Greece Self Catering

[GingerOClock]

Holidaying in Greece this year and looking to take some ideas/recipes with me to save wondering aimlessly around the supermarket on the first day

I like to eat as authentically as possible - souvlaki and Greek salad are a given, any more?

Kleftika
Moussaka
Grilled courgette
Stuffed tomatoes
Bread, tzatziki, houmous, meats, halloumi
We just BBQ a lot too
Watermelon to snack and juice into drinks

Thank you!

Also saw avocado and feta on toast which I'll have to remember

Kleftiko and moussaka are delicious but time consuming to cook! Stick to souvla and souvlaki (chicken or pork) which are easy to prepare and taste delicious on the barbecue - you just need oregano and lemon juice for flavour.

I still dream of the lamb chops in honey and mint sauce that I had in Lefkas a few years ago.

I don’t know....Greek people are so proud Of their cuisine and are such excellent chefs, plus the food is such food quality in restaurants so I think it justifies the prices compared to what we would pay for an equivalent standard meal here (which wouldn’t happen tbh as we don’t get the same vegetables etc) and the supermarkets are really expensive there now I think you had just as well eat out -meaning I don’t think you would actually save much compared to the work involved trying to reproduce their fantastic cooking. I’m speaking as a lifetime Greek visitor been going since the early 80’s - it has in recent years got more expensive to eat out but accordingly the supermarket (local shop) is also a lot more expensive and the fruit and veg on sale does not seem to be like it used to be and not as good as the standard you would get in restaurants ...,Anyway I’m sure you will have an absolutely fantastic holiday what ever you choose to do

I really like feta cheese with honey (fried and sometimes served with sesame seeds), I don't know if its a traditional dish or something more recent, but it is sublime. Big beans and fried courgettes/courgette balls are also another good one.

I find supermarkets in Greece quite expensive, they pay a lot of VAT. I like the little tavernas and gyros places.

Restaurants in Greece are so much cheaper than here and it'll be hot and you won't feel like cooking - just go and eat out and enjoy eating out in the open air and have some lovely Greek yoghurt and honey for breakfast in your accommodation. Wouldn't enter my head to try and cook - it's unlikely to be very well equipped based on my experience. The Greeks excel at cooking with vegetables too.

I agree with pp - quality of the tavernas will be good. Kleftiko, takes ages to cook properly. You'll be sweating like a pig, same with moussaka - just eat out!

Seriously just go to a restaurant. You can eat very well and very cheaply everywhere, even places that aren't even trying.

We bought a sandwich in a museum cafe - sandwich was made fresh for us, all the ingredients were amazing, cost a couple of euros. We just felt that this was the quality at a place that didn't need to bother as we were a captive audience - but it seemed natural to the Greeks.

It was only in the mega tourist hotspots that it was expensive but walk round the corner and it was cheap and far better quality.

Agree wholeheartedly with wowfudge about breakfast...that is all you need to cater, it is your holidays - take a break from cooking and leave it to the experts - nobody does it bette than the Greeks - and relish every moment and mouthful...and if you get a chance to try skordalia with the fried courgettes please please do, it’s like heaven, oh and spicy feta dip ....and homemade hummous and well just everything they make ...enjoy !

@imsorryiasked

Was that on the harbour at Nidri? Just wondering if that pizza place with the clay and wood oven is still there ? Near Onassis statue right on the harbour front ...such happy memories of my holiday there in 2006 - they were the best pizza ever (obviously not Greek but they can do pizza better than Italians ) they used to fire up that oven at lunchtime and keep it going all day into the nigh the pizza was cooked in two minutes and all the locals used to eat there ....best of times

@Thefemalekeithrichards Yes! We haven't managed to get back there since 2012 but went several times before that.
Is my happy place

@imsorryiasked

It is a happy place for me too....thanks for that ! I will never forget Lefkas and the smell of pines and oregano ! I think you would also love Sivota - same area a bit further north (?) on the mainland absolutely stunning. I’m off to Rhodes at the weekend and kefalonia (for the umpteenth time - in September) So excited ! I think I am Greek in a previous life...let’s hope we both make it back to Nidri sometime in the near future 🥰

If you can find sausages similar to the picture attached, they are amazing. They do a version with orange inside. You grill them (or BBQ if you have one) for about 15 minutes. Then squeeze a lemon over the top (really!) They taste amazing.
And don’t forget to go to the pastry shop and have a bugatsa for breakfast. It’s a type of pasty which they put custard and cinnamon in and it’s to die for
My Greek boyfriend jokes that I’m only with him for the food he introduces me to 😂

Oh yes - we plan on eating out! Just that there is a lot of us and I was looking mainly for breakfast lunch ideas - ie what essentials to have in to knock something 'authentic' up.

