Cook a Greek Summer Feast

Ever since I’ve discovered Northern Greece as a serious gastronomical destination, I’ve made it my mission to share some of the flavours of Thessaloniki with my family and friends.

This is the point of travel, is it not, to embrace new cultures and learn from each other? I know I can’t help but absorb the cuisine of a place, through its ingredients and traditions.

So I’ll cook a Greek summer feast two or three times while tomatoes are in season (essential!) and pack the people around my table to scoop Tzatziki and sip Tsipouro over ice.

My hope is that you’ll be inspired to cook a Greek summer feast of your own using some of these recipes as a guide.

Simple Dishes; Stellar Ingredients

Greek cuisine is extremely accessible to the home cook. You’ll find that the majority of these recipes call for only a handful of ingredients and the techniques are not complicated.

And Oh what ingredients!

Olive oil. Honey. Yogurt. Tomatoes. Oregano. Sea salt…the key to this cuisine is extraordinary ingredients combined with traditional techniques.

(I’m loving the cookbook Salt of the Earth by Carolina Doriti, which unfolds around ingredients instead of regions or seasons.)

So as you plan to cook a Greek summer feast, try and source the best ingredients you can for these recipes. Buy the full fat yogurt and the best olive oil; spring for a special jar of honey and the most luscious tomatoes at the farmer’s market.

Dried oregano is used throughout, so make sure yours isn’t older than a year. Oh and be sure to serve a plate of halved lemons at the table.

Let’s get into the recipes. Here’s what you need to cook a Greek summer feast. Choose three or four dishes, or send a few recipes to friends and collaborate on the meal.

Hosting Tip: Always let the guests around the table squeeze the lemon onto their own food. In Greece it is considered rude to grab a lemon wedge and douse the whole plate of seafood/lamb/anything. Don’t ask me how I found that out. Not everyone wants lemon.

To Start

Warm Olives with Bay Leaf

My family is crazy about olives, so they are essential to any Greek-themed meal. Here’s how I like to serve them for special occasions:

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small pot and add 2 bay leaves. Zest a few strips of orange peel into the oil. Warm gently, then tip in 1 cup of assorted olives. Warm for 10 minutes and serve.

Crispy Baked Feta with Honey

This five-ingredient appetizer awakens the taste buds with its salty-sweet combination of flavours. It’s the perfect way to kick off our Greek feast!

I use a homemade lavender honey, but choose a lovely honey that’s local to your region. And seek out PDO feta (it will have the little gold symbol on the packaging). Serve with fresh fruits and/or the pita chips below.

Get the recipe >> Crispy Baked Feta with Honey

Toasted Pita Chips

Homemade pita chips are so easy and well worth the effort. They are essential for dipping in Tzatziki or the beet dip below.

I make mine with sesame seeds and a dusting of sumac, but you could spice them with dried oregano, thyme, orange zest, or just sea salt.

TO MAKE:

• Cut a pack of pitas into 8 wedges and fill a bowl.
• Drizzle with olive oil, and seasoning of your choice (these have sesame, salt & sumac).
• Toss well to coat
• Place on a baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake at 375F until crisp, about 20 minutes. Cool. Enjoy!

Beet & Walnut Dip with Greek Yogurt

If you love a healthy start to the meal, look no further than this dip. A vibrant puree of roasted beets and toasted walnuts is swirled with sour cream and topped with dill for a luxurious appetizer.

Get the recipe > Roasted Beet & Walnut Dip

To Sip

I’m not covering beverages very extensively here, but if you are able to source it, I recommend the Malagousia from the Gerovassiliou winery (we toured and enjoyed a tasting here! Marvellous). If you’re a wine geek, Google and read all about this ancient varietal that the winemaker saved from extinction.

A classic Spritz was available everywhere in Greece – and I found the slightly bitter cocktail to be a pleasant accompaniment to the bold flavours of the local cuisine.

Also, my travel companion Kateryna developed two gorgeous cocktails inspired by local cherries and kiwis in Greece. Her blog is Paths to Travel and here are the recipes: Kiwi Spritz and Bourbon Cherry Highball.

To Feast

Watermelon Greek Salad

In Greece this salad kicks off every feast. It’s closely followed by a platter of the best french fries you’ll ever taste. I’d be content if the meal ended right there, but of course, the avalanche of food continues.

