby in case you need to add more to the pot to prevent sticking). Cook 1-2 minutes less than package directions. Most of the water should be absorbed leaving a thin tomato sauce. Remove from heat and let sit for 3 minutes. Stir to distribute the sauce, adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Original article: Yahnista Macaronia (Poor Man’s Spaghetti).

Greek Easter is a big deal, people. There is so much food prepared for Easter that it will probably take us 10 years to cover it all. Since we have to dive in somewhere, let’s start with Koulouria, shall we? 

Koulouria are traditional Greek Easter cookies. When our family makes Koulouria, they really go all in. All hands are required on deck because the original recipe is massive.  10 eggs. 15 cups of flour. 15 dozen cookies. Since most people don’t need to make enough Koulouria to feed an army, we halved all of the ingredients in the recipe below to make a more reasonable amount.

Another challenge with this recipe is how things were measured.  For example, this is how Mom usually measures sugar when she makes koulouria.

I’m not kidding. Luckily for you, we took the time to re-measure everything using standard measuring cups and measuring spoons. You’re welcome.

Finally, Koulouria call for two ingredients that can’t be found in American supermakets: baker’s ammonia and powdered vanilla. Both can be found at your local Greek market or can be purchased online here and here.

Okay, are you ready?

Separate eggs, placing whites in a medium mixing bowl and yolks in a large mixing bowl.

Add salt to egg whites and beat until soft peaks form. (Hi Theia Toula!) Set aside.

Add sugar to egg yolks and beat very well. At first it will look like the consistency of scrambled eggs, but after about 5 minutes it will start to look more creamy and become slightly lighter in color.

Continue beating and add oil, followed by shortening, and baker’s ammonia.

Add baking soda to warmed milk and pour into batter. Add vanilla and mix well.

Fold reserved whites into batter.

Add flour to batter a little at a time and combine well. Use your hands or a stand mixer with hook attachment.

Beat 2 egg yolks with a little water in a small bowl.

Lightly oil your work surface.  Grab about 1 cup of dough and roll it out into a log shape. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Roll each piece out into a small “rope” and shape into circles or twists.

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg yolk. Greek coffee, anyone?

Bake in lower third of the oven for about 10 minutes, then move to the top third of the oven for 10 more minutes.

Cookies are done when they are golden brown. Happy Easter everyone!

Koulouria (makes about 7 dozen)

Source: Athena Merianos & Toula Costopoulos

5 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks for brushing on cookies before baking

1/8  teaspoon salt

1.5 cup sugar

3/4 cup warmed milk

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baker’s ammonia

1/4 teaspoon powdered vanilla

7.5 cups sifted flour (sift first, then measure)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate eggs, placing whites in a medium bowl and yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add salt to egg whites and beat until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Add flour and baking powder in medium bowl and set aside.

Add sugar to yolks and beat very well, for at least 5 minutes or until creamy and slightly lighter in color.  Continue beating and add oil, followed by shortening, and baker’s ammonia. Add baking soda to warmed milk and pour into batter. Add vanilla and mix well.

Fold reserved whites into batter.  Add flour to batter a little at a time and combine well. Use your hands or a stand mixer with hook attachment.

Beat 2 egg yolks with a little water in a small bowl.

Lightly oil your work surface.  Grab about 1 cup’s worth of dough and roll it out into a log shape. Cut into about 1 inch pieces.  Roll each piece out into a small “rope” and shape into circles or twists. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg yolk.  Bake in lower third of the over for about 10 minutes, then move to the top third of the oven for 10 more minutes.  Cookies are done when they are golden brown.

© kouzina cousins. April 2014.

Original article: Koulouria (Greek Easter Cookies).

Don’t you want a bite of that right now? Lagana is basically the Greek version of focaccia — both are flat breads baked with olive oil. Focaccia is usually soft throughout but lagana has a crunchy crust with a soft center. Lagana was a special treat in our house when we were growing up. Yiayia baked bread almost every week, and if we were lucky she would save some of the dough to make a pan of lagana that would be devoured in minutes. It is insanely good, especially if you use high quality olive oil. We are lucky to receive a steady supply of amazing olive oil from our family’s village of Krokees, and that is what we used here. To make lagana, follow the basic instructions for Yiayia’s Bread. We have adjusted the ingredients in the recipe below to make enough dough for one pan of lagana.  If you don’t have the time, energy or desire to make your own dough you could use ready-made pizza dough. It won’t be as delicious as the homemade version, but it will still taste pretty great. 

