GREEK ORZO SALAD

This plentiful and colourful salad has just the right ingredients to tempt the taste buds: pasta, protein-rich chickpeas, lots of fresh vegetables, briny olives and feta cheese, plus a tangy,  lemony vinaigrette that envelops each ingredient in olive oil deliciousness. I used my best olive oil here, a robust Greek variety, perfect for this dish! No matter the weather, be it snow or heatwave, this salad fits the bill! 

Here's how to put it together:

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw orzo pasta, cooked (it will average two cups when cooked)

1 pound cherry tomatoes cut in half

1/2 of a long English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and sliced

1/2 or 1 small red onion, diced. Alternately, use one diced shallot

1 yellow pepper diced (or half of one if the pepper is too large)

1 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced

1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained

1/2 cup Kalamata olives or sundried olives, or a combination thereof, pits removed and cut in half

1/2 cup feta cheese, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon of chopped mint

2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2 cups arugula

    For the vinaigrette:

The juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste 

1/3 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon olive oil for the pasta

Mix all the ingredients except the olive oil. Next, while mixing, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsified dressing. 

 

Directions:

Mix the cooked pasta with about a tablespoon of olive oil and set it aside or cover it and place it temporarily in the refrigerator. For use in this salad, the pasta must be on the cold side so as not to steam the vegetables. 

Into a large bowl, assemble all the ingredients except the cheeses and arugula. 

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently until everything is well mixed.  

Arrange the arugula on a serving platter and mix with the Pecorino Romano cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the salad over the arugula and top it with the feta cheese.

 

Chicken Gyros Salad with Greek Yoghurt Dressing

I love this quick chicken salad that's reminiscent of a Greek chicken gyros sandwich (or a chicken souvlaki sandwich). Leftover chicken can be used here and the chicken can be served on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes, or for a more substantial salad, the lettuce and tomatoes can rest on warm pita bread and then the roast chicken slices can be added on top of the vegetables. 

For the dressing:

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the above and mix to make a dressing.

For the salad:

1 roasted chicken breast, sliced

1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced

 1 or 2 scallions, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped 

Salt and pepper to taste

Romaine lettuce, cut into small pieces

A sliced tomato

To assemble:

Combine the chicken, cucumber, scallion, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing, mix gently, and allow the flavours to meld by placing the chicken mixture in the refrigerator for about an hour. 

Serve on top of chopped lettuce and tomato slices. 

If calories aren't an issue, serve on top of pita bread that's topped with lettuce and tomatoes. The pita bread can be warmed in a non-stick skillet that has just a hint of olive oil spread on it. 

VANILLA Coffee Cake with lots of vanilla (Marion Cunningham)

This is dearest Marion Cunningham's vanilla coffee cake recipe. It's a recipe for a basic cake, not all that fancy, not overly sweet, easy to prepare, wonderful to eat, and for me, it's reminiscent of the old-fashioned cakes, those perfect cakes grandmothers would make, slice up, and place on the kitchen table for snacking. Eating to drinking ratio: one slice of cake per two cups of black coffee for grandmother and her friends; for the grandchildren, the ratio differs. The kids get one thin slice of vanilla cake to one large cup of hot chamomile tea with honey. 

Ingredients: 

½ pound (2 sticks) of butter, at room temperature

1  cup of sugar

3 eggs

2 ½  cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream 

5 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

• Ingredients should be at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F / 180° C.
• Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
• Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and stir with a fork until well blended.
• Into a large mixing bowl add the butter and beat with an electric beater for 1 minute. 
• Add the sugar mixture to the butter and beat until smooth, about  2 minutes.
• Add the eggs and beat for about two minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy. 
• Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. 
• Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix.  
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for about 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 10 minutes. 
• Invert onto a rack and let cool for about fifteen minutes. 
• Slice and serve.  

Marion Cunningham gives us variations for her coffee cake:

DRIED  FIG  AND ALMOND: 

1  1/2 cups dried figs

1  1/2 cups of unblanched and coarsely chopped almonds 

Place the figs into a bowl with boiling water and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain, then cut the figs into quarters. 

Once the sour cream is added to the batter, incorporate the figs and almonds. 

