Occasion
25 Sunday Greek Family Meals
The long lunch. One big tray from the oven, a salad, bread, and nobody leaving the table for three hours.
Sunday lunch in Greece is one big tray from the oven, a salad, bread, and nobody leaving the table for three hours. The cooking is chosen to suit that. It goes in early, looks after itself, and does not mind waiting while people talk.
So the list is mostly baked and braised: moussaka, pastitsio, kleftiko, giouvetsi, lemon roast chicken with its potatoes, stifado with its onions. A pie often joins them, spanakopita or tiropita.
There is something sweet at the end and it usually comes from a tray as well: galaktoboureko, portokalopita, walnut spice cake. Pastitsio has to rest before it is cut, which suits a day when lunch is never on time.
Every recipe on Kalliopi's Kitchen carries the dish's Greek name and a pronunciation, its region where that is meaningful, ingredient quantities in both metric and imperial, and an honest note on what commonly goes wrong. Nutrition figures are calculated estimates and are labelled as such.
1. Moussaka
Mousakas · Μουσακάς · moo-sah-KAHS
When people say Greek food, this is usually what they mean, and it is also the dish that gets ruined most. Water does it, not bad ingredients. Cook the meat sauce drier than looks right and keep the bechamel thick. It is no weeknight dinner, but nearly all of it can be made ahead.
Yiayia’s tip: Salt the aubergines even if the packet says you do not need to. Modern aubergines are far less bitter than they used to be, so salting is often called unnecessary. That misses the point. Salting collapses the cell structure and drives out water, which means the slices absorb less oil and hold their shape in the bake.
Make Moussaka2. Spanakopita
Σπανακόπιτα · spah-nah-KOH-pee-tah
Pies are the centre of Greek home baking, and this is the one that left the country. Greens and cheese in quantity, almost nothing else, inside pastry thin enough to read through. Every sheet has to be brushed with fat. Dry phyllo fuses into one papery slab, and the separate leaves are the point.
Yiayia’s tip: Squeeze harder than you think necessary. If any liquid at all comes out when you press the filling in the bowl, go back and squeeze again. This one step decides the pie.
Make Spanakopita3. Pastitsio
Παστίτσιο · pah-STEE-tsee-oh
The baked pasta Greek families make more often than moussaka, because it costs less, forgives more and nobody at the table refuses it. Two things make it Greek and not Italian: cinnamon in the meat sauce, and a bechamel layer as deep as the pasta underneath it.
Yiayia’s tip: Lay the pasta the same way. If you are using long tubes, lay them all running in one direction. Cutting across the grain afterwards gives clean square portions rather than ragged ones.
Make Pastitsio4. Avgolemono Soup
Kotosoupa avgolemono · Κοτόσουπα αυγολέμονο · ahv-gho-LEH-mo-no
Avgo is egg and lemoni is lemon. Whisked together and loosened with hot broth, they thicken a soup with no flour and no cream. It is what a Greek kitchen makes when somebody has flu. The broth goes into the eggs one ladle at a time, away from the heat, or they scramble.
Yiayia’s tip: Room temperature eggs. Cold eggs hitting hot broth is a bigger temperature shock and a bigger curdling risk. Take them out of the fridge half an hour ahead.
Make Avgolemono Soup5. Galaktoboureko
Γαλακτομπούρεκο · gha-lahk-toh-BOO-reh-koh
Baklava is more famous. This is the one that people raised on both ask for: a thick custard scented with lemon, shut inside phyllo, with cold syrup poured over the hot pie. Semolina sets the custard firm enough to cut clean. The phyllo is simpler than baklava, only two blocks of layers.
Yiayia’s tip: Rain the semolina, do not dump it. Adding it all at once guarantees lumps. A thin steady stream with constant whisking gives a smooth custard first time.
