Sunday Dish

Classic Greek Chicken

Learning to make Greek Chicken as I was growing up was kind of like a rite of passage.  There was a friendly competition between all the women in my family as to who could make the best batch...to see who's version could cause the eater to take that first bite and then close their eyes blissfully.  Even though we all used the same ingredients there is something intangible about what each cook does to this recipe that can make it transcend ordinary baked chicken.   

What truly makes me happy is that this recipe has been passed on beyond the familial boundaries and I now have friends who will call up to tell me they made this dish for their family and how well it turned out.  Nothing could make me feel more proud!

I haven't put exact measurements for some of the ingredients you'll have to trust your palate and use your best judgment with that.  As the weather begins to get cooler this is an easy, comfort food, kind of supper. Let me know how it turns out...

Ingredients:

1 whole cut up chicken - discard the innards.  You can also use your favorite chicken pieces, but if you do be sure to use bone in chicken with the skin on.  Even if you remove the skin later, trust me, it will be much better if you cook with the skin on.

1-2 lbs. red potates

Juice of 6 lemons

1 cup white wine

1 can chicken broth

8 garlic cloves  - thinly sliced

olive oil

salt and pepper

Dried Oregano

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Rinse your chicken and pat it dry

Clean potatoes and depending on the side either cut them in half or quarter them.

Place the chicken in a large roasting pan and scatter the cut up potatoes amongst the chicken pieces.

Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and potatoes - you want to lightly coat each piece - then rub the oil in with your hands.

Pour the lemon juice, half the white wine and half of the can of broth over the chicken & potatoes.

Scatter the garlic slices around the pan.

Season all the chicken generously with salt, pepper and oregano.  Don't be shy - you don't want wimpy flavors - think Greek!

Place the pan in the oven and let it bake for 20-30 minutes until the skin starts to brown.  Baste the chicken, then lower the heat to 375 degrees.  Bake for another 40-60 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, basting at least every 20 minutes - you can do it more if you like. 

Note:  If the sauce in the bottom of your pan begins to dry out, add the remaining wine and chicken broth.  If not,  drink the wine and keep the chicken broth for another day.

Once the chicken is done,  remove it from the oven, cover  the pan with foil and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with Peasant Salad or Corn Salad (I'll post those simple recipes another day) along with a nice white wine and a toasted baguette to sop up all that fabulous lemony sauce!

Opa!!

Chicken with Lemons and Olives

I haven't been cooking as much as I'd like lately.  It bums me out.  I look around at all my favorite blogs (and the ones I wish I had time to frequent more regularly) and I see delicious things like Gingammonbread a la A Southern Grace,  Fennnel and Fig salad from Bitchin Camero and even something as simple as slow roasted tomatoes from Smitten Kitchen.  Gosh, it all looks so good, and I have been adding too infrequently to the fray, for my taste.   

But,  I got my druthers together the other night, and threw together this yummy chicken.  I think I may be slightly insane for cooking a chicken in the oven when it's 90 + degrees outside, but that's what central air conditioning is for....give me a "holla" if you agree!

Chicken with Lemons and Olives

- 1 chicken (2 1/2 - 3lbs)

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon turmeric

- 1 red onion

- 1 cup white wine

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 2 tablespoons honey

- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root

- 4 lemons - quartered

- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted

- olive oil to cook brown the chicken

- salt and pepper

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Start by mixing the cinnamon and the turmeric together...

Then rub it all over the chicken, get under the skin as much as possible.

Note:  I was a newbie to turmeric.  It STAINS!  It's a gorgeous color, but it stains.  It stained the counter, the utensils, the cutting board and my finger nails (yes, gross).  Suffice it to say I spent quite a while scrubbing said counters and cutting boards. And my nails?  Cut to the quick, the next day.  Just an fyi.  Next time?  Plastic gloves and much more care will be involved when seasoning with turmeric.   Moving on....

From there, brown the chicken in a generous amount of olive oil.  Use a dutch oven or other pot that can go from stove top to oven.  Another note, don't make the same mistake I did.  Don't try to turn the chicken over too quickly or you may rip the skin off.  It doesn't change the flavor, but it can ruin how it looks,  and looks count in my book (at least when it comes to food!)

