Feasting Inspired by the Mediterranean

Feasting Inspired by the Mediterranean

Hi luvs! It was our last night of Mediterranean feasting at cooking club this month, and oh boy, did folks do it up right!! Since my camera is still off getting fixed, we’re stuck with pics off my phone for a while. 🙂

We started with all sorts of crackers dipped in Mascarpone cheese and Selwyn’s amaaaazing black olive tapenade, rich and salty with anchovies and capers. Don and Jen brought savory sausage and various cheeses to top more crackers, and Don made us his fabulous martinis poured over pepperoncini and big green olives.

Olive Tapenade

Then it was time for the main course!!! Jason and Kim made a gorgeous Greek salad with juicy chunks of tomato, crisp bell peppers, enormous Kalamata olives, cucumber, and lavish amounts of Feta cheese. Cameron and Robin made Smoked Chicken Breasts with a crispy Parmesan Crust that were marvelously moist and flavorful. Darren served up his oh-so-succulent and creamy risotto made with Vermouth, I brought my Black Bean Salad with Lime Dressing, and Susan made a splendid prawn dish cooked over fennel sauteed in Chardonnay and topped with Feta cheese that melted beautifully throughout.

It was such a splendid night. There was a large crowd of us this time, and we all cozied into the living room, finding perches on floors, furniture and foot stools. When I wasn’t visiting with dear folks, I loved just sitting back and watching everyone having such a great time together, sipping Toby’s sangria as they talked about their week, what they were reading, or burst into laughter at the ridiculous moments that plague us all from time to time. I sure love these people.

Mediterranean food

Suddenly folks remembered that – wonder of wonders!!! – it was actually WARM outside! So we filled our plates with non-Mediterranean desserts – Andrew’s marvy German Chocolate Cake and Kat’s warm and zesty Lemon Pudding – and clustered outside just in time for a warm rain to fall. It was perfect.

Selwyn’s Black Olive Tapenade

Ingredients:

12 ounces Kalamata olives, pitted and rinsed
1 tin anchovies rolled with capers in olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in food processor and blend to desired consistency.
  2. Serve with crackers and mascarpone cheese.

 

Darren’s Vermouth Risotto

2 cups Arborio rice
6 cups chicken broth
8 tbsp butter
1/4 cup Vermouth
grated Parmesan to taste (about 2 tbsp)
sea salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

Directions:

  1. Preheat broth in a separate pot until hot, but not boiling.
  2. In a large flat bottom pan heat 4 tbsp butter with the rice until butter is well melted and rice is warmed but not brown.
  3. Add two ladle scoops of warm broth, mix well.
  4. As the broth is absorbed, but before the rice gets dry, keep adding a ladle full of broth at a time until all the broth is used.
  5. When you put the last of the broth in turn off the heat.
  6. Add the remaining butter, Vermouth, Parmesan and salt.
  7. Mix well as the rest of the broth and Vermouth is absorbed.

Black Bean Salad with Lime Dressing

Click here for my recipe

A Taste of the Mediterranean

A Taste of the Mediterranean

If you had to choose one cuisine from one region of the world to eat for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

I would have to pick the Mediterranean. I simply adore the food so deliciously influenced by countries as diverse as Egypt, Greece, and Slovenia.

I was thrilled to bits when my cooking club chose this as our theme for June.

Greek ocean

Since my camera broke this week, I wasn’t able to capture Cameron’s scrumptious smoked lamb, Jen’s fantastic quinoa salad with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta, and Toby’s delectable green beans sauteed with lime and butter.

But I did get last week’s delectable menu, starting with Greek wine and artisan bread studded with olives.

Crusty bread

Italian wine

I made a zesty green bean salad with feta, fresh basil, and a Dijon vinaigrette. Darren whipped up a batch of his famous hummus and Selwyn wowed us all with fork-tender roasted pork loin drizzled with a Gorgonzola cream sauce.

Mediterranean Food

While the food was absolutely amazing, it’s always the fellowship and camaraderie at cooking club that I love the most. I can’t believe I only have a few more weeks with these dear people. I’m going to miss them more than I can say.

Green Bean Salad with Feta and Fresh Basil

3 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 4-oz package Feta cheese, crumbled or grated
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions:

  1. Steam beans 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Plunge in ice water until cool, then drain.
  2. Whisk together Dijon mustard and next four ingredients in large bowl.
  3. Add beans, feta and basil. Toss gently to coat.

