For this week’s Around the World Date Night, we headed to Greece for a menu full of fresh flavours, crispy pastries and homemade gyros. This was one of those date nights where everything felt like a little feast - flaky spanakopita parcels, warm honey-drizzled feta, loaded gyros and a classic Greek salad.
If you're planning to make dessert too, I’d recommend starting with that first so it has time to chill in the fridge. I attempted a dessert recipe that unfortunately didn’t turn out as planned, so I’d suggest making a baklava recipe from another site instead. Once that’s out of the way, I’d move on to preparing the gyros. While the chicken cooks in the oven, you can get started on the appetizers.
Spanakopita Parcels
Ingredients
4 filo pastry sheets, halved
160g spinach
100g feta
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 egg
2 spring onions
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon melted butter
Method
Soak the spinach in hot water until wilted, then remove and allow it to cool. Once cooled, squeeze out as much excess water as possible and finely chop.
Add the spinach to a bowl with the crumbled feta, sliced spring onions, chopped dill, egg, salt and pepper, then stir until combined.
Brush each filo sheet with melted butter and layer two sheets on top of each other. Add 1–2 tablespoons of filling to one corner, then fold into triangles by bringing each corner over to the opposite edge until you create a sealed parcel.
Brush the outside with more butter, sprinkle over sesame seeds if desired, and repeat with the remaining filling.
Bake for around 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Feta Saganaki
Ingredients
1 block feta
2 filo pastry sheets (from the same packet as the spanakopita parcels)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
Vegetable oil, for frying
Method
Lay the two filo sheets on top of each other and place the feta in the centre. Fold the bottom half over the feta, fold in the sides, then roll until the feta is completely enclosed.
Heat vegetable oil in a pot deep enough for the feta parcel to be submerged. Once hot, carefully add the feta and fry until golden and crisp on both sides, turning halfway if needed.
Finish by drizzling over the honey and sprinkling with sesame seeds.
Greek Gyros
Ingredients
400–600g chicken thighs, halved
1 tablespoon yoghurt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cucumber, sliced
¼ red onion, sliced
50g tomatoes, diced
Handful fries, homemade or oven-cooked
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
2 Greek flatbreads
2 tablespoon tzatziki
Method
Mix the chicken with the yoghurt, spices, salt, pepper and olive oil, then leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
To create the gyro-style stack, use half an onion as a base with two skewers pushed through it, then stack the chicken thighs vertically to create a tall layered tower.
Bake at 180°C for 45–60 minutes until cooked through and slightly crisp on the edges. If you're making fries, time them so they finish at the same time.
To assemble, spread tzatziki over the flatbreads and top with tomatoes, onion, cucumber, fries and sliced chicken.
Greek Salad
Ingredients
2 large tomatoes, diced
100g feta
1 green pepper, sliced
100g olives
½ cucumber
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Method
Add the tomatoes, feta, green pepper, olives and cucumber to a large bowl.
Whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, oregano and white wine vinegar to make the dressing, then drizzle over the salad and toss everything together.
Serve everything together and enjoy your little trip to Greece from home. This one felt like the perfect mix of fresh, comforting and sharable food, exactly what I want from a date night menu.
Baklava (use different recipe)
