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Greek Easter
Greek Easter is about family, food and celebrating the most important event of the Orthodox calendar. It is a colourful and vibrant time in Greece where streets and homes are decorated with painted eggs in every colour; and wreaths of fragrant flowers are hung throughout homes. This year ceremonies and feasts will last from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 April, each day with unique rites and feasts that will be celebrated in the homes and neighborhoods of Greek Australians all over the country. Maria Benardis (above), founder of Sydney's Greekalicious cooking school, says, “For Greeks, Easter is about family, food and celebrating the most important event of the Orthodox calendar. It is a colourful and vibrant time in Greece where streets and homes are decorated with painted eggs in every colour; and wreaths of fragrant flowers are hung throughout homes. “Some Greek Easter traditions may be familiar; such as Palm Sunday when churches are decorated with palm tree leaves and fragrant flowers; the decoration of the epitaph and the ringing of church bells. However an integral part of Greek Easter is traditional Easter food.” “We can all enjoy a Greek Easter feast, by inviting friends and family to visit and exchange best wishes, food, conversation, love and laughter over cooked lamb and Greek treats. Or by dying our own eggs and cracking them together,” she says. Traditional Easter food includes sweet Easter cakes filled with red-dyed eggs; stuffed lamb roasted on the spit and the gathering of families around the table to enjoy “magiritsa”: Easter lamb soup with an egg-lemon sauce. On Holy Thursday, dozens of hard boiled eggs are dyed red, symbolising the renewal of life and the blood of Christ; they are a vital component of any Greek Easter celebration. Some of these eggs will be used for the final adornment to the tsoureki, a plaited brioche. Tsourekia are formed by a three stranded plait of dough – representing the Holy Trinity. The magic ingredient is mastic or mastiha - a natural gum from the island of Chios which comes in crystals, pounded into powder before they are added to the tsoureki dough. Good Friday is the climax of the annual celebrations held at the Greek Church. The women visit the church in the morning to decorate a symbolic funeral byre, representing the death of Christ. That evening a procession sees the congregation follow the funeral pyre around the local streets, then returns to church, where candles are lit to commemorate the death of Jesus. Easter Saturday is the time to prepare the “magiritsa” soup, reserved for breaking the fast after Saturday night’s midnight service. The most emotionally-charged part of Easter ceremonies this service sees the Greek community gather at the church, where there is build up to the ultimate moment just before midnight, when the church is darkened. Out of the darkness emerges the priest with a single lit candle. Christ is Risen. Christos Anesti. The congregation comes forward and receives the light; and Jesus is re-born. Sunday morning is a time when all Greek neighborhoods are filled with laughter and happiness; when families cooks lamb; and friends and family visit to exchange best wishes, food, conversation, love and laughter. When guests & family comes to visit the host will often serve a spoon sweet with some icy cold water and other traditional Greek sweets to welcome for the visitor. After the Sunday morning meal each person grabs a coloured egg and cracks it against those of the other guests saying “Hristos anesti” (Christ has risen) and “Allithos anesti” (truly Christ has risen). The cracking of the red eggs among Greek Orthodox families symbolises the opening of the tomb and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The person whose egg remains unbroken will enjoy good luck for the rest of the year.
Greek Easter Recipes The measurements used in these recipes are a guide only and cooking times will vary depending on the oven. Be creative by changing and adding ingredients; one of the joys of cooking is experimentation, so don’t restrict yourself to make it an enjoyable and fun experience.
Traditional Kalamata Salad (Greek Salad) Traditional Kalamata salad (known in Greece as "horiatiki salata" or Villagers salad) has Kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumber, Greek feta cheese and onions. Many people call it a Greek salad and add other vegetables and ingredients, however Greekalicious prefers the traditional blend and urges not to subtract or compromise on the content and quality of ingredients. Here we don’t add red wine vinegar to the salad, but please do if you prefer the taste. 4 large ripe tomatoes Wash and dry the tomatoes and cucumber. Clean the onion and slice thinly in rounds. Cut the tomatoes into thin quarters. Cut the cucumber into thin rounds and then cut these in half. Place the tomatoes, cucumber, onions and Kalamata olives in a large bowl and balance the piece of feta cheese on top. Sprinkle sea salt and wild oregano over the salad to taste, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the salad to finish it off.
Fresh Figs with Kasseri Cheese and Pastourma Greekalicious loves the combination of fig, kasseri, and pastourma – the “FKP trilogy” should be used often. Pastourma is a cured beef that's rubbed with many spices and has a peppery taste. It has a fabulous texture and colour and compliments anything sweet or sour. Kasseri is a Greek cheese made of goat's milk. It has a creamy, sweet and mild taste.
