How do you make a good tasting greek dinner?

Question

Tonight for dinner i want to make a greek dinner. I would like to know how to make soulvaki, the greek potatoes , their rice and salad. Make sure its gonna taste like mr.greeks soulvaki dinner pleaseee!

Answer 1

www.greek-recipe.com

It's run by family friends =]

Answer 2

I love Greek food.  You will want to serve Tzatziki Sauce with your Soulvaki, so make that first.  The reason I say this is because you must use Greek yogurt, and if you cannot find it, it is easy to make, but takes a little time for the yogurt to drain.

Here's How:

Line a medium-large bowl with a piece of cheesecloth or a clean white dish towel.

Dump a container of plain (unflavored), yogurt into the center of the cloth.

Bring the four corners of the cloth together and lift the yogurt.

Over the bowl or sink, twist the corners to squeeze out the liquid (it will drain through the cloth).

Continue squeezing, putting the yogurt under pressure, to force the liquid out.

When the majority of the surface liquid has been drained, it will start to drip more slowly. Tie off the top of the cloth just above the mass of yogurt with string.

Place the cloth containing the yogurt in a strainer or colander, and place the strainer or colander in a bowl where it doesn't touch the bottom (so that the liquid can continue to drain).

Place the bowl containing the strainer/colander in the refrigerator and allow to drain for 2-3 hours.

After draining, take the cloth containing the yogurt and put it in the sink (do not remove the string).

Place the palms of your hands on the bag and press down to force out any remaining liquid.

Remove the string, open the cloth, and using a spatula, put the yogurt in a bowl for use.

Note: How thick is thick? The yogurt should be at least as thick as sour cream.

Tips:

Straining will reduce the volume of yougurt by half, perhaps more, so plan accordingly. One quart of low-fat yogurt (4 cups) will yield 2 cups or slightly less of strained yogurt.

Using fat-free yogurt will reduce the quantity a little more, and it will not be quite as thick as using full-fat or low-fat yogurt, but it is a reasonable option for low fat diets.  

Ok, now that you have your Greek yogurt, here is the recipe for the sauce.

Ingredients:

16 ounces (2 cups) of thick Greek yogurt

4 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup of diced or grated cucumber (Kirby or "English")

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Preparation:

Prepare all ingredients in advance. Combine oil and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl. Fold the yogurt in slowly, making sure it mixes completely with the oil. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber. Stir until evenly distributed. Garnish with a bit of green and serve well chilled.

Yield: about 2 1/2 cups

Add mint or dill: Slight variations include 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill and/or fresh mint. Tasty additions!

Preparation Tips:

Kirby or "English" cucumbers work best (usually wrapped in plastic wrap at the market). If not available, peel and seed the cucumber before dicing or grating.

After dicing or grating the cucumber, pat it dry with absorbent toweling to remove excess moisture.

The longer the tzatziki is refrigerated before serving, the more intense the garlic taste will become.

For the Soulvaki...

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder, cut in 3/4 inch cubes

1 teaspoon of ground Greek oregano (rigani)

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon of sea salt

2 tablespoons of red wine (or good red wine vinegar)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation:

In a bowl, pour wine (or vinegar) and oil over the pork and toss to coat. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and oregano, and toss again. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Note: If using vinegar, do not marinate longer than 2 hours or the meat can absorb too strong a vinegar taste. If using wine, the meat can be marinated for up to 2 days as long as salt is also used.

Using 8 inch skewers, thread approximately 6 pieces of meat on each. This should make about 12 skewers.

Grill the meat turning until well browned, about 15 minutes. Serve on the skewers with Tzatziki sauce.

Taste tip: If you have the spice sumac in your cabinet, rub a little on the meat before adding marinade ingredients.

The description of Mr. Greek's salad on their menu sounds like the recipe you need.  

"Iceberg and romaine lettuce mixed with radiccio and sliced red onion.  Topped with Kalamata olives, sliced cucumbers, oregano, romano and feta."

Use this recipe for the dressing.

GREEK SALAD DRESSING (Makes 2-1/2 cups):

1 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1-1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of sugar, or to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, cucumber, onion, dill, and garlic. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate.   Drizzle on salad and toss just before serving.

Greek Style Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups water

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 cubes chicken bouillon

ground black pepper to taste

6 potatoes, peeled and

quartered

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, bouillon cubes and pepper.

3. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of a medium baking dish. Pour the olive oil mixture over the potatoes. Cover, and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the preheated oven, turning occasionally, until tender but firm.

Pilafi Me Throumbi (Greek Savory Rice)

This is a very old family recipe which is very delicious and low fat too...

by Anthony Gougoutris

30 min | 5 min prep

SERVES 4

1 cup long grain rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter (do not substitute)

2 tablespoons minced onions

1 clove minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground savory

1 packet goya chicken bouillon

2 cups hot water

Brown the rice, onion and garlic in the olive oil and butter over high heat.

Deeply browning the rice gives the rice its distinct flavor.

You must use the butter so it will brown.

Do not use margarine, it will not work.

This will take about 5 minutes.

Add water, and rest of ingredients, cover the pot and simmer on low heat until all water is absorbed (about 20 minutes).  

Answer 3

Go to www.greekfood.about.com for lots of nice recipes.