A Trip to Greece, again

Can't afford airfare to Athens, plus the recent unrest making you question a visit at all? Try these flavors for an instant trip to the land where logic was invented.

Greek Chicken, Rice Salad and Tzatsiki

2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in half
1 lemon zested
2 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice

Place trimmed chicken in a large ziplock bag, add seasonings and marinate at least 30 minutes.

Grill over medium high heat until cooked through.

Rice Salad

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
2 cups water
1 tsp salt

1/2 cup each: chopped celery, chopped cucumber, diced tomato, kalamata olive
1 cup feta cheese
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 cups prepared feta salad dressing

Rinse rice until water runs clear. Bring water, rice and salt to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 18-20 minutes. Fluff and immediately place in fridge for 20 minutes

Place all remaining ingredients in a large bowl, except for rice and dressing. When rice has cooled, mix all together. Finish with salt (not much!!! You have feta and olives in this) and pepper


Tzatsiki
I like my tzatsiki to be pretty chunky, if you like a fier texture, blend in food processor.

2 english (or hothouse) cucumbers, peeled and diced
small cup non fat Greek yougurt
1 cup full fat Greek yougurt
zest of one lemon and juice
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill until serving. Serve with warm pita.

New twist on a classic

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese. Sounds as plain and simple as possible right? Try a few twists on these standards to elevate them from plain old boring to fun and new.

Soup
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
28 oz can diced tomatoes
24 oz box strained tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 cup vegi broth (or chicken if that's what you have on hand)
3 tbsp half and half
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, combine tomatoes, garlic, herbs, broth and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. reduce and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add half and half, stir well. Serve hot.

Grilled Cheese sandwiches

per sandwich
2 slices of bread (white or wheat)
2 slices American cheese
1 thin slice procuitto (broiled)
mayo
Softened butter

Heat cast iron pan over medium heat

Spread bread with mayo, layer cheese slices with procuitto. Spread the outside of bread with butter, grill until cheese melts.

Taste of India

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Orange, Cardamom and Turmeric along with Aloo Gobi

Vegetable Oil
Salt and freshly gound pepper
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 shallot, minced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 bone in chicken breasts with skin

Preheat oven to 500 degrees
In a small bowl, combine butter and seasonings. Make a pocket under the skin, place half the butter mixture under the skin. Repeat with the other chicken breast.

Place on broiler pan. Roast until chicken is 160 degrees, approximately 25 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Aloo Gobi

2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tbsp ground corriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 cup chicken broth or vegi broth
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
sea salt
2 tbsp freshly minced cilantro
1 tbsp butter


Ginger Garlic Paste
1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
1/2 cup peeled sliced ginger
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Place in a food processor, blend into a paste.

In a large pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the wet masala (paste), cook until paste thickens, about 2 minutes.

Add cauliflower and potatoes, stirring to coat. Add salt and broth. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove lid, still and cook until vegis are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and cilantro.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Raspberry Tarragon Dressing

This is what the French call a "Salad Compose" or an arranged salad. To me, this has all the taste groups, sweet, savory, salty and yummy! Serves 4.

1 12 oz bottle raspberry vinaigrette
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 tsp fresh chopped tarragon

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 fennel bulb, cut in half
2 heads Bibb lettuce, torn
1/2 english cucumber, sliced
1/2 cantaloupe, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup blackberries
4 oz crumbled Gorgonzola
1/2 honey roasted sliced almonds

Mix first 3 ingredients together. Set aside 1/2 cup and refrigerate. Place remainder in a large plastic bag with chicken and fennel, seal and chill up to 2 hours. Grill on an outside grill on medium high or grill pan indoors.

Meanwhile, divde lettuce and next 3 ingredients onto 4 plates. Thinly slice chicken and fennel, place on salads. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Top with berries, cheese and almonds. Serve immediately.

All over the world, on a plate

Last night was kind of a crazy mixture of cuisines: South American Chicken and Avacado Salad served on Arepas if you have the time, or english muffins, German Hot Slaw and Curried Rice Salad. Somehow it worked.

Arepas with Chicken and Avacado

3/4 cup shredded cooked chicken

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cup minced onion sauteed

2 tsp minced garlic sauteed

3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise

Splash of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and mash avacado with lemon and mayo, until smooth. Add chicken, garlic and onion mix well. Add s&p to taste. Serve with Arepas or English Muffins.

