Greek Night!!

So I have been wanting to do gyros for awhile, and for some reason, lately I have just wanted stuff from different countries.  So I planned an exotic menu for the week and we shopped for all of the ingredients.  Tonight was Greek Night...we had gyros, greek salad and we're about to have baklava for dessert as soon as it's cool.  I think it was a success, but it was not my husband's favorite.  Though I do think my in-laws enjoyed it.

Traditionally, gyros are made with lamb and beef together,  roasted on a spit and then shaved very thinly.  Lamb is kind of pricey in Utah, so we went with just the flank steak.  It turned out well, even though not quite as authentic.  I include the recipe for the toppings, as well as the greek salad dressing, and the baklava.

Gyros

1 flank steak
steak marinade (I didnt use my recipe this time, I used a bottle of Lawry's steak and chops marinade.  Use whatever you have)
Tzatziki sauce (recipe follows)
tomato and red onion salsa (recipe follows)
lettuce
4 pitas

Directions for gyro below sauce recipes.  (sorry, just works better that way)

Tzatziki sauce

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced very finely
1 c plain greek yogurt (the thicker stuff)
1 tsp dry dill weed
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic (I used a press)
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper

Mix together, refrigerate til needed for gyros.  Can be made ahead.

Tomato and Onion Salsa
1 small tomato (I used a roma, but whatever you have), diced very small
1/4 small red onion, diced finely
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 c balsamic vinegar

Stir together ingredients, place in fridge til needed.


Marinate flank steak overnight in a ziplock bag.  when ready to serve, grill steak, 5 minutes per side over medium high heat.   Let it rest for a few minutes, then slice it thinly.  Warm pitas in microwave or on very low temp in oven.  Assemble gyros by starting with tzatziki sauce in the bottom of center of pita (fold it like a taco, not like a pocket bread), then the meat, then the tomato onion salsa, and then finally the lettuce.  Enjoy!

Greek Salad

1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 small can sliced olives, or 1/2 regular can of sliced olives (usually this is kalamata olives, but the family likes black olives better.  Use what you like.)
1/2 small block feta cheese, cut into thin strips, or crumbled
1/4 small red onion, diced finely
Dressing, recipe follows.

Greek Salad Dressing

1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/8 c white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 small clove garlic, pasted or pressed
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 c canola oil

Mix together either in a salad dressing mixer or in a bowl with a whisk.  Shake or whisk til well blended.  Pour over salad and toss.

Toss all ingredients together.  Pour over dressing, toss.  Enjoy.


Baklava

40 sheets of phyllo dough (1 full pkg) thawed.
3 sticks butter, melted
5 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
honey syrup, recipe follows

Honey Syrup

2 c sugar
2 c water
1 c honey
zest of 1 lemon

Mix together in small saucepan, bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Should be warm when putting on top of baklava.

Directions for baklava assembly

Mix the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Layer 12 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing with butter between each sheet.  Keep the sheets moist by covering with a damp paper towel.  After layering the dough with the butter for 12 sheets, top with 1/3 the walnut mixture, and spread evenly.  Layer again on top another 12 sheets of dough, again, brushing each sheet with butter before adding another sheet.  Then add another layer of walnuts.   Top with 8 more layers of the dough sheets, again buttering each time you lay a sheet down.  Top with last bit of walnut mixture, and then cover with the remaining 8 sheets of dough.  Cover the top layer of dough sheet with the rest of the butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Top with warm syrup, then cool completely, and serve.

Wonton Soup

Okay, I got a request to find a recipe for Wonton Soup, and because I love requests and new challenges, I have been working on doing this for awhile.  We finally got all of the ingredients, and so now I am happy to announce that I found a good recipe, tested it on my in-laws, and I am now very excited to share this information with you.  I made veggie tempura on the side, and it was a hit!

I must admit, I did borrow this recipe from Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network website.  But I loved it, and so did my family.  Try it, you will like it too!

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, plus 3 tablespoons finely chopped
• 10 cups canned low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• About 30 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced bok choy
• 1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots

Directions

In a large saucepan or soup pot heat the oil over medium high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of sliced scallions and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low so that the broth just simmers. Allow broth to simmer for at least 20 to 30 minutes while the wontons are being assembled.

