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Kalliopi's KitchenGreek food recipes

Fruits

Lemon

Λεμόνι · Lemoni

Fresh lemons, the primary souring agent in Greek cooking
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Lemon is Greek cooking's default acid in a way that crowds out most other options: where a French or Italian dish might reach for wine vinegar, a Greek recipe reaches for lemon juice almost without exception, in dressings, marinades, sauces and the finishing squeeze over grilled meat and fish alike.

Its most technical role is inside avgolemono, the egg and lemon liaison used to thicken soups and sauces without flour or cream. The acid in the lemon juice is part of what helps stabilise the beaten egg as it is tempered with hot liquid, alongside the crucial step of taking the pot fully off the heat first, and lemon's brightness is what keeps the finished dish from tasting merely eggy.

Lemon and oregano together, whisked into olive oil, is the base marinade behind most Greek grilled meat, from souvlaki to whole roast chicken, and the combination is common enough that it functions almost as a house dressing across the entire savoury repertoire.

Recipes with lemon

131 recipes on the site use it. Here are 36 of them.

Charred pork souvlaki skewers on a wooden board with lemon wedges and oreganoPork SouvlakiSouvlaki ΣουβλάκιMain Courses · 32m · serves 4A bowl of pale golden avgolemono soup with shredded chicken, rice and a lemon wedgeAvgolemono SoupKotosoupa avgolemono Κοτόσουπα αυγολέμονοSoups · 1h 30m · serves 6Diamond-cut baklava pieces glossy with honey syrup, studded with walnuts and a cloveBaklavaBaklavas ΜπακλαβάςDesserts · 1h 45m · serves 24A bowl of rough-textured aubergine dip with olive oil, parsley and a scattering of walnutsSmoky Aubergine DipMelitzanosalata ΜελιτζανοσαλάταDips and Sauces · 45m · serves 6Lemon PotatoesPatates lemonates Πατάτες λεμονάτεςSide Dishes · 1h 35m · serves 6A plate of dark boiled greens dressed with olive oil and lemon wedgesHortaHorta vrasta Χόρτα βραστάSide Dishes · 35m · serves 4A bowl of golden loukoumades glossy with honey, dusted with cinnamon and chopped walnutsLoukoumadesLoukoumades ΛουκουμάδεςDesserts · 45m · serves 6A square of galaktoboureko showing thick yellow custard between crisp golden phylloGalaktobourekoGalaktoboureko ΓαλακτομπούρεκοDesserts · 1h 30m · serves 12Thin strips of crisped pork gyros piled in a warm pita with tomato, onion and tzatzikiPork GyrosGyros ΓύροςMain Courses · 2h · serves 6A plate of golden brown Greek meatballs with lemon wedges and fresh mintKeftedesKeftedes ΚεφτέδεςMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 6A slice of golden fried Greek cheese in a small pan with a lemon wedgeSaganakiSaganaki ΣαγανάκιMeze and Appetisers · 15m · serves 4A bowl of smooth yellow split pea puree topped with raw red onion, capers and olive oilYellow Split Pea PureeFava Santorinis Φάβα ΣαντορίνηςDips and Sauces · 1h · serves 6Slow-cooked Greek lamb kleftiko falling off the bone with potatoes and lemonKleftikoKleftiko ΚλέφτικοMain Courses · 4h 25m · serves 6Charred grilled octopus tentacles dressed with olive oil, vinegar and oreganoGrilled OctopusHtapodi sta karvouna Χταπόδι στα κάρβουναMeze and Appetisers · 1h 30m · serves 4Squares of bougatsa custard pastry dusted with icing sugar and cinnamonBougatsaBougatsa ΜπουγάτσαBreakfast Recipes · 1h 10m · serves 8Golden grilled halloumi slices with lemon wedges and dried mintGrilled HalloumiHalloumi ΧαλλούμιMeze and Appetisers · 11m · serves 4Rolled stuffed vine leaves arranged in a dish with lemon wedges and olive oilDolmadesDolmades ΝτολμάδεςMeze and Appetisers · 1h 50m · serves 8Golden Greek courgette fritters piled on a plate with tzatziki and lemonCourgette Fritters with FetaKolokithokeftedes ΚολοκυθοκεφτέδεςMeze and Appetisers · 55m · serves 6Crisp Rhodian chickpea fritters piled on paper with lemon wedgesRhodes Chickpea and Tomato FrittersPitaroudia ΠιταρούδιαMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 6Pork and Celery in Egg-Lemon SauceHirino me selino Χοιρινό με σέλινοMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6Cypriot koupepia stuffed vine leaves arranged on a plate with lemonCypriot Stuffed Vine Leaves with MeatKoupepia ΚουπέπιαMain Courses · 1h 50m · serves 6Grilled Cypriot sheftalia sausages wrapped in caul fat with charred edgesCypriot Sausages in Caul FatSheftalia ΣεφταλιάMain Courses · 45m · serves 6Cypriot black-eyed bean and chard salad dressed with olive oil and lemonCypriot Black-Eyed Bean Salad with ChardLouvi ΛούβιSide Dishes · 55m · serves 4Cubes of Cyprus delight loukoumia dusted in icing sugar on a plateCyprus Delights, Rose and MasticLoukoumia ΛουκούμιαDesserts · 1h 30m · serves 30Brandy SourBrandy sour Μπράντι ΣάουρDrinks · 5m · serves 1A bowl of pale homemade taramosalata drizzled with olive oilFish Roe DipTaramosalata ΤαραμοσαλάταMeze and Appetisers · 15m · serves 8A pot of Greek spanakorizo spinach and rice, deep green and glossySpanakorizoSpanakorizo ΣπανακόρυζοMain Courses · 45m · serves 4A pot of Greek prasorizo leek and rice, pale and glossy with olive oilLeek and RicePrasorizo ΠρασόρυζοMain Courses · 50m · serves 4Fried Greek salt cod fillets served with a bowl of garlic potato skordaliaFried Salt Cod with Garlic DipBakaliaros skordalia Μπακαλιάρος σκορδαλιάMain Courses · 50m · serves 4Charred Greek paidakia lamb chops on a grill with lemon and oreganoPaidakiaPaidakia ΠαϊδάκιαMain Courses · 25m · serves 4A tray of Greek lemon chicken and potatoes roasted goldenLemon Roast Chicken and PotatoesKotopoulo lemonato Κοτόπουλο λεμονάτοMain Courses · 1h 35m · serves 4Kontosouvli pork chunks slow-turning on a spit over charcoalSpit-Roasted PorkKontosouvli ΚοντοσούβλιMain Courses · 3h 30m · serves 6A bowl of Greek magiritsa Easter soup with fresh dillEaster Offal and Herb SoupMagiritsa ΜαγειρίτσαSoups · 2h 30m · serves 8Sifnos Sunday Chickpea BakeRevithada ΡεβιθάδαMain Courses · 8h 15m · serves 6A slice of Greek karydopita walnut syrup cake on a plateWalnut Spice CakeKarydopita ΚαρυδόπιταDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 12A plate of golden fried Greek revithokeftedes chickpea frittersChickpea FrittersRevithokeftedes ΡεβιθοκεφτέδεςMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 6

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