Hello, dinner, sorted community! I’m Maria Koutsogiannis, aka your Greek Mommy, and I’m so excited to be taking over Rachel’s newsletter today.
I’m so excited to share my debut cookbook, Greek Out, with you! This book is incredibly personal to me, and it brings together more than 120 Mediterranean-inspired recipes along with stories from my Greek upbringing and the food, traditions and people that shaped the way I cook today.
For me, Greek cooking has always been about taking simple, beautiful ingredients and turning them into something that feels nourishing and full of flavor. In Greek Out, I’m taking the classics I grew up with and giving them my own twist from gyros-style roasted chicken, overstuffed pitas to meatballs and of course plenty of sweets including a baklava ice cream cake.
At the heart of the book are the ingredients I’ve always loved cooking with. You don’t need complicated techniques or a million ingredients to make incredible food. I want these recipes to show you how easy it can be to make feel good meals you can come back to again and again.
We shot Greek Out on location in Greece, which made the experience even more meaningful to me. Along with the recipes and beautiful imagery, I’ve included practical meal-prep tips and flexible ways to make the recipes work for your life. More than anything, I hope this book inspires you to cook generously, gather around the table with the people you love and see just how much you can create with what you already have.
To celebrate the launch, I’m also giving away a copy of the book to one of you! To enter just comment on this post below and we will draw when Rachel get’s back.
Today, we’re doing Beef Bifteki with Green Bean Salad, a pairing that feels especially fitting for these last few weeks of summer.
I could tell you Bifteki are essentially Greek burger patties, but that would be selling them way too short. They’re juicy, packed with fresh herbs and grated tomato, and instantly take me back to summers at my yiayia’s house, coming home from the beach to hot french fries, salted tomatoes, feta, and, of course, bifteki.
Alongside them is my Green Bean Salad with Artichokes, Goat Cheese, and Hazelnut Brittle. It’s not exactly a traditional Greek salad, but it has everything I love about Greek cooking: crisp vegetables, lots of texture, something creamy, and a really good vinaigrette left at the bottom of the bowl that you’re going to want some bread to sop up.
One recipe is rooted in tradition, the other is my own spin on it, and together, they’re a pretty perfect snapshot of what Greek Out is all about.
Kali orexi!
Both recipes are below!
If you love today’s recipes, come hang out with me over on Instagram, find even more recipes on FoodByMaria, and of course, grab a copy of Greek Out.
beef Bifteki
SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
tools I use.
large pot (for frying)
tips.
make it GF: ✅ use GF breadcrumbs
make it DF: ✅ find a DF feta, or skip if you must
Make it easier:
simplify:
use store-bought fries or serve with your favorite roasted potatoes: pop them in the oven before you start your Bifteki and line up cook times to have them done at the same time. Follow the same finish as the fries.
skip the fries and serve with warmed pita.