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Kalliopi's KitchenGreek food recipes

Pantry Staples

Sugar

Ζάχαρη · Zachari

Caster sugar, the base of the syrups poured over Greek sweets
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Honey sweetened Greek food for far longer than sugar did, and sugar's arrival divided the work rather than ending it. The syrup poured over baklava, galaktoboureko and karydopita is usually built from sugar and water with honey stirred in once the pan is off the heat, since honey is expensive, thickens differently and loses much of its aroma when boiled hard.

One rule governs every siropiasto, the whole family of syrup-soaked sweets: the syrup and the pastry must be at opposite temperatures. Hot syrup goes over a cold cake, or cold syrup over a pastry straight from the oven, but never hot onto hot. Get it the wrong way round and the syrup sits on the surface instead of being drawn in.

A squeeze of lemon in a boiling syrup keeps it from crystallising as it cools. Elsewhere sugar turns up in much smaller amounts: a pinch balances the acidity of tinned tomatoes in gemista or briam, and Greek coffee is ordered by its sugar rather than its strength, sketos with none, metrios with one spoon and glykos with two.

Recipes with sugar

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

Diamond-cut baklava pieces glossy with honey syrup, studded with walnuts and a cloveBaklavaBaklavas ΜπακλαβάςDesserts · 1h 45m · serves 24A dish of baked giant beans in a rich orange tomato sauce with parsley and olive oilBaked Giant Beans in TomatoGigantes plaki Γίγαντες πλακίMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6A 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 12A small cup of Greek coffee with thick foam on top beside a copper brikiHow to Make Greek Coffee in a BrikiEllinikos kafes Ελληνικός καφέςDrinks · 7m · serves 2A tray of baked stuffed tomatoes and peppers with browned tops and potato wedges between themGemistaGemista ΓεμιστάMain Courses · 2h 10m · serves 6Oval honey-soaked Greek Christmas cookies topped with chopped walnutsMelomakaronaMelomakarona ΜελομακάροναDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 30A tray of collapsed roasted Greek vegetables, browned at the edges and glossy with olive oilBriamBriam ΜπριάμMain Courses · 2h · serves 6Prawns baked in tomato sauce with melting feta and parsley in a small panPrawns with Feta and TomatoGarides saganaki Γαρίδες σαγανάκιMain Courses · 37m · serves 4Greek scrambled eggs with tomato and crumbled feta in a pan with breadScrambled Eggs with Tomato and FetaStrapatsada ΣτραπατσάδαBreakfast Recipes · 23m · serves 3Squares of bougatsa custard pastry dusted with icing sugar and cinnamonBougatsaBougatsa ΜπουγάτσαBreakfast Recipes · 1h 10m · serves 8Greek kourabiedes cookies buried under thick icing sugar on a plateKourabiedesKourabiedes ΚουραμπιέδεςDesserts · 52m · serves 30Cypriot flaounes cheese pastries with a golden sesame-topped crustCypriot Easter Cheese PastriesFlaounes ΦλαούνεςBreads and Pies · 2h 5m · serves 16Cypriot Pickled Cauliflower and TurnipMoungra ΜούντραDips and Sauces · 30m · serves 10Cypriot mahalepi milk pudding topped with rose syrup and crushed pistachiosMahalepiMahalepi ΜαχαλεπίDesserts · 30m · serves 6Cubes of Cyprus delight loukoumia dusted in icing sugar on a plateCyprus Delights, Rose and MasticLoukoumia ΛουκούμιαDesserts · 1h 30m · serves 30A golden spiral tahinopita bread dusted with sesame seedsCypriot Lenten Tahini Spiral BreadTahinopita ΤαχινόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 10m · serves 8A golden braided Greek tsoureki Easter bread with a red egg tucked inTsourekiTsoureki ΤσουρέκιBreads and Pies · 1h 30m · serves 12Twisted golden Greek koulourakia Easter cookies on a baking trayKoulourakiaKoulourakia ΚουλουράκιαDesserts · 1h · serves 30A golden Greek vasilopita New Year cake dusted with icing sugarNew Year Cake with the Hidden CoinVasilopita ΒασιλόπιταDesserts · 1h 10m · serves 12Curled crisp Greek diples pastry ribbons drenched in honey and walnutsFried Honey PastryDiples ΔίπλεςDesserts · 1h 15m · serves 10A slice of Greek karydopita walnut syrup cake on a plateWalnut Spice CakeKarydopita ΚαρυδόπιταDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 12A tray of Greek portokalopita orange phyllo cake soaked in syrupPortokalopitaPortokalopita ΠορτοκαλόπιταDesserts · 1h 15m · serves 15Cut bars of Greek pasteli sesame honey candy on a wooden boardSesame and Honey BarsPasteli ΠαστέλιDesserts · 25m · serves 16Golden Cretan kalitsounia cheese hand pies drizzled with honeyCretan Sweet Cheese Hand PiesKalitsounia ΚαλιτσούνιαDesserts · 1h 10m · serves 8Sliced noumboulo, Corfu's smoked cured pork filletCorfu Smoked Cured Pork FilletNoumboulo ΝουμπούλοMeze and Appetisers · 30m · serves 10Thessaloniki trigona Panoramatos custard-filled pastry trianglesThessaloniki Custard TrianglesTrigona Panoramatos Τρίγωνα ΠανοράματοςDesserts · 1h 20m · serves 10Peloponnese New Year's Eve Fried DoughLalangia ΛαλάγγιαDesserts · 1h 50m · serves 8A sliced Greek fanouropita spice cake, dusted with cinnamonEggless Spice Cake for Saint FanouriosFanouropita ΦανουρόπιταDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 12A Pontic Greek peinirli boat-shaped cheese bread fresh from the ovenPontic Boat-Shaped Cheese BreadPeinirli ΠεϊνιρλίBreads and Pies · 2h · serves 4A tall glass of Greek frappe iced coffee with a thick foam headFrappeFrape ΦραπέDrinks · 5m · serves 1Golden koulouri Thessalonikis sesame bread rings on a traySesame Bread RingKoulouri Thessalonikis Κουλούρι ΘεσσαλονίκηςBreakfast Recipes · 2h · serves 8A pot of Greek fasolakia lathera green beans in tomato sauceGreen Beans in Tomato and Olive OilFasolakia lathera Φασολάκια λαδεράSide Dishes · 1h · serves 4Tinos and Mykonos Cured PorkLouza Tinou Λούζα ΤήνουMeze and Appetisers · 30m · serves 10Greek melitzanes imam baked aubergine with onion and tomatoAubergine Baked with Onion and TomatoMelitzanes imam Μελιτζάνες ιμάμMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4A sliced Greek yiaourtopita yogurt cake dusted with icing sugarYogurt CakeYiaourtopita ΓιαουρτόπιταDesserts · 1h · serves 10

More pantry staples

Olive OilHoneyWalnutsAlmondsBrandyCapersOlivesOuzoPetimeziRose WaterSaltSesame SeedsTsipouroVinegarWine