Add international festive flair with Greek dishes

In Greece, Christmas traditions have a great many noteworthy aspects. One key one is no Saint Nick.

The Greek Santa is instead Saint Basil, one of three hierarchs who helped shape the Christian theology in the fourth century. Saint Basil was generous and used his family’s inheritance to care for the poor. His feast day is on Jan. 1, which means the gift-giving doesn’t happen until New Year’s Day.

When it comes to food, there are many tasty dishes which are always served during the holiday season. Pork is always served at Christmas as it coincides with the time of year the annual hog is harvested for eating during the winter. Tigania is a dish of crispy yet tender pork morsels that are braised in white wine, featuring flavours you would associate with Souvlaki. This is served as part of the meze, or graze, along with wine. Kalitsounia is a favourite for the Greeks of Crete. There are a few variations, but essentially there is feta cheese mixed with herbs, which becomes the filling for a pastry that is baked or shallow fried, then is drizzled with honey.

This can be enjoyed as a dessert, breakfast, or — in my estimation — at any time of day.

I strongly recommend that when making Kalitsounia, double the recipe. You can cook from frozen as well.

TIGANIA

An adapted recipe from Crete

1 kg pork neck meat cut into cubes, substitute cubed fattier pork of your choice (I’m using pork shoulder steak), blanched *see note

1 cup white wine

Juice of a lemon

2 tbsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste water

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a wide, high-sided skillet, add the pork, lemon juice, wine, oregano, salt and pepper, and enough water to cover the pork with about 1 1/2 inches of cold water above the pork. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Simmer until nearly all the liquid has been cooked away. Drizzle 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (if you can find some from Greece, that would be the ultimate!) around the pork. Return the pan to medium-high heat and proceed to brown the meat on all sides. Taste a piece to check for seasoning.

Put onto the serving plate along with some lemon wedges and enjoy as a snack with wine the way you might with a charcuterie board; in Greece, this is known as meze.

*To blanch the pork: In a pot place the pork cubes and cover generously with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil skimming as you go. Once the pot comes to a boil, drain, and wash the meat to ensure all impurities are removed. Proceed with the recipe.

KALITSOUNIA

A classic Cretan dessert or snack Makes 20 pieces

FOR THE DOUGH:

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. white vinegar

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 egg, beaten to use as glue to seal the cheese-filled pyramids

Honey for drizzling over top after baking (extra points if you can get your hands on thyme honey or infuse some honey of your own)

FOR THE FILLING:

1/2 cup Myzithra cheese, finely grated (if you can’t source this substitute Pecorino Romano)

1 cup feta, mashed

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

1 egg

1 tsp black pepper

Combine all the filling ingredients together and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water and set aside.

To make the dough: In a bowl, dissolve the salt into the vinegar and add the oil to the bowl. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, add in the flour. Turn the power to low and start to drizzle in the liquid a little bit at a time until the dough comes together and is smooth; approximately four minutes. Allow the dough to rest on the counter, covered for one hour.

After an hour, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 15x20-inch rectangle; cut into 20 even squares. In the center of each square place a generous tablespoon of the filling. Brush the edges with the egg wash and bring up the dough to meet each other in the middle forming a pyramid. Poke a few holes with a toothpick towards the top of the pyramid to allow the steam to escape.

Bake until golden brown, 22–25 minutes. Serve warm, drizzled with honey.

ILONA DANIEL Kalitsounia is a favourite in Crete, Greece during the festive season. Feta cheese is mixed into a puff pastry to create a yummy treat that's perfect at any time of the day.

Chef Ilona Daniel suggests adding some international flair to your holiday feast with kalitsounia and tigania, two traditional dishes from Greece.