If you so desire, here is a link to making Arepas

http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/breads/r/arepasbasic.htm

Hot Slaw

1/2 head each green and purple cabbage, shredded

4 thick bacon slices

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp celery seeds

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Hot pepper vinegar on the side (if you want)

In a deep pot, boil 3 1/2 quarts water. Add cabage and cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain well.

In a large deep skillet cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon draining on paper towels, reserving fat in the pan.

Deglaze pan with vinegar (stand back while stirring) Add celery seed and cayenne. Add cabagge to the pan and stir very well, coating all the cabbage with dressing. Heat until cooked through. Serve with chopped bacon on top.

Curried Rice Salad

1 cup Jasmine rice (or basmatti) cooled al dente

3/4 cups mayonnaise

1 tbsn curry powder, more or less to taste

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup red onion, diced fine

salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients, chill until ready to serve. The longer is sits, the deeper the color will be.

A yummy creamy Italian kiss, Risotto Primavera

One of my all time favorite foods is risotto, usually just with garlic, onions and Parmesan, but I am always happy to try new versions. Risotto can be intimidating, but it is actually easy. My two biggest tips? You dont HAVE to heat your liquid, and you dont have to stir non stop. Just give it a good stir every 4-5 minutes.

Olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 48 oz box chicken broth (low sodium please!)
1/2 large onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 cup Romano cheese
1/2 cup fresh mozzarela cubed small
1 tbsp lemon juice
black pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400. Toss tomatoes and salt in olive oil to coat. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tomatoes burst, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

In a dutch oven or large sauce pan, heat olive oil (to coat the bottom) over medium high. cook onion and garlic until fragrent and onions are translucent. Add rice and stir to coat rice in oil. Add vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup liquid (I usually pour until rice is covered) stir. Stir once or twice until all liquid is absorbed. Add more liquid to cover and repeat. Add chicken, When adding liquid for the third time, add vegi and mozzarela. Stir more frequently to keep cheese from burning. When liquid is absorbed, check rice, it should be al dente. Add Romano cheese and pepper, stir one final time. Serve topped with tomatoes and more Romano.

Happy Birthday!

This post is purely me being silly. I want to wish a huge happy birthday to one of my most favorite authors and friends James DMac McCallister. If you don't know DMac, get ye to Loose Lucy's in Five Points! I love you brother, here is a sweet treat!

Guess now I should start baking!

2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa (plus 1 tsp)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup vegi oil
3/4 cup buttermilk (room temp)
2 tbsp red food coloring
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tbsp vanilla

Cream cheese frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 305, line cupcake tis with paper liners

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt. In a seperate bowl, mix eggs ad oil. In a large measuring cup mix buttermilk, food coloroing, vinegar and vanilla. Alternating the two wet, add to the dry mix. Mix until battter is smooth. Fill cupcake papers 3/4 full.  Bake 22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. (13-14 if using mini cupcake pans)/ Let cool completely before frosting!

Combine all frosting ingreds in a mixing bowl and blend until smooth. Place in piping bag, aka a large ziplock bag. Clip a small corner off and pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with colored sugar and mint leaves if desired.

Enjoy! And not only on your birthday!

Chicken Tabbouleh, SOOOO YUM!

I found this in one of my favorite magazines, Cooking Light. It is creamy and filling. The original called for chicken thighs that were cooked at the time. I dislike dark meat poultry, plus I like shortcuts, so I used shredded rotisserie chicken from Publix. They were running low and only had BBQ and Mediterranean I decided Med was a little more conducive to this recipe.This is a calcium, protein and fiber powerhouse. My sweet meat and potato loving, no "hippie food" father cleaned his plate so  Enjoy and Mangia!

1 1/4 cup water
1 cup bulgur wheat, rinsed (I got mine in the bulk section at Earth fare)
1tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 rotisserie chicken breasts, shredded and with skin removed
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper*
3 cups seeded chopped tomatoes (see note)
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped mint
1 cup chopped green onion (I only used the green part)
1 tsp minced garlic (or double, I did)
1/4 cup tahini paste (at Publix it is with the Kosher food)
1/4 cup plain, low fat Greek style yougurt
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water

Combine water, oil, salt and bulgur in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heatand let simmer for 10 minutes (leave it alone!)  You are looking for an almost dry, but not totally dry texture. Remove from heat, fluff and let cool for 10 minutes.

While bulgur is cooking
 De-skin and shredd chicken, place in large bowl
Quarter and seed tomatoes, roughly chop.
Chop parsley, mint and green onions.
Toss all above with garlic in large bowl. Add pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, yougurt, lemon juice and water.

