Preparing a traditional Greek Easter meal tends to mean a lot of food, several courses, and often more than one main dish. In my home, it also means that the house is full of people long before the cooking is done - adding the extra stress of thinking I need to play host while cooking. Over the years, I've learned to make it less stressful and more enjoyable with these techniques.
1. Make a plan
Don't leave it to chance or last-minute ideas. All the steps that follow are part of a plan for what you want to make, when and where to find ingredients, what to fix ahead, and when and how the rest will come together. The plan doesn't need to be elaborate, but just making it can help stress levels go down.
2. Shop early
The day before Easter is a really bad time to go shopping for the next day's meal if you've set your heart on a particular menu. I can attest to that first hand, and I
live in Greece where stores are stocked to the roof with Easter foods and ingredients. Too often, ingredients you just must have will be hard or impossible to find - and for the impossibles, racing to find substitutes is a sure way to send stress levels up a notch or two.
3. Make as much as possible ahead of time
Space out your preparations over several days.
Easter bread and
dyed red eggs can be prepared a few days ahead;
small filled pies can be made up to the baking point, frozen (flat on a tray then transferred to plastic bags), and cooked when needed;
dips and
desserts can be prepared ahead and refrigerated. Meats can be set to marinate, salad fixings can be washed, drained, and refrigerated, etc.
4. Don't try to make everything in advance
Some things just aren't great when made ahead of time, so don't try. If you need to start cooking some dishes early in the morning, write that into your plan. My stress level always goes up when I realize that a dish I made ahead of time has just sogged and collapsed when reheated.
5. Delegate, delegate, delegate
Delegate the shopping or the last-minute pick up of special orders. Delegate the grill cooking if you're doing both grilled and oven foods. Delegate setting the table. Delegate whatever you can, and then delegate some more!
6. Entertain in the kitchen
If you're Greek, then you know that Greeks are loud, happy, and willing helpers. Invite them into the kitchen or close by where you can see and hear them. Have extra aprons on hand and put them to work, or just sit them down and enjoy them as you work. If you're not Greek, do it exactly the same way and announce that you're creating a Greek atmosphere!
7. Go with the flow
Once everyone has arrived and the food is underway, let the Easter spirit take over. Cooking disasters (and I've had more than my share) can be covered with take-out or delivery, and unexpected delays can be handled with interim
omelets,
salads, and
cheeses. The Greek Easter meal is a time for great food, but much more importantly, it's a time for family, friends, great conversation, music, dancing, and maybe even a little too much wine!
