Greek Food - Ancient Greek Food - Greek Recipes

Greek Easter Dates

2008 - Easter Sunday - April 27th

2009 - Easter Sunday - April 19th
2010 - Easter Sunday - April 4th (same)
2011 - Easter Sunday - April 24th (same)
2012 - Easter Sunday - April 15th
2013 - Easter Sunday - May 5th
2014 - Easter Sunday - April 20th (same)
2015 - Easter Sunday - April 12th
2016 - Easter Sunday - May 1st
2017 - Easter Sunday - April 16th (same)
2018 - Easter Sunday - April 8th
2019 - Easter Sunday - April 28th
2020 - Easter Sunday - April 19th
2021 - Easter Sunday - May 2nd
2022 - Easter Sunday - April 24th
2023 - Easter Sunday - April 16th

How To Dye Red Eggs with Onion Skins for Greek Easter

Red eggs (in Greek: kokkina avga, κόκκινα αυγά, pronounced KOH-kee-nah ahv-GHAH) are perhaps the brightest symbol of Greek Easter, representing the blood of Christ and rebirth. We also dye eggs other colors, but rarely will a Greek Easter be celebrated without lots of red eggs. Commercial dyes are available, but this old-fashioned natural method creates red eggs with a deep rich color. The following is for one dozen red eggs. Note: It may sound counterintuitive, but the skins of yellow onions work wonderfully!
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 50 minutes + 2 hours cooling
Here’s How:

1. Start with 12 medium-to-small eggs.
2. Carefully remove any material clinging to the surface of the eggs.
3. Make the dye with the onion skins: In a stainless saucepan, place skins of 15 yellow (Spanish) onions and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in 4 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Strain dye into a glass bowl, and let cool to room temperature. (Don’t be fooled by the orange color.)

5. In a stainless saucepan (around 8 1/4 inches in diameter), add the cooled strained dye and eggs at room temperature (up to 1 dozen). The eggs should be in one layer and covered by the dye.
6. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer.
7. Dyeing time will be affected by the color of the eggs. Start checking for color at 12-15 minutes. Do not simmer longer than 20 minutes (see step 9 if they aren’t red enough).
8. When eggs are the right color, proceed to step 10.
9. If eggs are not a red enough color after 20 minutes, leave in the pot and remove from heat. When the pot as cooled enough, place in refrigerator and let sit until desired color is reached.
10. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and cool on racks.
11. When they can be handled, coat lightly with olive (or other edible) oil and polish with paper toweling.
12. Refrigerate until time to use.

Tips:

1. Save onion skins in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Do not use any porous (wood, ceramic, plastic, etc.) materials as they can be colored by the dye.
3. If stainless cookware and utensils get colored by the dye, wash with regular detergent and a small amount of chlorine. Rinse very well.

What You Need:

• Fresh uncooked eggs at room temperature
• Yellow (Spanish) onion skins
• White vinegar
• Saucepan
• Strainer
• Bowl
• Slotted spoon
• Paper towels
• Cooling racks
• Olive (or other edible) oil for polishing

“Happy Easter” in Greek

During Easter time in Greece, travelers are likely to hear typical phrases used in greetings. On Easter itself, “Christos Anesti!” or “Christ is risen!” will be on everyone’s lips. It may be startling if you hear it at midnight, along with the booming sounds of fireworks, but many Greek towns celebrate the resurrection that way.

Visitors may also hear “Kalo Pashcha!” or “Beautiful Easter (to you)!”

During the forty days of Lent, you may also hear “Kali Sarakosti”, wishing you a good Lent.

As always, any time of year, Greek speakers always appreciate a happy “Kali mera!” or “Good morning!”, or “Yasou”, equivalent to “Hello”. The more formal and respectful version of “Yasou” is “Yassas”.

These cookies are closely associated with Easter in Greece, another of the Greek paschal traditions that include dyed red eggs that are given to friends and family. In some villages the blanched almonds are replaced by sesame seeds.