In a small mixing bowl combine the remaining teaspoon of minced garlic, remaining tablespoon of chopped ginger, 3 tablespoons of finely chopped scallions, the pork, egg yolk, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and crushed red pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Working on a flat work surface, lay out a few of the wontons. (Keep remaining wonton wrappers covered with plastic wrap.) Fill a small bowl partially with cool water and set aside. Using a teaspoon measure, place a heaping teaspoonful of the meat filling in the center of each wonton. Using your fingers, lightly wet the edges of the wonton. Bring 2 opposite corners of the wonton together to form a triangle and enclose the filling, pressing edges firmly around the mound of filling to eliminate any air pockets and seal. Moisten opposite corners of the long side. Curl moistened corners toward each other, overlapping one on top of the other, and press the edges together to seal. You should now have a rounded stuffed wonton with a triangle poking up at the top. Assemble the remaining wontons in the same manner. When the wontons are all assembled, set aside.

Add the sliced bok choy, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots to the broth and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Using your hands or a slotted spoon, gently add the prepared wontons to the simmering broth. Increase the heat slightly so that the broth returns to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally (very gently), until the wontons float and the pork filling is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

**NOTE** Instead of chopping the ginger, I used a fine grater (grates stuff really small) or you could use a microplane.  I used a garlic press for the garlic, as well.  I think the broth tasted good, but I think I could probably get away with watering it down a bit next time, it had a strong enough flavor that if you needed to stretch it with some more liquid you could.  I also used dehydrated shitakes, and just hydrated them by boiling some water, removing it from the heat, and then tossing in the mushrooms to soak for about 20 minutes.  Make sure if you have leftovers, you fish out the wontons and store them in a separate container, or they will get mushy in the soup broth. If you have leftover wontons, either freeze them or refrigerate them on a cookie sheet, and then once frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag.  You can fry them in a deep fryer or toss them in the soup the next time you make this.  

New Pizza Dough recipe

Right so we really like this Whole Wheat pizza dough that we've done in the past.  But Carmel makes it.  Pizza dough seems to take for ever to make and have endless complications to recipes.  So this my new recipe, I got it from these guys.  What I like about this recipe is that it is simple enough that I can memorize.

Step 1
1 1/2 C luke warm water
stir in 1 T yeast
wait 5 minutes

While waiting
Step 2
3 1/2 C flour
pinch of salt

Put them together using a spatula
Mix some flour in it with your bare hands


See seriously how hard is that.  That's all there is to it.  I think I'll make a movie.  Then I thought no my main man Alton probably already has a movie somewhere around here and I saw THIS:


So I've decided it's time I go capture some of my own yeast, so if this works out I'll make a video.

Cous Cous Stuffed Bell Peppers

Okay, so I was chatting it up with my friend Amie on Gmail chat (she lives in California, so we keep in touch that way), and she was telling me what she made for dinner that night.  You know me, I like to get ideas from others and try all kinds of new things.  Well, she had made stuffed red bell peppers that night.  Easy enough, I've had it before.  But get this...she stuffed them with cous cous!  Hooray for that Moroccan carb I love so much!  She gave me the basics and I took it from there....and we had them for dinner last night.  Super tasty, and I hope you enjoy them too!

Cous Cous Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 box flavored cous cous, any kind
1/2 to 3/4 lb pork sausage (Amie used turkey sausage I think, and I used the lean jimmy dean stuff, whatever works)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and chopped very finely
any other veggie you like.  mushrooms would have been good, but I didn't have any
4 sweet bell peppers (I used red, but you could use orange or yellow as well.  Green ones are a bit more bitter, so I stay away from those for this)

Cut the tops off your bell peppers and then gently remove the ribs and seeds.  Set aside.  Brown your sausage and break into small crumbly pieces, and then add garlic and onions and whatever else you like to the mix.   Remove from heat when veggies are tender.  Cook the cous cous according to the pkg.  Generally it says to boil the water with some oil or butter and seasoning packet, then add cous cous and remove from heat and cover.   Let it steam for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.  Add to your sausage veggie mixture, and then stuff your peppers, and then top it all off with some parmesan cheese.  In a square baking dish, place peppers evenly spaced (one in each corner, generally) and then add about 3/4 c water to the pan to keep them from burning (releases steam into the oven, and therefore doesn't roast your peppers).  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

**Note** My mom says she generally parboils her peppers first, but I kind of liked that I hadn't this time.  Makes them a bit more crisp and I like the added texture.  You can do that if you like them a bit softer.  All you have to do is bring your water to a boil and then toss in the peppers until they turn a bright red or yellow or whatever color your pepper is, then pull them out.  I like my bell peppers more on the raw side, and everything inside the stuffing is cooked, so it's a personal taste thing.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Pizza

Alright, so I have posted a couple of recipes for pizza dough, but I haven't posted this recipe for pizza.  Jeff and I like to try different toppings on our pizza, and because we don't have any kids yet, we can get away with a lot of more adult flavors (rather than cheese and pepperoni only).   We tried this recipe out and then tried it for his parents and his family loved it!  I enjoy it a lot as well, and I hope you will too!

