11 Greek Taverna Dishes to Make When It Turns Cool

This collection of 11 Greek Taverna Dishes to Make When It Turns Cool is for the first cold evening of the year. It's the night you finally want the oven on and the kitchen warm for a couple of hours. Most of these cook slowly, so you can put a dish in and get on with something else.

There's a quick salad and a pudding in here, plus one air fryer recipe for a night with less time. If you only try one, make it number 3. It takes about two hours, but you only stand over it for a few minutes. Save this one, because you'll want it again next week.

Moussaka Recipe (Musaka)

Greek moussaka is made with layers of potato, aubergine and a tomatoey lamb sauce under a thick béchamel. It comes out of the oven with soft vegetables and a rich meat filling underneath. It makes a big dish, so serve it for a family meal with a salad.

To learn more: Moussaka Recipe (Musaka)

Pastitsio Recipe - Greek Lasagna

Pastitsio uses long tube pasta instead of flat sheets, layered with a rich meat sauce and a thick blanket of béchamel. Every family has its own version of it. Number 11 is the quicker one if you do not have two hours.

To learn more: Pastitsio Recipe - Greek Lasagna

Youvetsi

Youvetsi is a Greek beef stew with orzo, cooked slowly in a tomato sauce with cinnamon and bay. The orzo cooks in the same pot as the meat, so there is nothing else to boil. The beef takes about two hours to turn soft, but only a small part of that needs you at the stove.

To learn more: Youvetsi

Papoutsakia - Vegetarian Greek Stuffed Aubergine

Papoutsakia means little shoes in Greek, which is what the stuffed aubergine halves are meant to look like. This version leaves out the minced meat, so it is lighter than a moussaka. Number 7 is the dip to serve before it.

To learn more: Papoutsakia - Vegetarian Greek Stuffed Eggplant

Briam - Greek Roasted Vegetables

Briam is courgette, aubergine, potato, peppers and tomatoes baked low and slow in a generous amount of olive oil. There is very little prep beyond slicing, since it all goes into the same dish. It is everyday Greek home cooking rather than a special occasion dish.

To learn more: Briam - Greek Roasted Vegetables

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Potatoes are roasted with lemon and a little chicken stock so they come out tangy, with crisp golden edges and a soft middle. The ingredients are basic and there is very little work to it. They go with almost any Mediterranean dish.

To learn more: Greek Lemon Potatoes

Melitzanosalata (Roasted Greek Aubergine Dip)

Melitzanosalata is a smoky Greek meze made with fire-roasted aubergines, lemon juice, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. It needs a handful of ingredients and about 10 minutes once the aubergines are done. Serve it with warm pita bread before the mains.

To learn more: Melitzanosalata (Roasted Greek Eggplant Dip)

Greek Prawn Saganaki

Prawns are cooked in a rich tomato sauce and finished with salty feta and fresh herbs. It is ready in about 25 minutes and goes straight from the pan to the table. Serve bread on the side to mop up the sauce.

To learn more: Greek Shrimp Saganaki

Greek Lettuce Salad (Maroulosalata)

Maroulosalata is shredded romaine with dill, mint and spring onions in a plain olive oil and vinegar dressing. It takes less time than almost anything else here. Serve it next to the heavier dishes, and number 10 is the pudding.

To learn more: Greek Lettuce Salad (Maroulosalata)

Galaktoboureko - Greek Dessert with Custard

Galaktoboureko is layers of filo filled with semolina custard, with cooled syrup poured over while the pastry is still warm from the oven. It has less syrup than baklava and a soft custard middle instead of nuts.

To learn more: Galaktoboureko - Greek Dessert with Custard

Air Fryer Greek Chicken and Potatoes

Chicken and potatoes cook together in the air fryer with lemon and herbs. It is quicker than the oven version and there is one basket to wash. Make this one when you do not want the oven on for hours.

To learn more: Air Fryer Greek Chicken and Potatoes