How to Celebrate Greek Easter

For Paige Poulos and many fellow Greek Americans in the West, Greek Easter comes a little later this year (April 19). There’s no glazed ham or bunny-themed centerpiece, but the meaning of the holiday, and the love of tradition, is the same. At Poulos’s home in Point Richmond, California, the celebration is only complete with a tableful of simple Greek foods, surrounded by family.

Poulos’s husband grills an aromatic wine- and herb-marinated leg of lamb. Poulos adds a traditional Greek soup, salad, and spring vegetables. Lambropsomo––anise-scented bread embedded with red-dyed eggs in a cross shape––is a central symbol for the holiday. And flaky baklava with a glass of Greek dessert wine or a strong Greek coffee makes for a sweet ending to a meal that is just as enjoyable for a non-Greek Easter too.

Your Greek Menu

Starters

Feta cheese and olives, pickled green tomatoes with chiles (available in Mediterranean delis), and spanakopita (spinach-and-cheese filo packets, available frozen)
Serve with: ouzo (an anise-flavored spirit), diluted with ice water

First course

Egg, lemon, and rice soup (avgolemono soupa)

Main Course

Greek salad
Greek lamb with herbs and garlic
Swiss chard or spinach sautéed with olive oil and salt and garnished with lemon wedges 
Boiled artichokes drizzled with olive oil and vinegar 
Steamed baby potatoes mixed with olive oil, salt, and pepper 
Greek Easter bread (lambropsomo) or other sweet egg bread, such as Hawaiian 

Serve with: Greek red wine, such as Amethystos – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Limnio from Macedonia, with blackberry and cherry flavors – or a fruity Zinfandel

Dessert

Baklava
Greek coffee (strong, sweetened coffee)

Serve with: Mavrodaphne, a Greek dessert wine

Try more Greek-inspired recipes

Bainbridge Island Vineyards Greek Garlic Chicken
Greek Pocket Bread Sandwiches with Lamb
Greek Tortellini Salad
Grecian Cheese Points
Rice-filled Grape Leaves