6 Greek recipes from my favourite hotels In Greece

The best Greek recipes from hotels I have tried!

Greece is a blessed country, so rich in goods. Mediterranean herbs and spices from the Greek countryside, olive oil, juicy vegetables, fresh fish and seafood from the catch of the day, are a few of the magic ingredients that belong to the widely praised Greek food.  Gastronomy devotees gather from all over the world in order to enjoy its famous local dishes made of some of the finest products in the world, that cannot be found anywhere else. All tried and tested under the glorious Grecian blue sky and with a view to the big blue of the Aegean Sea or the picturesque mountains of the mainland.

The top hotels in the country and their talented chefs often add a creative twist to traditional dishes, offering a really unforgettable culinary experience.

This is the list of 6 Greek authentic recipes I have enjoyed in some of my favourite hotels in Greece:

The famous Aegean Fish Soup (Kakavia) by Hotel Grande Bretagne

The word ‘Kakavia’ is ancient Greek and means ‘food cooked inside a ‘Kakavo’, a kind of kettle. It’s the Greek version of bouillabaisse and one of the most famous dishes of the Athenian iconic Hotel Grande Bretagne which overlooks the Greek Parliament and Syntagma Square.

Soup (Serves 4)

For the aioli:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 4 slices of toasted bread, for serving
• Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the bone broth and soup:

• 11/8 lb grouper
• 11/8 lb scorpionfish
• 2 onions
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 carrots
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• ½ lb fennel root, chopped
• 1 russet potato, cubed
• 1 leek, white part only, chopped
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• ½ tsp fennel seed
• 1 star anise
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup fresh Greek parsley
• ¼ cup fresh thyme
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• 5–6 threads saffron
• 12 fresh raw mussels
• 12 fresh raw shrimp, 3–4 inches each
• Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Make the aioli: In a mixing bowl, mash the garlic and season it with salt and black pepper. Add the egg yolk and whisk until well combined. While continuing to whisk constantly, gradually add the oil; once one-quarter of the oil has been blended in, add the rest in larger amounts. Once the mixture thickens, whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar. Set aside.

Make the bone broth: Clean and fillet the grouper and scorpionfish and return the fillets to the refrigerator until ready for use; reserve the bones. Combine the reserved grouper and scorpionfish bones and 3 quarts of water in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Cut 1 of the onions into quarters, 1 of the celery stalks into thick pieces, and 1 of the carrots into thick pieces and add these to the pot. Continue to boil for 30 minutes, occasionally skimming off and discarding any debris that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat and strain the broth, discarding the bones and vegetables. Set aside.

Make the soup: In a large pot over high heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes, until golden. Peel and chop the remaining onion and chop the remaining celery stalk, carrots and tomato. Add the onion, celery, carrots, fennel, potato, tomato and leek to the pot and sauté for 4–5 minutes. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pot. Add the bone broth, fennel seed, and star anise to the pot and bring to a boil, occasionally skimming off and discarding any debris that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cilantro, parsley, thyme, lemon juice, and saffron, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the soup into a serving bowl using a sieve and season with salt and black pepper. Cover with foil to keep warm and set aside.

Steam the fish and seafood: In a lidded pot fitted with a steamer insert, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Place the fish fillets, mussels, and shrimp in the steamer insert, cover, and steam for 4–5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To serve, transfer the fish and seafood to hot serving plates and serve with the hot soup, aioli and toasted bread.

Crayfish Kritharoto from Astir Palace Four Seasons

An innovative yet inspired by the traditions of the Aegean Sea, a dish created by chef Theodoros Karinos of Four Seasons Athens

• 120 g of Orzo “kritharaki”
• 20 g of white chopped onion
• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 400 ml of crayfish broth (bisque)
• 50 g of tomato flesh in cubes without skin and seeds
• 300 g of crayfish (net weight –with no heads and tails)
• 10 ml of lime jus and zest
• 5 g of chopped chive and 5 g of spring onion
• 5 g of butter 82%

Method:

1. In a pan sauté with 2 tbsp. of olive oil the onion in slow temperature till you have a golden colour.
2. Add the orzo and stir to coat in the oil and brown very slightly. Add the crayfish broth and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer while the orzo cooks for 15 minutes.
3. Five minutes before the orzo is ready add the crayfish and continue cooking for another 2 minutes till is “al-dente” the orzo.
4. Just before removing from heat, stir in the butter, add fresh tomato, lime jus and zest. Serve it and add olive oil and chive.

