FRUIT WITH HONEY AND MINT FLAVORED GREEK YOGHURT

Here's something very simple, quick and really delicious to make: fruit with Greek yoghurt, mint and honey.  

I used honeydew, peaches and strawberries.

I love this way of serving fruit. On warm summer evenings, it makes a very nice late supper. The mint and fruit cool down the palette, and the honey sweetens it up. 

This was something my father often requested as his night-time snack.  Eating it reminded him of his boyhood in Greece when his mother offered similar fare for supper. Dad always finished off his meal with a cup of tea. It didn't matter how hot it was outside; his habit was to eat the cold fruit and yoghurt and then sip a warm cup of tea flavoured with lemon and honey.  During all of his 87 years, he definitely had a sweet tooth. 

Lemon, honey, yoghurt, mint and sweet summer fruit: some of the flavourful gifts the Mediterranean soil offers for our enjoyment.  The earth gives but it also takes. Father died a while ago, a sudden passing. May he rest in peace. Εἰρήνη πᾶσι. Peace be with all.

A ladybug visited while I was picking mint 

Ingredients:

• nice summer fruit such as cantaloupe, honeydew, peaches, mango, strawberries or blackberries.
• 2 cups Greek yoghurt 
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped. Leave some whole for decoration 
• 2 or 3 tablespoons of honey
• optional: some chopped walnuts or sliced almonds 

Directions:

Clean and cut up the fruit into serving pieces. Arrange it on a platter.
Place the yoghurt in a serving bowl, drizzle honey over it and sprinkle the mint on top. Also, offer some nuts on the side: Chopped walnuts and sliced almonds would be nice. 
Bring the yoghurt, the nuts if using, and the fruit to the table and serve it to your friends and family.

P.S. Instead of honey, maple syrup can be used.

ONION DIP with GREEK YOGURT and caramelised onions served with plenty of vegetables

Happy Memorial Day!

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Onions, 1881

My recipe for caramelized onion dip is quite apropos for a Memorial Day get together, and the ingredients, such as Greek yoghurt and fresh vegetables, are undeniably on the healthier side of living.

To caramelise onions, one has to cook them slowly and for a long time. As they caramelise, their natural sugars break up and mix with the onions, giving them a lovely brown colour. The onions turn sweet and flavourful. 

This dip is not hard to make at all, and it's hands-down better than the ready-made storebought variety. As a plus, the onions can be caramelised ahead of time (like a day before). You'll be dipping your crunchy vegetables and loving the taste! 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, sliced

3 shallots, sliced

1 tablespoon of chopped sage leaves, plus a small quantity of chopped sage reserved for decoration

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup cream cheese at room temperature so that it's soft
1 and 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt, if needed

1scallion, thinly sliced, use green and white parts 

Serve with raw vegetables such as: 
carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, radishes, cucumbers, etc (can also use chips made from sweet potatoes)

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, shallots and sage. Cook, stirring often. 
• Make sure to keep stirring so that the onions don't burn. When caramelising onions, it's a good idea to always keep a little bit of water nearby to add to the onions if they become too dry. A couple of tablespoons of water at a time will do. 
• Cook, stirring, for twenty minutes. 
• Lower the heat and cook for an additional 20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are caramelised. 
• Add the minced garlic and stir for another two or three minutes.
• Place the onions in a bowl and allow them to cool. If they are too chunky for your liking, once they have cooled, you can chop them further.  
• To deglaze the pan where the onions cooked, add the balsamic vinegar and scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Add the deglazed product to the onions.
• Place the cream cheese and yoghurt into a bowl and mix until well combined and smooth.  
• Add the onions and mix well. 
• Mix in the lemon juice and the cayenne pepper. 
• Taste to determine if salt needs to be added.  
• Refrigerate the dip for about 2 hours.  
• To decorate, arrange the chopped scallions and reserved chopped sage leaves on top. For more decoration, how about sprinkling the dip with a little cayenne pepper and a drizzle of olive oil?  
• Serve the dip surrounded by vegetables. Allow your inner Renoir to arrange them on the platter. 

Some ideas on how to serve:

TZATZIKI or YOGURT AND CUCUMBER APPETIZER

This is a popular Greek appetizer, or mezé, or dip... There are many ways in which to serve it. It certainly makes an interesting dip served with some pita chips. It can accompany souvlaki or other grilled meats, and it can go on the meze table as an appetizer with drinks before dinner. It's a ubiquitous dish in Greek homes, especially when the weather is warm. The yoghurt, dill and cucumber make a refreshing combination, something very welcome on a summer day. The word tzatziki is of Middle-Eastern origin and has been incorporated into the Greek vocabulary. 

This has nothing to do with the recipe, but if I say the word tzatziki over and over, I am reminded of the chirping that cicadas make in the summer, and cicada singing is a lovely sound to listen to on a hot summer day ... Exceptionally calming!

Here's my tzatziki recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Greek yoghurt
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 small clove of garlic 
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 or 3 mint leaves, chopped (don't use too much mint)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, and a bit more to drizzle on top for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the yoghurt in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Peel the cucumber and cut it into quarters lengthwise. Remove any large seeds and discard them. Chop the cucumber into small dice. Let rest for a few minutes in a colander so that any excess liquid drains. You can help this process along by using a paper towel to press down on the cucumber: dry it in paper towels and then incorporate it into the yoghurt.
3. Peel the garlic and chop it very extra finely. Add it to the yoghurt.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. You have now created tzatziki!
5. Pour the tzatziki into a nice serving bowl and drizzle some olive oil on top for garnish.
6. You can also garnish with some dill or mint or little pieces of cucumber... whatever tickles your fancy. A radish garnish is nice. Olives tend to discolour the yoghurt, therefore refrain from using them. 
7. Here are some tips for making tzatziki: 

As you may have noticed, this recipe calls for just one clove of garlic and a small one at that. This is because the longer tzatziki hangs around, the more intense its garlic flavour tends to become. It's best not to use a large amount of garlic in this recipe because raw garlic does have a loud voice. And if you're not a fan of garlic, just forgo using it.

Tzatziki can be made the day before it's needed and kept in the refrigerator, inside the container that the yoghurt came in. Transfer it to a nice serving bowl when ready to use it. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for an additional day.

Always use Greek yoghurt, which is essentially strained yoghurt. Straining removes some of the whey and water content, giving the yoghurt a thick consistency. If you want to have the full, rich taste of tzatziki, don't use low-fat yoghurt. 

(Traditionally, yoghurt was hung for a few hours or overnight inside a cloth bag made of muslin. A bowl to catch draining liquid was placed underneath the bag. That got rid of the extra water. But why is there excess water in the first place? Yoghurt is made by fermenting milk. This process takes about a day. The finished product is somewhat thick, however, it still holds on to lots of the water contained within the milk. Straining produces what we call Greek yoghurt. Greeks eat strained yoghurt as a special treat and also use it in recipes. Try it with fruit. It's the healthiest ice cream in the world!)