Greek and other Christmas recipes to try!

Agriogourouno sti gastra (pr. ah-ghree-oh-GHOU-rhou-nho sti GAH-strah), is wild boar, marinated and slowly cooked in a "gastra" which is a Greek Dutch oven.

Today I am posting another recipe, which is suitable for a festive occasion. Wild boar with sage and honey. Wild boar isn't something we cannot get everyday in Greece. We can, however, get it during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, so I plan to make it during the holidays.

Makaronia tou Fournou means pasta baked in the oven and is a common dish in Cyprus, often served as a main course, with a salad but in Cyprus it is an essential dish during all celebrations.

This Greek Sausage Lasagna is made with Greek leek sausages, with feta and goat cheese, topped with a Greek Bechamel sauce

Bogana is a traditional holiday dish from Argolida, with Leg of Lamb, roasted with whole baby potatoes and tomatoes. What makes it different and more delicious from other roasted lamb is the addition of ewe's and goat milk butter which gives its wonderful taste.

This Greek roasted pork is a twist to a classic dish made with lamb, which is perfect for any festive occasion.

The combination of quince  with the sweet  taste of prunes and the natural sweet taste of pork and the fortified Cyprio wine, called Commandaria, makes it a gourmet meal and I highly recommend it.

Bœuf à la Bourguignonne, also called Beef Burgundy is perhaps one of the most famous dishes of Julia Child. 

Moschari Noua takes its name from the Greek word "Moschari", which is veal and "Noix de Veau" which is the top rump, also known as silverside in many other countries.

Noua as we call it in short, is a pot roast beef or veal using the above cut.   It can be cooked in a pressure cooker, in a pot or Dutch oven.

Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish with meat sauce between two layers of tubular pasta and topped with bechamel sauce.

Thyme Chicken Fricassee is a dish made with chicken breast cut into thin slices, stewed in chicken stock and served in a white sauce made with milk or cream.

Tyropitari pronounced Tee-rho-pee-TAH-ree, is a homemade Greek pastry filled with feta cheese and deep fried, which is served as an appetizer.

Tyropita (pronounced tee- ROH -pee-ta) from tyri = cheese and pita = pie and Strifti (pronounced stri-FTEE), which means twisted.  It takes it's name from the way the cheese pie is shaped.

Tyropita (pronounced Ti-ROH-pee-tah) is usually made made with layers of buttered phyllo and filled with feta.   In this Tyropita I used Kataifi and five different kind of cheeses.  You can add only feta if you prefer and other cheese that melt well when baking.

Kourou Phyllo is a flaky dough for sweet and savoury pies, made with extra virgin olive oil, Greek yoghurt, eggs and flour. Fill with your favorite sweet or savoury pie filling. 

These tasty cheese-filled triangles are finger foods which can be served as appetizers, mezedes, side dishes, and snacks.

This Easy Feta Pie also called Alevropita, can't get any easier to make. It is made with a batter in which feta is crumbled inside and on top and it is ready in ten minutes.

Kolokythokeftedes (pr. ko-lo-kee-tho-ke-FTE-thes) are one of the best mezedes (or appetizers) you can find in any Greek taverna during summer.

Falafels are deep-fried balls traditionally found in Middle Eastern cuisine, usually made from ground chickpeas, though some variants contain broad beans or fava beans

Tambouli salad, also written as tabouli or tabbouleh, is a refreshing parsley salad, which is made with bulgur wheat tomatoes, onion, cucumber, fresh mint and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

This Dakos Savoury Greek Cheesecake, is the perfect appetizer when you need to feed a crowd. A savoury cheesecake I made during Christmas, based on the Greek Cretan recipe for Dakos.

Tashi is a Cypriot vegan dip made with tahini, garlic and lemon juice. It goes well with almost any food and this appetizer is served in all Cypriot restaurants.

Grilled halloumi, especially over coals, is amazing by itself and figs are among my favourite summer fruit.  When grilled, with the help of a little honey, they caramelize and the addition of mint pairs so well, making them taste out of this world.

Tzatziki is a traditional Greek appetizer, made with Greek strained yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, salt, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, usually accompanying meat dishes.

Dakos is a Cretan salad made with barley rusk, finely chopped tomato, capers and olives, topped with Xinomyzithra (a local Cretan cheese).

Baklavas Tart is a twist to the classic Greek baklavas dessert made with walnuts and topped with chocolate ganache.

This No-Bake Chocolate Hazelnut Biscuit Fridge Cake is easy to make and delicious. It is made using three layers of Petit Beurre biscuits, dark chocolate pastry cream, chocolate ganache and hazelnuts.

These classic gingerbread cookies are made with carob syrup instead of molasses and perfect to add to your Christmas cookies recipes.

Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.

This Black Lava Orange Gateau, is easy to make and was made out of leftover Christmas Cookies, nuts, whipped cream and chocolate.

Kourabies (pl. kourabiedes) are the Greek shortbread cookies made during Christmas. In the older times, before the use of the mixer, these cookies needed elaborate preparation and that was done by hand, so these were made for special occasions such as weddings, christenings and other celebrations.

These aromatic Kourabiedes (Greek Christmas cookies) are flavoured with vanilla and citrus blossom water.

These easy Christmas chocolate truffles are a great way to make them with Christmas leftover desserts.  You can use any leftover cookies or cakes you have to make them.

This Stracciatella, Mocha, Cream Cheese and Mars Cake is made with chocolate sponge cake, wet with caramel espresso coffee, filled with a whipped cream and cream cheese filling and topped with a Mars Chocolate ganache.

This classic Orange flavoured Vassilopita cake pairs well with an orange or Lemon Buttercream.

This Christmas Chocolate Carob Yule Log is made with sponge cake, filled with chocolate mousse and covered with a chocolate carob flavoured buttercream.

This Christmas Chocolate Wafer Coconut Roulade is made with a biscuit base crust and is filled with pastry cream, topped with chocolate ganache.

Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian Christmas dessert. They are made with a chocolate biscuit base, coconut, and walnut crust then topped with a layer of custard and topped with chocolate.

Galatopita, which means milk pie, is a traditional sweet pie from Arcadia, Peloponnese. The original recipe was made during Easter.

Galaktoboureko, is a semolina custard dessert, baked between phyllo dough, then drenched in a scented syrup when finished.

Revani (pr. Reh-vah-KNEE) sometimes also written as ravani, is a light semolina sponge cake made with olive oil and Greek yoghurt, decorated with almonds and bathed in syrup. 

A twist to the classic Nanaimo bars featuring chestnuts in the biscuit base, the filling made with diplomat cream, topped with white and dark chocolate and served with a candied chestnut on top.

My first attempt on making Banoffee Cheesecake, inspired by Delia Online.

New Year's Vassilopita Tsoureki is a brioche kind of Greek Sweet Bread made for New Year's Day.