Make Galaktoboureko6. Veal in Garlic and Vinegar Sauce
Sofrito · Σοφρίτο · so-FREE-toh
Venice ruled Corfu for four hundred years and the Ottomans never took it. This is how that tastes. No tomato, no cinnamon, no oregano: thin veal braised in white wine, vinegar, a great deal of garlic and parsley. Three dishes define Corfiot cooking: pastitsada, bourdeto and this, the most delicate of them.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not brown too hard. Sofrito's sauce should stay pale. Deep browning gives a darker, heavier sauce that belongs to a different dish.
Make Veal in Garlic and Vinegar Sauce7. Tiropita
Τυρόπιτα · tee-ROH-pee-tah
The pie Greeks eat most, usually standing up, before ten in the morning, from a bakery window. With no spinach to hide behind, the cheese has to be right. Feta alone bakes dense, rubbery and too salty, so a soft mild cheese goes in with it: anthotyro, mizithra or ricotta, two parts feta to one.
Yiayia’s tip: Soak the feta if it is very salty. Twenty minutes in fresh water or milk before crumbling takes the edge off without losing the character of the cheese.
Make Tiropita8. Kleftiko
Κλέφτικο · KLEF-tee-koh
Kleftis means thief. The klefts were mountain fighters under Ottoman rule who stole a sheep and had to cook it with no smoke to give them away, so it went into a closed pit over embers. A sealed parcel does the pit's job now. Twenty-five minutes of work, then four hours unopened in the oven.
Yiayia’s tip: Two layers, paper inside foil. Foil alone can react with the lemon and leave a metallic edge on the meat. Baking paper next to the food and foil outside it gives you a reliable seal without that risk.
Make Kleftiko9. Bougatsa
Μπουγάτσα · boo-GHAH-tsah
Thessaloniki's breakfast, eaten standing at a counter, cut into squares with scissors and passed across in paper. Refugees from Asia Minor brought it in the 1920s. People confuse it with galaktoboureko, which is firm and drenched in syrup. This one is softer and never sees syrup, only icing sugar and cinnamon.
Yiayia’s tip: Err on the loose side. The custard thickens as it cools and again in the oven. If it looks right in the pan it will be stodgy on the plate.
Make Bougatsa10. Stifado
Στιφάδο · stee-FAH-thoh
A stew defined by its onions. They go in whole, a kilo of them to a kilo of meat, and come out sweet and translucent. Red wine vinegar gives it a sharpness no other Greek stew has, with cinnamon, clove and bay behind it. Beef is usual. Rabbit is arguably the more traditional choice.
Yiayia’s tip: Blanch the onions to peel them. One minute in boiling water then into cold, and the skins slip off. Saves half an hour and a lot of unpleasantness.
Make Stifado11. Cypriot Stuffed Vine Leaves with Meat
Koupepia · Κουπέπια · koo-PEH-pee-ah
In Cyprus the everyday word for stuffed vine leaves is koupepia, and the everyday kind has meat in it. This is what a Cypriot household makes on a Sunday. Mint runs through the filling where dolmades would have dill, and many families pour avgolemono over at the end. The rolling takes an hour.
Yiayia’s tip: Roll tighter than feels necessary. The rice triples in volume. A loose roll is a roll that opens in the pot.
Make Cypriot Stuffed Vine Leaves with Meat12. Cypriot Pork in Red Wine and Coriander
Afelia · Αφέλια · ah-FEH-lee-ah
Pork, red wine, coriander seed and time. The list barely goes further, and nothing else cooked in Greece or Cyprus tastes like it. The seed flavours it, not the fresh leaf. The pork is marinated, browned and braised until the wine is a thick, dark, sticky sauce, with the lid off or half on.
Yiayia’s tip: Crush the seed fresh. Pre-ground coriander loses its aromatic oils quickly. Crushing whole seed just before cooking is what gives afelia its real character.
Make Cypriot Pork in Red Wine and Coriander13. Cypriot Grape Must and Almond Candy
Soutzoukos · Σουτζιούκος · soo-JOO-kos
Almonds or walnuts are threaded on a string and dunked over and over in grape must cooked thick, each dip adding a layer until the coat is firm and chewy. Cyprus makes it in autumn, when there are fresh grapes. It has no refined sugar. The work is slow, not hard.