Ingredients

• 450 g (about 4 1/2 cups) flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 250 ml (1 cup) sugar
• 3 eggs + 1 beaten egg
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• Grated zest of 1 lemon or 1 tsp. vanilla
• Blanched flaked almonds

Method

1. Cream the butter together with the sugar; add the milk and flour alternately, followed by the remaining ingredients except the beaten egg and the almonds;
2. work the dough with your hands to obtain a soft smooth texture;
3. form the dough into thin strips about 40 cm long; fold each strip in half and twist to form a coil; seal the ends by moistening them with a drop of water and pressing together to form a ring;
4. place the cookies on a buttered baking sheet; brush with the beaten egg; sprinkle with almonds;
5. bake at 180° C (350° F) for about 16-18 minutes;
6. remove from the oven and let cool.

Vasilopita Recipe

1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs (beat whites first and put them aside)
3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
round stainless steel pan

Slice almonds. Beat the butter and blend with the sugar. Add egg yolks. Mix in the flour and baking powder. Warm milk and pour into butter mixture. Beat the egg whites until thick and pour into flour mixture. Stir mixture with spatula and blend in the almonds. Spray round baking pan with non stick baking spray and pour mixture into pan.

Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Cake ingredients
14 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pound almond meats, ground
2 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla
cinnamon

Beat eggs, add sugar with egg beater. Add baking powder and vanilla. Mix half of the almonds with bread crumbs, rub together between palms. Add a little at a time to other mixture. Grease a 14 inch, 2 inch deep pan. Pour mixture into pan, top with rest of almonds. Sprinkle cinnamon over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the syrup.

syrup ingredients -

3 cups sugar
3 cups water
a few whole cloves
juice of 1 lemon

Boil until mixture slightly thickens.

When cake is done, remove from oven and cut vertical slits in cake approximately 2 inches apart. Then cut diagonal slits. Pour syrup over it and let soak until cool.

Koulourakia is a plain, lightly sweetened Greek cookie.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 to 9 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 pound butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs to butter mixture. Combine completely. Add vanilla. Add enough flour mixture to make a soft dough.

Shape dough with lightly floured hands into desired shapes* and arrange on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with beaten egg and water. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on racks. *The most common shape I’ve seen is twists. Twists can be made by rolling a piece of dough about 5 inches long and 1/2 inch round into a tube shape. Bring ends together and lightly twist one time from middle to ends. Other shapes are balls with flattened bottoms.

Finikia - Honey dipped cookies

7 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups oil
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 ounce cognac or brandy
12 ounces honey
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups water
Juice of 1/2 lemon, strained

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a large bowl combine oil and butter. Add the orange juice, sugar, nuts, and cognac. Gradually mix flour into batter by hand and knead until a dough is formed that does not stick to the hands. Add more flour if necessary. Shape dough into small ovals, and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature and bake for 25 more minutes or until well browned.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously for 15 minutes. Keep saucepan simmering.

Dip 7 or 8 cookies at a time to the warm syrup, letting them remain for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove and place on baking sheets to drain.

INGREDIENTS:2 kilos soft flour

1 kilo butter

300 grams powdered sugar

300 grams crushed roasted almonds

1 small glass cognac

1 teaspoon baking soda

Rosewater

Preheat oven to medium (175c).

• Whiten the butter by beating by hand for ½ hour. Add the sugar, cognac, almonds and finally the flour, mixed with the baking soda. Continue to beat until all ingredients are well mixed.

• Mold into the familiar shapes of the kourambiethes and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with rosewater, then roll in the powder sugar.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Shelled, blanched, and finely ground Almonds
1 1/2 to 2 cups cups Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1-2 tablespoons Orange Flower Water
Confectioner’s Sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

In a large heavy pot, heat the ground almonds, sugar, water and orange flower water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture no longer sticks to the bottom and sides of the pan, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, then wetting your fingers with ornage flower water, take tablespoonfuls and shape the biscuits to form small pears about 1 1/2 inches high.

Sprinkle the biscuits with confectioners’ sugar until they are completely covered.

Note: Keep the mixture covered while you work because it dries out quickly.