Way back in 1999, the fall after I graduated high school, I got to go to Greece with my Mom, Dad, and sisters. We landed in Athens and stayed at a quaint little hotel right in the middle of the action. The plaka was full of life, exotic products, and restaurants. One thing I noticed at every restaurant was always a plate of horitaki next to carafes of delicious local wine. We later got to visit the town where my dad’s relatives lived called Akrata, it is a fisherman’s village on the coast and unencumbered by the mobs of tourist, full of culture it was like taking a walk back in time, the salad however was the same, Greek olive oil is so amazing, its fruity, aromatic and totally amazing, I remember wishing I could take home one of the five gallon drums they sold in the tiny stores where the even tinier widows would look at me with as much curiosity and I had for them. Until I actually went to Greece, I thought Greek salad had lettuce, I was mistaken. A proper Greek salad contains; tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, feta, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and usual dried oregano and maybe some fresh parsley. For my version today I used:
1 large heirloom tomato, any type will do as long as it is ripe, I sliced mine thin but traditionally it is chopped into large chunks.
1/2 English cucumber sliced thin, can also be chopped
a few thin slices of onion
2 oz of feta crumbled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 kalamata olives
salt and pepper
pinch dried oregano
tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley
1 pepperoncini sliced (optional)
Serves two
There are many variations on this classic, but I think it is best in its simplest and purest form, when the produce is fresh this salad is at its best and Summer is the prime time to serve this. Best really to not over complicate it, it can also easily be turned into a main if you serve it with some rustic bread or mix it with pasta for a great pasta salad. Want to send it over the top? Invest in Greek olive oil, as wonderful as Italian or California olive oil is, there is something special about the oil of my heritage
….opa!
Southwestern style chopped salad with homemade tomatillo ranch
Yes I shamelessly love shopping at the grocery outlet in my neighborhood….their beer selection is better than anywhere not to mention cheaper, the same stuff can cost you upwards of $1 + at the Wholefoods, unless wholefoods is running a promo. They carry tons of local produce, milk (dairy and non-dairy) organics, and cage free, organic eggs. Occasionally I will get really fabulous foreign imports or Earth friendly cleaning products. Also they have one of my favorite cashiers ever, he only works weekends and he makes everyone (even drunkards on motorized scooters) feel like family. Getting rung up by him can take upwards of 7 minutes or so….hard to wait sometimes, but always worth it, he may be wearing an ascot that day or a bandana, always bold in his fashion prowess he is a kindred spirit and I like his style, he makes a cashier job much more….he makes it a performance, and we patrons a captive audience. If he ever reads this, he knows who he is….Thank you for brightening mine and everyone else’s day. I remember when we first moved here and I knew nothing and nobody it was one of the first places I went to shop and I was wearing my son (he was 8 weeks old) and Ava who was 4 and he helped us feel at home and even “Welcomed” us to Portland. So today most of my food was bought at the GC, in the Hollywood district in PDX. Ava wanted chicken legs so made the recipe for my Wings?! We don’t want no stinking wings! (poulet “Legs” aux Buffalo stylie). I decided these would be great deboned, as like a Southwestern chopped salad, one like I order, when we are at our local pub….mine of course will be better since I can pick exactly what I want in it!
There was a plethora of treasures today at my store and besides the hassle of the prep work this salad is easy! So what I got is the chicken of course (recipe above). Two hearts of romaine, cleaned, chopped, ½ cup each diced jicama, carrot, celery, red pepper, corn, ¼ cup each radish, thin, green onions, avocado, 1 can black beans, rinsed, ¼ cup diced olives, shredded cheese (I used cabot’s chipotle cheddar)use what you like though, leave out what you don’t! I made a creamy cilantro style dressing, 1 clove garlic, ½ small onion, diced, 4 tbsp balsamic, ½ juice one lime, 1 tsp salt, ½ bunch cilantro, pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ cup Mexican crema, or sour cream, or yogurt…..blend till smooth. Top salad with tortilla chips if you like em’. Serves four as an entrée, eight as a side dish.
Faki (Greek Lentil Soup), also known as don’t “faki” with the old man’s soup!