When bulgur is cooled, add to bowl, stir well. Add Tahini mixture and stir well. Makes 4 large servings
* PLEASE use fresh cracked black pepper, first of all it tastes better, second, it increases metabolism. Buy one of the pre filled grinders at the grocery.  They are under 5 dollars and the taste is SOOOO much better than the pre ground stuff.

Note: seeding tomatoes is as easy as falling off a log! With a sharp knife quarter the tom, place each quarter "flat" down and slice away core. Scoop out seeds with your fingers or the knife. Slice remainders and chop. Why do this? The seeds make recipes watery.

Catering done easy and an amazing dinner

After a weekend of take out and left overs, I was back in the cooking saddle today, and having a blast. I started out the day doing the food for a meeting and ended up the day creating a new favorite. Enjoy and mangia!

So simple and easy! Blend goat cheese, lemon zest and fresh rosemary with a little olive oil, pipe onto endive leaves.

Homemade pimento cheese. My tweek? White and yellow cheddar cheeses, rinsed pimentos, Hellmans mayo, lemon juice and a tiny bit of cayenne.

Spiced mixed nuts. 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, cayenne and cinnamon. 3 tablespoons brown sugar. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter. 4 cups mixed nuts.                                                                 Bake nuts in a 425 degree oven until fragrant. Melt butter and add sugar and spices. Toss nuts with melted butter mixture.   

Chicken with Green Olives, Lemons and Artichokes

4 chicken cutlets

1 egg

2 tablespoons Romano cheese

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup green olives, chopped

3 tablespoons artichoke tapanade or finely chopped hearts with garlic added

3 tablespoons scallions (green part only)

1 lemon, sliced

handful parsley chopped

Whisk together egg and cheese with a little water. Dredge chicken in mixture. Immediately saute in olive oil.

Remove cooked chicken, keep warm. Deglaze pan with chicken broth. Add olives, lemons, artichoke and scallions. Cook until reduced, add chicken back to the pan with any juices that have collected. Finish with parsley.

I served over couscous to soak up the sauce.

A fun twist on Greek Avgolemono Chicken

• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces, or 3 cups baby carrots
• 1 pound (3-4 medium) yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1 1/4-inch-wide wedges
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered if large
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

1. Spread carrots and potatoes over the bottom and up the sides of a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Arrange chicken on top of the vegetables. Bring broth, wine, garlic and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over the chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 4 1/2 hours on low.
2. Add artichokes to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk egg, egg yolks and lemon juice in a medium bowl.

3. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving bowl using a slotted spoon. Shred chicken. Cover and keep warm. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid into the egg mixture. Whisk until smooth. Whisk the egg mixture into the remaining cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Cover and cook, whisking 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened and sauce reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in dill and pepper. Return chicken and vegetables to the sauce and warm back through, 5 minutes. Serve over couscous or orzo.

Simple Mexican made easy. My take on fajitas

I was in the mood for Mexican tonight so I threw this together. The general concensus was yumm-o.

1/2 pound flank or skirt steak, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet onion thinly slices
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp grill seasoning

1/2 avocado chopped
1 tomato chopped and seeded
1 cup shredded queso blanco
sliced olives
sour cream
tomatillo salsa
flour tortillas (warmed)

toss meat and onions with spices, cook until done

layer meat mixture on tortilla top with cheese and whatever

toppings you like. Roll and enjoy!

Steamed Lemon Pudding

This is so easy and so tasty. I admit to my anglophile ways and have a pudding steamer. I just pop the batter in the sealed container and use the crock pot as a water bath.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated

3 eggs, separated

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Directions

1. In a bowl combine sugar, flour and salt. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks, butter and milk.
2. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold gently into lemon mixture.
3. Pour into prepared bowl and cover tightly with aluminum foil (secure with an elastic band).
4. Place bowl in Crock-Pot® slow cooker and pour in enough water to come 1 inch up sides of bowl.

5. Cover and cook on High for 4 to 5 hours or until topping is set and light and fluffy. Sift icing over sponge before serving.

mmmmm soup in summer? yes!

Well I was craving good summer vegis so i came up with this soup. I hope you enjoy it, I served it with home made buttermilk bread.