Yiayia’s tip: Reduce shop-bought grape juice first. Simmering it down by about a third before you start concentrates the flavour closer to genuine fresh must.
Make Cypriot Grape Must and Almond Candy14. Cypriot Baked Macaroni
Makaronia tou fournou · Μακαρόνια του φούρνου · mah-kah-ROH-nyah too FOOR-noo
Cyprus's version of pastitsio, and the difference is on top. There is no bechamel. Halloumi is grated into beaten egg and poured over the pasta, where it sets like a savoury custard, salty and springy. The meat sauce underneath has the same cinnamon. With no roux to go wrong, it is the easier dish.
Yiayia’s tip: Grate the halloumi coarsely. A fine grate disappears into the egg. Coarse shreds keep some texture in the finished topping.
Make Cypriot Baked Macaroni15. Lemon Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Kotopoulo lemonato · Κοτόπουλο λεμονάτο · koh-TOH-poo-loh leh-moh-NAH-toh
The tray tied most closely to Sunday lunch in Greece. Chicken joints and potato wedges roast together in lemon, oregano, garlic and olive oil, and the potatoes come out tasting of the chicken as much as of the lemon. Use bone-in pieces with the skin on. After the marinating it mostly looks after itself.
Yiayia’s tip: Give the potatoes a head start. Twenty minutes alone in the oven before the chicken joins them is what lets both finish tender and golden at the same time.
Make Lemon Roast Chicken and Potatoes16. Corfu Beef and Pasta in Spiced Tomato Sauce
Pastitsada · Παστιτσάδα · pah-stee-TSAH-thah
Corfu spent centuries under Venice, and this is where it shows. Beef braises for close to three hours in tomato with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and bay, nothing like the oregano and lemon of the mainland, then goes onto thick tubular pasta under grated hard cheese. Make it a day ahead, because the sauce deepens overnight.
Yiayia’s tip: Brown the beef properly first. This step builds much of the sauce's depth over what is otherwise a long, gentle braise. Do not rush or skip it.
Make Corfu Beef and Pasta in Spiced Tomato Sauce17. Giouvetsi
Γιουβέτσι · yoo-VEHT-see
Named for its pot, an individual clay dish traditionally used for cooking and serving. Beef braises in a tomato sauce warmed with cinnamon, then orzo, kritharaki in Greek, goes into the same dish and drinks the sauce as it bakes. The sauce should look too loose at that point. The orzo takes a lot.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not rush the beef stage. The braise needs its full two hours to reach the fall-apart tenderness that makes this dish worth the effort. The orzo stage is quick by comparison.
Make Giouvetsi18. Walnut Spice Cake
Karydopita · Καρυδόπιτα · kah-ree-THOH-pee-tah
A cake made mostly of ground walnuts, with only enough flour to hold it together, spiced with cinnamon and clove and soaked in syrup the moment it leaves the oven. It comes out dense, nutty and moist all the way through. Of the Greek syrup cakes, this is one of the hardest to get wrong.
Yiayia’s tip: Hot cake, cold syrup. One side hot and the other cold is the rule for every baked Greek syrup sweet. Make the syrup first and let it cool completely. Hot syrup on a hot cake leaves the crumb heavy and wet.
Make Walnut Spice Cake19. Portokalopita
Πορτοκαλόπιτα · por-toh-kah-LOH-pee-tah
A cake that does to phyllo everything phyllo is never supposed to suffer. The sheets are left out to dry, torn by hand into rough pieces and folded into a wet orange batter, where they soften and puff. Then orange syrup goes over. No rolling, no layering, and the pieces should be coin-sized, not crumbs.
Yiayia’s tip: Really let the phyllo dry out fully. Sheets that are still even slightly pliable do not shred properly and give a denser, less characteristic texture.