Yep another install of lentil soup, but this is no run of mill “something I think up” soup. This is the real deal Greek style lentil soup that is simple yet outrageously good. You need nothing particularly special for this, more important it is the process that deems the desired result. I have a little story for you… about this soup, my dad, Nick, he loves the stuff….we didn’t eat it that often growing up but when we would have it or eat it at a restaurant and it was done to pop’s specifications it was always a work of art, and seemed to bring him more joy than the most expensive steak house meal. Lentils, aren’t art you say? Well try this then decide that. One brazen afternoon after I had finished my tenure at culinary tech college I decided I would whip up a “new” and “improved” version that I was sure would please my dad and he would never want to go back to the “old” way again. Knowing his longstanding love affair with Campbell soup’s bean with bacon, I added BACON! Bacon makes everything better right? WRONG, dead wrong….he ate a bite and his face fell, “did you add bacon?” “Yep, I did”. “It doesn’t have bacon, it never has meat in it.” He turned his Grecian nose up at it and never asked me to make it again…I have since gone back to the original and even made a few batches for him to try and I finally came up to with right formula. This experience taught me a valuable lesson, not everything is better with bacon, in fact the really good stuff needs nothing superfluous at all. Some things are about tradition, culture, nostalgia, there are some things my friends that we just can’t improve on. So today is my faki style lentil soup redemption, and if you’ve never had them this way, you are in for a treat.
1 lb bag of dried brown lentils, yep old run o’ mill $1 a bag kind
1 large onion, diced
5 yes 5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
10 cups of stock or water or both, I used 5 cups chicken stock and 5 cups of water
1 6oz can tomato paste
6 whole cloves
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp red pepper flake
¼ cup olive oil, extra for drizzling
4tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic till translucent, add carrots, celery, red pepper flakes and tomato paste, cook 2 minutes, add all of your liquid, rinsed and inspected lentils (you don’t want tiny rocks in your soup), bring to a boil, then simmer 1 ½ hours. Add salt (adjust to taste, depending on how salty your cooking liquid is), pepper, and oregano, add vinegar. Drizzle with a bit more oil and serve, you can add chopped parsley to beautify it, but not if you are serving it to my dad…maybe just a bit more dried oregano and maybe a drizzle of hot sauce (go with personal preference). This is great with a rustic bread or even your pantry staple saltines.
Asian persuasion cold noodle salad
Summertime and the livin is HOT! No air conditioning, and high humidity can totally change my dinner menu that is for sure. Tonight’s recipe du jour is a delicious, veggie filled, healthy cold noodle salad that basically take having to use the oven completely out of the equation. I don’t know if you would call this fusion necessarily as I just sorta put a bunch of stuff in that I had on hand and mimicked the flavors I love most from a couple different genres of Asian cookery. Either way with a bit of prep work you too can serve this lovely salad at your next event. Gonna have gluten free diners and vegans? We gotcha covered as this salad can be both! I love Asian cultures and cuisines and this is my attempt to combine flavor profiles and ingredients I have on hand to make a great summer salad, I am in no way claiming that this is authentic….it is however super tasty!
You will need:
8 oz Maifun noodles (put in a big bowl and cover with boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water, place back in bowl)
3 cups veggies of choice, I used edamame, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, red peppers, cucumbers, green onions, and a few heirloom grape tomatoes that I bought locally. I shredded most of mine or just chopped them. You can use whatever you like, you can even buy coleslaw mix (without dressing) and use that! Add these to noodles.
I made one recipe of my “dippy sauce” from my Lumpia recipe https://wp.pnwonderland.net/2013/05/16/guam-inspired-lumpia-this-aint-yo-mammas-egg-roll/ , and used the rest of oil from making my fried shallots http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/fried-shallots, for the dressing, if you don’t want to make the shallots just use ¼ cup salad oil. Pour over noodles and veg.
I topped my salad with some sesame seeds, fried shallots (recipe above), and some lime juice. Easy enough! Even better if you make it the day before! Try it…I think you will like it.
Elote (Mexican corn on the cob) or finding new and interesting things to do with a George Foreman Grill.
I have a confession….I have a new obsession. It is Elote! Elote is a street food from Mexico, basically grilled corn on the cob smothered in mayo (yuckers) or crema which is Mexican table cream (yummers), add some cojita cheese (I used feta, which is a totally reasonable substitution, even Parmesan would work…think salty), sprinkled with hot sauce, or chili powder depending on who’s cookin the grub (preference), top that sucker with some cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Corn season is on the horizon and I love using it when it’s fresh and delicious, I cut the kernels off the cob, I hate getting corn stuck in my teeth, and served it with corn chips (cornplosion!) but traditionally it is lathered and slathered and eatin right off the old cob. Great for when you are already gonna fire up the grill this corn is the perfect accompaniment to any grilled main, or as an appetizer. I wasn’t firing up the grill, so I dusted off my George Foreman grill, and used it to “grill” our cobbers. Seriously, my George Foreman grill is never used for its original purpose, I think it’s actually real terrible for cooking steaks or chicken, but hotdogs, bratwursts, Panini, or corn, it is quite a useful tool, especially if you don’t want to take the time to fire up the grill (optimal way, in my opinion), or do a boring boil (reduces nutrients). So if you have one of these, anyone married in the last decade probably received one as a gift, I did, try it for corn on the cob (remove the husk first), it takes about ten minutes to achieve the char I wanted, but it worked great! So seriously pull out the GF grill and use for corn…weird…yes…..but innovation comes from thinking outside the box!
