Some of my greatest Greek dishes have come from inspiration, not purpose. I believe that every good chef needs to learn how to cook a dish based on a recipe. However, with Greek cooking, recipes are not always needed.

I learned how to cook with my yia yia who almost never measured. It drove my mother crazy - mainly because she wanted to document everything. The family is glad that she did this - otherwise a lot of my grandmother’s recipes would be gone.

In order to learn to cook Greek food, yes, recipes and amounts are important. However, as you become confident or you realize that you need to start changing the recipe around a bit, the recipe becomes less important. The first few times I made dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves, I measured everything. Now I just eyeball it and they come out great. In fact, I am known for these grape leaves - my parents declare it my signature dish. I’ll share the recipe with you as soon as I write down the amounts.

So when you follow my recipes - I urge you to do it as exact as you can the first time around - especially if you don’t have a lot of experience cooking Greek food. Write down the adjustments you’ll make for next time. Do this each time you cook until you get the flavors right. Then the dish will be “your own” and you’ll soon be on your way to having your own signature dish!