March 1, 2010
Tags: greek
Here is a great recipe that’s super easy and Will and I love to eat. If you can’t find Greek yogurt (which I never can), take 1.5 times the amount of yogurt recipe calls for and put on a paper towel inside a sieve. Let the yogurt drain for 4 hours over a bowl to thickent the yogurt. This will help the consistency of the yogurt. I can never get the recipe to stay in patty form, so I just cook it like ground beef and we put it into the pitas like that.
Lamb or Chicken Pita Pockets
Recipe Courtesy Rachael Ray, www.foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
- Handful cilantro leaves
- Handful mint leaves
- Handful basil leaves
- 1 cup Greek style plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon cumin, a palm full
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grill seasoning blend, 1 1/3 palm fulls (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or ground lamb
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
- 4 pita pockets
- 1 cup mango chutney
- 8 leaves tender lettuce
Directions
Place the herbs in a food processor and pulse grind them into a fine chop. In a bowl combine the herbs, yogurt, cumin and grill seasoning. Add the meat and mix to combine. Form into 4 large, very thin patties. Wash up and preheat a large nonstick skillet with a couple tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook patties 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Heat a small second skillet over high heat and blister the pitas on each side. Cut tops off the bread and fill pita pockets with patties, lettuce and chutney.
February 3, 2010
Tags: cheese, family classic, greek, spinach
Greek Croustade
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1/4 C. onion
3 T. butter or margarine
3 T. flour
1/4 t. dried tarragon, crushed
1 C. milk
2 beaten eggs
1 C. cream-style cottage cheese
1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese
10 sheets frozen phyllo dough (17X12-inch rectangles), thawed
1/2 C. butter or margarine, melted
Cook spinach according to package directions; drain well, pressing out excess liquid. In saucepan cook onion in the 3 T. butter till tender. Stir in flour, tarragon, and 1/8 t. pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir a bit of the hot mixture into the eggs and keep adding until all mixed. Stir in cheeses and set aside.
Unroll the phyllo dough; cover with dampened towel (or work quickly!). Remove 1 sheet of dough; brush lightly with some of the 1/2 c. butter. Fold in thirds lengthwise; brush the top with butter. Place one end of the folded sheet in center of a 12 or 14-inch pizza pan extending it over side of pan. Repeat buttering and folding with the remaining phyllo dough and butter; arrange strips spoke-fashion evenly around pan. (The ends of each sheet will overlap in center and be about 3 inches apart at outer ends.) Spread spinach mixture in an 8-inch circle in center of pastry. Starting with the last phyllo leaf placed in the pan, lift end of leaf up and bring toward center of filling. Holding end with both hands, twist end several times; coil and tuck end under to form a rosette. Lay rosette over filling, leaving a 3-inch circle in center (filling should be visible). Repeat with remaining strips in the reverse order they were placed. Drizzle any remaining butter over all. Bake in 375 degree oven 35-40 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or cool. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes 8 side-dish servings.