Make Portokalopita20. Cretan Clarified Cream with Eggs
Staka me avga · Στάκα με αυγά · STAH-kah meh av-GHAH
Barely a recipe. Staka is a Cretan dairy fat rendered from the cream of sheep or goat milk, tangy and faintly cheesy where butter is not, and eggs are fried straight in it for breakfast. Baste the whites with the hot fat as they cook. Without it, ghee is the nearest thing, though milder.
Yiayia’s tip: Keep the heat moderate. Staka has a lower smoke point than plain oil. Too fierce a heat browns it unpleasantly before the eggs are done.
Make Cretan Clarified Cream with Eggs21. Corfu Spicy Fish Stew
Bourdeto · Μπουρδέτο · boor-DEH-toh
The hottest of Corfu's spiced dishes, and red from paprika, not tomato. A generous amount of sweet paprika and a careful amount of hot are cooked into the onions first. Scorpionfish is traditional, and any firm white fish works. Paprika scorches and turns bitter in a very hot pan, so lower the heat first.
Yiayia’s tip: Cook the onions properly. A full fifteen minutes over low heat is what builds the sweetness that stands in for the tomato most other Greek fish stews rely on.
Make Corfu Spicy Fish Stew22. Northern Greek Preserved Confit Pork
Kavourmas · Καβουρμάς · kah-voor-MAHS
Pork cooked slowly in its own fat, then stored sealed under that same fat. Refugees from Asia Minor and the Pontus brought the method to northern Greece after 1922, as a way to keep meat through winter before anyone had a fridge. It is the same idea as French confit, reached separately.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not skimp on the fat. It is both the cooking medium and the preserving seal. A cut that is too lean will not render enough to do either job.
Make Northern Greek Preserved Confit Pork23. Mani Cured and Smoked Pork
Syglino Maniatiko · Σύγκλινο Μανιάτικο · SEEN-glee-no mah-nyah-TEE-koh
Cured pork from the Mani, and the orange peel and fennel seed are what make it Maniot. The meat is salted, smoked over aromatic wood, simmered, then sealed beneath its own fat, which is how a household kept pork through the year before refrigeration. Smoking is traditional, but an unsmoked version is legitimate.
Yiayia’s tip: Remove the bitter white pith from the orange peel. Only the coloured zest carries the fragrant oils. The pith beneath it is bitter and will carry through into the fat.
Make Mani Cured and Smoked Pork24. Peloponnese Egg Pasta with Chicken
Hylopites · Χυλοπίτες · hee-loh-PEE-tes
Squares of egg pasta that Peloponnese households once rolled, cut and dried in the sun to keep for months. Most now buy them. They simmer in a broth of chicken and tomato, not in water, and their starch thickens the pot into something like a rustic risotto. Watch the liquid in the last ten minutes.
Yiayia’s tip: Brown the chicken properly first. This single step builds most of the sauce's depth. Do not rush past it to get to the simmering stage.
Make Peloponnese Egg Pasta with Chicken25. Trahanas Soup
Soupa trahana · Σούπα τραχανά · SOO-pah trah-hah-NAH
The work is done months earlier. In late summer, once a year, cracked wheat is mixed with milk or yogurt, left to ferment a little, sun-dried and crumbled into granules that keep for months. Simmered in water or stock they make a thick, tangy soup within twenty minutes. Eat it hot, before it turns stodgy.
Yiayia’s tip: Add the trahanas gradually. Tipping it all in at once causes clumping. A slow, steady addition while stirring keeps it smooth.
Make Trahanas Soup
More Sunday Greek Family Meals
124 more, 149 in all.