Stir to combine and continue with the recipe. 

APPLE  AND WALNUT:

 

1  1/2 cups coarsely chopped apples

1  1/2  cups coarsely chopped walnuts

After adding the sour cream to the batter,  add the apples and walnuts. Stir to combine. Proceed with the basic recipe. 

ORANGE FLAVOUR:

Add the zest of one orange to the sugar and mix well. Proceed with the recipe.

Kind of old-fashioned, reminiscent of those perfect, peaceful days at grandmother's home.

How To Make Italian Seasoning

Italian seasoning is very easy to assemble and great to have around just to add a quick dash of flavouring to one’s recipes.

How much of each herb to use is a personal choice that depends on one’s taste. The beauty of making your own blend is that you get to decide on how much of each herb to include. If partial to a particular herb, add extra. If not, cut down on the amount or simply omit it. Here’s how I make my Italian Seasoning:                              

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons dried basil (see note)

3 tablespoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons dried rosemary

3 tablespoons dried thyme

3 tablespoons dried marjoram

3 tablespoons dried sage

1 or 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes; they are spicy, therefore, consider how much to add according to preference 

A note about the basil:

 Note: I usually omit the dried basil when I make this mix because I believe basil loses much of its flavour once it’s dried; I would much rather add the fresh variety which is readily available year-round. 

Fresh basil can be purchased at the market during the winter and in summer it can be very easily grown in an outdoor container. 

Directions:

Combine the dried herbs and place them into a jar fitted with an airtight lid. Make sure to write the date on the jar. The mixture will last about a year – no longer than that because dried herbs lose their potency over time.

 

To test if a dried herb is still good, rub a pinch of it in your palm and smell it. If it leaves behind a strong aroma, it’s good to use.

Seafood Salad Italian Style for Christmas or for Lent

This type of salad is popular in Italian cuisine and no wonder! It's a glorious, tasty, and fancy looking salad, not difficult to prepare and a special treat to eat either during Christmas Eve celebrations or during Christmas Day celebrations. 

The salad contains lots of steps but it's not difficult to make. The best way to go about preparing it is to have all the ingredients ready and take it a step at a time. My list is given in the order that the ingredients should be prepared, from the ones that take the longest to the ones that should be made as the salad is ready to be served. 

I hope you enjoy my version of Italian seafood salad.

Ingredients:

    for the seafood:

1  1/2 pounds (16- to 20-count) peeled and deveined shrimp

1  1/2 pounds scallops

1 pound cleaned fresh calamari

2 pounds fresh mussels

    for the salad:

1 fennel bulb sliced crosswise into thin strips

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 shallot, peeled and chopped

green and black olives drained and rinsed

a handful of caper berries drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed

fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, about half a bunch, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped dill

freshly ground black pepper to taste

lemon slices for serving

some olive oil for topping the salad before serving

• for tenderising the calamari:
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• juice of one lemon

    for the poaching liquid

3 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic cut in half

peel of one lemon

1 red onion peeled and cut into quarters

3 stalks of celery with leaves, cut the celery into large chunks

a few stems of parsley

a few stems of thyme

about 10 peppercorns

1 cup white wine

2 cups clam juice 

    for the salad dressing

about 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, chopped well

Grated zest of 1 lemon

juice of two lemons

juice one lime

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

some of the poaching liquid

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Directions:

    to tenderise the calamari

• for those who find calamari to be a little tough, there is a way to tenderise it prior to cooking so that it has a softer taste. Tenderising the calamari will have to be done first as it takes the longest. Prepare it about three to four hours before you begin cooking the salad.

• Place the cleaned, washed, uncooked calamari into a bowl that has a lid. 
• Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda on top of the calamari.
• Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar on top of the calamari.
• Finish up by pouring the juice of one lemon over the bicarbonate and the sugar. The mixture will begin to fizz.
• Gently shake the bowl to mix the ingredients. Cover and store in the refrigerator for about three to four hours.
• When time is up, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and rinse the calamari which by now will be tenderised and ready to cook.
• Once rinsed, set the calamari aside as you prepare the mussels.

    for the mussels:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 sprigs parsley 

a sprig of thyme 

one cup of white wine

small pinch of sea salt

a small amount of freshly ground black pepper

Scrub the mussels clean and remove any beards protruding from their shells. Discard the mussels with opened or broken shells. Soak the good mussels in cold water for about fifteen minutes. This will clean off any remaining sand. Rinse them once or twice more and prepare to steam them.