While the chicken is browning cut up one, large red onion.

Ain't she a beaut?   
Then,  remove said chicken, set aside and cook the onions in the rendered chicken fat.

Once the onions are soft  (5-10 minutes) deglaze the pan with white wine.   Then add the chicken broth, honey and ginger root and combine.

Make sure to scrape up all the good bits.  Then pop the chicken back into the pot.

Scoop some of the goodness on top of the chicken. 

Cover, and put it in the oven at 370 degrees for 30 minutes.

After 1/2 an hour pull the chicken out of the oven and add the lemons, olives and salt and pepper to taste.   (Not to obsess, but see the missing bit 'o' skin?  Ooooh!  As Handsome Cohorts youngest daughter would say.... "Tartar Sauce!"    That's how Sponge Bob curses, I believe.)

Cover it back up, pop it back in the oven and continue to cook for another 45 minutes.

The Results:
I served this with steamed veggies.   The flavor was tart and sweet all at the same time.  I really enjoyed it.  It was different, but that's a good thing in my book.   The best part?  When I took the left over chicken and turned it into chicken salad.  I forgot to document it though...
"TARTER SAUCE!"

Fassolakia - Green Bean With Tomatoes

How many of you went on a diet this summer?  I can't see them, but I can feel hands raising across the world.  One of my favorite food programs to follow, the Mediterranean diet,  just happens to contain my favorite foods in the world.  Lucky me!  It's all about lean meats, fresh veggies, including lots of tomatoes, and good for you fats.  I lean toward Greek recipes which are high in flavor. 

Fassolakia - means green beans.  This dish, like most Greek dishes, has many different versions.  The common ingredients, green beans (of course) potatoes and tomatoes. This can be served hot, but is usually served at room temperature, making it a great summer dish, or a good make ahead kind of thing.  The only real task is snapping the ends off the green beans, but that's what Little Chef is for! ;)

Fassolakia:

Ingredients: 

- 1 pound green beens - end trimmed off

  - 1 pound white potatoes - scrubbed and cute to the thickness you like, I tend to like my pieces on the bigger side, but, dealers choice!

- 1 large yellow onion - chopped

- olive oil

- 5 cloves garlic - minced

- 1/2 cup red wine

- 1 can diced tomatoes with the juice

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 2 teaspoons oregano

- salt & pepper

- 1/2 cup or more water

- 3 pods allspice (did you know that allspice is really ground from a dried fruit?  I didn't!  Read all about allspice here...)

- 1 tablespoon butter

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Start by cooking your onions and garlic in a generous amount of olive oil.  Cook until the onions are soft, but not brown.

Then add your washed and trimmed green beans to the pot and give them a good toss.   Let those cook for about 10 minutes, or until the green beens begin to get tender.

Next deglaze the pan with the red wine, then add all the remaining ingredients, except the tomato paste and the butter, combine well.

Let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce the heat and place a lid on the pot half way.  You want some steam to escape so your sauce will thicken up.  Let that cook for about an hour. 

Uncover the pot add the tomato paste and let the sauce continue to thicken for about 15 minutes. Finally, add the butter, combine then take the pot off the heat.  Let the mixture stand until it's room temperature.

Serve it as is, or, if you like, sprinkle a little feta cheese on top!

The Results: 

This dish is easy to make, very flavorful and good for you too!  We actually enjoyed it for breakfast the next day.  I tried it cold as well, and although the flavor held up, the texture wasn't my favorite.  I'd make this again in the winter time and eat it piping hot with some crunch French bread and lots of butter.  But while it's still swim suit weather, I think I'll stick to this version.

Spanikopita

Ah, Spanikopita.  There are no words to describe how much I love this dish.  It's sister recipe, Tyropita, (or just plain "pita" as we call it in my family) is definitely our holiday indulgence.  It's basically nothing but butter and cheese wrapped up in phyllo dough and baked to a delicious goodness. Ain't nothin' wrong with that people, ain't nothin' wrong with that!

We often get together, sometime in early November, and form a big assembly line.  Grandmas, moms, cousins and nieces, all lined up folding lovely little triangles of cheesy goodness.  I promise you, I'll share that recipe with you sometime near the holidays.

