What do you mean he don't eat meat?...that's ok. I make Lamb!

I absolutely love that scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", when the family is blown away that someone has come to dinner and does not eat meat.  But no worries, there is lamb.  I am by no means a vegetarian, however on a weekly basis I really don't eat that much meat.  My sister has been a vegetarian for the last 7 years, and has taught me a lot about eating balanced plant based meals, while being careful to include all necessary nutrients that can be missed in a meatless diet.  In looking back at previous posts, I have not been vegetarian conscious.  In tonight's post, I wanted to celebrate the fun and versatility a big basket of veggies can provide.

For this particular meal I was inspired by my friend, Bridgett.  She posted an array of greek/mediterranean inspired dishes on Facebook.  It took me a mere 10 minutes before I whipped out the grocery list and headed out to recreate the spread.  So fresh and delicious.  Thanks Bridgett!

Hummus or Hommos or Houmous or Hommus...I could keep going, trust me. 

In my search for delicious hummus recipes I began find more spellings for this one seemingly simple dish than there are ingredients in the thing.  Hummus is actually one of the earliest known prepared foods, with a long history in the Middle East.  However the earliest found use of its commonly known spelling hummus, wasn't until 1955 (which was actually translated from the Turkish form of the word humus.  According to Webster's Dictionary, Hummus means chickpeas in Arabic.  If this wasn't enough about the creamy delight, you can find more than you will ever want to know about it here.

I posted a different recipe for hummus earlier, which is similar to this one.  The biggest difference is that this recipe uses dried chickpeas that are soaked overnight and cooked, as opposed to canned.  The difference in texture is unbelievable.  If you think about it far enough in advance, I would definitely recommend this one.  

Israeli Hummus

Inspired by Food and Wine

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound dried chickpeas
1 tablespoon baking soda
7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup tahini, at room temperature
 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt
Paprika and cayenne, for garnish
Pita bread, for serving

DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water and stir in the baking soda. Refrigerate the chickpeas overnight. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water.

In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of fresh water. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Peel the garlic cloves. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with the reserved cooking water, the olive oil and garlic cloves. Add the cumin along with the tahini and lemon juice and process until creamy. Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.

Sprinkle the hummus with the red pepper and paprika. Serve with pita bread.

This salad is a great summer recipe.  Light, fresh, and filled with great summer produce.

Greek Salad

Recipe inspired by "Dad's Greek Salad"

INGREDIENTS
6 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dill weed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
1/4 red onion, peeled, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
A heaping half cup crumbled feta cheese

 METHOD
 Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano and dill weed together until blended. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewhisk before using.)

 Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives in a bowl. Toss with dressing. Sprinkle cheese over and serve.

Fresh, Hot Pita

Lately, I have been experimenting with recipes from the book, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  One of my favorites is the pita.  The cool thing about this book is there are a few master recipes that you can choose from, and from there create a variety of breads.  I chose the classic boule recipe and then turned it into pita.

This recipe will make up to 16 good size pitas.  It can easily be halved.
3 cups luke warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6  to 6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour

1.  For the luke warm water, I use hot tap water.  It should register around 100 degrees F.  Warm water will rise the dough to the right point in 2 hours.

2.  Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl, or preferably in a resealable, lidded (but not airtight) food container.

3.  Mix in the flour-KNEADING IS NOT NECESSARY! Add all the flour at once, measuring it by scooping in a dry measuring cup and leveling the top with the back side of a knife.  Don't pack the flour in the cup or the measurements will be off.  Mix with a wooden spoon, high-capacity food processor fitted with dough blade, or heavy duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  You're finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches.  This will be done in a matter of minutes, and will yield a dough that should be wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

4.  Allow to rise.  Cover with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the container you are using.  Do not use screw-topped bottles or jars, which could explode from trapped gasses.  Allow mixture to rise at room temperature, until it rises as much as it can and begins to flatten on top, approximately 2 hours.  The dough is ready to use at any time now!

HOWEVER, the longer the dough rests in the fridge, the better it gets.  I have kept unused dough in the refrigerator for up to a week.  It begins to develop a delightful sourdough flavor.

BAKING DAY

1.  Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a baking stone.  When you are ready to bake the pita, cut off a grapefruit sized piece of dough, about 1 pound. This will make 4 pitas.  If you want to bake only one pita, you can cut off a piece the size of a lime, about 1/4 of a pound.

2.  Dust the surface of the dough with flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter of a turn as you go.  Place the dough on a floured cutting board.  If using the 1 pound size, cut the dough into four equal pieces. (Or keep it large for an extra large pita!)

3.  Using a rolling pin, roll the pieces out into a round with a uniform thickness of 1/8 inch.  You will need to keep adding flour and rotate to prevent sticking.

