SARTSA – frangokota Guinea fowl in the Ionian region might have an interesting history—or, at the least, an interesting etymology, if one is to believe historian Waverley Root. The Zakynthians call it frangokota, or “French chicken,” while in Corfu it is called faraona, after the Italian gallina faraona, or pharaoh’s turkey. Root says that the bird, indeed a native of Guinea in […]

MELITZANES SKORDOSTOUMBI – Μελιτζάνες σκορδοστούμπι This simple dish is a paean to the robust flavors that mark so much of Greek and Ionian—cooking. Garlic and vinegar are a combination we find on country tables all over Greece, but usually it is one reserved for seasoning meat. Its use here with eggplant is what makes it unique. Makes 4 to 6 servings […]

MOSTARDA DOLCE Zakynthos and Corfu both make sweet mustards, vestiges of English and Venetian rule. The mustards, made either with quince, as in this recipe, or with dried fruits, are eaten at Christmas with roast turkey, game, pork, or other meats. Makes about 4 cups Ingredients: 3 quinces, peeled and cored 1 quart Mavrodaphne wine or sweet port 1 […]

PRETZA ME PSOMI Pretza is a local feta cheese product made in Zakynthos and Cephalonia, something akin to cream cheese but pungent and peppery. You can find it in several cheese shops in Athens, but it is nowhere to be found in America. You can make an ersatz version by mixing crumbled feta with a little ricotta or fresh Greek myzithra […]

Boiled/Stewed Veggie Sides Stewed Green Beans and Zucchini Lahano Katsarolas: Stewed Cabbage with Mint Hortarika sto Fourno: Oven-Stewed Mixed Vegetables Horta me Kolokythakia: Greens with Baby Zucchini Arakas me Anitho: Dilled Peas with Peppers Arakas me Aginares: Dilled Peas with Artichoke Hearts Creamed Mixed Greens with Smoked Bacon & Yogurt Broccoli with Latholemono (Oil and […]

Chicken Smothered with Onions and Feta  One-Pot Chicken Simmered with Artichokes and Served with Tomato-Egg-Lemon Sauce Stuffed Chicken in a Pot  Quails in Bread  Quail Preserved in Olive Oil  Kotopoulo Stifatho (Stifado): Chicken and Onion Stew Chicken Stew with Cinnamon – Chicken Kapama Kotopoulo me Yiaourti: Baked Chicken with Yogurt Kotopoulo me Bamies: Chicken & […]

Recipes for the famous skordalia (garlic sauce), which accompanies fried fish, can be found here. Also the avgolemono (egg and lemon sauce) recipe is included. Avgolemono accompanies many greek dishes. Aromatic olive oil with herbs (Arwmatiko elaiolado) Bechamel (Saltsa bechamel) Egg and Lemon Sauce (Avgolemono) Garlic Sauce (Skordalia) Garlic sauce (2) (skordalia) Garlic sauce from Cephallonia (Skordalia Kefalonias) Garlic-and-Potato Sauce from […]

 More than appetizers (orektika in Greek), although the dishes are often the same, the meze is an accompaniment to beverages – usually alcoholic – and mezethes (plural) are often combined to make an entire meal. Each meze is served on a small plate (more than one plate for a large group), and the choice of […]