Meals in Greece

I love Greece. The laid back attitude, the cafe culture, the crazy motorbikes everywhere, and the beaches peppered with spedo-clad men strutting around like scantily-clad mediterranean peacocks.

Here in Greece oregano and fig trees grow out of the cracks in the sidewalk and wild artichokes and fennel flank every county road. The produce in Greece is like nothing you can find in the United States. Instead of cultivating produce for easy transportation and long shelf life, the produce in Greece is perfectly ripe and bred for the best flavor. Things like peaches and apricots, strawberries and cherries come in seasonally for a couple of weeks and then they’re gone. You won’t see them again in the market until the following year.

On our most recent visit, I found a house filled with eager eaters who let me cook whatever I wanted. This is what we ate.

What’s on the menu:

Day one

Roasted chicken with cumin, oregano, garlic and onions

Saffron orzo with pistachios and yellow raisins

Cumin Tzatziki

Tomato and herb salad

Day two

Kofta meatballs

Lentil Salad with roasted beets, carrots and herb yogurt sauce

Best garlic skillet potatoes

Grilled eggplant

Day three

Pepperoni sheet pan pizza

Roasted eggplant and feta sheet pan pizza

Green salad

Day four

Savory pesto and sun-dried tomato bread pudding

Watermelon, nectarine, tomato and feta salad with mint

Lentil tabouleh with grapes

Day Five