Coat a shallow pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Add dough to the pan and stretch it gently with your hands…

until it looks like this.

Score the dough before baking, drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt.  Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Poke a hole in each square with a toothpick and place in a COLD oven. Set the oven to 450. When the oven reaches 450 continue baking the lagana for about 25 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Slice and enjoy.  Trust us, it won’t last long.

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup water
2 T good quality olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

Follow the instructions for YiaYia’s Bread found here. After the dough has risen twice (or if you are using ready-made pizza dough) proceed with the instructions below.

Spread about 1 T of olive oil onto the bottom of a 12×17 pan. You could use a jelly roll pan or other shallow baking pan with sides. Place the dough in the center of the pan and use your hands to gently and evenly spread the dough out to the sides of the pan. Score the dough (cut lightly, not all the way through) into squares .

Drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil and spread the oil over the dough with your hands. Sprinkle the dough with sea salt or kosher salt to taste. Cover the prepared dough with plastic wrap followed by a clean towel and let sit for approximately 30 minutes so the dough can rise one more time.

Poke each square with a toothpick. Set your oven to 450 and place the prepared pan into the cold oven. Do NOT preheat the oven. When the oven temperature reaches 450, bake for an additional 25 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

© kouzina cousins. 2014.

Original article: Lagana.

Given the frigid temps we’ve been dealing with in the Northeast it’s hard to believe that lent started last week and Easter is around the corner. During lent, Greek Orthodox Christians practice varying degrees of “fasting”. No, not a trendy juice fast. In the Greek church, fasting means abstaining from all animal products: meat, dairy, eggs, and most fish. Some fast for the entire 40 day lenten period, some only on Wednesdays and Fridays, others just during Holy Week. In our house lent meant peanut butter sandwiches in our lunch boxes and plenty of Lentil Soup. Luckily this soup is delicious, especially with a hunk of fresh homemade bread on the side. As an added bonus, using the Greek word for this soup – “fakes” (fah-KESS) – lets you feel like you are getting away with swearing at the dinner table. :) 

Lentil Soup (Fakes) Serves 6-8

Source: Athena Merianos via Effie Eraklis

1 lb. bag dry lentils

9 cups of water

1 large onion, diced

1 carrot, diced (optional)

2-3 garlic cloves, diced

2-3 bay leaves

1 TBLS cumin

1 6 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper (to taste, some people leave it out completely)

Red wine vinegar (for serving)

Pick through the dry lentils to remove any small pebbles or discolored beans. Add the lentils to a large pot with about 9 cups of water (the water should be about four times the height of the lentils)*.   Add the onion, carrot (if using), garlic and bay leaves.  SLOWLY bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Be sure not to bring to a boil too quickly or simmer at too high a heat because that will cause the lentils to pop open.

Add tomato sauce, cumin, salt & pepper (if using) and cook for 15 minutes more. Add olive oil and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until beans are soft. Adjust seasoning to suit taste. Total cooking time is one hour.

Once the soup is served, each person can (and should!) add a splash or two of red wine vinegar to his/her bowl. The vinegar really brings this soup alive, but too much can be overpowering. As Thea Athenoula said when she was teaching me how to make this ‘you can always put more, but you can’t take it out if you put too much…ok?’.

*Feel free to adjust the water according to your preference. More water will make it soupier, less water will make it thicker. You may want to keep a small pot or kettle of water boiling on the side. That way if the beans have absorbed a lot of water and are still hard, or the soup is looking too thick, you can adjust by adding a bit of hot water.

 Serving suggestions: As we mentioned above, this soup is perfect with a great crusty bread for dipping.  Try it with some feta sprinkled on top – so good! Also, although it’s intended as a hot soup, cold leftovers are delicious.

