Easy To Prepare Greek Recipes For Kids

These are some dishes that we've found that kids love, and they're all easy to prepare. Follow the links for the recipes.

Keftedakia (small meatballs)

These are especially good at kids' parties. They disappear really quickly!

Youvaralakia

A variation on meatballs, served as a kind of soup.

Greek Pastichio


Just watch this disappear down their throats! A favourite with adults as well.

Greek Cheese Pie (Tiropita)

Nice, light and delicious.

Zucchini Fritters (Kolokithopitta)

A delicious and healthy kids' snack.

Eat And Enjoy

R Is For ...

Continuing the Greek food and drink glossary. The bold italics show where the accent is.


radish - repanaki

raisin - staffeeda (soft d)

raspberry - smeooro

recipe - seentagee (soft g)

rice - reezee

rosemary - thendrolivano

Greek Pies (Pittes)

There are many pies made in Greece. I've put a few of them together here for you to try - the recipes also explain how to make the filo pastry yourself. There are many more, and I'll gradually be adding them.

Spinach Pie - Spanakopita

This can be eaten as a side dish or as a tasty, nutritious snack on its own.

Spinach Pie - Spanakopita

Another variation.

Cheese Pie - Tiropita

An easily prepared pie, which is also extremely light.

Small Cheese Pies with Yoghurt Dough - Tiropitakia

The yoghurt is in the dough, not the filling. Tasty little pies.

Artichoke Pie - Agginaropita

Delicious and healthy side dish or snack.

Leek Pie - Prassopita

Can be eaten by itself with salad or served as part of a buffet.

These are two sweet pies.

Pumpkin Pie - Kolokithopita

Sweet and juicy. Lovely with cream!

Apple Pie - Milopita

An old recipe. Have this with your tea or coffee.

Eat And Enjoy!

P is for ...

Continuing the Greek food and drink glossary. The bold italics show where the accent is.


pancake - teeganeeta (soft g)

parsley - mydanos

pastry - zeemee

peas - bizelia

peach - rodakeeno (soft d)

pear - ahladee (soft d)

pepper - piperi

pie - peeta

plaice - glossa (soft g)

plum - damaskeeno (soft d)

pomegranate - rodee (soft d)

pork - heereeno

potato - patata

poultry - poolerika

prawn - gareeda (soft g & d)

pumpkin - kollokeetha

Greek Artichokes With Fresh Peas (Anginares me Bizelia)

Another recipe with artichokes - I love artichokes! For those of you who also like them, you can check out the other two recipes I have posted so far - Artichoke Pie and Artichokes a la Polita. This is again a nutritious dish, easily prepared.

Ingredients

6 medium size young artichokes
½ kg fresh peas
3 new potatoes quartered
3 spring onions finely chopped
2 fresh garlic cloves chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped
2 tablespoons fennel chopped
3 lemons
120 ml olive oil
Lemon juice
300 ml water
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Discard the outer leaves of the artichokes and then rub them with 2 lemons.

Place the artichokes in a bowl with juice from 1 lemon.

Put the oil in a pan, add the onion and the spring onions and stir for 1 minute.

Add the garlic and continue stirring.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir so that they are all covered in the oil.

Add the water.

Simmer until the potatoes are cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed and the food remains with just the oil.

Eat And Enjoy!

Greek Spinach Pie - Spanakopita

As with cheese pies, there are many types of spinach pie - spanakopita - in Greece. We previously posted a recipe for one that was shaped like a coil - see here. This one is the more classical spinach pie and can be eaten as a side dish or is a very tasty and nutritious snack by it self. The recipe shows how you can make the filo pastry yourself - it's always tastier than the ready-made stuff.

Ingredients

For the dough
300g all purpose flour
40 ml olive oil
1 tablespoon ouzo
Salt
Lukewarm water – enough to make a pliable dough

For the filling
1 kg spinach
250g feta cheese
6 spring onions
1 bunch aniseed – finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint – chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt – but taste first as feta cheese is salty

For the egg wash
1 egg well beaten with 200ml milk


Preparation

Dough
Place all the dough ingredients in a bowl and knead well for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 balls of equal size.

Cover them with cling film and let them rest on a lightly floured surface for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

Filling
Finely chop the spring onions and put them in a pan with water.

Finely chop the spinach and add it.

Add the mint, aniseed and a little salt.

Bring to the boil, stirring well.

Remove from the heat and put the mixture in a colander to drain well.

Press the mixture with a spoon in order to remove as much liquid as possible.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Crumble the feta cheese and add it to the mixture along with the olive oil.

Stir and then set aside.

Dough
When the 1 hour has passed take 3 of the balls and, using a wooden rolling pin, open them into flat circles 15 cm in diameter.

Lightly brush the first ‘filo’ with olive oil and place the second one on top of it.

Lightly brush this one with olive oil and then place the third filo on top.

Sprinkle flour on top.

With a rolling pin open out the dough with the 3 filos until you have a large circle enough to fill a medium size oven dish and cover the edge.



Brush the oven dish with olive oil and place the dough in it, covering the edge.

Take another ball of dough and with a little flour and the use of the rolling pin, open it out into a circle which is the same size as the oven dish, but not including the edge.

Place this in the oven dish on top of the first layer.