Grilled tuna steak with mango salsa
Summer is here! With the season in full swing what is better then a grilled fish recipe? A grilled fish recipe with mango salsa of course! This is one of my favorite recipes of all time and I have been making it for several years, it’s light, tasty, and colorful and perfect if you are having guests over. I made this back in the summer of 2009 for a party with some co-workers and friends at my friend Adam’s house. That was an awesome summer and I have many a great memory from that time of life, so today I share with you a delicious, and easy fish recipe that has a great deal of nostalgia associated with it.
You will need:
4 Tuna steak 4-6 oz each
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Season your fish with salt, pepper and garlic then lightly oil each fillet, over medium high heat on a grill or grill pan, cook fish for about 3-4 minutes on each side (mid rare). Set aside.
Salsa:
2 small mangos or 1 large, chopped into small dice
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1 jalepeno, diced small
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Mix ingredients together, can be made the day before. Serve on top of fish fillets and serve with lime wedges. The perfect dish for hot summer nights.
5 ingredient Tri-colored roasted potatoes
Sometimes when I’m shopping at farmer’s markets or even the regular grocery store, my menu will change based upon what looks good to me at the time. I was at my local store and saw that they carried a special variety of purple sweet potato, they were local, farmed in WA, seasonal and a steal at $1.99 a lb. The California garnets also caught my eye, they were a bit pricier but not much and since I only needed one it is still way cheaper than buying premade frozen ones….not to mention tastier in general. To round out my palate I also picked up a WA russet, just to add a bit more starch and a less sweet variation and color. I instantly thought of roasting them, I have to admit….I didn’t really like sweet potatoes till my late 20’s (growing up with the canned ones topped with marshmallows, no Bueno)but since then it has been quite a passionate admiration. So here it is a fab, easy, only a few ingredients needed side dish that can sometimes upstage the main!
1 of each potato, garnet, russet, waxy, purple, whatever looks good to you
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Indian curry powder
Thinly sliced shallots or onions
Pre heat oven to 425 degrees. Try to buy potatoes that are about the same size, peel and cut into pieces about the same size (so cooking time will be the same). On a lightly oiled sheet pan (I used olive oil, just a light coating, if you are feeling extra lazy you can use Olive oil pam), add potatoes in one layer, add a lil more oil, add, salt, pepper, curry, and shallots or onions (1 shallot, or half a medium onion).
Roast for 25 minutes, done….I topped ours with some cilantro I had, but you can use any fresh herb you have on hand or leave it out completely.
Wanna take this recipe to a whole new galaxy? Add my recipe for tzatiki, from yesterday’s gyro recipe to still warm potatoes…tuber heaven!
Roasted Portabello Gyros
Growing up in a Greek restaurant I’ve met my fair share of gyros. Today’s version is one I have never done nor have I seen available anywhere. I love roasting or grilling portabello mushrooms, I use them all time to replace meat in dishes. I was totally craving gyros today and since it was meatless Monday I figured I would try my hand at a new version of this all time favorite. They ended up delicious and even my two year old couldn’t get enough.
For the mushrooms, I just make sure and use a pastry brush to remove any dirt or debris, I DO NOT rinse them. The one’s I found at my store today were local and huge! So I only needed two for four gyros.
I preheated my oven to 375, then on a sheet pan I placed my clean mushrooms, with removed stems. I dosed them heavily with balsamic vinegar, about a half cup, then sprinkle with sea salt, dried oregano, pepper, I used some springs of fresh time I had, and a few cloves of minced garlic. Drizzle lightly with good olive oil and roast 20 minutes or grill five to seven minutes per side. Done…I let them cool a bit then sliced them thinly.
For the pita, I purchased some that are made locally, of spelt flour and they are super delicious. I have made my own and they are great, but I didn’t have the extra hour and half today….so as long as you buying good quality, preservative free pita’s you will be fine. Trader Joe’s also makes a real tasty wheat “flat bread” that are cheap and would work great in a pinch. Ours are from Aladdin’s in Beaverton, OR.