In the meantime, Spanikopita, is the healthier version of the two.  Whip of a batch, serve it with a salad and you will feel like you had a decadent dish without all the guilt.  Don't get me wrong, it's got cheese and butter in it too!   But it's also got lots of spinach, so c'mon, it's good for you!   Right? Say it with me now...riiiggghhht! 

There are as many versions of Spanikopita recipes on the web as there are Greek cooks.  This recipe was given to me by my Nana (through my Mom and Grandma) and I have tweaked it a bit.  But I promise you, although it has a few more ingredients then some of the recipes you may have seen, it is worth it.   I hope you like it.  I know I did and Little Chef  (my daughter) did too.

Ingredients:

2 - 16 oz. bags of chopped spinach.  Put the spinach in a colander and let it thaw completely, allow at least 2 hours for this.

1 large brown onion - diced

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1/3 cup fresh mint -  chopped

1/3 cup fresh dill - chopped

 
16 oz. feta cheese.  Please don't buy the pre-crumbled kind, it's too dried out. Buy the kind that comes packaged in brine so it's  nice and creamy.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon each of allspice and nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 package of phyllo dough.  Let it thaw out in the refrigerator overnight.    Trust me, it's super delicate and if you just leave it out on the counter to thaw, it's going to make you pull your hair out later.

1 stick of butter - melted
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1.  After your spinach is thawed, squeeze as much excess water out of it as you can.   I have found the easiest way to do this is to get a bunch of paper towels, scoop up the spinach and squeeze it out over the sink.  It's a bit gross, but it works.  Don't over think it, just get as much moisture out as you can.  Then set the spinach in a large mixing bowl.

2.  Saute your onions and garlic until they are soft, about 7 minutes.  Once they have cooled add them to the spinach mixture along with the mint and the dill.


3.  In a separate bowl, combine the feta, egg and seasonings.   Mix well.

4. Then add the feta mixture to the spinach mixture and fold together.   Set aside.

5.  Prepare your phyllo dough.  Begin by taking 4 paper towels, wetting them, and then squeezing as much water out of them as possible.  You want them to be moist, but not dripping.  Lay your phyllo dough,  in the large stack, onto a cutting board and cover it gently with the damp paper towels. 

6.  Carefully take one sheet of phyllo and lay it on a separate cutting board.  Brush the surface lightly (don't saturate the dough) with butter.  Lay another sheet of phyllo on top of the first and brush that one with butter as well.

7.  Cut the dough - width wise - into 6 strips.  Then place a spoonful of the spinach mixture onto the bottom of each one.  Roll the strips into triangles.

8.  compete this process until you have used all the dough and all the spinach mixture.

Note:  This gets easier with each roll.  Little Chef and I had some really bad ones - here's an example of good and not so good: 


If you want to cook the triangles immediately, heat the oven to 350, place them on a foil lined baking sheet, and bake until golden brown - 20 - 25 minutes.  Otherwise, place the triangles in a single layers, divided by wax paper, into a container. You can freeze them for months.  When you are ready to use them, simply take the desired amount out, and cook them the same as the others.

Tzadziki

Tzadziki, yum, I love it!  It's a Greek appetizer/dip/salad/meze.  Whatever you want to call it, it's delish!

There are many different variations of the recipe but all include plain yogurt and cucumbers.

This is one of the easiest appetizers you can make,  and not only is it yummy, it's  fairly low in calorie as well, bonus!

The only part that's a little time consuming is peeling, seeding and dicing the cucumbers.  Once you get that of the way it's smooth sailing.

Serve it with some pita bread, a little feta and some Kalamata olives and it's the perfect summer nosh.

Ingredients:

2-3 large cucumbers:  peeled, seeded and diced.  (Some recipes call for you to salt the cuc's and let them sit to draw out the moisture, but I find this too time consuming.  In my experience, as long as  you take the seeds out, you're good to go.)

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt.  If you can find the Greek kind, great.  If not, any plain yogurt will do.

1/4 cup sour cream

1 clove of garlic - minced

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves - finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh dill - finely chopped (make sure there are no stems!)

salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all the ingredient together in a non reactive bowl.  Check your seasonings and add more of what you like. 
I suggest covering the dip and letting it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, this way the flavors will blend together better.