Rich bundt cake with walnuts, spices and ouzo

This is a healthy and nutritious cake with low calories at the same time. The wholemeal flour used in this recipe turns this cake into a source of fibres and as a result satisfies our need for something sweet and limits our appetite. Ideal too for those who fast

Lenten tahini pie

We call it a "pie" but it looks like and it has the texture of a cake. Still, it is a very delicious dessert which can be found in various areas of Greece with minor differences depending on the region. It is a traditional Lenten cake full of taste thanks to the tahini paste and full of aroma thanks to the rich spices. No need to be one of those who fast to try this recipe out. It is for everybody and for all seasons because it goes perfectly well with coffee or/and tea and it is ideal as a sweet snack

Greek grape-vine leaf dolmathakia with ground meat

"Dolmathes" is a classic and very popular dish in the Greek cuisine which, of course, can be found in other countries like Turkey, Lebanon etc. In Greece, we have mainly two types of "grape vine leaf dolmathes", the one with ground meat which usually are served with egg/lemon sauce (or a lemony light béchamel sauce) and the Lenten dolmathes which don't include any meat and those are called "yalanci" dolmathes (meaning false ones). The recipe doesn't change much from region to region with the exception of those which came to us from the Greeks of Asia Minor and include pine nuts, raisins and aromatic spices. The Cypriots, also, have their own version of dolmathes (called "Koupepia") and finely chopped tomato is including in the filling. In Greece the meat dolmathes are served as a main meal, usually accompanied by feta cheese and crusty bread but also as a side dish. The Lenten dolmathes, though, are served cold or at room temperature as a meze dish

Warm potato salad with sausages

We call it a salad but it really is a hearty and filling dish which can be served as a light main meal. Take advantage of yesterday's boiled or baked potatoes to create a new dish full of taste

Pork marinated in wine and coriander

A delicious recipe with pork, inspired by the traditional Cypriot recipe "Afelia". A dish full of aroma with mild spices giving a special taste. A recipe which you can also cook with rabbit, chicken or beef and which can be also served as a meze

Octopus in vinegar sauce

"Sarakosti" (the 40 day Lent before Easter) is not so difficult to follow after all. As long as you know what the family likes regarding vegetables and seafood, then it is easy to organize things accordingly. One popular and versatile ingredient is the octopus. There are so many different ways to cook it and enjoy it as a main meal or as a meze. There is only a rule regarding octopus, regardless the recipe. Don't add any water in the pot while boiling, leave it to cook in its own juices otherwise it can become rather hard. Great also as a meze dish to accompany your ouzo in the Summer time

Taramokeftedes - Fried tarama balls

"Taramas" is the main ingredient of the "tarama salad" and, as you might remember from a previous post, the taramas is coming from cod roe. The white one is the best quality with no additives. Tarama fritters ("taramo-keftedes" in Greek) is a great meze for all seasons and one of the most common dishes served on "Clean Monday" day. There are variations of this meze and here is one of them

Fried eggs on tomato sauce

This simple but so delicious dish brings back childhood memories..... and it used to be one my favourite Saturday lunch or dinner dishes when not much cooking was taking place at home

Creamy onion pie with bacon, mushrooms and two cheeses

A delicious pie full of taste to enjoy anytime. There are plenty of traditional onion pies coming from around Greece and this is one with a slightly modern view

Serres Bougatsa

This is the version of Bougatsa from Serres in Northern Greece. The one with the sweet cream filling. As I have already explained in the relative article about "Bougatsa", it is not possible to create at home the specialized version of the pastry they make at the bougatsa stores. But that doesn't mean we can't try it at home compromising by using the classic phyllo sheets. It is better to use a large and not too deep oven pan, because bougatsa should be rather thin. If you manage to turn it upsidedown, halfway through baking, into another pan you will be amazed of how nicely crunchy the phyllo will become

Bougatsa - A delicacy dating back to Byzantium

This is absolutely delicious! The sweet version of it probably will remind you of the "Galaktoboureko" but it's totally different. "Bougatsa" is not only the name of the dessert but also the type of pastry used to make it. It's not like the phyllo pastry sheets or the puff pastry but something totally different that needs skills and patience of a professional. That's why is not possible to make "Bougatsa" at home to taste exactly like the one we buy in (specialized) pastry shops. Traditionally there are two types of "Bougatsa", the one with the sweet custard-type of cream and the one with cheese. Nowadays, though, more and more often we find "Bougatsa" with other type of fillings like vegetables, ground meat and God knows what else...