Dressing Garnish Cut the figs in half and place in a platter. Place the piece of kasseri and then a piece of pastourma on top of each fig. Mix all the dressing ingredients well and then pour this over the figs. Serve with some chopped parsley.
BBQ Greek Style Lamb with Spicy Pomegranate Salsa Salsa is the Greek word for sauce and this is the way Greekalicious enjoys lamb best: the traditional Greek way with an Ancient Greek twist. Pomegranates were often used in Ancient Greece and symbolize many things; including one of the main symbols of the Goddess Aphrodite. Like the fig it is a tree that represents many sacred Greek traditions and is a symbol of fertility, love and death. Ideally meat should be rested in the marinade for at least 1 hour. Lamb Salsa Salsa dressing Garnish Rub the lamb with sea salt, cracked pepper the herbs, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil all over. Place the lamb on a very hot BBQ and cook until golden brown on both sides or according to your taste. This should take approximately 25-30 minutes. Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes. While the meat is resting prepare the pomegranate salsa. Place the pomegranate seeds and parsley in a bowl. In another bowl combine the dressing ingredients i.e. the sea salt, the garlic, cumin, lemon zest and juice, vinegar and the olive oil and mix well to make the dressing. Pour the pomegranate salsa over the lamb and serve whilst still hot with the lemon wedges.
Traditional Greek Kalamata Style Lamb with “Toutoumakia/Hilopitakia” “Hilopitakia” are Greek square egg noodles and “Toutoumakia” is the name given for the egg noodles made in the Peloponnesus region. For this recipe any small type of pasta can be used. The dish is usually made in a clay pot “youvetsi”, this traditional cooking method enhances the flavour. Greekalicious uses a clay baking dish bought at the side of a coastal road in Mani, in the Peloponnesus. It is usual in Greece to see people along the coastline selling clay pots and other kitchen utensils, honey, oregano, figs, homemade cheeses and other produce. It can take hours longer to reach a destination if you stop at every stall to buy something. To garnish this dish Greekalicious recommends using a Greek cheese called myzithra. You can also use any other Greek cheese such as kafalotiri or kefalogaviera or parmesan cheese. 2kg kg of leg of lamb, cleaned and some of the fat trimmed off Garnish Cut six incisions in the lamb in different places and fill each one with a piece of garlic, two cloves and two peppercorns. Rub the lamb with sea salt, cracked pepper and oregano all over. Drizzle plenty of olive oil over the lamb. Place the lamb in the “youvetsi” or a baking dish and put in 1 cup of warm water. Cover with foil and place it in the oven on low-medium heat and cook for an hour. Then uncover and cook for a further 1/2 -3/4 hour. Add the additional water once the water has almost evaporated. Keep checking the lamb. After 1 hour place the hilopites in salted boiling water and cook for approximately 8 minutes until almost cooked (i.e. half the cooking time specified on the packet). Drain them in a colander. Remove the leg of lamb from the oven and place the hilopites around the lamb, also add the tomatoes and olives over the hilopites and season with salt and pepper. Return to the oven and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes until the lamb is cooked and coming off the bone. When it has finished cooking take it out and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with some myzithra cheese and sprinkle some parsley on top.
This is Greekalicious’ crazy version of the Greek sweet Kataifi. You can use any other nuts of your choice. This dish is best served with some ice cream on the side. 375 grams of kataifi pastry (will make 12) Syrup Grease a muffin tray that fits 12 muffins with melted butter. In a bowl place the nuts, cinnamon and clove powder, bread crumbs and sugar and mix well. Place some of the kataifi pastry to cover each of the bases and sides. Make sure you leave some room in the centre for the nut filling. Brush the pastry with lots of butter. Place the nut mixture in each of the little nests and pour a little more butter in the centre. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes or until golden in colour When they come out of the oven commence the honey syrup. Place the honey in a small saucepan and heat up. When it begins to simmer take off the heat and spoon some honey in each of the kataifi nests. Serve while still hot.
Aunt Stavroula’s Kourambiethes Kourambiethes are traditional Greek shortbread almond cookies. This is a recipe passed down by Greekalicious’ aunt. Greeks usually make these during Easter, Christmas or to celebrate other special occasions.