Photos: Effie Eraklis

Original article: Lentil Soup (Fakes).

We had the most wonderful yiayia (grandmother) you could imagine.  She was sweet and fun, and was always ready to give family, friends, and strangers a hug and a smile…and bread. Yiayia made this amazing bread, by hand, every week.  Yiayia’s bread was on our table at every meal and while it always tasted good, to eat it fresh out of the oven was complete joy.  Our mother and aunt still make this bread a couple of times a month, and took the time to teach us the recipe, but to us this will always be yiayia’s bread. She was a special lady, and this is her famous bread. 

Combine yeast and 2 cups warm water and set aside to allow yeast to activate.

Sift white and wheat flour into a large bowl to aerate the flour. After you sift the wheat flour there may be larger wheat husks left behind in the sifter. Add those into the bowl, too. Add salt and combine with your hands.

Make a well in the center and add oil. Stir reserved yeast and water to combine and add to the well.

Knead the dough until it is sticky and tough and pulls away from the bowl. Fill a large bowl with 3-4 cups of warm water. Wet your hands in the warm water and continue to knead the dough, repeating this process (wet hands, knead) until the dough has softened up a bit, the sides of the bowl are clean, and excess water has been absorbed.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and blankets to keep warm and let the dough rise for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size and springs back when you press on it.

Knead dough again (about 5 or 10 punches), re-cover with plastic and blankets, and let it rest about 30 minutes or until it puffs back up to double original size.

Shape into free form loaves or use oiled loaf pans.  Use a knife to poke a few holes in the top of each loaf before placing them in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the bread is golden brown and makes a hollow sound when you knock on it.  Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Slice. Devour.

Bread (makes 5-6 loaves of bread)

Original article: YiaYia’s Bread.

Melomacarouna are a popular Greek cookie often enjoyed at Christmas.  They are crumbly spice cookies that have been soaked in warm honey and then sprinkled with finely chopped walnuts. The recipe for this cookie is the perfect example of why we started this project to document family recipes.  This is what my mother’s recipe for Melomacarouna looks like:

Thanks to six years of Greek school, I can decipher most of this.  There are lots of good things here, actually. Real measurements in “κούπες” (cups),  “κουταλιές της σούπας” (tablespoons) and “κουταλιτσες” (teaspoons).  You can see she has adjusted the recipe over the years, eliminating eggs and honey from the cookie dough and adding a bit more sugar. Some of the measurements are a little fuzzy, like the lines about “λίγη” (a little) cinnamon and clove, but nothing too difficult to overcome.  That is what I thought, until I flipped the notecard over and realized there are no instructions about what to do with the ingredients, and then further realized there is no mention of flour AT ALL.  When I asked my Mom how much flour to use she said “όσο παίρνει” (as much as it takes).  Umm, okay…obviously we had some work to do here. She still scoffs at our need to measure things, but I think she’s getting used to it. Here’s what I learned (exact measurements are listed in detail in the full recipe):

To start with you will need: flour, vegetable oil, shortening, orange juice, cognac, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and sugar.  Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the oil, shortening, orange juice, baking soda, sugar and cognac and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. I love this giant stainless steel bowl. Does every Greek mother have a few of these?  They always cook in such large quantities that normal sized mixing bowls just don’t cut it.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time.  After adding about 3/4 of the flour mixture you will need to use your hands because the dough will become too thick for the mixer. If you cut this recipe in half you might be able to use a stand mixer.  And you will still have a lot of cookies.

The cookies are done when they are a golden amber color. Let the cookies cool completely before moving on to the next step.

Bring honey and water to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat off and skim off any white foam that may have formed on the surface of the honey.

Drop 5 or 6 cookies into the warmed honey. The cookies will float to the top.  Turn the cookies over gently to be sure the honey is soaked in on all sides. After about 1 minute, remove the cookies from the honey using a slotted spoon. Repeat until all cookies are drenched in honey.

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Let cool before serving.

Melomacarouna  (Spice cookies dipped in honey)

Source: Athena Merianos and Toula Costopoulos

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Original article: Melomacarouna.