In This Menu:

• Greek Salad with Feta Turnover (Spanakopita)
• Souvlaki
• Greek Ice Cream with Peaches

Two weeks ago we journeyed to India in a culinary quest. I had so much fun researching and cooking the Indian food for you that I thought another journey was in order: this time to Greece! For those of you who are intimately familiar with Greek food, you’ll have to excuse me for not being completely authentic. Just so you know, this is not my intention. These recipes are my interpretations and variations of traditional Greek food. The Spanakopita, for instance, is not usually served on a salad but I like it served that way; if you give it a try, I think you might like it too! I think one becomes a better cook by pushing the boundaries of a recipe and coming up with new ways to present a classic dish. I put this version of a Greek salad on my previous restaurant’s menu way back in 2001. In the original recipe, I made the turnover with puff pastry and the filling was different. When considering my options for this week’s meal plan, I wondered why I had never done the turnover with phyllo dough (which is used extensively in Greece). The answer was probably that I didn’t want to do spanakopita, which is the classic Greek hors d’oeuvres made with feta cheese and spinach wrapped in phyllo. My next thought was, “Why not?” So here we are!

Serves 4

For the salad:

• 1 head red leaf lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 head bib lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved and sliced into crescent shapes ¼-inch thick
• 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in half. Seeded and sliced into strips ¼-inch thick
• ½ to ¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
• ½ cup roasted red peppers, cut into strips
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted (toast on cookie sheet in oven at 350° for about 6 minutes)

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ cup olive oil

Place all ingredients (except oil) in a food processor. Turn machine to high and slowly drizzle in oil to make a vinaigrette.

For the spanakopita:

First, let me say that working with phyllo dough can be a bit challenging. If you are not up to it, there are some good frozen spanakopitas on the market. If you want to learn how, then here we go!

For the dough:

• 6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed and covered with a towel
• ½ cup of olive oil in a small bowl and a pastry brush

For the filling:

• ½ cup chopped spinach frozen or fresh, drained off as much water as you can remove
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 oz. feta cheese broken into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Making the dough:

Place one sheet of the phyllo on a large cutting board and being careful not to tear it. Lightly brush with olive oil. Place another sheet on top of the first and brush the second sheet with oil. Repeat process until all 6 sheets are stacked on top of each other with a layer of olive oil on each one. Make sure and brush the last sheet with the oil as well. Mix all of the ingredients for the filling in a small bowl and set aside. Cut the dough in half horizontally, then cut each piece in half again. You should now have 4 long strips of oil treated dough. Place a tablespoon on the bottom of the first phyllo strip. Grab the left bottom corner of the strip and fold over filling to make a triangle. Now fold upwards. Continue folding in triangles until you have used all of the dough. Remember making those paper footballs as a kid? This is the same idea! Repeat with other dough pieces and filling. Bake the spanakopita at 375° until light brown. Remove from oven. Serve warm on top of salad.

Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Divide onto four plates and top each salad with the warm spanakopita.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lemon, grated and juiced
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dry oregano
• 4 to 6 fresh basil leaves
• 4 to 6 sprigs parsley
• 1 large or 2 small shallots
• 6 cloves
• 1½ teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound strip sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound lamb (chops or leg), boned cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 Roma tomatoes, quartered
• 2 red onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound Smart Chicken thighs, boned cut into 1-inch cubes skewers

PREPARATION

Place first 12 ingredients (everything down to the meat) in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Place the sirloin, lamb, tomatoes, onions, and peppers into a large bowl. Pour all of the marinade (except ½ cup) over the meats and vegetables. Place the chicken in a small bowl and pour half of the remaining marinade (¼ cup) over it. Reserve the remaining marinade for basting. Toss the contents of both bowls to coat evenly. Cover and let marinate for at least 3 hours; overnight is better.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat (400°). Remove chicken from bowl and grill for 3 minutes, turn over and grill for another 3 minutes. The reason the chicken is marinated and cooked separately is that chicken MUST be cooked through to avoid food borne illness. The beef and lamb, on the other hand, are much better cooked medium rare to medium. If you intend to cook all of the meat well done, you can just add the chicken to the other ingredients when marinating.