I make a few versions, a classic Greek village salad (Horiatiki), another with sumac and torn bread, but my favourite is with the addition of sweet watermelon.

Chef’s Tip: When building the salad the tomatoes and olives should be at room temperature, but the cucumber and watermelon cold and crisp!

Hosting Tip: For this salad, it is traditional to douse it with olive oil at the table, in front of the guests. The more the better! It should pool, in luscious golden puddles, at the bottom of the bowl.

Get the recipe: Watermelon Greek Salad

Sheet Pan Greek-Inspired Meatballs

Here’s easy, 30-minute recipe for beef and lamb meatballs that are packed with flavour. I make a few batches ahead of the feast and freeze them. A gentle reheat in olive oil is all that is required.

I serve mine in a bowl of Tzatziki and finish the dish with a generous pour of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. My friend Irene Matys makes her Cypriot Tzatziki with fresh mint, which pairs very well with the lamb meatballs.

Get the recipe: Greek-Inspired Sheet Pan Meatballs

Grilled Peach and Chicken Kebabs

If chicken is more your taste, these kebabs are PEAK August eating. Featuring seasonal peaches and oregano marinated chicken, this dish steals the show every time. I like to use a combination of fresh and dried herbs for a punchy marinade.

Get the recipe: Grilled Peach & Chicken Kebabs

Shrimp and Tomato Kebabs with Feta Dip

Yes, seafood is present at every Greek feast. However I know that not all home cooks are confident to deep fry calamari or roast a whole fish.

I recommend you try these delicious shrimp kebabs as a simple way to incorporate seafood into your feast. The zest feta dip alone is worth the recipe!

Get the recipe: Shrimp and Tomato Kebabs

Cumin and Oregano Beef Kebabs

For the carnivores in the group, serve up these (very simple) beef kebabs. A side of rice or a platter of fries is an ideal accompaniment, as well as more tzatziki for dipping.

Get the recipe: Cumin and Oregano Beef Kebabs

Garlic-Oregano Grilled Pita Bread

We did say a Greek feast, and so let’s round out the meal with bread. You can go the distance and make homemade pita bread (freezes well) or simply toss a few store-bought pita onto the grill.

Get the recipe: Grilled Pita Bread

Spinach Feta Salad with Filo Chips

My kiddos will always choose a leafy green salad over all others and this is my favourite Greek version. I had it on my very first night in the country, at a restaurant on the shores of the Aegean sea.

I was stuck by the simplicity and yet the sheer genius combination of flavours and textures. Only five ingredients and completely cravable.

Get the recipe: Spinach Feta Salad with Crispy Filo Chips

To Finish

Slab Pavlova with Honey & Summer Fruits

This is the ideal mid-summer pavlova, with lavender-poached apricots (or fresh!), sweet cherries, fresh figs, or any other seasonal fruits. The recipe serves a crowd – and there’s never any leftovers.

Get the Recipe: Slab Pavlova for a Crowd

A Bowl Fresh Cherries

I saw this a few times in Greece, a huge bowl of fresh cherries served to the table after a lengthy lunch. It makes perfect sense after a feast.

The freshly picked cherries from the agricultural co-op of Rachi Pieria were the best I had every tasted. Look for Greek cherries to arrive in more Canadian markets soon.

Greek Yogurt with Cherry Spoon Sweets

Here’s a dessert that I’ve adopted into my repertoire: a small bowl of thick, full-fat Greek yogurt, with a generous spoonful of preserved cherries aka ‘spoon sweets’. They are both tart and sweet, and the perfect contrast to the tangy, creamy yogurt.

This dessert was first enjoyed on the shores of the Aegean; and now I’ll have start making cherry spoon sweets in my own kitchen. I’m loving this recipe from my friends Helen & Billie over at Mia Kouppa.

Greek Baklava

My ideal way to finish a Greek feast. I crave the intense honey-sweetness and the crisp filo that shatters when you bite into it.

Traditionally, Greek baklava is made with a combination of walnuts and almonds. The best I ever had was in Thessaloniki, and was made with 100% sheep and goat butter! I brought back two pans home for the family.

My friend Joanne has a recipe for Easy Greek Baklava that I have been meaning to try.

Thanks for reading!

What will you cook for your Greek feast?