Meatball Soup in AvgolemonoGiouvarlakia ΓιουβαρλάκιαSoups · 1h 15m · serves 6
Dodecanese Orzo-Style Pasta with TomatoSitaraki ΣιταράκιMain Courses · 35m · serves 4
Smyrna-Style Cumin Meatballs in Tomato SauceSoutzoukakia ΣουτζουκάκιαMain Courses · 1h 10m · serves 6
Makarounes KarpathouMakarounes Karpathou Μακαρούνες ΚαρπάθουMain Courses · 1h 30m · serves 6
Stuffed Aubergine "Little Shoes"Papoutsakia ΠαπουτσάκιαMain Courses · 1h 30m · serves 6
Chicken and Rice SoupKotosoupa avgolemono Κοτόσουπα αυγολέμονοSoups · 1h 50m · serves 6
Yogurt CakeYiaourtopita ΓιαουρτόπιταDesserts · 1h · serves 10
Constantinople-Style Braised ArtichokesAnginares ala polita Αγκινάρες αλά πολίταMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4
Basic Greek Tomato SauceSaltsa domatas Σάλτσα ντομάταςDips and Sauces · 40m · serves 6
Fish SoupPsarosoupa ΨαρόσουπαSoups · 1h 10m · serves 6
Epirus Hand-Rolled Cheese PieTyropita Ipirou Τυρόπιτα ΗπείρουBreads and Pies · 1h 45m · serves 8
Pontic Greek Dumplings in Yogurt and GarlicManti pontiako Μαντί ποντιακόMain Courses · 1h 50m · serves 6
Corfu White Fish StewBianco ΜπιάνκοMain Courses · 55m · serves 4
Lamb Braised in TomatoArni kokkinisto Αρνί κοκκινιστόMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6
Leek PiePrasopita ΠρασόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 30m · serves 8
Meat Pie in PhylloKreatopita ΚρεατόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 50m · serves 8
Apple Pie in PhylloMilopita ΜηλόπιταDesserts · 1h 20m · serves 10
Spinach and Cheese PieSpanakotyropita ΣπανακοτυρόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 25m · serves 8
Chicken Pie in PhylloKotopita ΚοτόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 30m · serves 8
Aubergine and Feta PieMelitzanopita ΜελιτζανόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 35m · serves 8
Roast Lamb Leg with LemonArnaki lemonato Αρνάκι λεμονάτοMain Courses · 3h 40m · serves 6
Macedonian Stuffed Cabbage LeavesGiaprakia Thessalonikis Γιαπράκια ΘεσσαλονίκηςMain Courses · 2h · serves 6
Kalymnos Courgette and Herb FrittataSfougato Kalymnou Σφουγγάτο ΚαλύμνουMain Courses · 1h · serves 6
Semolina HalvaHalvas simigdalenios Χαλβάς σιμιγδαλένιοςDesserts · 40m · serves 10
Semolina Syrup CakeRavani ΡαβανίDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 12
Orzo SoupSoupa kritharaki Σούπα κριθαράκιSoups · 40m · serves 4
Sausage Braised in WineLoukaniko krasato Λουκάνικο κρασάτοMain Courses · 50m · serves 4
Custard Pie Without PhylloGalatopita ΓαλατόπιταDesserts · 1h · serves 8
Rice PuddingRizogalo ΡυζόγαλοDesserts · 50m · serves 6
Beef Braised in TomatoMoschari kokkinisto Μοσχάρι κοκκινιστόMain Courses · 2h 35m · serves 6
Baked Chicken with OrzoKotopoulo giouvetsi Κοτόπουλο γιουβέτσιMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4
BobotaBobota ΜπομπόταBreads and Pies · 55m · serves 8
Pasta with Fresh Mizithra CheeseMakaronia me mizithra Μακαρόνια με μυζήθραMain Courses · 20m · serves 4
Olive BreadElioti (Eliopsomo) ΕλιόψωμοBreads and Pies · 1h 5m · serves 10
Custard and Cream Kataifi CakeEkmek kataifi Έκμεκ κανταΐφιDesserts · 1h 15m · serves 10