I sliced some red pepper (you can use tomatoes), and a shallot thin to top with. Then I made my tzatziki, this is the crown jewel of any good gyro, I used 1 cup lebni (Greek Sour cream) but you can use Greek Yogurt, I wouldn’t recommend going the “fat free” route since they are basically filled with unnatural thickening agents and don’t give you the right taste…sorry….don’t like fat free dairy…totally gross. I crushed two cloves of garlic into a paste, shredded a local pickling cuc from Washington, and the zest of a lemon, added that to the lebni, chopped some baby dill, and used about half a tsp of dried mint that come from my friend Heidi’s garden. Stir together, and finish with a lil drizzle of good olive oil, can be made a day ahead. Easy, 30 minute, meatless Monday meal, Take that Rachel Ray! Yassou!
Sexy Tex-Mexi Tacos
While I was visiting my fam in the Utah, my nephew’s girlfriend Felisha treated us to some lovely tacos. She made them with ground beef, made her own pico, served them with some onions and cilantro, and gave the corn tortillas a quick dip in some hot oil so they were almost like puffy tacos, a famous style of Texas taco that is neither soft nor crisp…just delicious. I felt inspired, and my family loves tacos, so I decided to make my own version…and ya know what? They were fiesta inspiring! I also did some sneaky “Mom” stuff like added some veggies to meat mixture and topped them with a healthy dose of romaine and radish. This worked great for a fast, Friday dinner that pleases everyone.
Beef filling
1 lb 85/15 ground beef
2 carrots grated
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
In a skillet over medium high heat, brown the beef with the onion and carrot, till golden, drain fat. Add tomato paste and seasonings and 3 Tbsp water….let simmer while you prep your toppins and fix your tortillas.
In a shallow skillet, add about an inch of canola (or other high smoke point oil of choice) heat to medium high. Add tortillas one by one until they bubble and puff, this will take about thirty seconds if your oil is the right temp. I used some locally made corn tortillas, they only have three ingredients, corn, lime, water. The shelf stable variety tend to have too many hard to pronounce chemicals for my taste. Drain tortillas on paper towels.
Assembly
I shredded half a head of organic romaine (lettuce is a good one to buy organic as it is highly susceptible to chemicals.
1 cup grated cheese, I used cheddar
A few thinly sliced radishes
1 bunch cilantro (I added the stems to my meat mixture)
Salsa verde
Salsa roja
I didn’t make my own salsa today due to time issues, my son just turned two and is especially mischievous right now, and I have great access to local salsas. But if you have the time I say make your own, especially if you are growing tomatoes!!! These were fast and easy and fit into my budget. I make a lot of tacos but these ones were in honor of Felisha’s version. Gracias Felisha!
Rigatoni with Roasted garlic tomato sauce topped with summer veg
Growing up we ate spaghetti with ground beef, tomato paste, and dried spices at least once a week. I loved my mom’s simple version of a Bolognese with green can, grated parmesan, honestly, I still do! I make my own variation for my fam often, because it’s cheap and a total crowd pleaser. Pasta and some form of red sauce is a favorite of mine, even Mario Batali claims that if he could only eat one thing again it would be pasta and red sauce. It’s summer here and a meat laden pasta isn’t exactly the most appetizing thing when it hot and humid, so I decided to do a vegetarian variation, that’s a bit lighter, and lighter still on the old budget!
• Sauce
1 28 oz can good Italian plum tomatoes
1 head garlic, roasted (cut off the top of the bulb, drizzle with olive oil, bake at 350 till mushy and golden, about 45 minutes) cool, squish outta the bulbs and mash with a fork.
½ cup wine, if you won’t drink it, don’t cook with it
1 shallot, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
In a medium sauce pan heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and red pepper, cook till shallots are transparent. Add wine, tomatoes (crushed), roasted garlic, salt and pepper. Turn heat to low.
• Veggies
1 small zuchinni sliced thin (I used a mandolin)
1 carrot, sliced think (again I used a mandolin)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 lb rigatoni
2 tsp butter
In a large pan boil salted water for pasta and broccoli, when boiling add pasta, bring back to a boil, add pasta, cook about 9 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Drain, add 2 tsp butter or olive oil (vegan), set aside.
In a small skillet heat a T or so olive oil to medium high, add zucchini and carrots, saute about five minutes.
Top pasta and broccoli with sauce and veggies, I like to finish with pecorino and fresh Italian parsley.
Mange!
