Starting the Greek Meat Adventure
Last Tuesday I got obsessed with Greek food after watching a documentary showing these amazing sizzling meat dishes. I’d never cooked Greek before, so I grabbed my laptop and searched “real Greek meat recipes.” Scrolled through pages until I found stuff that looked legit from folks who actually live in Greece.
Grocery Chaos Hunt
Made a list based on the top 5 dishes I picked: Moussaka, Souvlaki, Pastitsio, Giouvetsi, and Keftedes. Headed to the store feeling pumped. Big mistake. Half the ingredients weren’t where I thought. Lamb shoulder? Took me twenty minutes just to find the butcher section. Spices like cinnamon for savory meat? Felt weird but tossed it in the cart anyway. Forgot oregano completely and had to sprint back to the spice aisle.
Battle with the Moussaka
Started with Moussaka because everyone online said it’s a must-try. Sliced eggplants thin, salted them to pull out bitterness. Fried ’em in olive oil but half stuck to the pan. The béchamel sauce looked easy until I dumped hot milk too fast into the roux – turned lumpy as oatmeal. Whisked like crazy to save it. Layered eggplant, spiced lamb-tomato sauce, then béchamel. Smelled heavenly baking but spilled sauce everywhere when pulling it out. Still, that crispy top? Worth the mess.
Souvlaki on a Weeknight
Wanted something quick so tried Souvlaki next. Cut pork shoulder into cubes, mixed with lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. Skewered them… or tried. Bamboo sticks kept snapping! Ended up just tossing everything in the skillet. Charred some pieces but the lemon-oregano punch? Unreal. Stuffed leftovers in pita bread with yogurt sauce for lunch next day.
Pasta Disaster Turnaround
Pastitsio was my nemesis. Boiled pasta tubes, they all clumped together. The meat sauce cooked fine, but layering felt like building a house of cards. Pasta, meat, pasta, béchamel. Popped it in the oven. Got distracted watching football, smelled burning. Rushed to pull it out – top was blackened. Scraped off the charred bits. Somehow still tasted bomb with all that cinnamon-spiced meat.
The Surprise Favorite
Saved the easiest for last: Keftedes (meatballs). Mixed ground beef with mint, breadcrumbs, and egg. Rolled ’em while blasting Greek music. Fried until golden. Simple but delicious! Dipped ’em in tzatziki. Almost forgot Giouvetsi – threw beef, orzo, tomato paste in a pot like a stew. Forgot to stir, bottom scorched. Lesson learned: low heat saves lives.
What I’d Do Differently
- Use metal skewers for Souvlaki. Bamboo’s trash.
- Grate nutmeg FRESH for béchamel. Pre-ground tastes dull.
- Set timers for baking. Got distracted twice.
Would I cook these again? Absolutely – but only for special occasions. Moussaka alone took 3 hours! Next time I’ll probably just make the meatballs and call it a win.