Remember, eating undercooked chicken can lead to serious illness! Always wash utensils, hands, counters, etc. when handling raw chicken and do not let other foods that will be eaten raw (salads, etc.) touch any area that has been contaminated by raw chicken.

Thread skewers in this order: lamb, tomato, chicken, pepper, beef, onion. Lightly oil grate. Grill over hot coals, basting with the remaining marinade every couple of minutes. Cook 4 to 8 minutes per side depending on desired doneness. Turn skewers frequently for even cooking. Serve on a bed of Greek rice pilaf.

I found this ice cream recipe on the internet and I have to say, it is AWESOME! I came up with the peaches in caramel cream. You are going to like this one!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of 2% milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1¼ cup of whipping cream

PREPARATION
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and fully blended. In a saucepan, heat the milk (do not boil). When hot (steaming), add the egg mixture slowly, whisking continuously. Reduce heat to low, and cook until it becomes a smooth custard, stirring to keep from boiling.

Note: Alternatively, use a double boiler.

Remove custard from the heat and set aside to cool. When completely cooled, whip the cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the custard mixture with a spatula. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Serve with warm peaches in sauce.

For the peaches:

• 3 large, fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¾ cup heavy cream

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add peaches, sugar, and cloves. Cook stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add cream, bring to a boil and reduce for 4 minutes until thick, but pourable.

Yield: approximately 1 quart

Easter is this weekend and what better way to celebrate than with lamb, a staple food dating back to Biblical times. The cool, fresh flavor of the tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber sauce with garlic and lemon) is a perfect match for the peppery lamb. I know you usually see the lamb done with rosemary, not oregano, but I LOVE fresh oregano as it grows wild in Greece and is the preferred herb for lamb.

In This Menu:

• Grilled Leg of Lamb
• Sweet Potato Puree
• Fresh Artichokes with Lemony Mayonnaise
• Broccoli Crowns with Butter
• Cyrus O’Leary Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 leg of lamb, boned (about 2 to 2½ pounds)
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons DaVinci Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh oregano, parsley, and thyme
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons coarse black pepper

PREPARATION

Fire up the grill. Place lamb in a shallow dish and pour vinegar and olive oil over lamb and rub into meat until lamb is evenly coated. Sprinkle the garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper evenly all over the surface of the meat, and again, rub until evenly coated. Place the lamb on a medium hot grill (350° if you have a thermometer) and roast for about 45 minutes until the meat thermometer registers 140°. Remove lamb from grill and allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Make sure you slice across the grain into ¼ inch thick slices. Serve with tzatziki.

INGREDIENTS

• 16 ounces (2 cups) of plain yogurt
• 4 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup of diced or grated cucumber (Kirby or “English”)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

PREPARATION

Prepare all ingredients in advance. Combine oil and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl. Fold the yogurt in slowly, making sure it mixes completely with the oil. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber. Stir until evenly distributed. Garnish with a bit of green and serve well chilled.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse, black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Hiland butter
• ½ cup Swanson’s chicken broth

PREPARATION

Peel potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes and place in saucepan. Fill pan with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1″. Turn on high heat and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Place potatoes with remaining ingredients in a countertop mixer and whip on high speed until smooth. You can also use an electric beater.

I remember the first time I cooked artichokes. I was 14 and had my first job at a legendary Springfield restaurant, Ebenezer’s. We would cook 3 or 4 cases at a time in a very large steam kettle and the pickling spice I use in the recipe below is from those Ebenezer’s days. I can still remember the wonderful aroma of the spices coming from the kettle while the artichokes cooked. I have not cooked or eaten artichokes in a very long time and forgot how wonderful they really are. Kids even seem to like them and enjoy pulling off the leaves. Who doesn’t?

