It doesn’t get much better than gorgeous Greek food, and with the help of our lovely friends at The Real Greek, we’ve got three delicious recipes to share with you. That means you can now recreate some classic Greek dishes for yourself at home!

LAMB MOUSSAKA

A beloved treasure straight from the heart of Greece. While there are countless variations of moussaka, this version is the ultimate Greek comfort food!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 500g lean minced lamb
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. tomato purée
• 200g canned chopped tomatoes or passata
• 200ml red wine
• 1 large baking potato (250g, thinly sliced)
• 1 large aubergine (1cm slices lengthways)
• 2 courgettes (1 cm slices lengthways)

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE:

• 25g butter
• 25g plain flour
• 300ml milk
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the minced lamb, onions and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes until the meat is brown and crumbly, and the onions have softened. Now add the garlic and cook for a further minute, then stir in the cinnamon and season with salt and pepper.

2. Stir in the chopped tomatoes or passata, the tomato purée and red wine. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Make the sauce: melt the butter over a medium heat in a small saucepan. Blend in the flour and continue to cook, stirring for 30 seconds or so to lightly brown the flour to a paste. Gradually blend in the milk, a little at a time, whisking to form a smooth, creamy sauce. Add a little grated nutmeg and season to taste.

4. Spread half the meat on the base of a shallow oblong ovenproof dish (about 28 × 20 x 6cm deep), then layer with potato, aubergine, courgette, minced lamb, potato, courgette and finally aubergine. Don’t worry if the layers are not equal.

5. Pour over the béchamel sauce, then pop into a preheated oven at 180°C (fan 160°C) / Gas 4 and cook for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let it cool for about 40 minutes and serve with some salad on the side.

HTIPITI – SPICY FETA DIP

A gutsy yet simple spread or dip, Htipiti – also known as Kopanisti – is the perfect addition to a Mediterranean meze. The salty bite of feta cheese perfectly pairs with the sweet yet smoky roasted peppers and the touch of heat from the chilli. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly chopped herbs.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8):

• 2-3 large red peppers
• 400g feta cheese
• 150ml Greek olive oil
• 1-2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 1 small Bird's Eye chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, or dried chilli flakes, to taste

METHOD:

1. Firstly, chargrill or roast the peppers. Cook in a hot oven for 20-25 minutes or over hot coals on a barbecue, until the skin has charred and blistered, and the flesh is soft. Leave to cool, then peel, discard the seeds and place the flesh in a colander to drain.

2. Break the feta into medium-sized pieces in a bowl – be careful not to over-crumble it. Add the olive oil, ground pepper and thyme. Mix to a coarse, lumpy consistency.

3. Chop the drained peppers into pieces the size of half a peanut and mix with the chopped chilli.

4. Fold the feta and pepper mixes together to make a well-blended spread. Store in the fridge in a sealed container until required. Serve chilled.

GRILLED AUBERGINE WITH TOMATO AND GARLIC SAUCE

Topped with a tangy tomato sauce, these succulent aubergine slices go well with bread and olives on the side.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6):

• 1kg aubergine (approx. 4 large)
• 50g garlic paste or 6 cloves of garlic (minced)
• Olive oil for frying

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:

• 500g passata
• 200g red onion
• 100g sofrito
• 1 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
• 1 tsp. finely chopped sage leaves
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. ground paprika
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Make the tomato sauce: using a food processor or handheld blender, blitz together the passata, onion, sofrito, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Pour into a pan and add 200ml water. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes until thickened. Season to taste. Stir in the extra virgin olive oil and the paprika and plenty of black pepper. Remove from the heat.

2. Slice the aubergine into 2.5cm rings. Place in a bowl with salt, pepper and the garlic paste and move the rings around to cook. Leave for 10 minutes.

3. Place a griddle pan or large frying pan over a medium heat with a little oil. Grill the aubergine rings, in batches, for 3-4 minutes on each side or until softened in the middle.

4. Build stacks of aubergine slices onto 4 individual plates, then spoon the tomato sauce down one side of the aubergine. Garnish with freshly chopped green herbs of your choice and serve.