Greek

This is one of the never-absent standard-bearers of the Greek meze table, a classic dish found from one corner of the country to the other, on almost every taverna and meze menu.

Squid is popular all over the Mediterranean; it's especially good in this tangy dish, which is nice as an appetizer. If you would like it to be less tart, just stir in a little extra olive oil before serving.

This version of the Greek and Turkish dessert features dates instead of nuts. Date palms flourish in the hot climate of the Middle East.

Tarama, or carp roe caviar, is a favorite Kytheran ingredient.

For more information about forming and frying these pastry spirals, see Our Big Fat Greek Pastries.

An accompaniment to Greek-Style Shrimp.

Greeks have been wrapping food since antiquity, most typically using grape leaves. In early May, Greek country women go to the vineyard to collect their year's supply of leaves. The most famous dish made with them is dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves, a standard appetizer (meze). In this version, they have a simple rice filling.

The star of this dish is skordalia, a garlicky dip that is the Greek version of aioli.

On the Cycladic islands, homemade salted pork flavors most vegetable dishes. Pancetta makes a good substitute here.

"My husband, Andreas, is from Crete," writes Yolanda Paterakis, "and we have a vacation home on the Greek island of Euboea in the Aegean Sea. No matter where we are, we love to entertain our two children, our three grandchildren, and scores of friends. People often come over in the evening for mezedes and ouzo. For these get-togethers, I always prepare quick, simple dishes because my busy schedule demands it; I write children's and travel books, and I'm the general secretary of the National Society of Greek Writers. I've often thought that cooking is like writing a story — always best when you put your heart into it."

The fragrant secret to this recipe from Delfina Studio Café is the rose water.

Skordalia is a garlicky Greek dip made with mashed or pureed potatoes.

Donna Knowlton of Atlanta, Georgia, writes: "As the oldest of five children growing up in rural West Virginia, I was always helping in the kitchen. My husband is a doctor and works long hours, but we still like sharing a meal at the end of the day. I don't want to be in the kitchen late at night making something complicated, so I rely on dishes that can be ready in minutes." Donna brought back this version of the classic recipe from a trip to Athens.

Here's our version of Barba Yianni's grilled lamb. The marinade works equally well with lamb chops, kebabs, or butterflied leg of lamb. You can also use it on pork or chicken. Skordalia is often made with mashed potatoes or bread soaked in water, but we feel the yogurt gives it more flavor. Skordalia is also good with grilled fish or chicken breasts.

An essential ingredient in their cuisine of Corfu, vinegar provides the distinctive taste in this traditional main course named "sofrito". The veal is commonly served with mashed potatoes.

The myzithra cheese often used to stuff zucchini blossoms in Greece comes in two forms: soft (like fresh ricotta) and dried salted (similar to ricotta salata). We wanted to combine the soft and the salted in this recipe, but because the soft variety turned out to be especially difficult to find, we substituted fresh ricotta with very good results. We've also given ricotta salata as an alternative for the salted myzithra.

(Greek Lamb and Pasta Casserole)