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Have you heard of melitzanokeftedes? It's a Greek mezze that may be tricky to pronounce, but it translates to delicious EGGPLANT FRITTERS. These are straightforward because there's no reason to mess with perfection: I'll grill the eggplant until it's tender and smoky, then form them into "meatballs" and fry them quickly. I believe that sometimes the best dishes are often the simplest, and this is definitely one of them. The rich eggplant flavor is the star of the show of course, but they're even better with a light refreshing tzatziki, so we're doing that too (tzatziki is a minty yogurt sauce with grated cucumbers, in case you're new around here.) These little fritters are so delightful that you might have a hard time sharing them.

Ah yes, Greek salad. The much-disregarded salad that's on way too many restaurant menus. You've probably had something called Greek Salad, but you may not have had an AUTHENTIC GREEK SALAD. What makes mine authentic, other than the fact that it's pretty darn good? For starters, no lettuce. This one is all real veggies. Well, except for the hard-boiled egg, which is a very common addition to this dish in Greece and really enhances the salad with a bit of extra richness. Real sheep's milk feta, kalamata olives, and lots of chopped veggies, all dressed with a sweet and flavorful oregano dressing. This dish will make you totally forget that stuff they call Greek salad at the local pizza joint.

I know what you're asking: what's a CHICKEN KAPAMA, and why have I never heard of it? I can't tell you why this isn't a popular dish at Greek restaurants around here, but I can tell you what it is and why it's great. First off, this is a definite home-cooking dish and has all the trappings of a perfect comfort food, which is a great start. Like many Greek foods, this one is simple in its ingredients, fearless in its seasoning, and patient in its preparation. Pieces of chicken (both white and dark) and sauteed onions slow-cooked in a wonderfully seasoned and spiced tomato sauce, cooked down to concentrate the flavors, and garnished with some simple chopped herbs and kefalotyri cheese (which is a bit like parmesan.) This one is a perfect example of a dish that's greater than the sum of its parts, and really shows that chicken doesn't have to be boring. This is often served with plain pasta like orzo or egg noodles, but keep reading... we can do even better.

What's better than plain orzo? CREAMY SPINACH ORZO, of course. I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure whether this is strictly authentic, as most of the time I have been served orzo in Greece, it's been a simple affair that's intended to be a side for something more interesting, or a chilled salad. The way I'll be making it this week takes a slightly Italian approach, but keeps the flavors very Greek. Plus it's delicious. Cute little orzo pasta, finished with lemon and olive oil after cooking, then tossed with a creamy spinach sauce. This is something I'd be excited to eat all on its own, but when this rich creamy orzo dish is served alongside our main item this week, real magic happens.

I'm sure that this week's GREEK HONEY CAKE has a proper Greek name, but I don't know what it is (if YOU do, let me know.) It's a cake that was made every year by the very-Greek mother of our very-Greek sales VP back when I was working for McCormick 10,000 years ago. She would roll into the kitchen with a gigantic bucket of honey and crank out, literally, hundreds of Greek desserts for the employees, and I loved it all each time. But my favorite was probably the most simple one, and that's what I'll be making for this week's menu. The magic here is that honey is the only sweetener, and it's not shy with the honey. Honey infused cake batter made with equal parts flour and ground almonds, baked up golden brown, then soaked in an orange-honey syrup and left overnight to makes things extra delicious. That's the whole story, simplicity is king with this dessert, and anything else would just get in the way.