 

Podcasts and Spanakopita

Podcasts and Spanakopita

I’m cozied up at home enjoying a free evening to read, get caught up on “24” episodes, sip tea and recover from a killer flu that hit last night. Yeesh. I’m getting knocked flat with stuff this winter! Thankfully it was of the 24-hour variety and I’m feeling heaps better. 🙂 I celebrated with dark hot chocolate and some great new podcasts from Itunes. In my quest to save money and pay off bills, I’m always interested in finding free things to do that are entertaining and informative. It’s amazing the free podcasts that are available: old time radio, Writer’s Almanac, This American Life, all sorts of ones on travel, history, music and literature. I’ve having a grand time! 🙂

This weekend I had a sudden and irresistible urge for that lovely Greek spinach pie: spanakopita. So, after a deliciously relaxing Sunday afternoon, I headed to the kitchen. I popped in a dramatized audio version of “The Horse and His Boy” and set to sauteing spinach with savory onions, mixing them in with tart feta cheese, nutmeg and lemon juice, and enclosing it all with buttered phyllo dough into tidy little packets of goodness.

I love the sunlight filtering through the crispy layers of phyllo. 🙂

I only par-baked them, freezing most of them for a rainy day. When I’m ready, all I have to do is thaw, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or so, and they’re good to go! I do so love easy, yummy food. 🙂

As I recover, I’m looking for good ways to detox and restore my system. Do you have any ideas? Please share them if you do! 🙂 Thanks so much. 🙂

Spanakopita
(From David Lebovitz)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and minced
12 ounces (325g) fresh spinach, well-washed and towel dried
salt and freshly-ground pepper
8-10 ounces (230-250g) feta cheese
2 tablespoons finely-chopped flat leaf parsley
pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
1 large egg, at room temperature
lemon juice
16 sheets filo dough (about 12 ounces, 350g), thawed, if frozen
Melted butter (2-3 ounces, 60-90g)
Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until transluscent.
  2. Add the spinach and a bit of salt and pepper, cover, and cook until the spinach is completely wilted, stirring once or twice to hasten the process.
  3. Scrape the spinach into a colander and let cool completely. Once cool, firmly squeeze out the excess liquid then chop the spinach with a chef’s knife into smallish pieces.
  4. Mix the spinach in a small bowl with the feta and parsley until chunky. Taste, and add nutmeg and a squirt of lemon juice, plus more salt and pepper if desired. Stir in the egg.
  5. Unwrap and unroll the filo and keep it covered at all times with a damp tea towel.
  6. Working quickly lay one sheet of filo on the counter and brush it lightly, but thoroughly, with butter. Lay another sheet on top of it and brush it with butter as well.
  7. Set a scant 1/4 cup (50g) of the filling in the center, about 1-inch (3cm) from the edge of the sheets of filo, then roll the two edges of the dough over, lengthwise, to encase the filling. You should have a long rectangle with filling underneath the top far end.
  8. Brush the exposed surface of the filo with butter and fold one corner diagonally over the filling, then continue folding keeping the triangle shape (as you’d fold a flag) and brushing the exposed surfaces of the filo with butter, until you have a neat triangle. Brush the top with butter and set on a baking sheet in the freezer.
  9. Continue making more spanakopitas with the remaining filling. Once all the spanakopitas are frozen, store them in a freezer bag until ready to bake. If well-wrapped, they’ll keep for a couple of months.
  10. To bake the frozen spanakopita, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and put the frozen triangles on a baking sheet, then brush each with butter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until deeply-golden brown. If you’re baking them without freezing them first, they’ll take less time to bake, so check them before the recommended baking time.
A Grecian Eve

A Grecian Eve

I arrived at CEC this week frazzled, exhausted and distracted by the many responsibilities sending my mind into a tizzy. Then my friends greeted me with grins, Darren poured me a glass of red wine, Selwyn served up appetizers, and all of a sudden life righted itself and I felt the stress of the day slip away.

It was Greek Night and we clustered around the counter chatting, nibbling salty Greek olives and dipping warm slices of cheese-topped pita bread into Darren‘s homemade hummus and cool, creamy tzaziki.

Deborah made a creamy orzo pasta salad studded with sweet bell peppers, parsley and tangy feta cheese.

Feta also made an appearance in Toby’s light and fluffy Mediterranean couscous.

Darren and Cameron meandered between kitchen and smoker as they fixed a succulent leg of lamb and a whole tray of veggies.