INGREDIENTS

• 4 fresh artichokes
• 2 tablespoons pickling spice
• 3 tablespoons Kosher salt
• 2 lemons
• 1 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup DaVinci Extra Virgin
  Olive Oil
• 1 bulb garlic
• ¼ teaspoon each salt and
  black pepper

PREPARATION

Put 3 quarts of water in a large saucepan and add pickling spice and salt to water. Cut 1 lemon in half, squeeze juice into water from each half and drop the lemon halves into the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. While water is heating, prepare artichokes. Take off the outer leaves of the artichoke and cut ½ inch off of the top. With a sharp paring knife or kitchen shears, remove any remaining pointy spines. Cut off the ends of the artichokes right up to the base. When water is boiling, add the artichokes and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pan and cook artichokes for 30 to 40 minutes until an outer leaf pulls off easily.

Crush garlic bulb with the flat side of a large knife. Remove the skins from all of the cloves and put cloves in food processor. Add ½ of the olive oil to processor and chop garlic until fine using the pulse action. Scrape side of processor bowl to get an even chop. You can chop with a knife and then add oil to garlic. The garlic in oil will last weeks in the refrigerator and will taste much fresher than any garlic in a jar.

Cut other lemon in half and squeeze juice through a sieve to catch seeds into a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, the remaining oil, and 1 tablespoon of the garlic to the bowl. Add the salt and pepper and mix well.

Remove the artichokes from the water and drain well. Serve immediately with lemony mayonnaise. If you have never eaten them before, you are in for a treat! To eat them, pull off leaves, starting at the outside then dip bottom of leaf into mayonnaise. Pull the bottom part of the leaf through clenched teeth. The soft, edible part will come off the leaf. Discard the remainder of the leaf. As you move further inside the artichoke, there is more and more that is edible until you reach the prize, the heart! You will notice when you pull all of the inner leaves out of center, you will see a furry type substance. Cut this out and discard as it is not edible. What remains is the artichoke heart and is completely edible and really wonderful. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 broccoli crowns
• 3 tablespoons Hiland butter
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse, black pepper

PREPARATION

Cook broccoli until tender, but not soft. You can either steam or boil. When broccoli is done, immediately plunge in ice water to set the color. Remove from water and drain. In a small saucepan, melt butter with salt and pepper over low heat. Add broccoli to pan, cover and heat for abut 4 minutes until broccoli is warmed throughout.

Purchase at the Deli

I know many people who say that they don’t like lamb, which I feel is unfortunate because lamb is one of my favorite proteins. My mother had several lamb dishes in her repertoire including leg of lamb, lamb shanks, and lamb curry. The curry came about as a result of using the leftover meat from the roasted leg which is my favorite! I can remember coming home to the wonderful smell of lamb roasting with garlic and herbs, there really is nothing quite like it! I really like the tangy lemon flavor in this dish, and combined with the herbs and the garlic, it is truly outstanding!

INGREDIENTS  ( Serves 8 )

• 1 boneless leg of lamb (about 4 pounds netted), trimmed of excess fat
• 4 garlic cloves (2 thinly sliced, 2 crushed)
• Juice of 2 lemons (about ½ cup)
• 1 tablespoon each of coarsely chopped fresh marjoram, rosemary, and thyme (reserve a few whole sprigs for garnish)
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 russet potatoes (about 2½ pounds)

DIRECTIONS

• Place lamb in a large, shallow, nonreactive dish. Using a paring knife, make ½-inch-deep slits all over lamb, spacing 2 inches apart; insert 1 garlic slice into each slit. Pour lemon juice over top. Add herbs, crushed garlic, and 3 tablespoons oil to dish. Turn lamb to coat.
• Cover, and refrigerate at least 12 hours (up to 1 day), turning once.
• Remove lamb from marinade; reserve marinade. Season lamb with salt and pepper; transfer to a roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°. Peel potatoes; quarter lengthwise, and halve crosswise. Arrange potatoes around lamb; season with salt and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Toss to coat.
• Pour marinade over lamb and potatoes. Roast 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 400°, roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 140° for medium-rare to medium, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Tent with foil; let rest 20 minutes. Place on tray with potatoes and garnish with herb sprigs reserving pan drippings.
• Carve lamb into thin slices and place on plates with some of the potatoes. Spoon a little of the pan sauce over lamb as it is served. Enjoy!