Greek food is festive, healthy, simple and delicious. It’s easy to cook at home too, as long as you have the basic staples – none of which are exotic – such as olive oil, tomatoes, oregano, lemon and feta cheese.

Here are two very simple recipes I make when I think, “How about Greek tonight?” Both use feta cheese, one with meat, one with seafood. I was introduced to both these dishes during my travels in Greece and realised that they are very doable at home.

Baked shrimp with feta cheese

1kg large shrimp
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 spring onions, finely chopped
1kg ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
225gr Greek feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Shrimp with feta is usually cooked in an earthenware casserole. It is a taverna type of dish popular in the islands.

Method

Place the shelled shrimp in a large bowl and pour the lemon juice over. Toss and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then cook, stirring occasionally, the onion or shallots and scallions until translucent.

Add the tomatoes, wine, garlic and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Stir well, reduce the heat to low and simmer until dense, about 30 minutes.

Spoon some sauce into a large baking dish. Spread the shrimp around the dish and cover with the remaining sauce. Spread the feta cheese around, pushing the chunks of cheese down into the sauce. Place in the oven and bake until the shrimp are cooked and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes.

Stifado

5tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1kg boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
10 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 cup tomato purée (canned or fresh)
½ cup dry red wine
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1kg small white onions, both ends sliced off and peeled
2 tbsp currants
1 cup walnut halves
1 cup crumbled Greek feta cheese

This recipe, called stifado in Greek, is a braised beef with onions that is simply one recipe among thousands, since every family makes it a little differently and it is so typical of rustic Greek mountain cooking.

The name comes from the Italian stufato, and the Greek version probably results from the influence of Venetians in the Middle Ages. On the other hand, the spices, the clove and cinnamon, as well as the walnuts and currants, point to some Turkish or other Levantine influence, too.

Method

In a skillet, heat three tablespoons butter over medium-high heat, then brown the meat on all sides. Transfer the meat to a casserole. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the skillet with remaining two tablespoons butter and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato purée, wine and wine vinegar to deglaze the skillet. Pour this over the meat in the casserole. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and sugar, and season with salt and pepper.

Cover the casserole and braise over low heat for one hour. Add the small onions and currants and cook until meat falls off the bone. Add the walnuts and cook 20 minutes more. Add the feta cheese and cook five minutes then serve.

(Clifford A Wright, Zester Daily)