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George Dendramis -Easter table keeps my grandparents memories

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George Dendramis -Easter table keeps my grandparents memories

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Easter is my favourite time of the year. It reminds me of how blessed I am to have been born into a rich culture that cherishes faith, family and food.

Since I was a young boy, I have loved Holy Week's preparations. My parents were never strict on fasting for 40 days. However, we knew during Holy Week there would be no meat, dairy, eggs and on Good Friday, not even olive oil in our meals.This, of course, made it all the more fun when Saturday night came around and after midnight mass, we were able to eat as much lamb, tsourekia, koulouria and eggs as we wished.

As a child, I also remember my grandpa, my dad and uncles waking up at 6.00 am and gathering in my grandparents' backyard. The men would get the lamb spit fire going early and they would manually spin the lamb around, so it would cook evenly. All of the cousins would also line up to have a turn at spinning the lamb - this was part of our Easter fun.

Even though times have changed, my fond memories of Easter time will never be forgotten - especially those surrounding my grandparents.

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Sakkoulis Ioannis(John) -Spanakopita and grandma advices 

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Sakkoulis Ioannis(John) -Spanakopita and grandma advices 

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The best things in life are often passed down from one generation to the next and Greek recipes are living proof of that! My grandma  enjoyed the little things in life and she believed that "people and love (when you really love what you do) are the ingredients that make dishes exceptional. The time spent in the kitchen improves skills, but the way we undertake our work shapes the outcome. The simplest dish acquires class if prepared correctly, with devotion and the intention to include among the ingredients love for whatever we prepare", as she told me once where she was preparing a spanakopita.
Every time I eat spanakopita images, feelings and flavors of a life with her come to my mind to remind me every advice of her.

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Theodoropoulos Sotiris - Easter tsourekia never  let me eat  at Easter lunch.

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Theodoropoulos Sotiris - Easter tsourekia never  let me eat  at Easter lunch.

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There's nothing more important than our family. I always loved the times that all family was together; especially if it was happening to the house of grandpa and grandma.
Every time these days are coming and my mum begins the preparation of tsourekia I know that I have to be more continent to their consumption if I want to eat at Easter table. I have never managed it!
Tsoureki, occasionally kneaded into braids, snails or other shapes, once eaten only during major holidays, is now available all year and its preparation can be approached in a broad way. With all of its famous characteristics, it connects directly with our sentiments through the combination of chewy sweetness with a strong aftertaste, which penetrates straight to the soul and the memory as a balm. Fluffy and plump, firm, fibrous or crispy, with or without dyed eggs, with almonds or not its features make me crave it so much that it becomes impossible to stop eating before finishing the entire loaf. As a result, I can't eat anything else on the Easter table.
Who can really resist to these? Especially after a very tired day where all cousins are playing together and the lamp has a lot of time to get ready...

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Plytarias Babis - Chicken of my childhood

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Plytarias Babis - Chicken of my childhood

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Every time i eat chicken with potatoes my mind travells to my carefree childhood  and to my cousins.
When I was a child I was expecting my cousins to come and play together. I loved to spent time with them; we had a lot of fun making castles in the sand, swimming and  cycling. Now they're not coming as often as in the past.
If i want to be honest I was expecting them so excited because I knew that we would have chickenin the oven with potatoes, as lunch!! It was and remains my favourite food as i can't resist to these caramelized- lemonaded potatoes-crisp on the outside, butter-soft on the inside- and the lemony herbal chicken.

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Tasos Avgeropoulos - Easter lamb tastes better

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Tasos Avgeropoulos - Easter lamb tastes better

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My favourite food is lamb on the spit. Although I can eat it a lot of times around the year every Easter I am impatient for the moment that we will prepare it. Roasting the lamb on a spit is a task usually carried out by the men of the family who happily tend to the spit while drinking ouzo or wine. It's the time that I prefer to become younger again and  start eating it by hands while it's on the spit  and gets the first light brown color. I still remember how I couldn't resist to the crunchy skin and the flavoured meat when I was younger and  I think that this feeling remains the same. "It's like Easter lamb has a different taste.", I told one year to my brother. "Of course it has! It has the taste of  family, of tradition  and love!", my father said and now I know he was right.

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Papakostopoulos D. Apostolis - A chicken that smelt grandma 

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Papakostopoulos D. Apostolis - A chicken that smelt grandma 

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There are a lot the times that food bring back to me chilhood memories. I think that every taste, every smell is connected with the time we couldn't speak yet, but we could taste. The time where flavours were explosions in our mouth and the food was full of the love of the person who prepared it.
Once we were in a restaurant with my family. I had choosed something I didn't know what is and my mum was saying that I would have to eat it even if finally I don't like. It's true that when I gave my order I didn't know what I will eat but I like to try new and strange dishes.
When the waiter brought the food a familiar smell was on the air. "Is it possible, grandma's spicy chicken to be under this strange food name?", I was wondering.
I gluttonous tasted it and my mind went back to my village. My dear grandma was very sick and we went to see her. Even these were her last days of life she had prepared us a chicken with peppers and onions which came with fried potatoes  and rice. I saw her to put the plates in the table and when she gave me mine she told me "The bigger portion for you my lovely grandson. I want you to get older soon but always to remember me." I smiled without knowing it was the last time that I will see her.
Back to the restaurant, Ι heard myself whispering "I am remembering you grandma and i i will always love you whereever you are".
No one else tried my food; it was all mine!