Meatballs with sun-dried tomato sauce from Costa Navarino

This version of an all-time favourite Greek dish is by Executive Chef of Navarino Dunes: Thanasis Karathanasis and can be enjoyed at Perovino Restaurant at Costa Navarino which approaches the best of Greece’s authentic comfort food with a contemporary flair.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

The sauce

• 80 gr Carrot fresh chopped
• 110 gr Onion red chopped
• 20 gr Garlic chopped
• 70 gr Sun-dried tomato chopped
• 20 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 25 ml White wine
• 200 gr Tomato fresh chopped
• 10 gr Basil fresh

Meatballs

• 600 gr Beef minced meat
• 1 pc Egg
• 15 gr Mint fresh chopped
• 80 gr Tomato fresh chopped, seeded
• 90 gr Onion red chopped
• 2 gr Oregano fresh chopped
• 100 gr Bread soaked in water
• 10 ml Vinegar red
• 10 gr fresh parsley chopped
• 200 gr all-purpose flour
• 2 lt Oil sunflower
• 200 gr Volaki cheese (or feta cheese)

Method:

The sauce: In a pan, we sauté on high heat with olive oil, carrot, onion, garlic, and sun-dried tomato. After that, we add the wine and wait until it is evaporated. Then we add the tomato and simmer for twenty minutes. Take the pan off the heat add the basil and let it rest for 15 minutes, for the basil to infuse the aroma. Blend for thirty seconds.

The meatballs: In a bowl put the minced meat, the egg, the mint, the tomato, the onion, the oregano, the bread after draining it, the vinegar, parsley and kneed thoroughly. Shape the mixture into small balls and put them into the flour. After that take off the excess of the flour and fry them in the sunflower oil at 170 °C for four minutes.

The dish: On a plate, place the sauce and on top place the meatballs. Break the cheese with your hand, roughly and burn it with a torch and put on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy!

Ladenia Pie from Patmos Eye

It is so hard to forget the experience of tasting a Ladenia pie (a kind of traditional Cycladic kind of pizza) while gazing at the port of Patmos during dusk when I had just come back from the beach…

Ingredients for a Ladenia pie of diameter 30-40 cm

For the base

• 100 gr all-purpose flour
• 100 gr bread flour
• 100 gr whole grain flour
• 1/2 sachet active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• A little bit of olive oil
• 200 ml lukewarm water

For the toppings

• 3-4 ripe tomatoes
• 3-4 onions
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method:

The base: Knead until the dough does not stick to the hands. Cover the dough with a towel and leave it to rise for 1 hour. Once it swells, knead again and let it rise again. After the second puffing, flour a surface and with the help of a rolling pin open the dough into a thin flatbread (like a pizza). We make sure that the shape of the pie matches our baking tray.

The toppings: In a bowl, cut the tomatoes and into thin slices. Put some oil in your hands and massage the vegetables gently so that the oil goes everywhere. Then add salt and pepper. In the spread dough, empty the tomatoes with the onions. P

Baking: Put in a preheated oven and bake for 1 hour at 170 – 180 degrees

Quick Ouzo Waffles from Melisses Andros

A popular brunch dish meets the sweet aroma of anise and traditional Greek aperitif Ouzo

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 eggs separated
• 35 g of sugar 
• 70 g of flour
• 1/2 sachet of baking powder
• 40 ml of mild olive oil (rice oil or peanut oil works well too)
• 30 ml of Ouzo
• 1 teaspoon of anise/fennel seeds (optional)
• zest of a lemon
• large pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the waffle maker to medium-high heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until pale. Carefully sift in the flour and baking powder, and whisk until smooth. Add the olive oil, ouzo, lemon zest and anise/fennel seeds if you like. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with a large pinch of salt to soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gradually fold half the egg white into the batter, then carefully fold in the remaining half. Pour a ladle of the batter into the waffle maker and close the lid. Cook the waffles until golden. Transfer them to a plate and dress with any toppings of your preference. We love Greek yogurt, fruit, fresh mint, almonds and honey.

Salmon Bowl with beetroot noodles from The Modernist

For the salmon

• 150 gr  salmon
• 20 gr tomato marmalade jam
• 60 gr zucchini
• 60 gr carrots
• 40 gr boiled corn
• 2 gr sesame
• 2 gr sprouts

For the beetroot noodles

• 120 gr Noodles
• 50 gr boiled beetroots
• 10 gr soy
• 15 gr Carob syrup
• 8 gr lime juice
• 8 gr tomato jam
• 3 gr grated ginger

Olive and lemon sauce with sauce

• 25 gr lemon juice
• 75 gr olive oil
• 10 gr soy
• 10 gr carob syrup
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

Salmon: Fillet the salmon. Marinate with tomato jam, a little soy, olive oil, freshly ground salt and pepper, and put it in the oven at 180 degrees until it gets a golden colour.

Vegetables: Cut the zucchini and the carrots separately in the vegetable chopper so that they get a nice shape. Sauté the boiled corn in a pan with a little olive oil.

Beetroot noodles: Boil the noodles in a saucepan. Once they are ready, leave them to cool and add the soy, the carob syrup, the lime juice, the tomato jam, the salt, and the pepper. Then grate the boiled beets, add fresh ginger and mix them all well together until the noodles get a nice red color.

Oil and lemon sauce: Put the lemon juice in a bowl and gradually add the olive oil. Once the lemon oil thickens, add the rest of the ingredients.

How to serve: Take a bowl, put all preparations in portions, and add the salmon in small pieces in the centre. Pour the sesame seeds over the noodles. Decorate the dish with the sprouts and serve 30ml of soy oil and lemon in a separate small ball.

SEE ALSO:

Best view hotels in Greece: 11 amazing rooms with a view

A hotel trotter’s list: Best hotel experiences in Greece