Vote For Your Favourite Greek Dishes

I've decided to set up a little poll here to give people the chance to vote for their favourite dishes. There are 4 categories - Main Dishes, Pies, Side Dishes and Sweets - and you can vote for one dish from each category. You can see the ongoing results, but I'll 'officially' announce the results on Sunday 6th June.

These are the contenders, with the links to their recipes -

Main Dishes

Artichokes a la Polita

Briam

Fasolakia (Fresh Green Beans)

Gemista

Lamb Kleftiko

Meatballs in Avgolemono Sauce

Pastichio

Vegetarian Moussaka

Youvetsi

Pies
Artichoke Pie
Cheese Pie (Tiropita)
Kolokithopita (Courgette Pie)

Leek Pie
Potato Pie

Spinach Pie (Spanakopita)



Side Dishes

Beetroot with Garlic Sauce
Boorekakia (Eggplant Rolls)
Dolmades
Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata)
Fava (Yellow Lentils)
Prasoboorekakia (Leek & Cheese Rolls)
Taramosalata
Tirokafteri
Tzatziki
Zucchini Fritters



Sweets

Baclava
Galaktoboureko
Halva
Karidopita (Walnut Cake)
Milopita (Apple Pie)
Pasta Flora
Portokalopita (Sweet Orange Pie)
Pumpkin Pie
Ravani
Tsoureki

5 Greek Recipes With Spinach

Spinach is very popular in Greece - especially in pies. Fresh spinach is used and is an integral part of the healthy Greek diet. Here are some recipes you can try - just click on the names to go to the recipes.

Spinach Pie - Spanakopita

This is the classical spinach pie and can be eaten as a side dish or is a very tasty and nutritious snack by itself. The recipe shows how you can make the filo pastry yourself - it's always tastier than the ready-made stuff.

Spinach Pie - Spanakopita Strifti

This is an another type of spinach pie - individual round, 'coiled' pies (see photo).

Spinach Patties

These patties are really easy to make and are a tasty side dish or snack as well as being extremely nutritious.

 Spinach Rice - Spanakorizo

This is a simple and nutritiuos dish, easily prepared. It is best accompanied by slices of fried haloumi cheese, which is from Cyprus but is available worldwide. It can, however, also be accompanied by any other semi-hard, salty cheese fried (see photo).

 Cuttlefish with Spinach - Soupyes me Spanaki

This is a dish traditionally eaten on Clean Monday, which is the beginning of the Lent period before Easter. Of course, it can also be a delicious side dish at any time of the year.

Eat and Enjoy!

Greek and Italian Recipes by Joanne Olivieri

Fellow blogger Joanne Olivieri from Poetic Shutterbug has just published a book Greek and Italian Recipes: From Mom's Kitchen. As the title would suggest, these are recipes that she got from her mother and have been handed down from generation to generation.



"Generation to generation, down home Greek and Italian cooking. Being half Greek on my Mom's side and half Italian on my Dad's side I grew up with traditional cuisine celebrating both cultures. These dishes stand the test of time and were prepared with that special ingredient we call love. From Greek dolmas to Italian amaretti, there are delicious treats to satisfy the most discerning palate."

This would be a marvellous addition to anyone's recipe book collection and I would definitely recommend checking it out!