Now spread the filling evenly on top of these layers.

Take another ball of dough and again open it out to the size of the oven dish.

Place it on top of the filling and brush with olive oil.

Take the final ball of dough and open it out to the size of the oven dish plus enough to cover the edge.

Place it on top of the others and join the extra at the edge with the edge from the bottom layer, using olive oil so that the edge of the whole pie is nicely sealed.

Brush the top of the pie with olive oil.

Lightly cut the whole pie into square portions, but without cutting down to the bottom.

Brush the pie with the egg wash.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius. For about 1 hour, until it has a nice golden brown colour.


Eat And Enjoy!

Hippocrates On Food

Hippocrates 460 - 359 BC

"Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food"

Greek Bean Soup - Fasolada

This is a simple and extremely popular dish - some people say that this, in fact, is the real Greek national dish! It's very easy to prepare, the only time-consuming part is soaking the beans overnight. nd it's tasty and nutritious, ideally eaten with fresh bread and olives.

Ingredients

½ kg haricot beans
1 large onion grated
2 carrots diced
1 tablespoons roughly chopped celery leaves
1 red hot chilli pepper
½ tablespoon tomato paste
150 ml slightly concentrated tomato juice
150 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Soak the beans overnight.

The next day put the beans in a deep pan with enough water to cover them.

Boil them, but before they come to the boil remove with a wooden spoon the froth that comes up to the surface.

After they come to the boil simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the beans and drain them in a colander.

Put them back in the pan and add enough boiled water to cover them. (about 2 fingers above the surface of the beans)

Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour or more – until the beans are tender.


Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Vegetarian Meal

I was asked to give some recommendations for full Greek meals based on the recipes given here. So I'm starting with a possible Greek Vegetarian Meal.

A lot of people, when they think about Greek food, immediately think of souvlaki, roast lamb etc. In fact, Greece has a lot of wonderful vegetarian dishes. Below is just one possibility for a meal. I will try to regularly post possible meals (not just vegetarian) based on the recipes given in this blog. Requests are most welcome.

All of these dishes (apart from the cake) should be placed on the table for everyone to help themselves. This meal would be suitable for 6 people.

Vegetarian Moussaka

I find this an excellent main dish and many non-vegetarians have said that they prefer it to the Moussaka with the meat.

Artichoke Pie
(Agginaropitta)

A light, healthy accompanying dish.

Below are tasty side dishes from which people can help themselves to as much as they want.

Eggplant Dip
(Melitzanosalata)

Tzatziki

Tirokafteri
(Spicy Cheese Dip)

Stuffed Green Peppers With Feta Cheese

You can also include a traditional Greek Horiatiko (Village) Salad. This is really simple and consists of roughly chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, feta cheese and olives. You can also add chopped onions if you wish (I don't!). Add salt and olive oil and sprinkle some oregano on top if you want.


After the meal and after you have digested (partly, at least!), you can have some delicious Walnut Cake (Karidopitta) to go with your coffee.

Eat And Enjoy!

N and O are for ...

Continuing the series with food and drink glossary in Greek. Once again, the accent is shown by the letters in bold italics.

nectarine - nektareenee

nuts - xeeroos karpoos

nutmeg - mos-hokarido (soft d)

oats - vromi

octopus - htapodi (soft d)

oil - ladee (soft d)

olive - elya

olive oil - elyolado (soft d)

onion - kremeedi (soft d)

orange - portokali

oregano - reegani (soft g)

oyster - streedi (soft d)

Greek Fried Pork With Leeks

Again, this is a popular dish in the vilages. It can be served as a meze - one of several side dishes to accompany drinks - or served as a main dish in itself with pilaf rice. It's a very simple and easily prepared dish.

Ingredients

1kg pork chopped into small pieces
½ kg leeks (the white part) sliced
120ml olive oil
60ml red wine
½ cup lukewarm water
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Fry the oil in a shallow pan and add the meat.

Fry for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the wine and boil for 5 minutes.

Add the warm water.

Add the leek slices and seasoning.

Simmer for 1 hour, letting it absorb all the liquid.


Eat and Enjoy!

Greek Easter Cookies

Unlike the other Christian Churches, Greek Easter is this weekend. You will find Easter cookies in all the houses these days. They're easy to make and a nice accompaniment for your coffee. You can make them into whatever shape you want, but I have shown the most traditional in the photo at the bottom of the post. You might also like to check out the recipe for Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki) that I previously posted.

Ingredients

1 kg soft flour
4 medium size eggs at room temperature
350g sugar
350g butter at room temperature
60ml orange juice
3 tablespoons brandy
30g baking powder
Grated rind from 1 orange

For the egg wash

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of vanilla essence

Preparation

Beat the butter and sugar really well in the mixer.

Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating for 4 minutes.

Add the orange rind, orange juice and brandy and continue beating for another minute.

Sift the flour in a large bowl and then sift in the baking powder.

Make a hole in the centre and pour in the mixture from the mixer.

Combine them all gently – do not overhandle this dough as the butter will start to come out.

Form the dough into a ball and remove small portions and shape them into cookies – you can see the most common forms in the photo at the bottom.

Arrange them in buttered trays and brush them with the eggwash.

Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until they turn golden brown.


Eat and Enjoy!