It tastes great with wedges of bread, crackers, and even vegetable sticks. You can use any type of Greek cheese that you have on hand, especially feta, which tastes especially great with this recipe.

5-Minute Greek Style Cheese Dip Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Greek cheese, like Feta, Manouri, or Kefalotiri
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt or cream cheese
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Optional add ins – choose as many as you want (10 chopped Greek olives, 3 tablespoons fresh, chopped herbs, 2 tablespoons capers)
• Greek Olive oil, to taste (optional)

How to Make 5-Minute Greek Style Cheese Dip

Crumble, grate, or chop the Greek cheese to make it easier to blend.

Add the Greek cheese, butter, yogurt or cream cheese, salt, and pepper to a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve in any of the add-ins that you want, if desired. Drizzle with olive oil just before serving, if desired.

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It’s so rich and creamy, you’ll have a difficult time eating the store bought version once you make your own!

Greek Yogurt Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons prepared Greek yogurt
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup powdered milk

Directions to Make Greek Yogurt:

To start the Greek yogurt making process off, you need to use store bought whole (or skim) milk and live Greek yogurt from your local store.

Add the milk to a large saucepan and scald it on medium heat. Scalding involves cooking the milk until small bubbles form on the milk. As soon as the milk is scalded, remove the saucepan from the burner and let it cool completely. This should take about an hour.

Add the yogurt to the saucepan and whisk it into the milk until the milk and yogurt are well combined. Pour the mixture into a 6-cup glass measuring cup.

Turn on the light in your oven and preheat the oven on warm for about 5 minutes. Shut the oven off and place the milk mixture into the center of the oven. The yogurt mixture should maintain a steady temperature of around 108 Degrees Fahrenheit. The oven light will produce enough heat to allow this to happen.

Check the yogurt after about 4 hours. At this point, test if tilting the measuring cup does the yogurt. If the yogurt moves to one side in one mass, the process is finished. It could take up to 12 hours for the yogurt to get to this point, though.

Once that processed is finished, you’ll want to strain the yogurt. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Rest the strainer into a mixing bowl, being careful to choose a bowl small enough so that the strainer rests on the rim without it touching the bottom of the bowl. Pour the yogurt into the strainer and let it drain for 2-4 hours, or until the desired thickness is achieved.

Transfer the strained yogurt into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

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Greek Oil and Vinegar Dressing (Ladoxitho) Recipe Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons Greek olive oil
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Instructions to Make Oil and Vinegar Dressing:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until smooth.

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Greek Garlic Cucumber (Tzatziki) Dip Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 medium, peeled and grated cucumber
• 1/2 pint Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 cloves garlic to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice (optional – recipes vary according to families, churches, regions of Greece, traditions, etc)
• 1 teaspoon chopped dill (optional)

How to Prepare Greek Tzatziki Dip:

Place the yogurt in a bowl and add the crushed garlic.

Peel the cucumber, slice it in half, remove the seeds, and shred the cucumber using a cheese grater or food processor.

Squeeze out any excess water from the cucumber and add it the yogurt mixture. This is an important step as the yogurt will be runny if cucumber is not thoroughly strained.

Add the olive oil, salt and stir the mixture well.

Garnish with an olive or a slice of lemon.

**If you would like, add 1 teaspoon of chopped dill in addition to the rest of the ingredients.

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Greek Poor Man’s Caviar Recipe (To Chaviari Tou Ftochou) Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound pitted black Greek olives, such as Kalamata olives
• 1/2 pound pitted green Greek olives, such as Nafplion olives
• 1 cup capers, salt packed if you can find it
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup chopped, fresh parsley
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Greek oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• Crackers or Bread, for serving

How to Make Greek Poor Man’s Caviar:

Place the olives and capers in a strainer and run under cool water until most of the brine or salt is rinsed away. Drain well in the strainer for a few minutes and then transfer to absorbent paper towels. Allow to drain on the towels for about five minutes.

Add the olives, capers, lemon juice, and garlic to a food processor and pulse into smooth. Add parsley and pulse a few times until the parsley is well mixed into the paste. Add the olive oil, oregano, and pepper, and pulse once or twice until combined into the mixture. Add the bread crumbs and pulse until the desired consistency is achieved. Spoon into a bowl and serve with crackers or bread.

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• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, basil, or oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

How to Make Greek Tomato Paste:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash the tomatoes and pat them dry with paper towels. You can also let them air dry.

Place the tomatoes whole on a baking sheet and bake until the skins start to darken slight and split away fro the flesh. This should take about 10 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tomatoes cool until you can comfortably touch them. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and place them in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Greek “tomato paste” isn’t as thick as the tomato paste that comes out of a can. In Greek cuisine, it is used most often as a sauce.