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 sweet onion chopped
1 48 oz container low sodium chicken broth (or vegi)
1 cup leftover chicken chopped finely
2 cups each chopped tomatoes (seeded), okra (in one inch pieces), silver queen corn and lima beans
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp dried italian herbs
pesto for serving


In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil, cook garlic and onion until translucent
add all vegis, cook for 3-4 minutes. In a pinch use frozen vegis and canned tomatoes (no extra flavors added)
add chicken broth (or vegi) s&p and herbs
stir well, heat until boiling, cook at least 30 minutes

Spoon into bowls, top with a spoonful of pesto just before serving.


The bread is from the classic James Beard on Bread cookbook. I won't reproduce the recipe here because of copyrights, but I'm sure it can be found on the 'net (or ask me privately) I made it this morning, and one tip! The recipe says it makes one loaf, but it rose SOOO much on the second rising that I regretted not dividing the dough. This bread has a fabulous tangy flavor that has me wanting more. I seved it with lots of good Irish butter (thanks Sarah Collier)

Tweeks on two classics

Hi all! Dinner was yummy, and I am happy to share the "recipes" As you can see, I was not really in a cooking mood, but always in the mood for cheese!

Polly's Grilled Cheese

2 slices of your favorite bread, I used Captain John Durst's Classic Sandwich
2 slices tomato, very well drained
1 slice procuitto, broiled
2 slices American cheese, yes, the Kraft stuff!
mayo

Spread bread with mayo, layer on cheese, toms and procuitto.
Spray skillet with olive oil spray, grill sandwiches until cheese is melted.

Blue Cheese Cole Slaw

1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tablespoons celery seed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 bag slaw mix
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cups chopped sweet onions
1 1/2 cups blue cheese, crumbed
Combine all ingredients in a very large bowl. Stir well to coat. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve cold.

The original recipe calls for bell peppers. You will soon find that I never use them, in anything! I'm allergic, thaks to a family trait. Feel free to add them if you want. I would add 1 thinly sliced and seeded.

Happy Sunday!

I decided to go light and fresh for dinner tonight, with a twist on tomato pie. I gave it a little Bobby Flay twist with a "green oil" like he uses, and rare for me, no garlic. I did spluge and get yummy Dubliner Irish Cheddar to use.

1 store bought deep dish crust
5-6 medium vine ripened tomatoes
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar
2 thin slices procuitto, baked until crisp and torn into small bits
1 hand full basil leaves
1 hand full parsley
2 one inch strips of lemon zest
4 tbsp olive oil ( I use extra Virgin,light taste)

Heat oven to 425. prick the bottom of the pie shell several times, or use dried beans to weight it down. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and fragrant.

Slice tomatoes, salt and pepper them and place on paper towels to drain (for as long as possible)

Brush crust with mustard fill crust with sliced tomatoes, layer in cheese and procuitto. Cover with one more layer of tomatoes.

Bake 15-20 minutes until bubbly

Place herbs and lemon zest in a food processor. Stream in EVOO to make a very thin paste.

Drizzle herb oil over pie before cutting into wedges and serving.

Mexican Tortilla Pie

Tonight was an experiment. Tasty but messy, it needs some tweeks. The big positive was start to finish was under 30 minutes.

4 flour tortillas
1/2 pound ground beef, browned with 1tsp chili powder
half can refried beans
half can black beans, rinsed
half jar salsa
1 cup guacamole
1 tomato seeded and chopped
1 8 oz bag shredded mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375

Place 1 tortilla at the bottom of a cake pan or springform pan
Spread with refried beans, sprinkle on ground beef and black beans, layer on salsa.
Place second tortilla on top sprinkle with half the cheese
Place third tortilla on top spread with guacamole and add tomatoes
Place fourth tortilla on top cover with remaining cheese

Bake for 20 minutes until cheese melts.

Let stand 5 minutes, cut into wedges to serve. Top with more salsa and sour cream.

Dinner with Sarah

Tuesday night Sarah and I made my favorite naan pizza, so that she would know how when she leaves for the great northlands.



The Pizza is so easy!

Ingredients:

2 loaves naan bread, store bought or home made

1/2 small log goat cheese

1/3 cup ricotta

2tsp curry powder

1tsp turmeric

1 tbsp minced garlic

Spash lemon juice

1 cup chopped chicken

1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 cup pine nuts

6 oz shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place naan on cookie sheet

Blend cheeses and spices, spread on naan

Sprinkle on chicken, nuts and spinach. Top with mozzarella.

Bake about 10 minutes until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

New blog

Welcome to La Cucina di Paulina. I am Polly, aka Paulina. My mission here is to share my cooking ideas, tips and pictures with a audience.