It was a delicious and healthy dinner, not too heavy but filling and nourishing.

Toby helped me wrap up the meal with Galaktoboureko Rolla – delicate Custard-Filled Phyllo Rollups doused in Lemon-Cinnamon Syrup.

Jack did mounds of dishes (thank you!!), Baboo the cat made us laugh as he ran full speed across the room and attacked our plates, and Michael entertained us with his most recent embarrassing moment. It was a grand evening. 🙂

Deborah’s Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup orzo pasta
1 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 chopped fresh basil

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Seasoning Mix
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar

Directions:

  1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt. 
  2. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
  3. Mix orzo, bell pepper, feta, and chopped basil in a large bowl.
  4. Whisk together seasoning mix, oil, vinegar and sugar. 
  5. Stir dressing into orzo mixture.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. 
  7. Garnish with leaves of basil before serving. 
  8. Makes 4-6 servings.

Toby’s Mediterranean Couscous
(From Recipezaar)

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked couscous
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2-3 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oil-cured olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
salt (optional)
feta, crumbled (optional)

Directions:

  1. Prepare the couscous (Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil).
  2. Heat olive oil in a small pan to medium-high.
  3. Add tomato, scallions, garlic, and olives.
  4. Saute in the pan for around 3 minutes.
  5. Fluff couscous with a fork.
  6. Add salt to taste, mix tomato mixture with couscous and serve.

Krista’s Galaktoboureko Rolla – Custard-Filled Phyllo Rollups
(From Greek Food)

Ingredients:

For the syrup:
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1-2 slices of lemon peel
1 stick of cinnamon (optional)

For the custard:
3 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of semolina (fine grind), or rice flour, or cream of wheat
1/2 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon peel
3 cups of whole milk
1 cup of unsalted butter, melted

2 one-pound boxes of phyllo pastry sheets, defrosted, at room temperature

Preparation:

Note: Defrost the phyllo dough in the refrigerator the day before. Bring the phyllo to room temperature before beginning, and do not open the package until the filling has been prepared and you’re ready to start making the pastry. When you do open it, keep unused portion covered with a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap and a cool damp towel. Make sure hands are dry when handling.

Make the syrup: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add lemon peel and cinnamon, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add lemon juice (do not stir) and set aside.

Make the custard:

  1. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat 1 egg with 1/3 of the sugar until light and fluffy; add another egg and another 1/3 of the sugar, and repeat until all 3 eggs and all the sugar have been beaten together. Continue to beat on high for 2 minutes. 
  2. Beat in the semolina, lemon juice, and grated lemon peel. Continue beating and add the milk and 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Beat for another 5-6 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  3. Transfer the custard to a pot and heat over medium heat. Whisk vigorously until it thickens to the consistency of ketchup (or puréed baby food). Remove from heat immediately and set aside.
  4. Tip: If the custard has thickened a little too much, transfer to a bowl, whisk, and continue with the recipe. If left in a hot pot, it could continue to thicken further.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

  1. Prepare the rollups: Brush the bottom and sides of two or more shallow baking pans with melted butter. Open the phyllo dough and work with 5 sheets at a time, keeping the rest covered.
  2. Place the phyllo lengthwise in front of you on a dry work surface.
  3. Fold the sheet in half from side to side and brush the top lightly with butter.
  4. Using a pastry bag or tablespoon, place custard (about 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoonfuls) across the bottom of the phyllo (shorter side), about 1 inch in from the bottom and sides.
  5. Fold the phyllo up over the custard from the bottom, and roll up two or three times, trying to make sure there’s no air space between the dough and the custard.
  6. Fold the sides in to create a straight channel and roll the pastry up the rest of the way.
  7. If needed to keep the rolls fairly tight, brush the phyllo with a little more butter to avoid stressing the phyllo, which could result in tearing; however, do not roll too tightly as the custard will expand a bit during cooking.
  8. Place the roll in the baking pan with the seam side down and continue until all custard is used. Do not place too closely together.
  9. Package any remaining phyllo in airtight wrapping and refrigerate for use another time. Do not freeze. It will keep for about 10 days.
  10. Brush the tops and sides of the rolls with melted butter and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the rack just below the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden.
  11. Remove the pan from the oven and pour cooled syrup (remove cinnamon stick and lemon peel first) evenly over the pastries to the edges of the pan. Let sit several hours until syrup is absorbed and the pastries come to room temperature.

Galaktoboureko should be eaten within a day or two. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 30-40 pastries