Beef is less common, but you can substitute ground beef for ground lamb in Greek recipes if necessary. Pastry You can make filo pastry at home, but it's a laborious process and most Greeks buy it readymade. Supermarkets sell packages of frozen filo. It dries out quickly, so when working with filo pastry, keep it covered with a damp cloth and have all your ingredients ready to go. Produce Freshness is most important.
Greek cooks use a lot of artichokes, eggplant and spinach.
Green beans are often slow-cooked with tomatoes, and potatoes are roasted with lemon and olive oil. Greek cooks can pick fresh grapevine leaves, but most Americans must buy theirs in jars at a gourmet store.