For example - avo and feta on toast with chilli and oregano !
Pistachios and olives to snack on. Greek yogurt and honey etc etc

LittleDribbling- THANK YOU! Just the kind of suggestions I was after

Also, it's not the expense. We are staying in a very well equipped house, and the hassle of getting everyone up, away from the pool, and out would be harder to me than knocking up a bit of grub, plus I enjoy it!

I'm thinking essentials:
Yoghurt
Honey
Lemons
Oregano
Tomatoes
Feta
Bread
Bakery treats
Mint
Cucumber
Feta
Sesame seeds (fried feta - other ingredients?)
Hummus
Sausage as above!
Pork, chicken
Pittas. ..

We self cater in Greece. Our standard evening meal is chicken doused in oregano and lemon, a big salad and bread. Plus wine.

We tend to choose places off the beaten track so no possibility of walking to a taverna. We prefer to eat at home usually in a garden overlooking the sea.

Packs of frozen pittas, the round ones, are great for dips and gyros. Tyrokafteri is another easy dip to make. Also dakos is a nice snack.

In summer I ate salata xoriatiki every day, with every lunch and dinner! Agree to stick with simple grilling meats that don’t require many steps/hours in oven or biftekia. Sides: Lemony potatoes are lovely, dolmades (the Greek tinned ones are fine!), tzatziki ALWAYS, a slab of cheese (feta or graviera, haloumi or even saganaki), fresh bread from the bakery... easy non-Greek dishes for a nice change: French style carrot ‘râpées’ salad, Spanish tortilla, tabbouleh, a cold orzo dish... Dessert is simply ice creams and fruit!

I don’t know how rural your house will be but if near town try to find out which day the local laiki is to buy cheaper fresh produce.

Greek cuisine is fabulous but making things like moussaka and pasticchio take a lot of time.

According to my Greek friend, who is a fab cook, easy things to make are tzatziki and spanakopita.
If you can find some good Greek yoghurt, add some good honey and walnuts for an authentic desert. And perhaps buy some retsina to enjoy with your food?

Love, love, love Greece! Started going as a teenager and over the years have successfully indoctrinated many friends, my OH and now the DC too. So...

Strapatsada - scrambled eggs with tomatoes, feta and oregano. DD loved this so much she asked the guy at the taverna for the recipe and taught herself how to make it when we got home. She was only 10 at the time. I was so proud of my little Grecophile!

Homemade tzatziki - Yoghurt, grated cucumber (possibly drain some of the juice off - we never bother) garlic, S&P.

Horta vrasta - basically boiled greens with olive oil and lemon but delicious and a nice healthy alternative when you're saladed out.

If you're very rural you might find some "roadside" produce for sale from people's gardens - especially salad veg, fruit, honey, dried oregano.

Oh and Greek lentil soup is easy!
Learned the receipe from my friend.
Take a cup of green lentils, wash them and put them in a pan with a lot of water on the stove.
Whilst the lentils are slowly cooking, chop a red onion and add to the soup. Also add one tablespoon of tomatoesauce (from one the really small with a very thick sauce inside) and 1 laurel leave (leave it intact, it should be removed later). Let it cook slowly for a few hours on the stove until the soup becomes nice and thick. Add water now and then if neccesairy and add some seasalt. Serve after 2 or 3 hours of cooking. Remove the laurel leave after taking the pan of the stove and pour a bit of balsamico vinegar into each portion. Olive oil can be added too.
Best enjoyed with a nice piece of bread.
Enjoy!

Taking all these ideas with me!

Any must buys from the supermarket?!