The big fat Greek spread

The tenets of Greek cooking are deeply rooted in tradition. Every region has a different style of cooking, based on the ingredients, seasonality, and is also influenced by the culture and traditions of the people. Fresh ingredients are the corner stone of Greek cuisine. Every house in the villages will have a farm, where they grow their own herbs and vegetables.

I live about 70 km away from my workplace and although travel is a bit much, I prefer staying there as I have my own farm to source my fresh produce. One of the main contrasts in cooking between the island and city dwellers is that island dwellers depend on availability of ingredients, and tend to lean towards fusion food. They borrow elements from other cuisines to develop their own style. Another difference is that in the islands they cook fish and vegetables extensively, while in the cities they rely on red meat. The reason for this is also the availability of produce in these regions.

My personal culinary philosophy is to keep the flavours simple — not overcrowding a dish with too many spices or ingredients. As Greeks, our dishes do not use more than two or three ingredients, because we believe that in simplicity lies its magnificence. Some popular ingredients, synonymous with Greek dishes are tomatoes, feta, Greek yoghurt, peppers, spinach and oregano. The cuisine also does not use too many spices; we rely mainly on salt and pepper, besides oregano, dill and parsley. Also, dairy products in the form of sheep and goat’s milk are used extensively.

In all my travels so far, I’ve not tasted tomatoes as juicy and delicious as the ones we have back in Greece. The traditional style of making Greek Yoghurt too is unique to us, and although there are a number of retailers who sell these now, I feel the quality is not quite like the ones I’ve grown up on.

Another staple of the Greeks is Lagana, a traditional flat bread preparation, which is popular all over the country. We enjoy eating bread, and this is also the reason why our cuisine is popular for its delectable dips.

Whenever a Greek home has guests visiting, or even when a group of people go out for a meal, they’re known to order a number of dishes, as we enjoy eating at a fully laden table. The Greek salad, then, always finds its way to the table at any meal period.

A traditional beverage to go with meals is Tsipouro, an alcoholic drink that is very similar to Sambuca. The interesting bit about the drink is that every village has an expert brewer, who supplies it to the whole neighbourhood. And it makes me proud to say that I’m my village’s Tsipouro brewer!

Moussaka
Ingredients:
6 Eggplants
3 Potatoes
Vegetable oil
Olive Oil

For the meat sauce:
750 gm Minced beef and lamb
2 Red onions, chopped
2 Cloves of garlic, chopped
400 gm Chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp Tomato puree
1 tsp Sugar
1 Glass of red wine
1 Bay leaf
1 Cinnamon stick
¼ cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the bechamel sauce:
875 ml Milk
100 gm Butter
100 gm Flour
2 Egg yolks
100 gm Kefalotyri
Pinch of nutmeg

Method:
Drizzle olive oil on the eggplants and bake for 20 minutes.
Fry the potatoes after cutting them in thick slices.
Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add olive oil.
Stir chopped onions and sauté, followed by garlic and minced meat.
Slowly break it up with a wooden spoon and sauté.
Stir in tomato puree, pour in the red wine and wait for it to evaporate.
Add chopped tomatoes, sugar, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes.
Use a large pan to melt the butter over low-medium heat.
Add the flour, whisking continuously to make a paste.
Add warm milk and keep whisking.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in egg yolks, salt, pepper, nutmeg and grated cheese.
Add butter to the bottom of the pan and put a layer of potatoes and eggplants and pour in the meat sauce.
Add a second layer of eggplants and top with the béchamel sauce.
Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake the mousakka in a preheated over at 180C for about 30 minutes.

Choriatiki salad
Ingredients
2 Tomatoes cut into wedges
½ Medium red onion, sliced into rings
1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
½ Green pepper, sliced
½ Red pepper, sliced
6 Black olives
6 Pieces of capers
1 Small radish, cut into thin slices
2 Pieces crumbled Ntakos bread
200 gm Feta cheese, cut into cubes
1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
Sea salt to taste

Method
Toss all ingredients together.
Season with salt and pour the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar to the salad. Mix well before serving.

Chef Stratos is the commis chef at Hyatt Regency, Thessaloniki