Greek Staples

• Think of Greek food and you think of feta cheese, tomatoes, green peppers, chickpeas, eggplant, scallions, onions, olives, olives and more olives. Herbs include oregano, parsley, dill and fennel, both the seeds and the bulbs. Lemons and lemon juice are used with a free hand.

Killer Kabobs

• In Greece, lamb is roasted for Easter whole and in chunks on swords. Let that be the inspiration for your steak kabobs. Marinate the steak chunks overnight in olive oil, ouzo -- a Greek liquor -- or a dry white wine, fennel or anise seeds to play off the licorice flavor of the ouzo, oregano, black pepper or garlic. Grill over a medium hot fire until the beef is done to your liking. To test if it's a medium hot fire, make sure it's so hot you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for no more than 2 to 3 seconds.

Greek Grilled Steaks

• Create a sauce for a grilled steak redolent with the flavors and scents of Greek cooking. In fact, make two sauces. Season a tender steak such as sirloin or porterhouse with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on a medium-hot grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes a side, depending on how thick the steak is and the degree of doneness you prefer. While the steaks are grilling and resting afterwards, create the first sauce with olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and feta cheese. Whisk so the cheese blends into the olive oil and red wine. The second sauce is tomato based. Throw a couple of red ripe tomatoes in the blender with a sweet green pepper, a couple cloves of garlic and a handful of diced onions. Remove the pits from Kalamata olives. These Greek olives are dark purplish-brown with an intense, salty, olive taste. Roughly chop and add them to the blender. Swirl on high until the ingredients are blended but still a bit chunky. Serve the sauces on the side as dipping sauces so diners can sample both.

Slow Cooked

• Take a riff off that famous Greek casserole, moussaka, but use a less-tender steak such as chuck, rump or round instead of the classical ground lamb. Usually the ingredients are individually sauteed and then combined and baked for 40 to 50 minutes. That's not long enough for a chuck steak to become tender. In this case, cut up the classic moussaka vegetables of tomatoes, onions and eggplant. You could make substitutions such as green peppers or potatoes for the eggplant. Combine with your choice of oregano or parsley, or use both. Toss in canned or cooked chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans. Add in lemon slices and the browned cubed chuck steak. Bake for two hours on medium heat.