Tsatsiki
Gourmet
May 2008 (Epicurious.com)
Adapted from Estiatorio Milos
Serve this yogurt-based Greek staple as a first-course accompaniment to pitas and other breads, or as a light but creamy sauce drizzled over spiced roasted meats.
Yield: Makes about 1 cup
Active Time: 10 min
Total Time: 25 min
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup plain yogurt (preferably goat's or sheep's milk)
Accompaniments:
pita wedges or chips
Toss cucumber with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a colander and drain 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then whisk together with olive oil, yogurt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Squeeze out any excess water from cucumbers with your hands, then stir cucumbers into yogurt mixture. Season with salt.
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Stacks
Bon Appétit
August 2009 (Epicurious.com)
by Maria Helm Sinskey
Halloumi is a pleasantly salty Greek cheese that grills well.
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 pound Halloumi cheese,* cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
16 white or whole wheat mini pitas
2 ripe medium tomatoes, cored, halved, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Sea salt
Whisk 1 teaspoon oil, mint, cumin, and pinch of freshly ground black pepper in medium bowl to blend. Add cheese slices; toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill pitas until warm and grill marks appear, about 1 minute per side; transfer to serving plate. Grill cheese until grill marks appear and cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute per side. Stack each warm pita with slice of tomato and cheese. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle tomatoes lightly with sea salt.
* Available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores, natural foods stores, and Greek markets.
Lamb and Eggplant Moussaka
Epicurious
August 2009
by The Culinary Institute of America
One Dish Meals
Making moussaka is something of an undertaking—a rich meat sauce (made here with lamb, but you can substitute other ground meats such as turkey, veal, or even pork, if you prefer), layered with tender eggplant and a cheese sauce. You can make the moussaka in two smaller casserole dishes to serve one now and freeze one to bake later.
Yield: Makes 12 to 14 servings
3 lb eggplant (2 large or 3 medium)
2 large russet potatoes
Salt as needed
1/3 cup olive oil, or as needed
2 cups diced onion
1 1/4 lb ground lamb (or substitute beef, turkey, pork, or combination)
2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cloves
Small piece cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon)
1 bay leaf
Pinch ground allspice
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 cups Cheese Sauce
1. Peel, salt, and rinse the eggplant if desired (see note "Preparing Eggplant for Cooking" below).
2. Place potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover them. Over medium-high heat bring them to a boil and boil lightly for 5 minutes. Cool, cut into 1/8-inch slices, and set aside.
3. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the eggplant to the hot oil a few slices at a time and sautéthe eggplant slices, turning as necessary, until tender and lightly colored, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a rack to drain while you sauté the remaining eggplant, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary.
4. To prepare a meat sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the ground meat and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the meat loses its raw appearance, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, allspice, salt, pepper, and about 1/2 cup water. Simmer until thick and flavorful, about 30 minutes. Add the tomato paste and red wine and continue simmering until the wine has developed a sweet aroma, about 10 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. To assemble the moussaka: Scatter the bread crumbs in a deep, rectangular baking dish. Place a layer of half of the eggplant slices over the bread crumbs. Add the meat sauce and spread it into an even layer. Place an even layer of sliced potatoes over the sauce. Add the remaining eggplant in an even layer over the meat sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the eggplant. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese sauce is thick and golden brown and the eggplant is very tender, about 45 minutes. Let the moussaka rest for about 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Preparing Eggplant for cooking:
Many recipes instruct you to salt eggplant before you cook it. Some say this step is necessary because it draws out any bitterness in the eggplant. We think it's a good idea, even if the eggplant isn't large or bitter. Drawing out some of the moisture in eggplant collapses the vegetable a little, so it doesn't act as much like a sponge for oil when you fry it.
Peel the eggplant if you wish and slice the eggplant to the required thickness. Place the slices in a colander and put the colander in a large bowl. Sprinkle the slices liberally with kosher salt and let them rest until the salt begins to draw moisture to the surface, about 20 minutes. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly, let drain, and blot dry.
Source Information
Reprinted with permission from One Dish Meals by The Culinary Institute of America ©2006 Lebhar-Friedman Books
Baklava
Gourmet
June 2004
Adapted from Eleni Theos Stelter
Resist the urge to chop the nuts in a food processor — it makes them release more oil, resulting in a heavier baklava.
Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 12 hr (includes chilling and standing)
Yield: Makes 32 pieces
For syrup
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 lemon, halved
1 orange, halved
1 1/2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2/3 cup honey
For baklava
3 1/4 cups whole almonds with skins (1 lb), finely chopped
2 1/3 cups walnuts (1/2 lb), finely chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 (1-lb) package phyllo dough (17 by 12 inches; about 28 sheets), thawed if frozen
Make syrup:
Combine sugar and water in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan. Squeeze juice from lemon and orange into sugar mixture. Add fruit halves and cinnamon sticks. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, then simmer 10 minutes. Stir in honey and return to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour through a sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl, pressing hard on, then discarding, solids. Chill, uncovered, until cold, about 1 hour.
Assemble and bake baklava:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk together almonds, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until combined well.
Generously brush a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish with melted butter. Halve phyllo sheets crosswise and stack sheets. Keep stack covered with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened clean kitchen towel. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo in bottom of baking dish and brush top sheet generously with butter. Continue to layer 2 sheets at a time, staggering sheets in each double layer slightly to cover bottom of dish, then brushing every second sheet generously with butter, until you have used 10 sheets of phyllo total. After brushing top layer of phyllo with butter, spread a rounded 1 1/2 cups of nut mixture over it. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter.
Repeat layering 3 more times. Top with 10 more sheets of phyllo. (You will use 50 sheets of phyllo total.) Butter top and let baklava stand at room temperature to harden slightly (to facilitate cutting), 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut baklava into 16 equal rectangles, then cut each piece in half diagonally. (Be sure to cut all the way through.)
Bake baklava until golden, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer dish to a rack to cool, then slowly pour cold syrup around edges of hot baklava, in between all cuts, and over top. Let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours. (Cover once baklava is at room temperature.) Do not chill.
Cooks' notes:
• Syrup can be made up to 5 days ahead and chilled, covered. • Baklava keeps in an airtight container up to 1 week.
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