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Greek Style Tomato Spread Dip (Domata Kopanisti) Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ripe, fresh tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1-3 tablespoons tsikoudia or Cretan raki (optional)
• 1/3 cup Greek olive oil plus more for brushing
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh mint

Instructions to Make Greek Style Tomato Spread:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Core each of the tomatoes and cut them in half. Remove and discard the seeds. Keep the skins on the tomatoes.

Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the halved tomatoes skin-side down in a single layer. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake for one-hour, or until the tomatoes shrink to 1/2 of their original sizes. Remove from the oven and let them cool all the way through on the baking sheet.

Mash the feta cheese in a bowl using a fork or use a mortar and pestle. Add the tomatoes and mash them into the cheese gently until a chunky paste is formed. Drizzle the olive oil over the paste and gently stir it into the dip. Add the tsikoudia or raki and stir gently until well combined. Transfer the dip to a bowl for serving and sprinkle with chopped, fresh mint. This makes an excellent addition to any meal but is especially taste when served with Greek bread!

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Greek Style Anchovy Sauce (Saltsa Antsouyoes) Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 large shallot of small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minched
• 8 salted or brined anchovy filets, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup Greek olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions to prepare Greek Style Anchovy Sauce:

Add the shallot or onion, garlic, anchovies, lemon zest, capers, and lemon juice to a food processor. Secure the lid on the food processor and pulse until smooth. With the food processor motor running on low, remove the lid, or part of the lid, of the food processor (depends on the design) and slowly add the olive oil until the sauce is smooth. Add the parsley and black pepper and pulse until smooth. Serve right away.

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Greek Style Stewed Caper Spread (Kapari Magirefti) Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 cup large capers, salt packed preferred
• 1/2 cup Greek olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled, halved, and sliced thinly
• 1 cup sweet red wine, such as Mavrodaphne
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Black pepper, to taste

Directions to Make Greek Stewed Capers:

Place the capers in a fine mesh colander and rinse for a minute or two until the brine solution or salt, depending on the type of capers you use, is rinsed away.

Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil to a medium saucepan and saute the onions for a few minutes over medium heat, or until they become soft and translucent. This should take about five or six minutes. Add capers and the rest of the olive oil and cook for another minute or two, or until the capers begin to sizzle.

Add the wine to the saucepan and drop the heat to medium-low. Simmer the wine in the mixture for one minute. Add the water and vinegar to the saucepan and set the heat to low or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a serving dish and let cool all the way through before serving. This can be made a day or two in advance before serving.

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Greek Style Whipped Feta Spread (Kopanisti me Feta) Recipe Ingredients:

• 3 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano
• 2/3 cup Greek olive oil

How to Make Greek Whipped Feta Spread:

Place the feta cheese and Greek oregano to a food processor. Cover and pulse into the two are well incorporated.

With the motor running on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil. After the olive oil is completed added, cover the the food processor tight and pulse the mixture until smooth and creamy.

If not using right away, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days before serving.

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Greek Style Yogurt Lemon Dill Sauce (Yiourti Lemoni Kai Anitho) Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped, fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
• Pinch sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

How to Prepare Greek Yogurt Lemon Dill Sauce:

Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.  Stir together and then transfer the ingredients to a food processor or blender, if desired. Pulse until smooth. Transfer sauce to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

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Greek Style Yellow Split Pea and Garlic Spread (Fava Skordalia) Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 cups yellow split peas
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 garlic cloves, mashed
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
• 1 tablespoon Greek olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

How to Prepare Fava Skordalia:

Pick through the yellow split peas to remove any pebbles that may be there. Place them in a fine-meshed colander and rinse them with cool water. Fill a large pot with water and add the split peas. Cover the pot, set the heat to medium, and bring the water and peas to a boil. Set the heat to low and then simmer for forty minutes with the pot still covered. Add one teaspoon of the salt, return the lid to the pan, and then simmer it for an additional twenty minutes or until the split peas are soft and most of the liquid should be absorbed.

Add the peas to a blender and puree in batches until smooth. If you have an immersion blender, use that instead. All you need to do is puree the cooked split peas right in the pot. Set the puree aside so that it can cool. This should take at least thirty minutes.

Add the puree to a food processor. Add the garlic, red wine vinegar, dry white wine, and oregano and pulse until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with olive oil and then the parsley. Serve with plenty of Greek bread or pita bread!

