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Kalliopi's KitchenGreek food recipes

Pantry Staples

Wine

Κρασί · Krasi

A glass of Greek red wine, used through braises and stews
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Wine enters Greek cooking in two distinct ways. Red wine builds the dark, tomato-heavy braises the country calls kokkinisto, poured over browned meat and boiled hard for a minute so the raw alcohol burns off before the tomatoes go in. White wine does lighter work, deglazing the pan for seafood, chicken and vegetables where a red would muddy both colour and flavour.

Cypriot afelia shows wine used as a main ingredient rather than a splash: pork is marinated in red wine with crushed coriander seed, then braised in the same wine until the liquid reduces to a dark, sticky glaze. Stifado, kokoras pastitsada and loukaniko krasato all lean on red wine the same way, as the body of the sauce rather than a seasoning.

Use a dry wine you would happily drink, since anything sold as cooking wine is salted and will not reduce cleanly. Greek reds such as agiorgitiko from Nemea and xinomavro from Naoussa suit a long braise. Retsina, white wine flavoured with Aleppo pine resin, is a drinking wine rather than a cooking one, and a survival of the days when resin sealed the jars.

Recipes with wine

15 recipes on the site using it.

A tray of Greek moussaka with a browned bechamel top, one square lifted outMoussakaMousakas ΜουσακάςMain Courses · 1h 55m · serves 8A slice of pastitsio showing distinct layers of pasta, meat sauce and golden bechamelPastitsioPastitsio ΠαστίτσιοMain Courses · 1h 40m · serves 8Thin slices of veal in a pale garlic and parsley sauce with rice alongsideVeal in Garlic and Vinegar SauceSofrito ΣοφρίτοMain Courses · 1h 35m · serves 4Slow-cooked Greek lamb kleftiko falling off the bone with potatoes and lemonKleftikoKleftiko ΚλέφτικοMain Courses · 4h 25m · serves 6A pot of Greek beef stifado with whole small onions in a dark cinnamon-spiced sauceStifadoStifado ΣτιφάδοMain Courses · 3h · serves 6Pork and Celery in Egg-Lemon SauceHirino me selino Χοιρινό με σέλινοMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6Cypriot afelia pork in a dark red wine and coriander seed sauceCypriot Pork in Red Wine and CorianderAfelia ΑφέλιαMain Courses · 1h 30m · serves 4Sliced noumboulo, Corfu's smoked cured pork filletCorfu Smoked Cured Pork FilletNoumboulo ΝουμπούλοMeze and Appetisers · 30m · serves 10Sifnos Lamb Baked in Wine and DillMastelo Sifnou Μαστέλο ΣίφνουMain Courses · 2h 50m · serves 6Cycladic Octopus Braised in WineHtapodi krasato Χταπόδι κρασάτοMain Courses · 1h 35m · serves 4Tinos and Mykonos Cured PorkLouza Tinou Λούζα ΤήνουMeze and Appetisers · 30m · serves 10A chilled glass of Greek retsina resinated white wineRetsina Serving GuideRetsina ΡετσίναDrinks · 5m · serves 4A pan of Greek mydia saganaki mussels in tomato and feta sauceMussels in Tomato and Feta SauceMydia saganaki Μύδια σαγανάκιMeze and Appetisers · 40m · serves 4Baked Salt Cod in Tomato SauceBakaliaros plaki Μπακαλιάρος πλακίMain Courses · 1h 10m · serves 4A dish of Greek kalamari gemisto stuffed squid in tomato sauceStuffed Whole SquidKalamari gemisto Καλαμάρι γεμιστόMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4

More pantry staples

Olive OilHoneyWalnutsAlmondsBrandyCapersOlivesOuzoPetimeziRose WaterSaltSesame SeedsSugarTsipouroVinegar