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10 essential ingredients for Greek cooking

  • “Greek cuisine is based on ingredients rather than techniques, encompassing the seasonality and freshness of ingredients,” says Maria Elia, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0857831712/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0857831712&linkCode=as2&tag=yahoo-ukhp-editorial-21" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Smashing Plates: Greek Flavours Redefined;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Smashing Plates: Greek Flavours Redefined</a>, a lip-smacking new cookbook, that's out now.<br><br>“It’s all about taking the simplest basic ingredients and turning them into delicious flavoursome dishes, preserving their natural flavour, texture and taste. So it’s the ingredients that do the talking, not complicated processes.”<br><br>Maria Elia’s key essentials for Greek cuisine ->
    1/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients

    “Greek cuisine is based on ingredients rather than techniques, encompassing the seasonality and freshness of ingredients,” says Maria Elia, author of Smashing Plates: Greek Flavours Redefined, a lip-smacking new cookbook, that's out now.

    “It’s all about taking the simplest basic ingredients and turning them into delicious flavoursome dishes, preserving their natural flavour, texture and taste. So it’s the ingredients that do the talking, not complicated processes.”

    Maria Elia’s key essentials for Greek cuisine ->
  • <b>Olives and olive oil</b><br>One of the most essential ingredients in Greek cuisine it’s used in everything from cooking, to marinades, dressings, skordalia’s and desserts. I like to drizzle it over everything! <br><br>Olives, not just an essential part of any meze, they add salty richness to bread, stews, salads and sauces.
    2/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients olives olive oil

    Olives and olive oil
    One of the most essential ingredients in Greek cuisine it’s used in everything from cooking, to marinades, dressings, skordalia’s and desserts. I like to drizzle it over everything!

    Olives, not just an essential part of any meze, they add salty richness to bread, stews, salads and sauces.
  • <b>Garlic</b> <br>One of the foundation stones of Greek cooking. <br>It appears in virtually every recipe from meat to fish dishes, stews, soups and sauces, the most famous being skordalia.
    3/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients garlic

    Garlic
    One of the foundation stones of Greek cooking.
    It appears in virtually every recipe from meat to fish dishes, stews, soups and sauces, the most famous being skordalia.
  • <b>Spice</b><br><b>Cinnamon</b> - A spice that finds it’s way in to just about anything from meat and fish dishes, pulses, soups, puddings and pastries adding depth an earthiness.<br><br><b>Fennel seeds</b> - One of my all time favourite ingredients, sweet and anise flavoured, they add freshness and life to any dish from pork to fish to bread and sweet dishes, exceptionally great when ground with sugar to dust doughnuts in<br><br>Other essential spices in Greek cuisine: Anise, Allspice, Cloves, Cumin, Coriander and Nutmeg are also sprinkled throughout the Greek repertoire
    4/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients spices

    Spice
    Cinnamon - A spice that finds it’s way in to just about anything from meat and fish dishes, pulses, soups, puddings and pastries adding depth an earthiness.

    Fennel seeds - One of my all time favourite ingredients, sweet and anise flavoured, they add freshness and life to any dish from pork to fish to bread and sweet dishes, exceptionally great when ground with sugar to dust doughnuts in

    Other essential spices in Greek cuisine: Anise, Allspice, Cloves, Cumin, Coriander and Nutmeg are also sprinkled throughout the Greek repertoire
  • <b>Herbs</b><br><b>Oregano</b> - The quintessential Greek herb, delicious in marinades, sprinkled over grilled meats, fish and the classic Greek salad; I like to make a fragrant salt by mixing it with dried lemon zest.<br><br><b>Dill</b> - One of the most versatile of herbs, delicate and aromatic, the essential herb for tzatziki, fabulous with peas, lamb, potatoes and wild greens. <br><br><b>Mint</b> - I love to use mint - it’s so fresh and aromatic. Add it to courgettes and spaghetti along with a squeeze of lemon and a little feta for a speedy, delicious supper.
    5/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients dill

    Herbs
    Oregano - The quintessential Greek herb, delicious in marinades, sprinkled over grilled meats, fish and the classic Greek salad; I like to make a fragrant salt by mixing it with dried lemon zest.

