Weekend Foodie: A taste of Greece for a weekend feast full of flavour

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025 - 07:01

I fell in love with Greek food in my early twenties, when I went on holiday to the idyllic island of Corfu. Near our accommodation, and close to the beach, was a small taverna that served local dishes, including huge salads with juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, shiny black olives, and crumbly fresh feta cheese, as well as charred chicken and kebabs straight from the barbecue. It was cheap, cheerful and totally authentic.

One of the house specialties was Moussaka, a layered dish of aubergines with lamb mince in tomato sauce, fragrant with spices and topped with yogurt and cheese. This weekend, I’m offering my take on this, using beef mince which is a bit cheaper than lamb for a family supper. It really puts the sunshine into a feast and always reminds me of that amazing holiday, in a place where the beach was golden, the ocean was a warm, azure coloured bath, the sun shone unendingly, and the music and dancing went on till the early hours!

Greece also has a lot to offer in sweet dishes, often featuring an array of fresh homegrown fruit. Perhaps their most famous dessert is the sticky sugary treat of Baklava. This has of layers of filo pastry and nuts bathed in local honey gathered from the many blossoms in the Greek countryside. It does take time to make, so I’ve done a fast take using crepes layered with honey and nuts to give a flavourful representation. Some fresh Irish berries would go a treat with these - a great finish to a Greek feast!

AUBERGINE AND MINCE BAKE

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Extra virgin olive oil
500g beef mince
1 largish onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp each ground cumin and ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
250mls stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
Few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped
2 largish aubergines, sliced
3 tbsp thick Greek yogurt
2 fresh free-range eggs
25g Feta cheese, crumbled
25g mature cheddar, grated

Method

Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan and cook the mince in batches until browned. Transfer to a heavy-bottomed saucepan as each batch is ready.
When the mince is browned, add the onion and garlic to the frying pan with a little extra oil and cook gently to soften but not brown.
Add onions to the mince with cumin, cinnamon, and coriander. Cook over gentle heat for a minute, stirring.
Add chopped tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil. Season and stir in the oregano and fresh thyme.
Cook over low heat, partially covered, for about 35 minutes or until the mince is tender. Keep an eye on liquid levels.
While mince is cooking, prepare the aubergines. Slice them thinly lengthways and pat slices dry between two clean tea towels or kitchen paper sheets.
Heat olive oil in a clean non-stick frying pan and fry slices, a few at a time, to brown both sides and begin to soften. Layer each batch on a clean board while you cook the rest.
Layer a third of the aubergine slices in the base of a large ovenproof dish. Spoon over some sauce.
Repeat with another third of aubergine slices and top with sauce. Finish with the remaining aubergine.
Whisk the yogurt and egg together and season. Pour over the aubergine. Scatter with feta and cheddar and bake in a pre-heated oven Gas 5 190C 375F for 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated through and top is fluffy and golden brown.
Decorate with fresh coriander leaves.

HONEY AND NUT CREPES

Ingredients

100g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 fresh free-range egg, beaten
300mls milk
1 tbsp melted butter

For the sauce:

Knob of butter
50mls freshly squeezed orange juice
1-2 tbsps runny honey
2 tbsp chopped mixed nuts

Method

Sift flour into a bowl with salt and make a well in the centre.
Add beaten egg and a little of the milk. Begin to whisk the mix together.
Gradually whisk in remaining milk till mix is smooth.
Stir in melted butter. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
To cook the crepes, heat a little oil in a pancake pan over medium heat.
Add a ladle of mix to the pan, swirling the pan to just cover the base thinly.
Cook till the crepe is set and begins to bubble.
Flip or toss to cook other side for a minute.
Slide out onto a warmed plate and cover with film or greaseproof. Keep warm.
Continue like this till all the mix is used up, layering crepes with greaseproof paper as you go. Keep them warm.
When crepes are cooked, fold each into quarters.
Melt the butter in a clean non-stick pan and stir in the orange juice and honey until the honey is dissolved. Bring to bubbling. Add the nuts and toss to coat in the sauce.
Lay the crepes in the pan and spoon over the sauce. Heat through for a minute before serving.

THE WEEKEND GARGL E

It’s hard to find Greek wines in the mainstream market, so to go with this meaty and vegetable-packed dish I’m going for a red wine from Portugal. Portuguese wines are all the rage at the minute, with more brands coming onto the market regularly. The one I have found is a robust red which will handle this main course well. Lucky Rooster Red comes in a bottle with a colourful label, which as the name suggests, bears the logo of a proud rooster in all his glory! It comes from the Peninsula de Setubal, a coastal region outside Lisbon. Lots of fruit here, with damsons, plums and loganberries married with deeper vanilla notes. A real mouthful in the glass, this will handle this meaty dish but you can also match it with more hearty vegetable dishes like a vegetarian lasagne or roast stuffed peppers. Find it at Supervalu stores now, on offer at just €8.00 until 2/7/25.

RECEIPT

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