Sweet Things
Fig Syrup
Tired of maple syrup? Make fig syrup. You can use fresh or fried figs, wild or store-bought.
I love Greek cooking, especially how it makes magic out of often limited ingredients. That ingenuity shines with fish, game and wild edible plants, called horta in Greece. What follows are my favorite Greek recipes.
Greek food hinges a lot on technique in that you can often see a similar set of ingredients turn out completely different, depending on how they are put together and in what amounts and in what order.
Below you will see about 30 Greek recipes, all using fish, game or edible wild plants — many can be, and are customarily made, with supermarket ingredients like lamb, chicken or beef, but Greek cuisine does use a lot of game and fish.
Here you will find classics like stifado, a stew with rabbit or sometimes red meats, dolmades, the ubiquitous stuffed grape leaves you see in every Greek restaurant, grilled octopus, venison souvlaki, and many more fantastic Greek recipes.
Sweet Things
Tired of maple syrup? Make fig syrup. You can use fresh or fried figs, wild or store-bought.
How-To (DIY stuff)
Pickled grape leaves sound odd, but they are the preserved grape leaves you use for various Mediterranean dishes, like dolmades,…
Greek
Braised quail Greek style, with olives, lemon, celery and garlic. This is a simple recipe that also works with rabbit, partridge, pheasant and grouse.
Greek
This is a traditional Greek lamb shank recipe done with venison shanks; the only difference between the two is venison takes longer to cook.
Greek
A Greek dish of warm crab salad with peppers, mostly sweet bell peppers, served with red onions and lots of herbs.
Greek
Stuffed grape leaves are a fantastic vehicle for all sorts of tasty fillings. These are vegetarian stuffed grape leaves.
Appetizers and Snacks
Fried mussels done Greek style, with Mediterranean spices in the flour and served with garlicky skordalia dipping sauce.
Greek
I haven't bought meat or fish more than a handful of times in more than a decade. Octopus is my exception. I love grilled octopus, especially Greek style. Baby octos served as a meze, a Greek appetizer, is one of my favorite things to eat in summertime.
Greek
If these look kinda-sorta like venison tacos, it's because lots of cultures love to grill meats, stick them on a flatbread and add vegetables and some kind of awesome sauce. That's exactly what this is, done Greek style.
Sweet Things
I don't eat a lot of sweet things, but I do have a soft spot for cookies. These I call "Bacchus Biscuits," and they're my take on a Greek fennel seed cookie. It's like a shortbread cookie, not too sweet, with toasted fennel seeds in it. They last a while and are great as a quick snack.
Greek
It's not often I remake a five-year-old recipe and change nothing. This Greek meatball recipe -- venison (or lamb), bulgur wheat, oregano and a Greek tomato sauce -- is one such dish. Nice to know some dishes hold up well over time.
Fish
As we close out summer, I refuse to give up the grill just yet. And while I did not actually catch these little octopi, I just had to share with you one of my favorite appetizers of all time: Grilled baby octopus, a Greek classic.