My Greek Easter - Menu and Memories
As a young girl, attending the Easter Mass, festivals, and ceremonies at our town's Greek Orthodox Church was the highlight of my social calendar. At midnight during the Easter Mass, we always say “Christos Anesti ("Χριστός ἀνέστη!" - "Christ is Risen!" in Greek) to fellow attendees – and they always respond with: “Alithos Anesti” (Aληθώς ανέστη!) which means “truly he has risen.”
Then we would go home and eat sweet breads and pastries – and the next day, on Easter Sunday, we would have our feast.
While a typical Greek holiday meal might seem like overkill to a newcomer, it’s important to remember that traditionally the meal would come after a very long period of Lenten “fasting” in which meat, dairy, and sugar were avoided.
For that reason, large amounts of those same ingredients, play a key role on Easter menus.
Greek Easter Menu 2020
Tsourekia/Greek Easter Bread
Pastitsio/Baked Pasta with Meat and Béchamel Sauce
Tiropita/Herb and Cheese-Filled Phyllo Triangles
Oven Roasted Leg of Lamb
Stewed Green Beans
Cypriot Salad
Walnut and Cinnamon Baklava
Malomakarona/ Spice-Scented Semolina and Walnut Cookies
Kourembiedes/Almond-Butter Cookies
Recipes
Greek Easter Bread/Tsourekia
This spicy, golden bread is studded with dark red colored eggs which symbolize the blood of Christ. At Easter time, it is traditional for people to play a game by 2 players holding an egg and hitting the egg of their opponent. The one who hits says “Christ has risen” and the other person responds “Truly he has risen”. The cracking of the shell symbolizes Jesus coming out of his grave. This recipe contains all-spice and cinnamon, but mahleb (crushed cherry kernals), ground mastic (gum resin from the island of Chios), and caraway seeds are also traditional.
(Note: this was my YiaYia's recipe...if you prefer to dye your eggs red naturally, as I know do- you can use this method...beautifully explained by my friend - author/tv-host and storyteller, Jonathan)
Pastitsio/Baked Pasta with Meat and Béchamel Sauce
This classic recipe is the crowning glory of many Greek celebratory tables - and for good reason. This version comes from a lovely seaside in Ikaria - where Indigo Gazelle Tours and I held a cooking class during our last cuisine, culture and wellness tour in Greece.
For the ground meat
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 onions, finely chopped, Handful of thyme, fresh, 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1.5 pounds ground beef, 1 cup red wine,8 ounces canned tomatoes, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 bunch parsley
Place a skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, and finely chopped thyme.
Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onions caramelize nicely.
Add the garlic and continue to sauté.
Add the tomato paste and sauté for at least 2 minutes. Add the ground meat. Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes. At this point you may need to add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
Add the canned tomatoes, cinnamon, sugar, and bay leaves.
Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the sauce reduces and the ground meat is cooked.
When ready, remove from heat. Discard the bay leaves and set aside until needed.
For the béchamel sauce
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. As soon as it melts, add the flour. Beat with a hand whisk and sauté the flour for a few minutes.
With a spatula, scrape down the sides of the pot to release any flour, so it doesn’t burn.
Add the milk, in small batches, whisking continuously so that no lumps form in the mixture.
The mixture will be quite thick at first, but it will thin out as you add milk.
When the béchamel sauce starts to thicken, you have to be very careful not to let it burn on the bottom. Whisk continuously to avoid this, I prefer a plastic coated whisk so that it does not scrape bottom of pan if it is coated.
Béchamel sauce is done when it coats the back of a spoon. At this point, remove from heat and add salt, pepper, nutmeg and most of grated gruyere – reserving a few tablespoons for the end. To complete, whisk in the remaining 3 egg yolks. Set aside until needed.
For the pasta
1 pound bucatini pasta, or ziti, or penne, 2 eggs, 1 cup feta cheese, 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped, ¼ cup olive oil
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta. Boil 1-2 minutes less than the instructions on the box. They need to be al dente because they will cook further in the oven, so do not overcook.
Brush a baking pan with olive oil.
When the pasta is ready, drain and spread in the baking dish.
Add the 2 eggs, lightly beaten, a generous amount of thyme, parsley and crumbled feta cheese. Season to taste and set aside until needed.
To assemble
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
To the ground meat, add ladleful of the béchamel sauce. Mix until completely incorporated.
The béchamel sauce will make the ground meat mixture hold together better when serving.
Spread the ground meat mixture over the pasta in the baking pan.
Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over the ground meat.
Last, sprinkle the reserved grated gruyere over the top.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the béchamel turns golden brown.
