Chef tips: Master Greek at home

Peter Conistis of award-winning Greek restaurant Alpha shares the secrets to cooking like γιαγιά.

Chef Peter Conistis serves the best of Greek flavours, paired with beautiful wines. Source: Alpha

Essential ingredients

“Greek olive oil is the first one," says Alpha's executive chef, Peter Conistis. "it’s what I always use. I love the richness of it, that slight bitterness of it. I mean for me it’s the perfect olive oil. [And] wild Greek oregano, which comes in bunches – you can’t cook Greek food without including it in almost every dish. I’d say as far as herbs go, a Greek pantry always has like herbs that are used the most would be parsley dill and mint. As far as ingredients, well sheep’s milk feta which is synonymous with Greek food; [along with] Greek yoghurt, and filo pastry, which gets used in a lot of dishes, be they sweet or savoury.”

The only oil

More than pantry staple, Peter says olive oil is something he couldn't live without. “Olive oil is to me what butter is to the French,” he explains. “It plays such a huge part in Greek food and in our whole culture. When you’re christened your bathed in olive oil, when you pass away, they light an incense burner that’s lit by olive oil, and throughout your whole life it’s such an integral part of your diet.”

In the kitchen

“Greek food is more about the ingredients, not so much the equipment you use," Peter tells us. 

That said: “A mortar and pestle is very important in Greek food, especially in making lots of dips you know, the skordalia and the taramasalata and so on."

Cooking from scratch

We asked Peter if he makes the super-thin filo pastry (also known as 'phyllo') by hand. 

“I do; my mum does; a lot of my aunties do, but these days not so much for people. Commercial filo is so good, but I still teach everybody how to make it [from scratch]. It’s wonderful being able to know how to make all those Greek basics. I’m keeping that tradition going.”

Filo your own

Peter says: “If you’re making filo pastry you always use a Greek rolling pin. It looks a bit like a dowel. It’s very thin, very long and it allows you to manipulate the pastry so you can open it really wide, you need that length in it. That’s very important.” If you don't have a Greek-style rolling pin at home, we've heard thick curtain rods can come in handy!

 

Have we got your attention and your tastebuds? The Chefs' Line airs 6pm weeknights on SBS. Check out the program page for episode guides, cuisine lowdowns, recipes and more.