Greek Foods Mentioned in The Rock Star’s Wife Series

“We’re a food family,” Cassandra Economos often says in The Rock Star’s Wife series.  This is because her family runs a Greek restaurant, Costas’ Place, and food is an important connection to her family’s culture.  It’s one of the main ways her traditional family remains connected to their roots.  This post briefly introduces the Greek foods mentioned in the series.  I’ve included links to recipes if you’d like to try them at home.

Avgolemono

“We’re going to start off with avgolemono.  That literally means egg lemon.  It’s a soup.” – From Chapter 14, Rock Star Romance

Avgolemono soup is made with egg (avgo) and lemon (lemono).  There are other ingredients as well.  My grandparents made theirs meat free with orzo pasta, but chicken can be added.

It’s one of those foods I’ve been meaning to make but, because of the complexity of the recipe (as well as not having my grandparents’ version), I haven’t.

Avgolemono recipe

Baklava

“I think you’re focused solely on your stomach.”

“I love baklava. And I don’t have any homework tonight anyway.” –From Chapter 4, Sexual Awakening

Of all the Greek foods mentioned in The Rock Star’s Wife series, baklava probably appears the most. It is a particular favorite of Phil, Cassandra’s double cousin who grew up two houses down.

In case you don’t know, baklava is a Greek dessert made with layers of filo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey.

My family and I make baklava annually for Orthodox Easter. We aren’t religious, but it’s a day to honor our departed family members by enjoying foods that connect us to our cultural heritage.

Baklava recipe

Diples

“Then comes dessert.  Karidopita, a walnut cake with syrup, three pastries – diples, skaltsounia and chocolate souffle wrapped in baklava – and two cookies – melomakarona and kourabiedes.” – Chapter 14, Rock Star Romance

Diples are a dessert.  They are made by placing an iron mold in batter and frying it with cooking oil.   They are served with honey, crushed walnuts and cinnamon.

My grandmother didn’t make these specifically, but she did use the mold to make cookies.

Diples recipe

Dolmades

She pops a dolmades into her mouth and tugs on my elbow. “Who is that?” she says before she finishes chewing. – From Chapter 9, Sexual Awakening

Dolmades are stuffed grape leaves.  They are typically stuffed with rice and seasonings.

Although I’ve only made them once as an adult, I have memories of making them with my grandmother.  She grew the grape leaves in her yard.

Dolmades recipe

Galaktoboureko

“Thea Hadrina, Thea Eleni and Thea Melissa gossip while they bake spanakopita, baklava, loukoumades, galaktoboureko, kourabiethes and melomakarona.” –From Chapter 10, Sexual Awakening

Galaktoboureko is a pudding pie made with custard, filo dough and a honey syrup.

Galaktoboureko recipe

Gyro

She works for Costas’ Place, our grandfather’s restaurant, and brought home gyros with pilafi. – From Chapter 1, Sexual Awakening

Gyros are Greek fast food.  It’s lamb, beef, pork, or chicken in a pita with tzatziki sauce, tomato, onion, and other toppings.

You can tell a Greek from a non-Greek based on how the person pronounces “gyro.”  The food gets its name from the process of roasting the meat on a vertical skewer that spins.  The meat is sliced thin while it spins.  “Gyro” is the Greek word for “around.”

Gyro recipe

Kleftiko

“Gyro meat, souvlaki, kleftiko, saganaki, calamari and the rest of the dishes cooking make the kitchen a delicious mixture of scents.  It’s mixture of sounds, too.  The chefs –  Theos Khristos, Theos Evangelos, Theos Nectarias and Theos Anastasios – talk and laugh while they work.” –Chapter 10, Sexual Awakening

Kleftiko is a dish consisting of slow cooked lamb.

Kleftiko recipe

Koulourakia

“Koulourakia or kourabiethes?”

“Koulourakia.  This isn’t Christmas…”

“It isn’t Pascha either…”  ‒ Chapter 18, Pandemic Diaries

Koulourakia are butter cookies with an egg glaze.

Koulourakia recipe

Melomakarona

“Two of my aunts handle the baked goods for full time customers, but we’re here to make holiday baked goods for the family: christopsomo, a bread, and two cookies, melomakarona and kourabiethes.”  Christmas Surprise, Chapter 7

Melomakarona is a dessert served traditionally at Christmas.  It is made with ground walnuts, cinnamon, cognac and juice, among other ingredients.  It is decorated with a honey and sugar syrup and walnuts.

Melomakarona recipe

Ouzo

“Um, okay, so he had the ouzo ready to go?  I take it from him and set it on the coffee table.  My chest heaves too much to drink.” – From Chapter 40, Mr. Right is A Myth

Ouzo is a Greek aperitif.  It has a bit of a licorice-ish flavor.  Ouzo can be as high as 46 percent alcohol and is generally served in a shot glass or is watered down.

“Ouzo turns milky white when mixed with water,” Greek-recipe.com says.  “Some people mix it with water, others not and some others like to have it on ice. Ouzo is the perfect drink to accompany appetizers, known as mezedes in Greek. The appetizers can be salads, seafood, pickled vegetables, cheese, meatballs and many others.”

Pastitsio

“Theos Khristos comes out of the kitchen wheeling a cart carrying six plates of his specialty, pastitsio, along with our favorite drinks.” – From Chapter 15, Sexual Awakening

Pastitsio is a pasta dish made with macaroni and ground meat and topped with béchamel sauce.  I have made pastitsio a few times, including in the crock pot.

Pastitsio recipe

Spanakopita

“Thea Hadrina, Thea Eleni and Thea Melissa gossip while they bake spanakopita, baklava, loukoumades, galaktoboureko, kourabiethes and melomakarona.” – Chapter 10, Sexual Awakening

Spanakopita is a dinner food made with layers of filo dough, spinach and feta cheese.  I’ve made it handful of times, including a crock pot recipe.

Spanakopita recipe

Souvlaki

“That is,” Chris says, “if you still like souvlaki and pilaf.  Nowadays, I know you prefer bratwurst and sauerkraut.” – From Chapter 9, Rock Star Mom

Souvlaki, a quick and easy food, amazingly doesn’t make its appearance in The Rock Star’s Wife series until book four.

Souvlaki is a fast-food item marinated chicken, beef, or lamb grilled on a skewer.

Souvlaki recipe

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What are your favorite Greek foods?  Leave a comment below.  Comments close after 90 days.

For more Greek foods and cultural references, visit The Rock Star’s Wife Reader’s Guide.

For more information on the licenses mentioned on this page, visit https://creativecommons.org/about/cclicenses/.

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Here’s the 4-1-1

This blog is a companion piece to The Rock Star’s Wife, a series about sex, family, and rock & roll.  The series has elements of chick lit, romance and erotica and is best compared to The Vagina Monologues for its frank talk of sex and its consequences.  The series follows Cassandra from her teenage years into her 40s as she navigates relationships (both romantic and platonic) — all with music playing a prominent roll.

Book one, Sexual Awakening, drops February 2023:  Teenager Cassandra Economos loves five things: Her awesome friends. Her big fat, dysfunctional, Greek family. Rock music. Her plan to move to Chicago. And Kurt Cobain.  Soon, she’ll gain another love.  Sex.  Stifled by her family’s rules, how will Cassie explore her sexuality?

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