The first and only time that I had ever eaten bouyourdi was in 2016, when I spent the afternoon with my friend Eleni in Thessaloniki, which is the capital of Macedonia, Greece.
I had spent a few days visiting my in laws in Trikala, and was going to fly to Kefalonia to visit my parents. Well instead of the straightforward way of taking the train back to Athens and then hopping the flight to the island, I decided on an adventure to Thessaloniki for a day, and then fly out to Kefalonia that evening.
And it was the best decision that I made! Thessaloniki is a beautiful city, named for the sister of Alexander the Great. Our friend Eleni had moved back to Greece a few years before and it was a great opportunity to see her.
right behind us.
Thessaloniki is known as foodie heaven. So she took me to this taverna overlooking the port, and as we perused over the menu, I noticed a food that I had never heard of before, bouyourdi. It is regional to Northern Greece.
Traditionally baked in a clay pot, it is layers of sliced tomato, roasted red peppers, spicy green peppers, red onion, garlic, dry oregano, feta and kasseri cheeses. You layer these in the baking dish and roast it covered for an hour, till all of the flavors have come together. Then you mix it all up and eat it with bread or pita.
If you cannot find kasseri, which is traditional, you can try edam, Gouda, fontina, or Gruyère.
There are layers of flavor happening and you can make it as spicy or mild as you want. I promise you that I this a like a party in your mouth!
This was my first time making it, and it brought back wonderful memories of a carefree day!
Ingredients:
1-2 ripe tomatoes
1 lb Greek feta cheese (in the brine)
1 cup shredded kasseri cheese
1 spicy green pepper (like jalapeño or Anaheim) feel free to to add chili peppers if you love the heat.
A few slices of red onion
1 roasted red peppers
Dry oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
A few drizzles of olive oil.
Directions:
In a baking dish, layer sliced tomatoes on the bottom with a few pieces of the roasted red pepper. Crumble the feta cheese over that.
Add some more red pepper and some of the spicy green pepper slices with the onion slices. Add the shredded kasseri cheese. Top that with more peppers and onion. Drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle the salt, pepper & dry oregano on top.
Cover it with aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for an hour.
Mix it up with a fork and enjoy it with some crusty bread, sourdough, or with your favorite vegetables for dipping.
Let me know if you try it!
Kali Oreksi!
on xenia street 