Keftedakia – Greek Meatballs

Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 slices of white bread, 1 inch thick
• ½ cup milk
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 ½ pounds ground lamb or beef
• Freshly ground pepper
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons red onion, grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed to a paste
• 1 large egg
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 4 pocket-less pitas or flatbreads, cut into wedges
• Tzatziki

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet or metal tray.
3. Soak the bread slices in the milk.
4. In a bowl, combine EVOO, meat, and pepper. Season with salt.
5. Mix in the mint, onions, oregano, cinnamon, crushed garlic, egg, and the lemon juice.
6. Squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and break it into pieces. Mix it into the meat mixture.
7. Form the meat mixture into balls with your hands or an ice cream scoop.
8. Place the meatballs on the cooling rack over the baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes, until they’re cooked through.
9. Grill the pita bread until slightly browned with some dark spots (about 1 minute on each side).
10. Serve the meatballs with grilled pita bread and tzatziki.

 

Tzatziki – Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce

Yields about 2 cups | Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cucumber, peeled and seeded
• ¼-½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
• 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Grate the cucumber. Salt it and let it drain in a strainer for about 5 minutes.
2. Squeeze or press out as much water from the cucumber as possible (this is important to get a good consistency).
3. Put all the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.

 

Chicken Gyro Pita Sandwich

Serves: 2 | Preparation Time: 5 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1 recipe chicken gyro
• 2 cooked gyro or pita bread
• ½ cup cucumber, chopped
• ⅓ cup yogurt
• ¼ teaspoon dill weed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
• ⅓ cup shredded lettuce (optional)

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, dill, and garlic. Set aside.
2. Spoon some of the chicken gyros onto a piece of gyro or pita bread. Add some of the cucumber mixture, onion, tomato (optional), and lettuce (optional).
3. Fold over or roll into a wrap and serve.

 

Chicken Gyro

Serves: 2 | Preparation Time: 5 minutes plus 1 hour marinating time | Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ pound chicken boneless breast, cut into ½-inch strips

For marinade

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a resealable bag.
2. Add the chicken, refrigerate, and let it marinate for at least 1 hour, flipping the bag over once or twice to make sure the chicken absorbs the flavor evenly.
3. After the marinating is done, drain and discard the marinade.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until done.

 

Basic Greek Pita Bread

Serves: 8-16 | Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus 1 hour proofing time | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour + more, if needed
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for brushing

For yeast

• 1 envelope (7 g or 2 ¼ teaspoons) dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup warm (not hot) water

For salt

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Froth on the surface indicates that the yeast is activated.
2. In another small bowl or cup, dissolve the salt in the water.
3. In a third large bowl, add the flour and thyme, if using. Make a large well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture.
4. Mix in about 3 strokes with a wooden spoon or with the hook attachment of your mixer before adding the salt and water solution.
5. Mix for a minute or two until everything is combined. Add more flour, gradually, if the dough is too sticky, or gradually add water if it is too dry.
6. Knead into a smooth dough (about 15 minutes). The dough should retract when pinched.
7. Gradually knead the oil into the dough until well incorporated.
8. Brush a clean, dry bowl with oil and place the dough inside.
9. Brush the surface of the dough with a little more oil and cover the bowl with a towel or aluminum foil.
10. Let it sit in a warm place. Allow the dough to expand to double its size (about 40 minutes to 2 hours, depending on ambient or room temperature).
11. Punch the dough down, and knead quickly or press down (about 2 minutes) to deflate the dough.
12. Form the dough into a flat rectangle and divide it into 8-16 pieces (or more), depending on the desired size. Shape the pieces into balls.
13. Cover the balls and let them rest for 30 minutes.
14. Flatten the balls and use a rolling pin to shape them into circles about ¼-inch thick. Rest the rounds for about 5 minutes before cooking. You may also place them in a sealed container and refrigerate for later use.
15. While cooking, cover uncooked rounds of dough with towels to prevent them from drying out.
16. To cook the pitas, brush them with oil, and fry them in a pan over medium heat. When they puff up, flip them over (about 2 minutes on each side). Alternatively, you can bake them on oiled baking sheets at 350°F, for about 2-3 minutes.
17. May be eaten as is or with tzatziki, used to make wraps, or slit to make a pocket and filled with meat and/or vegetables.

 

Classic Greek Salad

Serves: 6 | Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus 30 minutes sitting time

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced ¼-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ red onion, sliced in half-rounds
• 8 ounces feta cheese, ½-inch diced
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted

For vinaigrette

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup olive oil

Directions

1. Whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients, EXCEPT the olive oil, in a small bowl.
2. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking continuously, to make an emulsion. Set it aside.
3. Combine the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, and red onion in a large bowl.
4. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables, and toss in the feta and olives.
5. Let it sit, unrefrigerated, for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

 

Lamb Chops

Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 5 minutes plus at least 30 minutes marinating time | Cooking Time: 6 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 lamb loin chops, trimmed

Directions

1. Mix the oregano, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper together. Rub the spice mix on the lamb chops.
2. Cover, refrigerate, and let marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours.
3. Grill or broil the lamb chops over medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side or longer, depending on the desired doneness.

 

Baklava

Serves: 18 | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup butter, softened

For syrup or sauce

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup honey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan.
3. Toss the chopped nuts with the cinnamon, and set aside.
4. Unroll the phyllo dough, and cut the whole stack in half to fit the pan.
5. Cover the phyllo with a dampened cloth or towel to keep it from drying out.
6. Place two sheets of dough in the pan, and butter thoroughly.
7. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons chopped nuts over the dough.
8. Repeat the layers: 2 sheets of phyllo, butter, and nuts, until you are 6-8 layers deep.
9. Using a sharp knife, cut into diamond or square shapes all the way through to the bottom of the pan.
10. Bake until the baklava is golden and crisp (about 50 minutes).
11. Prepare the syrup while the baklava is baking.
12. In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar, and bring it to a boil without mixing.
13. When the sugar has melted, add the honey and vanilla. Simmer for 20 minutes.
14. Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it.
15. Leave it uncovered and let it cool.

 

 

***These recipes and more can be found in Lina Chang’s Greek Takeout Cookbook: Favorite Greek Takeout Recipes to Make at Home. To get your copy, click on the cover or click here.

To download a copy of the feature recipes, click here.