In Greece, there are two "schools" of traditional "Bougatsa" with differences between them. The one coming from Serres area (with the sweet creamy filling and sprinkled on top with icing sugar and ground cinnamon) in Northern Greece and the other one from Chania area, in Crete (with the local myzithra cheese as a filling and sprinkled on top with granulated sugar). Following in popularity and taste there are also the Bougatsas coming from Thessaloniki in North and Heraklion in Crete.

The initial idea of bougatsa, according to old reports, comes from the Byzantium times. It appears to be a special delicacy from Constantinople even before 1453, when the "City of all Cities" was captured by the Ottomans. It is known that in the Byzantium there was a big tradition in making sweet and savoury pies. Even after Constantinople was captured, bougatsa continues excelling, according to travelling testimonies of 16th and 17th century. The traveller Evlia Tselempi reports that in Constantinople two bakeries prepared "bougatsa kourou”, “kigmali” (with groundmeat), “peinerli” (with cheese) and "santé bougatsa" (with caster sugar).

The name "bougatsa" or "bougkatsa", probably meant to describe the type of pies savoury or sweet where the filling was "wrapped very well in a tight pastry". This is one of the basic differences between "bougatsa" and the other type of pies we have in Greece. Another difference is that the phyllo is not rolled out with the help of flour and a rolling pin as the classic pies, but only with the help of oil and soft butter.

Very important factor of making bougatsa is its perfect pastry. In order to become as it should  flour, oil and soft vegetable butter of the most excellent quality are required. In the traditional recipes of bougatsa the only electric machine that is needed actually, is the mixer. From the moment Bougatsa is kneaded the rest of the procedure until the final result is absolutely handmade.

After the dough is shaped, it is divided in small balls coated with oil and butter and left for certain hours to rest in order to be soften, raised in volume and doubled in size. From a small ball, the craftsman with his skills and patience creates a perfect (and of enormous dimensions) very thin pastry sheet, roughly 1,5x2 metres.

In the beginning he flattens and widens the ball until it reaches the size of a small pizza and then begins to throw the pastry in the air, 3-7 times for each sheet, until it becomes thin and in the desirable dimensions. The pastry sheet of bougatsa (nowadays also called "air-sheet") in order to achieve an excellent result needs very good skills and patience. The next step is simply to enclose tightly the savoury or sweet filling in the pastry sheet.


Bougatsa first arrived to Greece with the Greeks coming from Constantinople and the region of Eastern Thrace after the exchange of the population between Greece and Turkey.

In the old days, when Bougatsa first appeared in Greece, not too many people were going to bougatsa shops in order to buy this delicacy, because this would be quite offensive for their wives!! Back in those days, it was strongly believed that a woman would be considered as "a good housewife" only if (among other things) she could cook perfect sweet and savoury pies!!! If people saw somebody eating bougatsa in one of those shops it led to the conclusion that his wife does not make any pies or if she does, they are not good enough.... In other words she was not a good housewife.....

Later on of course, as the years passed, people began to get used to the idea of buying pies from a shop and that old taboo stopped annoying people's conscience.

Gioulamas or Tzoulamas - Traditional Cretan meat pie with spices

A traditional pie from Crete dating back to the era of the Arabic influence on the island and that's why this dish will probably remind you of the Moroccan Pastilla pie (or Bastilla or Bisteeya). A rather unusual recipe for Greek standards since the authentic version of it demanded at least 2 glasses of sugar! Unusual simply because we are not talking about a sweet pie but a meat pie! The version of the dish I'm giving you today is a lighter one and more to the standards of the nowadays Cretan cooking

Braised octopus in tomato sauce with green olives

Another way to enjoy octopus. A recipe which can be found in various regions of Greece and it is a very popular dish during Lent period which started yesterday, Monday 7th of March

Tarama salad with capers

Another version of the classic tarama salad (or "taramosalata" as we call it) and if you think about it it is not really a proper salad but rather a spread. Whatever... it is a very tasty dish and it goes very well with crusty bread, various sea food dishes and ouzo. It can be served all year round but on Clean Monday (when the Greek Orthodox Lent period starts) it is one of the most popular dishes of the day!

