The 25th of March is the Greek National Independence day and also the feast of the Holy Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Now I won’t go into the stories of these 2 events, but I will discuss what Greeks typically eat on this day…Yes, it’s all about the food.
We continue to be in the fasting period, and this day is one of the few days that fish is allowed. Greeks typically eat fried salted cod, bakaliaro and skordalia (a type of garlic dip). Obviously, fried salted cod doesn’t sound too healthy but if you think about it, it isn’t that bad. Cod is low in fat and calories so even frying it will not really make it excessively calorie rich. A healthier alternative with less salt, is using fresh cod baked in the oven with tomatoes, onions, parsley, olive oil and garlic and, my mom adds raisins, also known as bakaliaro plaki.
As for the skordalia, I have to say that it is definitely potent but delicious. Skordalia is also served with boiled beets, complementing each other perfectly. You can call skordalia a dip, but personally I believe it is too strong to just serve as an appetizer with bread sticks. Apart from the beets, this sauce usually accompanies the cod or is cooked together with pork or rabbit. It needs a strong wine as well.
Skordalia is like other Greek dips; rich, healthy, full of antioxidants, in this case from the garlic and olive oil (and walnuts if you add them). Skordalia can be made with potato, bread or with a combination of walnuts (sometimes almonds) and bread. Potatoes will give you a smoother consistency, while the bread skordalia will be a bit grainier. And no, skordalia does not contain cream. The recipes below are slightly changed versions from the traditional cookbook Hrisa Paradisi.
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Traditional Greek Skordalia (Garlic and Potato Dip)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes cut in cubes and boil in water until soft, about 15 minutes
- Once boiled, strain and mix with a hand mixer until smooth.
- In a food processor process the garlic cloves with a bit of salt until it is a paste.
- Add ½ of the olive oil in the food processor and continue mixing.
- Add the garlic paste to the potato and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Add the rest of the olive oil gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until oil is absorbed.
- Add a bit of red wine vinegar for taste, mix well.
Notes
Skordalia with Walnuts
INGREDIENTS
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2 ½ ounces of walnuts
- 1 large slice stale bread
- ¾ cup olive oil
- Red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
- Salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Grind the walnuts.
2. In a food processor process the garlic cloves with a bit of salt until it is a paste.
3. Add the walnuts to the garlic paste and mix well.
4. Soak the bread (without the crust in water and vinegar) and then squeeze well.
5. Mix the bread with the walnuts and garlic mixture. Mix until smooth.
6. Add olive oil gradually until olive oil is absorbed.
7. Add a bit of red wine vinegar for taste.
Photos by Elena Paravantes © All Rights Reserved
37 Comments
These recipes look great! Any idea how long I can keep this in the fridge? Can it be frozen?
My mom was a terrific cook! Born and raised in Constantinople, she was the queen of mezethakia! Her secret to a silky, white skorthalia, was pignoli nuts. Never, ever, potato! I will be making her bacaliaro and skorthalia on Palm Sunday. Have a Blessed Pascha✝
Julie can you provide the recipe. I just discovered skorthalia it is delicious. the one I had was at a restaurant and it was made with potato. I would love to try yours.
[…] along with their greens are traditionally served here in Greece with skordalia, the delicious Greek garlic sauce. So wherever skordalia goes, beets go too. The beets were cut off […]
[…] in season. Nuts, mainly almonds and walnuts were used mainly in sweets, and in some sauces such as skordalia (garlic sauce) but they were not a daily habit. Georgia Petraki, a Cretan Nutritionist who […]
[…] In Greece, beets, known as Badzaria, are commonly boiled and served with a garlic sauce called skordalia. No matter how you prepare them, beets are a great addition to your home […]
During the lockdown here on Crete it is not possible to visit any restaurant for the past weeks. No problem, we cook ourselves.
With your recipe of Skordalia we feel in a restaurant after all.
Thanks and lots of greetings,
Ferd, used to be Dutch but since one year full time Greek 😉
Where’s the third recipe? I only see two of them. I have a ton of potatoes around the house so going to give that a try!
Hi, If you look at the notes under the first recipe you can see that you can also make skordalia with bread instead of potatoes. So 3 versions: potato, bread or walnuts
[…] In any case, I do suggest wrapping it before placing in your pocket and NOT forgetting it in your pocket when you take your jeans off. There’s nothing more exciting than not knowing where that pungent smell is coming from two weeks later when your closet smells like “skordalia”. […]
[…] Lately, when I make this skordalia I use a high proportion of olive oil and lemon juice. Which leads to a thinner spread or sauce. Keep the end goal in mind as you make this recipe(or any recipe for that matter)! I like to pair this sauce version of skordalia with white fleshed fish. Such as snapper, grouper, wahoo,etc. Add a roasted vegetable with a decent amount of crunch and you have a complete entree! You can find a more traditional recipe for skordalia here. […]
Excellent! I was a bit worried to try this, but it came out great and delicious! Thanks Elena