    Dill - One of the most versatile of herbs, delicate and aromatic, the essential herb for tzatziki, fabulous with peas, lamb, potatoes and wild greens.

    Mint - I love to use mint - it’s so fresh and aromatic. Add it to courgettes and spaghetti along with a squeeze of lemon and a little feta for a speedy, delicious supper.
  • <p><b>Nuts</b> <br>An essential delicacy in Greek cuisine, from sweet to savoury or served simply with a beer! </p><p><b>Almonds</b> - A favourite ingredient of mine, I use them blitzed with garlic and olive oil to make a skordalia, or in baklava’s both sweet and savoury. <br><b>Walnuts</b> - Are used for baklava, cakes or preserved as a spoon sweet in thick sugar syrup. I like to add them to cinnamon bulgar wheat to accompany roast partridge with grape sauce.</p>
    6/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients almonds

    Nuts
    An essential delicacy in Greek cuisine, from sweet to savoury or served simply with a beer!

    Almonds - A favourite ingredient of mine, I use them blitzed with garlic and olive oil to make a skordalia, or in baklava’s both sweet and savoury.
    Walnuts - Are used for baklava, cakes or preserved as a spoon sweet in thick sugar syrup. I like to add them to cinnamon bulgar wheat to accompany roast partridge with grape sauce.

  • <b>Yoghurt</b><br>Made from sheep’s, goat or cow’s milk, Greek yoghurt is renowned around the world for it’s thick, dreamy cream texture and sour flavour. Use as a substitute for sour cream or roll into balls around walnuts or almonds, drizzle with honey and roll in chopped mint for a tasty snack!
    7/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients yoghurt

    Yoghurt
    Made from sheep’s, goat or cow’s milk, Greek yoghurt is renowned around the world for it’s thick, dreamy cream texture and sour flavour. Use as a substitute for sour cream or roll into balls around walnuts or almonds, drizzle with honey and roll in chopped mint for a tasty snack!
  • <p><b>Lemons</b><br>Together with olive oil and oregano, lemons one of the most basic and important</p><p>Elements of Greek cuisine, adding flavour to almost any dish from sweet to savoury. One of the greatest pleasures in life is a simple roast chicken with lemon and oregano roasted potatoes.</p>
    8/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients lemon

    Lemons
    Together with olive oil and oregano, lemons one of the most basic and important

    Elements of Greek cuisine, adding flavour to almost any dish from sweet to savoury. One of the greatest pleasures in life is a simple roast chicken with lemon and oregano roasted potatoes.

  • <b>Cheese</b><br><b>Feta</b> - Creamy and pungent, salty and sour, it can be used in so many varied ways, adding a depth of flavour and texture to almost any dish. I love to blitz some up with a little Greek yogurt and mint to make a feta curd or bake in the oven with some chilli flakes, tomato and mint.<br><br><b>Kefalotyri</b> - A hard and salty cheese made from a mix of ewe and goat’s milk. Great for grating over pasta and stifado dishes.<br><br><b>Haloumi</b> - Cyprus’s most famous cheese. Rich and salty and flavoured mint a fantastic cheese to place on a griddle/BBQ or pan fry. I like to use it as a stuffing when cooking game.
    9/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients cheese

    Cheese
    Feta - Creamy and pungent, salty and sour, it can be used in so many varied ways, adding a depth of flavour and texture to almost any dish. I love to blitz some up with a little Greek yogurt and mint to make a feta curd or bake in the oven with some chilli flakes, tomato and mint.

    Kefalotyri - A hard and salty cheese made from a mix of ewe and goat’s milk. Great for grating over pasta and stifado dishes.

