Celebrate the biggest holiday of the year with these Greek Easter recipes. Easter in Greece is the largest celebration of the year. And food plays a very important part in it. Choose from recipes like Stuffed Leg of Lamb, Koulourakia, Tsoureki, Kolokithokeftedes, and Spanakopita to cook the perfect Greek Easter feast.
Melopita is a traditional honey pie/cake from the island of Sifnos in the Southern Aegean. The base is anthotyro or ricotta cheese that you mix with honey.
In this Sun-Dried Tomato Tzatziki recipe, I’m offering another variation on the classic. Instead of cucumbers, this weaves in beautiful, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, which offer a perfect bright compliment to the dill and garlic.
Koulourakia are beautiful traditional Greek butter cookies served at nearly every holiday and celebration. They are perfect dunked in coffee for breakfast or a snack as well.
Briam is Greek cuisine’s answer to what most people know as ratatouille. It’s the perfect dish to make anytime of year — especially in the summer when eggplant and zucchini are available in abundance at your local farmers market.
Is there anything an eggplant can’t do? I’m in love with the vegetable simply grilled with a little olive oil and salt, stuffed with tomatoes and onions, or finessed with red sauce and cheese in eggplant parmesan, but my absolute favorite way to eat it is in this simple Greek dip: Melitzanosalata.
I’ve never met a meatball I didn’t like. And I especially love Keftedes — Greek Meatballs with Herbs. They’re a simple mix of ground beef or lamb enhanced with garlic, onion, and fresh herbs like mint and parsley. Their simplicity makes them the perfect addition to any mezze spread or platter.
Gigantes Plaki is a classic Greek recipe for giant white beans in a savory tomato sauce. Gigantes are gaining popularity in the U.S., but always transport me back to those seaside restaurants in the Aegean. Gigante beans are large white beans native to Greece and the Mediterranean, and in this recipe they are cooked in a zesty tomato sauce full of warming spices.
In my early days of cooking and baking, my mom would haul me down to the Dayton, Ohio Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church every summer to help the community prepare for our annual Greek festival. One of my favorite weeks was when we would bake Tsoureki, a sweet Greek bread traditionally served at Easter.
We all know that when zucchini start growing they grow in abundance. It’s hard to keep up with creative ways to make use of them. This is the perfect recipe for that — you can also easily double it to make more. Normally kolokithokeftedes are fried, but this method is a healthier version of the favorite, calling for baking the patties instead.
Traditionally diples are a sticky-sweet Greek dessert consisting of fried dough doused with a spiced honey syrup. In Opa! The Healthy Greek Cookbook that I co-wrote with Theo Stephan of Global Gardens, she offers a healthy, savory take on the pastry with her Tomato Foldover (Tomato Diples) recipe.
