An Israeli-Greek affair

Nashauna Drummond, Acting Lifestyle Editor

Skordolia, Neyokus, Tzatziki and Borekas. You may have never heard of these dishes, but they are staples in most Greek kitchens.

For this, our firstFood Around the World feature, we journeyed to the home of Vered Alalouf Maoz in Manor Park, St Andrew, where she shared her take on Greek cuisine.

Maoz's parents are Greek, but she was born and grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel. She explained to Food that Israeli cuisine is mostly Mediterranean, which includes lots of olive oil, yogurt and eggplant. The Mediterranean influence is so rich that dishes such as falafel and hummus are staples of Israeli cuisine.

Growing up, Maoz was always in the kitchen with her mother. "I would be in the kitchen all day," she told Food as she chopped ingredients. She loves cooking so much that she is thinking of opening a Greek restaurant in Kingston.

The first vice-president of the International Proxy Parents, Maoz is always cooking authentic Greek dishes for her new Jamaican friends and her children. Clearly, this has kept her pretty busy in the 10 years she has lived here.

Though she is a master at her native cuisine, she is yet to master a single Jamaican dish. But she does love to eat it. And of all the dishes she has tried in a decade, her favourite is our humble chicken soup. "I love it!" she smiled. "It's so thick and rich." Maoz said that what she is used to back home is more of a broth, so our chicken soup is really different and quite a treat.

Many Greek meals begin with pickles, either of beetroot, cabbage, or eggplant. A typical breakfast can consist of hard-boiled eggs and borekas, which is a pastry filled with spinach or potato and baked to perfection. They can be round or rectangular. The shape indicates what the filling is.

Turn your kitchen into the perfect Greek restaurant with these recipes.

Greek Salad

Greek salad must be made right before its consumed.

Ingredients

2 cucumbers, cubed

2 tomatoes, cubed

1 green sweet pepper, cubed

1 small onion, sliced thin

1 small, purple onion, sliced thin

1tsp salt

3tbsp olive oil

5-6tbsp lemon juice

1 small pack feta cheese cut in cubes

Method

Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve fresh.

Borekas

Puff pastry.

Filling

Fresh spinach - boiled, drained and cut up

1 pack of mashed feta cheese

1 egg yolk

50g Edam cheese, shredded

1tbsp black pepper

Method

1. Mix all the filling ingredients together. Roll the pastry out to about a centimetre thick and cut into rectangles.

2. Spoon filling in middle of dough and roll like a pipe. Then roll into a circle like a cinnamon roll.

3. Spray a oven tray with pan and add rolls. Then brush top with egg yolk and sprinkle on seasame seeds.

4. Bake at 180ºC for 30-40 minutes until top begins to brown.

5. Serve with boiled egg and tzatziki and enjoy.

Tzatziki

This is a staple in Greek kitchens.

Ingredients

2 cups yogurt

1 big cucumber, shredded

1oz fresh dill, cut very small

3-4 heads garlic, mashed

2tbs salt

3tbs olive oil

Method

Mix everything together.