Tiropita/Feta Cheese and Herbs Stuffed Phyllo Triangles
Click on link above for recipe
Recipe from The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook
Stewed Green Beans
Recipe from The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Cypriot Salad
Recipe from The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Walnut and Cinnamon Baklava
This version is most popular in Greece, and is the one that I used to prepare with my mother and YiaYia for our town’s annual Greek festival.
Makes approximately 12 pieces
Ingredients:
For the syrup:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large strips of lemon peel
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons honey
For the baklava
1/2 (1/2 pound) box Phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions
1 cup clarified butter
1cup blanched almonds, finely ground
1 cup walnuts, finely ground
½ cup fresh, plain bread crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter an 8-inch baking pan.
Make the syrup by combining sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, peel, and juice in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Discontinue stirring and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat, stir in honey, and set aside to cool.
To assemble the baklava, remove phyllo dough from package. Trim it with a sharp knife to fit the pan you are using, if necessary. Wrap excess dough in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Cover bottom of baking pan with 1 sheet of phyllo dough. Brush clarified butter evenly over the top. Stack another sheet over the top. Brush with more clarified butter. Continue stacking and brushing with butter until 4 sheets of the phyllo dough is used.
Combine almonds, walnuts, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine.
Sprinkle 1/3 nut mixture evenly across the top. Continue layering 4 more sheets phyllo dough and brushing with clarified butter. Sprinkle another 1/3 nut mixture over the top. Layer 4 more sheets phyllo dough, brushing each with butter, and sprinkle remaining nut mixture over the top.
Fold in overlapping flaps of phyllo and brush with butter. Place on more sheet on top and butter. With a long, sharp knife, cut phyllo into 6 strips vertical strips across the wide side of the pan (three-quarters of the way down).
Cut 4 equally spaced vertical lines over the strips (three quarters of the way down) to create 12 squares or diamonds. Bake for 30 minutes total, or until golden.
Remove from oven and drizzle with one ladleful of syrup at a time – allowing syrup to absorb in between ladlefuls. Once baklava has a glistening top and has absorbed syrup, discontinue adding more. Reserve additional syrup for a garnish if serving baklava at a later date. Syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Malomakarona/ Spice-Scented Semolina and Walnut Cookies
These were always the highlight of my YiaYia’s Christmas cookie platter. The original version of this recipe came to Cyprus from Egypt and then spread throughout the mainland. They are a holiday staple in the homes of Greeks around the world, as well. These cookies freeze well.
Makes: Approximately 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
Syrup: 1 cup honey, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water
Dough: 1 cup sunflower oil, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup orange juice, zest of 1 orange, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, ½ cup semolina, 3 ½ cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts, for garnish
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F degrees
To make the syrup, combine honey, sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Skim the foam off the top and set aside to cool
To make the cookies, combine the oil, sugar, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, cloves, cake flour, semolina, and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix well to combine.
Form small balls (approximately the size of a whole walnut) and roll into an egg-like cylinder shape. Place onto a parchment paper-lined or greased baking sheet. Using your fingers, flatten the top of the cookie slightly. Repeat until all of dough is used.
Bake cookies until tops are lightly golden (20-25 minutes).
Remove from oven. Using a slotted spoon, dip cookies into the cooled honey mixture to coat. Place onto a cooling rack (with wax or parchment paper placed underneath. Quickly sprinkle nuts on top of cookies before the honey mixture dries. Allow to cool and serve in paper baking cups.
Kourambiethes (Κουραμπιέδες)/Almond-Butter Cookies
These popular Greek butter and powdered sugar cookies have Egyptian and Turkish origins and are served predominately at holiday time. This recipe makes a large quantity, and the cookies freeze well. It’s fun to make a big batch with friends and family – that way they’ll always be on hand when unexpected company stops by or for edible gifts!
Makes approximately 100 small cookies
Ingredients
2 pounds good quality unsalted butter, at room temperature, 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar, plus extra for dusting, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons brandy or mastic liqueur, or additional orange juice, 4 egg yolks, ½ cup blanched, finely chopped almonds, ¼ cup orange juice, 8 cups all-purpose flour, Whole cloves
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl or in a bowl attached to a standing mixer.
Add baking powder to the mastic liqueur (or brandy) and mix together thoroughly, then add liqueur to the mixer bowl and continue until incorporated.
Add the egg yolks, almonds, and orange juice. Mix well to combine.
Add in flour, one cup at a time, until a consistent dough is formed.
Pinch off small pieces of dough and form 1-inch balls.
Place dough balls an inch apart from each other on baking sheets.
Push a whole clove into the center of each cookie.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until cookies are firm and dry in the middle.
Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with multiple layers of confectioner’s sugar until they are completely covered in white.