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Do I like Greek food?  As my best gal pal Vanessa would say:  does a one legged duck swim in a circle?
The answer is a resounding  Ne! (which sounds like no, but is actually yes, in Greek.)

Now that my Grandma has passed I don’t get Greek food cooked for me nearly as often as I used to.  I still cook something Greek at least 3-4 times a month, but once a year I know there is a place I can go, to get home cooked, quality, Greek food. 

That place is the Valley Greek Festival hosted by St. Nicholas Greek Church in Northridge.

Every major city, it seems, hosts a Greek festival at some point in the summer, but for my money, the Valley version is one of the best.  There is a large Greek community in Northridge and Reseda and the food here is all homemade by loving hands, of members of St. Nich’s Greek Orthodox Church.

If you do go here are my suggestions:

Loucanico:  Greek sausage, grilled and served with a hunk of bread, feta, some lemon and kalamata olives.  This is delicious with a little sip of Ouzo on the side.

Greek Chicken is going all day on large open grills.  It’s served with rice, salad, bread, feta and other fixins.  I like their version, it’s really well made, so if you’ve never had it, give it a try.  For me, I find Greek Chicken is so easy to cook at home, I often go with the dishes, that, due to their complexity, I don’t often cook at home…like…

Pastitsio or Moussaka:  Pastitsio is like a Greek Lasagna made with bechamel sauce.  I’ve made this on numerous occasions, and let  me tell you it’s a bitch to make!  Their version often dries out a little bit, but it’s the nature of the beast.  It’s still worth a try.  The nutmeg flavors in the rich sauce are so damn yummy.   Their Moussaka is delish as well, and usually not as dried out.  I love egg plant, don’t you??

The Gyro (pronounced “Year-oh”  not “Jeye-ro  or Guy-ro”) is also really fab.

For desserts, well, when it comes to Greek desserts they’re all pretty much some version of flour, nuts and honey (my Nouna would kill me for saying so, but people, it’s true!).
The ladies of the church, though, create something crazy, like 48 THOUSAND pieces of pastry.

The most fun dessert, hands down, are the handmade Loucoumathes. 

Little donut holes they cook right in front of  you!  Yum.  I feel so sorry for the poor soul who has to man this station on a hot day.

When you are done eating, you can dance…

watch cooking demonstrations…

play games and shop.  It’s just a nice atmosphere, and for me, I always get a little nostalgic, for my childhood, when big Greek family gatherings where a regular thing in my life.  These days, I still embrace my Greek-ness, and my friends (my extended family) have embraced it with me. 

I plan on spending a good few hours at the festival this weekend, and I’ll let  you know how it went.

Click here to check out The Valley Greek Festival website
 

Photos courtesy of Valley Greek Festival Website

By Erinn (see more of her posts). You can find more of Erinn's writing at her own website Sunday Dish.