1 recipe Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (makes 2 pizzas)

1 container spinach artichoke dip (I like to use the stuff that is meant to be warmed, you can find it at Costco or Sam's Club, and it's usually in the refrigerated section)

1 small can of artichoke hearts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 chicken breast, cut into small bite sized strips

olive oil, salt and pepper

about a lb (16 oz) of mozzarella cheese, shredded

Once dough has risen and you have punched it down, stretch it out to about a 12 inch round.  I like a thicker crust, so I kind of make a bit of ridge at the edges.  Bake this dough for about 8-10 minutes, at 400 degrees. Top with dip, and spread to cover the crust, then add artichoke hearts, 

The Ultimate Pizza...

...in our humble opinions.  I tried to recreate the fantastic pizza we had in Park City, pictured here.  It didn't look as pretty, but tasted pretty close to the restaurant version.  Anyone in Utah should still go to Park City and check out the real thing at www.nypcpizza.com (well, get the address there and then go there to get the wonderful amazing absolutely perfect pizza you'll ever eat).  Until then, here is my version. 

"Wasatch White" Pizza

This one is my personal favorite, though I love both.  My husband likes the pesto better, but also loves both.  Instead of sauce, it uses ricotta cheese on the bottom, then its topped with loads of finely chopped garlic and mozzarella cheese.

1/3 recipe pizza dough, see below
1/2 c whole milk ricotta cheese
1 head garlic, peeled, smashed and minced very finely
1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Stretch and roll dough out til about a 12" round.   Pour just a bit of olive oil on the pan or stone you use so it doesn't stick.  Place dough on pan, and then brush with a bit of melted butter.  Spread ricotta cheese with back of spoon on to dough.  Sprinkle with lots of garlic, and then top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for another 15 minutes.

Basic Pizza Dough (found here)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
3 1/2 c flour
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

Combine yeast and water, and stir very gently with a fork.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Place flour into a large mixing bowl, and when yeast/water mixture is ready, pour over flour and knead gently with hands til combined.  Add olive oil and salt.  Knead until soft dough forms, and add a little more flour if it is too sticky.   Wash out the bowl, and grease it lightly with olive oil before placing dough back in, and then cross cut the top of the dough and grease again with olive oil to keep soft.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, til double in size.  Punch down, and then divide into 3 pieces to use for 3 12" pizzas.

"Prospector Pesto" Pizza

Pesto is used as the sauce in this one, then topped with garlic, mozzarella and roma tomatoes.

1/3 recipe pizza dough (see above)
2 heaping tablespoons pesto, recipe here or use store-bought
1/2 head garlic, peeled and minced finely
1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 roma tomatoes, diced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll out dough to 12" and place on greased pizza stone or pan.  Brush with melted butter, and then top with pesto and spread sauce with back of spoon.  Top with garlic, and then the mozzarella and tomatoes.  Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350 degrees and bake another 15 minutes.

More Pasta...

So tonight I was the only one home when it time to start cooking, because my sweet mother in law stepped in to help my husband clean the apartment while I visited my sister, brother in law, and brand new perfect nephew.  I was in the mood to cook again, but didn't have much inspiration for the evening.  So I made pasta again, its a go to.  Close to stuff I have done before, yet different enough to have a distinctly different flavor.  So I hope you enjoy.

Baked Rotini with Pesto Alfredo and Chicken or Beef

1 lb rotini, again, I used whole wheat
4 chicken tenders cut into bite sized pieces, or about 1/4 lb sliced flank steak (I used stir fry pre-sliced steak)
2 roma tomatoes, diced
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
3 c milk
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
3 to 4 tbsp pesto sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Bring large pot of water to a boil, generously salted.  Cook pasta to pkg directions in water, then drain.  Set aside.  Melt butter in a small saucepan, and then add onion and garlic; saute til onion is tender.  Add flour, and stir til onion and garlic are coated and butter absorbed.  Add milk and stir til smooth.  Stir in pesto, Parmesan, and then add tomatoes.  Simmer over low heat.

Cook chicken or beef in a bit of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Toss sauce and meat with pasta and pour into baking dish.  Top with more Parmesan cheese and breadcrumb and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

**NOTE** I made both chicken and beef because my father in law doesn't like chicken.  I just split the pasta in half and tossed it separately with the chicken and the beef, and poured into small 8x8 square pans, rather than the full sized 9x13.