Into a large saucepan heat the two tablespoons of olive oil along with the two tablespoons of butter.

Add the chopped onion and the chopped garlic. Sauté for about two minutes.

Add the parsley, thyme, and wine. 

Bring the wine to a boil, add the mussels and sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt and a little black pepper over the mussels.  

Cover the saucepan and let the mussels steam for about four minutes. Once they have opened, remove the saucepan lid, allow the mussels to cool, then remove them from their shells. Discard the shells, place the mussel meat into a bowl and set the bowl aside. 

The broth remaining in the pan can be added to the poaching liquid that will be used for the rest of the seafood.

    making the poaching liquid:

Add all the ingredients for the poaching liquid into a large Dutch oven. You may also want to add the liquid leftover from cooking the mussels. 

Bring to a boil and add the seafood in turns:

Wash the shrimp and add it, let cook for three minutes, then remove to a bowl and let cool.

Wash the scallops and add them to the liquid. Let cook for three minutes, then remove to a bowl and let cool. 

Make sure the calamari is washed well and add it to the poaching liquid. The calamari will be sliced into rings once it's cooked and has cooled to the touch. Let cook for three minutes, then remove.

Use the poaching liquid to cook any other seafood you may want to add. This can include a lobster tail or lobster claw meat, or shelled clam meat which is readily available around Christmas time. You could add salt cod or fresh cod as well. 

If eating this salad for Greek Lent, it will not always be appropriate to include cod. Shellfish is a safe bet but check with a religious calendar to find out if bony fish is allowed.

All the seafood should be removed from the poaching liquid and allowed to cool. Do not overcook it. Three to four minutes maximum cooking time per type of fish is perfect.

    preparing the salad vegetables and the salad itself: 

The list for the salad vegetables is given above. Mix all of them well. Mix all the seafood and combine it with the vegetables. Toss gently. 

prepare the salad dressing:

So easy to do! All the ingredients are given in the ingredients list. Have them ready and combine all of them except for the parsley and dill. Whisk them well and your salad dressing will be ready!

    lemon slices for serving!

Pour the salad dressing on top of the seafood salad. Mix and keep in the refrigerator for about four hours or overnight. The salad is to be served cold. 

When ready to serve, place the salad onto a decorative platter, add the parsley and dill, toss and serve accompanied by lemon slices. Pour some extra virgin olive oil on top of the salad just before serving.

Fruity and Citrusy Sweet Potatoes for the Holidays!

Ingredients:

5  sweet potatoes

2 apples

2 medium oranges

1 lemon

1 lime

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon fleur de sel

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

5 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing the pan

½ cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

• Scrub the sweet potatoes, clean and cook them in boiling water until they are almost done but not quite ready. Drain them and allow them to cool. Alternately, you can roast the potatoes until they reach the almost-done stage. Again, allow them to cool. Once they're easy to handle, peel the skin and slice them into 1-inch thick pieces.
• Meanwhile, as the potatoes are cooking, peel the zest of the lemon and the two oranges. The zest needs to be in thin strips, therefore, either slice it or use a zest peeling utensil that renders zest into long thin strips. 
• Juice the oranges, the lime, and the lemon. Place the juice into a bowl. 
• Whisk in the honey, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Keep whisking until the ingredients are combined well.
• Add the citrus zests and mix.
• Peel and core the apples. Cut them into slices.
• Grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with butter, and into it, arrange the sweet potato pieces and apples. 
• Pour the juice mixture on top, making sure it coats all of the potatoes and apples.
• Dot with the butter.
• Cover with parchment-lined aluminium foil.
• Place in a preheated 350° F / 180° C oven and bake for about 30 minutes, checking after 25 minutes to see that the potatoes aren't getting burned. They will be done when the majority of the liquid has been absorbed by the apples and potatoes.
• Take out of the oven and top with the pecans.
• Place back in the oven, uncovered this time, and cook for an additional five minutes until the pecans are toasted.