Cretan Sour TrahanasXinohondros ΞινόχοντροςBreakfast Recipes · 4h 20m · serves 8
Stuffed Whole SquidKalamari gemisto Καλαμάρι γεμιστόMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4
Cypriot Halloumi and Mint RavioliRavioles ΡαβιόλεςMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 6
Cypriot Jute Mallow StewMolehiya ΜολόχαMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4
Lamb on Smoked Aubergine PureeHounkiar begienti Χουνκιάρ μπεγιεντίMain Courses · 2h 20m · serves 6
Politiko Spiced Beef StewTas kebap Τας κεμπάπMain Courses · 2h 20m · serves 6
Cypriot Trahanas SoupTrahanas ΤραχανάςSoups · 55m · serves 4
Greek SaladHoriatiki salata Χωριάτικη σαλάταSalads · 12m · serves 4
BaklavaBaklavas ΜπακλαβάςDesserts · 1h 45m · serves 24
Baked Giant Beans in TomatoGigantes plaki Γίγαντες πλακίMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6
HortaHorta vrasta Χόρτα βραστάSide Dishes · 35m · serves 4
How to Make Greek Coffee in a BrikiEllinikos kafes Ελληνικός καφέςDrinks · 7m · serves 2
GemistaGemista ΓεμιστάMain Courses · 2h 10m · serves 6
KeftedesKeftedes ΚεφτέδεςMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 6
FasoladaFasolada ΦασολάδαSoups · 1h 45m · serves 6
BriamBriam ΜπριάμMain Courses · 2h · serves 6
Scrambled Eggs with Tomato and FetaStrapatsada ΣτραπατσάδαBreakfast Recipes · 23m · serves 3
Lentil Soup with VinegarFakes ΦακέςSoups · 1h 7m · serves 6
Cypriot Black-Eyed Bean Salad with ChardLouvi ΛούβιSide Dishes · 55m · serves 4
Cypriot Fresh Cheese with HoneyAnari me meli Ανάρι με μέλιDesserts · 5m · serves 4
Thessaloniki Custard TrianglesTrigona Panoramatos Τρίγωνα ΠανοράματοςDesserts · 1h 20m · serves 10
Thessaloniki Kebab with Yogurt and TomatoGiaourtlou ΓιαουρτλούMain Courses · 45m · serves 4
Epirus Cornbread with GreensBatzina ΜπατζίναBreads and Pies · 55m · serves 8
Pontic Boat-Shaped Cheese BreadPeinirli ΠεϊνιρλίBreads and Pies · 2h · serves 4
Beetroot Salad with Garlic YogurtPantzarosalata ΠαντζαροσαλάταSalads · 1h 20m · serves 6
Kefalonia Spiced Meat PieKefalonitiki kreatopita Κεφαλονίτικη κρεατόπιταBreads and Pies · 2h · serves 8
Baked Aubergine with Feta and TomatoMelitzanes me feta Μελιτζάνες με φέταMain Courses · 1h 5m · serves 4
Lentils and RiceFakorizo ΦακόρυζοMain Courses · 50m · serves 4
Potato SaladPatatosalata ΠατατοσαλάταSalads · 45m · serves 6
Wild Greens PieHortopita ΧορτόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 25m · serves 8
Artichokes with PeasAnginares me araka Αγκινάρες με αρακάSide Dishes · 1h · serves 4
Red Lentil SoupSoupa fakes kokkines Σούπα φακές κόκκινεςSoups · 40m · serves 4
Potato FrittersPatatokeftedes ΠατατοκεφτέδεςSide Dishes · 50m · serves 6
Roast Goat with LemonKatsikaki lemonato Κατσικάκι λεμονάτοMain Courses · 3h 40m · serves 6
Patras Cinnamon and Clove LiqueurTentoura ΤεντούραDrinks · 45m · serves 20
Cypriot Lentils and Rice with OnionsMoutzentra ΜουτζέντραMain Courses · 1h 5m · serves 5Get one proper Greek recipe a week
No round-ups, no filler, no fifteen-ingredient shortcuts. One dish, written out in full, with the reasoning included.
One email a week. Unsubscribe from any of them.