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Greek Egg Lemon Sauce (Avgolemono) Recipe Ingredients:

• 1-2 cups broth or pan juices from the dish for which you are making avgolemono
• 2 eggs
• Juice of 1-2 lemons

Instructions to Make Greek Egg and Lemon Sauce:

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and whisk until foamy. Slowly add the lemon juice.

Gradually beat in a spoonful at a time of hot broth until the mixture is very warm

Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the hot broth and stir continuously until the sauce thickens slightly. Do not allow to boil because it will cook the eggs and the sauce will separate.

Alternatives: For dishes like dolmathes that need a thicker sauce:

Dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/3 cup of cold water. Beat the cornstarch mixture together with 2 egg yolks and lemon juice (to taste).  Gradually mix in hot broth until the sauce thickens.

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Greek Style Olive Spread (Pasta Elias) Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 cups pitted Greek olives, such as Kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions or shallots
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, mint or oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions to Make Greek Style Olive Spread:

Add the olives to a food processor and pulse until your desired consistency is achieved. Some prefer their pasta elias to be chunky, others prefer it to have the texture of a paste. Remember that you’ll be pulsing more ingredients into the olives, which will pulverize them more, so you don’t want to overdo it at this stage. Add the onions or shallots and garlic and pulse until combined. Add the lemon juice or red wine vinegar and the herbs and pulse until well combined. Slowly add in the olive oil and pulse until your desired consistency is achieved. Transfer to a dish and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours before serving.

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Greek Style Tomato Sauce (Saltsa Tomata) Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 3 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
• 2 lbs. fresh, peeled and sliced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions to Make Greek Tomato Sauce:

Heat the oil in a saucepan; add garlic and 3 tablespoons parsley and cook slowly for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook over a very low heat for about 45 minutes or until thick.

** This recipe contains olive oil, which isn’t permitted during strict fasting. If you adhere to a strict fast, omit the olive oil and using nonstick cooking spray in a nonstick pan to sauté, instead.

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Greek Garlic Sauce (Skordalia) Recipe Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups breadcrumbs, 2 mashed potatoes, or 1 cup ground nuts (such as almonds or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup vinegar

Directions to Make Greek Garlic Sauce (Skordalia):

Clean and crush garlic with salt in a mortar.

Add either the mashed potatoes or the breadcrumbs. Pound well until a smooth paste is obtained.

Add olive oil and vinegar alternately in very small quantities, stirring the sauce with the pestle.
Or, mash potatoes in electric mixer; add garlic paste and olive oil with the vinegar very slowly until completely absorbed.

Continue to beat until the sauce is stiff enough to hold its shape.

Blender garlic sauce recipe: In an electric blender, put 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 or 3 tablespoons wine vinegar, 1 cup soft breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup water and 5 tablespoons olive oil. Blend until garlic sauce is smooth.

If the garlic sauce is thinner than you would like, add breadcrumbs 1 tablespoonful at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.

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Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• (Optional) Dash of nutmeg
• 2 cups milk

Directions to Prepare Bechemel Sauce:

Melt butter over a low heat. When the butter is melted add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until a consistent paste is formed Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk in the milk and return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth.

When sauce is thick, remove from heat and gradually add 2 eggs, slightly beaten, stirring constantly.

Makes 2 cups.

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Greek Style Spicy Almond Sauce (Amigdalosaltsa Pikanti) Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried Greek oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon Greek honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup Greek olive oil
• 1/3 cup broth or stock (chicken or seafood)

Instructions to Make Greek Spicy Almond Sauce:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor. Cover and pulse until smooth. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days if not using right away.

Alternatively, you can use the blender to make the sauce, but it works better in a food processor.

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Greek Style Fava Bean Spread (Koukofava) Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 cups peeled and cooked fava beans
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoons fresh, chopped herbs (such as parsley), to garnish

Instructions to Prepare Greek Style Fava Bean Spread:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor. Cover and pulse until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the fresh herbs. If you are serving the dip later, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and garnish with the fresh herbs just before serving. You can make this dip 2-3 days in advance of serving.

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Greek Style Walnut Sauce (Karithosaltsa) Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shelled walnut pieces
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 1/2 cups broth, divided (use any kind you have on hand, but lighter broths taste best, like chicken)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions to Prepare Greek Walnut Sauce:

Place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. Cover the food processor and pulse until the walnuts are crumbled.

Place the bread crumbs in a bowl and pour 1/4 cup of the broth over it. Let them soak for five minutes. Add the bread crumbs to the food processor and pulse for a minute or two until the two ingredients are incorporated.

Pulse in the rest of the broth, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Keep pulsing until smooth. The sauce will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

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