    Haloumi - Cyprus’s most famous cheese. Rich and salty and flavoured mint a fantastic cheese to place on a griddle/BBQ or pan fry. I like to use it as a stuffing when cooking game.
  • <b>Beans, pulses and grains</b><br>Lentils, chickpeas, black eyed peas, fava beans, yellow split peas are just a few of the essential legumes that make up the Greek pantry. So significant are beans to Greek cuisine the Gigantes even have their own PDO, (protected designated of origin), as do the yellow split peas of Santorini used to make fava puree.<br><br>The quality of dried pulses can differ dramatically, always try and buy the best quality available, pulses that are old will take much longer to cook and their skins are usually tough.<br><br>Grains also play a significant part in the Greek diet and include barley, pougouri (bulgar) rice and orzo
    10/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients beans pulses

    Beans, pulses and grains
    Lentils, chickpeas, black eyed peas, fava beans, yellow split peas are just a few of the essential legumes that make up the Greek pantry. So significant are beans to Greek cuisine the Gigantes even have their own PDO, (protected designated of origin), as do the yellow split peas of Santorini used to make fava puree.

    The quality of dried pulses can differ dramatically, always try and buy the best quality available, pulses that are old will take much longer to cook and their skins are usually tough.

    Grains also play a significant part in the Greek diet and include barley, pougouri (bulgar) rice and orzo
  • <p><b>Honey</b><br>Greek honey is one of the most highly prized honeys in the world. Greece and its island’s rich flora provide a paradise for bees to feed on. From fragrant orange blossom in the spring, to flowering thyme and pine in the summer to heather and chestnut in the winter. <br><br>Use in sweet and savoury dishes, delicious in marinade for lamb with some garlic and cinnamon/drizzled over slow roasted meats before serving.</p><p><a href="http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/slow-braised-pork-belly-with-wilted-greens--olives-and-capers-165001844.html" data-ylk="slk:Try Maria's slow-braised Greek pork recipe.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;" class="link yahoo-link">Try Maria's slow-braised Greek pork recipe.</a></p>
    11/11

    Greek Food Essential ingredients honey

    Honey
    Greek honey is one of the most highly prized honeys in the world. Greece and its island’s rich flora provide a paradise for bees to feed on. From fragrant orange blossom in the spring, to flowering thyme and pine in the summer to heather and chestnut in the winter.

    Use in sweet and savoury dishes, delicious in marinade for lamb with some garlic and cinnamon/drizzled over slow roasted meats before serving.

    Try Maria's slow-braised Greek pork recipe.