Classic Greek Halvas - Spiced semolina pudding with syrup

This is a traditional and very popular Greek sweet which can be found in other Balkan countries and the Middle East as well. A classic dessert served during Lent period but not only then. The recipe varies a bit from region to region but whichever version you might have, the taste is great. The one I'm giving you today is the most common one with oil and nuts (it can be found with butter or milk and raisins in it). This way it is a rather light dessert full of the aroma of cinnamon and you can find it even at some tavernas when it is often offered after a nice big meal

Lagana - Clean Monday's flat bread

Lagana is a traditional Lenten flatbread which we eat in Greece only once a year, on Clean Monday (the first day of the Greek Orthodox Lent). Originally, lagana was an unleavened bread but, over the years, a little bit of yeast has crept into the recipes. Traditionally it is shaped like a rectangle with rounded corners and is a fairly flat loaf with crunchy crust and soft inside. The choice of oil depends on how closely Lenten restrictions are observed. Usually Lagana is store bought at the neighbourhood's bakery but there are recipes somebody could use so to enjoy a home made Lagana

Kathara Deftera - "Clean Monday" of Greek Lent

7th of March 2011, is the "Clean Monday" (also known as Ash Monday or Monday of Lent) and it is the first day of the Greek Orthodox Christian Lent period. It is a moveable feast (the first Monday after the Greek Carnival period) and we also refer to this period as "Sarakosti" meaning "40 days" of fasting, which actually is more than 40 days if you include the Holy Week before the Easter Sunday.

The term "Clean Monday", refers to the leaving behind us the not so nice attitudes and the non-fasting food. From the religious point of view, Clean Monday - and thus the Lent itself - begins on the preceding (Sunday) night, at a special Church service called Forgiveness Vespers. In this service all people present will bow down before one another and ask forgiveness. In this way, the faithful begin Lent with a clean conscience, with forgiveness, and with renewed Christian love. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as "Clean Week," and it is customary to go to Confession during this week, and to clean the house thoroughly.

Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece, where it is celebrated with outdoor excursions, the consumption of shellfish and other fasting food, a special kind of azyme bread (a lightly or at all fermented/ leavened bread), baked only on that day and named "Lagana".

Some of the best fare in all of Greek cooking are the dishes culled from the tradition of abstention, from the 40 day (plus) period before Easter when one shuns all animal products. Until just a few decades ago, the majority of Greeks abided by the dictates of the religious calendar, fasting not only before Easter but before many other major holidays, so that they actually kept off meat and dairy products for nearly half the year.

As a result, a whole culinary repertory evolved that is a mirror of the ingenuity of home cooks who relied on the bounty of the season to provide filling, nutritious meals. There are several standard preparations, but the foods of the Greek Lenten table really comprise a wealth of vegetable, grain, and seafood dishes.

Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is traditionally out of the question for the Greeks (most of them anyway) throughout Lent, with fish being eaten only on major feast days, but shellfish is permitted. This has created the tradition of eating elaborate dishes based on seafood (shellfish, molluscs, fish roe etc.).

The happy, Springtime atmosphere of Clean Monday may seem at odds with the Lenten spirit of repentance and self-control, but this seeming contradiction is a marked aspect of the Greek Orthodox approach to fasting.

Another widespread custom of the day, when the weather is good, is flying kites. Something that children and adults enjoy the same!

Mixed salad with aromatic meatballs

A salad which can be served as a side dish but also as a light main meal

Chicken roll filled with chicken livers, dried fruits and nuts

A different and juicy filling for a delicious stuffed chicken roll. Easy to prepare and impressive at your table for any occasion or just a family gathering