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Joanna Likogianni - Love and happiness on Easter table

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Joanna Likogianni - Love and happiness on Easter table

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I am sure that in this world that everything changes so fast the only thing that never will change is Christmas and Easter family table. I prefer Christmas as all the house seems so happy and different but every Easter, while we start the preparations for the celebration my mind go back to my childhood.Especially the tsourekia with this beautiful brown semi-soft crust, the amazing stringy texture and rich flavour of mastic and mahlab, permeates the house and brings back childhood memories.
I was only five years old when my mother let me help with Easter customs. We started with tsourekia and cookies. My mum told me that It is a common secret, that making your own tsourekia is quite challenging even for the experienced cooks. "But experience has shown me, that it’s all about having the right recipe and put all your love to the preparation", she added. After the cookies and the tsourekia, we had to boil and dye eggs with special red dyes. "Why red?", I asked and she told me that symbolises the rebirth of life and nature. On Saturday before Easter was the time of mageiritsa, kokoretsi and other traditional foods for the Saturday evening after church and of course for the Easter table. My dad had to prepare the lamb on the spit.
The other day (Easter) all our friends and relatives came. The atmosphere was festive- full of joy and excitement! Until the Easter tables were set everywhere you could hear songs, dances, cheerful voices and laughs. When tables were set people merrily rejoiced, ate and drunk. The flavours were explosions in your mouth. While I was looking all the faces I thought that this is happiness, this is love; the times shared with our loved ones.
Nowadays, we are taught to eat light, with remorse.We're taught to fear to be gluttonous, eat with bare hands and lick our fingers. Evey Easter we forget this and are excited again by the flavours and the love that's on the air.

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Apostolis A. Papakostopoulos  - Easter cookies

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Apostolis A. Papakostopoulos  - Easter cookies

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As most holidays in Greece revolve around food, Greek Easter is no exception! These are the days when my mum is preparing delicious meals for the Easter Sunday and making all these delicious traditional Greek recipes and of course these amazing cookies made with this old recipe which travels in the centuries from mother to daughter.
Nowadays most cookies recipes call for baking powder and baking soda, but when I smell baking ammonia and butter I travel back to my village and I am again a little child who can't wait to taste grandma's cookies. I am thinking of these amazingly airy and crunchy golden brown cookies and in my mind, I can see a lot of pictures of these days. All the family together in the church, the red eggs, the mageiritsa, the lamb and the kokoretsi on the spit and all the cousins eating these wonderful cookies all day, while we were playing. We almost never had any place to our stomach for food in the Easter table; it was full of cookies!!

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My favourite food was (is and will be) pastitsio. I think that this food is simply irresistible!!!  Once put in the oven, the intense aromas of the sweet spices permeates the house and brings me back childhood memories; like it smells grandma as she taught me how to cook it. Every time I eat these luscious layers of juicy minced beef who are cooked in a tomato based sauce, with pasta and creamy bechamel sauce and baked together until golden perfection..I go back to my grandma's kitchen. "Girls, you have to learn how to cook if you want to eat!", she said to me and my cousins every time that she wanted to watch her prepares something of her tasty foods. I will never forget the time that we had to learn pastitsio's recipe. No one of the rest family believed that we will make pastitsio on our first try! That's why my grandfather told us that if our pastitsio smells as good as our grandmas he will give us money to spent buying something we like. "They are all right", I thought, "Is it possible 3 girls of our age to make a delicious pastitsio?" My grandma smiled to me saying: " Pastitsio recipe is too easy if you summarise it in three key stages: preparing the meat filling, preparing the creamy bechamel sauce and cooking the pasta mixture. I am sure it seems easier now and I think you will make a pastitsio that will worth your grandpa's money-gift! " I have to say that grandma helped us a lot but while we're waiting for it to be baked I still wasn't sure for the final result. By the time I smelt this characteristic smell of cinnamon and clove I was sure that our pastitsio will be perfect!!! When it was ready grandma put it out of the oven; it was good... crust had turned a light golden brown colour.
" We're ready", I told and put it in the plates. "It seems like grandmas...Will it taste the same?", my grandpa said and tried it. Everyone did the same and I was so happy when I saw the smiles on their faces, not for the money gift but for the fact that I was sure they liked our pastitsio! I have a lot of times prepared this and always I remember my grandma's tips of taste!

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Nothing is more powerful than the smells of food that travels back to our childhood and reminds us of loved ones. Every time I eat pancakes I remember the weekends I spent in my village when I was a kid.
Laughs and cheerful voices fill my mind as my memories move me to grandma's home. It's morning and all the grandchildren are running for breakfast. I have not yet descended the ladder and the familiar beautiful smell has flooded the house. A smile is carved on my face as I  kiss my grandmother who has prepared them. Oh, my lovely grandmother! She always wanted to do the best for us ... I could think of many traditional dishes that she was making and I liked, but her image and love are connected to my heart with these pancakes.
I remember how disappointed I  was once that we woke up and nothing was smelt. We had to go to the near forest with our parents and we were waiting that we'll eat our pancakes and then will go. Unfortunately, we had to begin our small trip without the delicious pancakes...I was almost ready to cry!!!
I tried to be happy in the car but my mind was to the pancakes that I missed! All my cousins were playing but I was out there alone; I was cutting flowers, trying to not understand anyone how disappointed I was. You can't imagine how happy I became later when my mum opened the picnic basket and took away everything they had prepared...My pancakes were there!!! "Noone wants pancakes today...How a pity!!", my grandmother said and laugh at me. I gave her a kiss and the flowers and I took the pancakes. I ate them so fast and greed that I thought that I couldn't move but I was so happy!!!