“Greek cuisine is based on ingredients rather than techniques, encompassing the seasonality and freshness of ingredients,” says Maria Elia, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0857831712/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0857831712&linkCode=as2&tag=yahoo-ukhp-editorial-21" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Smashing Plates: Greek Flavours Redefined;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Smashing Plates: Greek Flavours Redefined</a>, a lip-smacking new cookbook, that's out now.<br><br>“It’s all about taking the simplest basic ingredients and turning them into delicious flavoursome dishes, preserving their natural flavour, texture and taste. So it’s the ingredients that do the talking, not complicated processes.”<br><br>Maria Elia’s key essentials for Greek cuisine ->
<b>Olives and olive oil</b><br>One of the most essential ingredients in Greek cuisine it’s used in everything from cooking, to marinades, dressings, skordalia’s and desserts. I like to drizzle it over everything! <br><br>Olives, not just an essential part of any meze, they add salty richness to bread, stews, salads and sauces.
<b>Garlic</b> <br>One of the foundation stones of Greek cooking. <br>It appears in virtually every recipe from meat to fish dishes, stews, soups and sauces, the most famous being skordalia.
<b>Spice</b><br><b>Cinnamon</b> - A spice that finds it’s way in to just about anything from meat and fish dishes, pulses, soups, puddings and pastries adding depth an earthiness.<br><br><b>Fennel seeds</b> - One of my all time favourite ingredients, sweet and anise flavoured, they add freshness and life to any dish from pork to fish to bread and sweet dishes, exceptionally great when ground with sugar to dust doughnuts in<br><br>Other essential spices in Greek cuisine: Anise, Allspice, Cloves, Cumin, Coriander and Nutmeg are also sprinkled throughout the Greek repertoire
<b>Herbs</b><br><b>Oregano</b> - The quintessential Greek herb, delicious in marinades, sprinkled over grilled meats, fish and the classic Greek salad; I like to make a fragrant salt by mixing it with dried lemon zest.<br><br><b>Dill</b> - One of the most versatile of herbs, delicate and aromatic, the essential herb for tzatziki, fabulous with peas, lamb, potatoes and wild greens. <br><br><b>Mint</b> - I love to use mint - it’s so fresh and aromatic. Add it to courgettes and spaghetti along with a squeeze of lemon and a little feta for a speedy, delicious supper.
<p><b>Nuts</b> <br>An essential delicacy in Greek cuisine, from sweet to savoury or served simply with a beer! </p><p><b>Almonds</b> - A favourite ingredient of mine, I use them blitzed with garlic and olive oil to make a skordalia, or in baklava’s both sweet and savoury. <br><b>Walnuts</b> - Are used for baklava, cakes or preserved as a spoon sweet in thick sugar syrup. I like to add them to cinnamon bulgar wheat to accompany roast partridge with grape sauce.</p>
<b>Yoghurt</b><br>Made from sheep’s, goat or cow’s milk, Greek yoghurt is renowned around the world for it’s thick, dreamy cream texture and sour flavour. Use as a substitute for sour cream or roll into balls around walnuts or almonds, drizzle with honey and roll in chopped mint for a tasty snack!
<p><b>Lemons</b><br>Together with olive oil and oregano, lemons one of the most basic and important</p><p>Elements of Greek cuisine, adding flavour to almost any dish from sweet to savoury. One of the greatest pleasures in life is a simple roast chicken with lemon and oregano roasted potatoes.</p>
<b>Cheese</b><br><b>Feta</b> - Creamy and pungent, salty and sour, it can be used in so many varied ways, adding a depth of flavour and texture to almost any dish. I love to blitz some up with a little Greek yogurt and mint to make a feta curd or bake in the oven with some chilli flakes, tomato and mint.<br><br><b>Kefalotyri</b> - A hard and salty cheese made from a mix of ewe and goat’s milk. Great for grating over pasta and stifado dishes.<br><br><b>Haloumi</b> - Cyprus’s most famous cheese. Rich and salty and flavoured mint a fantastic cheese to place on a griddle/BBQ or pan fry. I like to use it as a stuffing when cooking game.
<b>Beans, pulses and grains</b><br>Lentils, chickpeas, black eyed peas, fava beans, yellow split peas are just a few of the essential legumes that make up the Greek pantry. So significant are beans to Greek cuisine the Gigantes even have their own PDO, (protected designated of origin), as do the yellow split peas of Santorini used to make fava puree.<br><br>The quality of dried pulses can differ dramatically, always try and buy the best quality available, pulses that are old will take much longer to cook and their skins are usually tough.<br><br>Grains also play a significant part in the Greek diet and include barley, pougouri (bulgar) rice and orzo
<p><b>Honey</b><br>Greek honey is one of the most highly prized honeys in the world. Greece and its island’s rich flora provide a paradise for bees to feed on. From fragrant orange blossom in the spring, to flowering thyme and pine in the summer to heather and chestnut in the winter. <br><br>Use in sweet and savoury dishes, delicious in marinade for lamb with some garlic and cinnamon/drizzled over slow roasted meats before serving.</p><p><a href="http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/slow-braised-pork-belly-with-wilted-greens--olives-and-capers-165001844.html" data-ylk="slk:Try Maria's slow-braised Greek pork recipe.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;" class="link yahoo-link">Try Maria's slow-braised Greek pork recipe.</a></p>
Updated

A Great Greek food comeback is expected in 2014 so we asked Maria Elia what we ingredients we should stock up on