Take out the butter and let it cool down to room temperature. You want it to be soft. Slice almonds thinly and then place them on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they turn slightly golden brown. Place the sugar and the butter in a bowl and beat at a high speed until the sugar has almost dissolved. Then add the egg yolks and ouzo and continue to mix. Remove bowl from stand mixer and stir the flour slowly until the mixture is soft but not sticky. Add the baking powder and mix well. If the dough appears to be sticky, continue adding flour a few tablespoons at a time. Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and knead it well for a few minutes. Then shape it into rounds or use pastry cutters to form another design such as a Christmas tree. Place these on a baking tray on some baking paper with a little distance apart. Bake them in a preheated oven on 160 C moderate heat for about 25 minutes. Cookies should not get more than a scant colour. Remove cookies and place them on a cooling rack. After the cookies have cooled down place them on a plate and sift generous amounts of icing sugar on to dress.
Koulourakia (Greek Butter Cookies) These are great to make with kids and so much fun. You can make whatever shapes you like. There is also a traditional song that Greekalicious recommends singing to roll the dough. The translated version is: “We're making koulourakia with our little hands 4.5-5 cups self-raising flour Preheat the oven to 180C. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the egg yolks and add them to the mixture. Beat the egg whites so that they become almost a meringue and add these to the mixture slowly whilst beating. Add the vanilla and lemon zest. Add flour mixture a little at a time to make a soft dough. Work the dough for 2-3 minutes and then shape dough with lightly floured hands into desired shapes and arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper. The common shapes are twists, round flat balls and curly letters i.e. the curly letter S. Brush each biscuit with the beaten eggs. Bake for 25- 30 minutes on 150C until golden brown.
The Red Egg is a vital component of any Greek Easter celebration. The egg symbolizes the renewal of life and the red colour symbolizes the blood of Christ. The cracking of the red eggs among Greek Orthodox families symbolises the opening of the tomb and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After the Sunday morning meal each person grabs a coloured egg and cracks it against those of the other guests saying “Hristos anesti” (Christ has risen) and “Allithos anesti” (truly Christ has risen). The person whose egg remains unbroken will enjoy good luck for the rest of the year. Greekalicious’ makes designs on the eggs from the leaves of herbs. Using parsley leaves placed on the egg, Greekalicious takes a little piece of fabric stocking fabric and ties it around tightly dying the egg. Red dye and other colours can be bought from any Greek cake shop or good delicatessen.
Wash each egg with a soft cloth and then place carefully in a saucepan. Fill the saucepan with cold water to cover the eggs and boil for about an hour on a very low simmer so that they don’t break. Allow the eggs to cool down to room temperature. In another saucepan add some water to cover most of the saucepan. Bring to the boil and add the red dye and vinegar to the water and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to a low simmer. With a spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the boiling dye solution. Leave in for a couple of minutes until the eggs have turned a vibrant red colour. Remove the eggs carefully with a spoon, place on paper towels and allow to cool slightly. Then wipe the eggs with a little olive oil and dry off with a paper towel.
Spoon Sweets In Greece most fruit used is prepared at the time of year each fruit is in season and preserved for days when the fruits are not readily in supply. Spoon sweets can be made with many fruit and include quince, grapes, figs, apricots, berries, citrus fruit such as bitter wild orange, cumquat from Corfu and nuts such as pistachio, and walnuts. The most unusual spoon sweets are those made with rose petals, Mastiha, eggplant and other types of flower petals. Below are two of Greekalicious’ favourite recipes. Greekalicious loves cherries and we're disappointed when they are not in season during the winter months. We can get around this problem by making large jars of preserved cherries, to use when fresh cherries are not in season.
It is also tradition to add a couple of geranium leaves as one of the ingredients in spoon sweets. 1 kilo cherries Wash cherries and, using a cherry pitter, remove the pits. Place the cherries in a pot and add sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves. On medium heat bring to a boil add the lemon juice and simmer on low heat, skimming the foam off the top of the pot. Simmer until the liquid is thick. This will take approximately 30 minutes. You will know when it is ready because it will bubble and almost caramelise. Remove pot from the heat, let it cool and store in sterilised, airtight jars.
We love to make jars of this when quinces are in season and serve it as a spoon sweet to accompany a cheese platter, or simply add to some yoghurt or ice-cream. 1 kg quinces, cleaned, core removed
and thinly sliced Place the quince in a pot and add sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves. On medium heat bring to a boil then simmer on low heat, skimming the foam off the top of the pot. Simmer until the liquid is thick. Towards the end of the cooking process add the lemon juice. Remove pot from the heat let it cool and store in sterilized, airtight jars.
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Salad
1-2 teaspoons dry wild oregano
1/2 cup blanched almonds
12 fresh white eggs
We like to put 1-2 tablespoons in a glass of water
to make a special version of the Greek drink Vissinada. This
drink is exceptionally quenching on hot summer days.Email | ©2008 Churchill Communications