4.  Depending on the size of your stone, you may need to bake one or two at a time.  Place the round(s) on the stone and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed.  This is the exciting part!  It blows up like a balloon!

5.  When you remove the pita, wrap it in a clean cotton dish towel and set on a cooling rack.  The pitas will deflate slightly as they cool, and soften.  The space between the crusts will still be there, but may need to be nudged apart by a fork.

(see the greek salad recipe picture for a look at the deflated pitas)

As I said before, just pull from the dough throughout the week for freshly baked pita everyday.  So easy!

Dolmades

Lastly, I got really brave and decided to create my own Dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves.  This recipe was AMAZING! I will definitely make it again.  However, I will make it when I have a lot of time on my hands.  It is time consuming.

Dolmades or Dolmas

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence's recipe found here.

Ingredients
 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, halved, cored and diced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup long-grain rice
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) jar grape leaves, rinsed and drained (I couldn't find a jar, but found a vacuum pack at a Mediterranean Grocery)
2 lemons, juiced

 Directions
 To make the filling, coat a large saute pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and lemon zest and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and rice, saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat.

Pour in just 1/2 cup of the chicken or veg. stock and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente (not fully cooked, being a little chewy), about 10 minutes. Scrape the parboiled rice mixture into a bowl and add the dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool.

Now on to the grape leaves. Bring a big pot of water to a simmer. Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Drain, then trim the stems and any hard veins from the leaves. Pat dry with paper towels.

To assemble the dolmades, lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down. (The original recipe didn't say to do this, but I found it was easier to roll if I laid two leaves end to end as below, as opposed to one leave only).  Put 2 tablespoons of the rice filling near the middle of the leaves.

 Fold the end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar – it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. 

Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling. Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven, or wide deep skillet, seam-side down in a single layer. Pour the remaining cup of broth, remaining olive oil, and the lemon juice over the dolmades, the liquid should reach halfway up the rolls, add some water if necessary. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dolmades are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool.

 After a meal like this, no one can say being a vegetarian is boring. Nobody.

A Blast From the Past

In going through some old photos, I found a few I hadn't thought about in quite some time. Step back in time with me, if you will, about 4 years ago...dooleedoo...dooleedoo...dooleedoo. My friend Devon and I were determined to break our way into the food industry. We talked food trucks. We talked restaurants. We landed on Farmer's Market. We decided to try our hands at selling hot, fresh baked goods. And we didn't discriminate. We provided for 2 and 4-legged friends. Oh yes. We were known as none other than...Scones and Bones.
I have to say we were pretty successful, as long as your definition of success means we had many customers, who came back weekly, and bought all of our wares. However if your definition of success involves $$$$, then sadly, we were not. Oh well. We had a GREAT time. Here is a blast from the past, along with a couple of recipes to boot.

Freshly baked peanut butter dog bones, and beef bones

Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup peanut butter (all-natural or organic)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine oil, peanut butter and water. Add flour, one cup at a time, forming a dough. Knead dough into firm ball and roll to 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into 3 to 4 inch pieces. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Dill Cottage Bread and Rosemary Boulle

Dill Cottage Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 C milk
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp butter
1 pkg yeast
1/2 C warm water
2 1/4 C regular AP flour
1 Tbsp minced onion
1/2 tsp dill
melted butter
Salt

DIRECTIONS
Scald milk, remove from heat, and stir in sugar, salt, and butter until dissolved. Cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add milk mixture. Stir in flour and add onion and herbs. Stir all together. Let rise 45 min. Stir down and continue to stir about 1/2 min. Turn into 8’’ greased loaf pan. Bake about 40-45 minutes, or until golden and begins to pull away from the sides, at 350 degrees. Brush with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with salt. Cool.

Bacon Cheddar Scones, Whole Wheat Beer Bread, Herb Flat Bread

Bacon Cheddar Scones
(Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen)
Ingredients:
For the scones:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. ground black pepper (depending on your preference)
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly slices
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk (plus up to ½ cup extra, if needed)

For the egg wash:
1 large egg
2 tbsp. water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper; mix briefly to combine.  Add the cubes of butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of small peas.  (Alternatively, this can be done in a regular mixing bowl, using a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.)  Add in the grated cheese and mix just until incorporated.

Mix in the green onions, bacon, and 1 cup of the buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture.  Stir by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated.  If the dough is too dry to come together, mix in the remaining buttermilk a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough into an 8-inch disk.  Slice the dough into 8 to 10 wedges.

In a small bowl combine the egg and water and whisk together.  Brush each wedge lightly with the egg wash.  Transfer the scones to an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

A sampling of our collection

Cheddar Jalapeno Pinwheels

Chocolate Chip Cream Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones

Cream Cheese Orange Pinwheels

Fried green Tomatoes

The tomato plant is an amazing organism.  It actually provides a two-for-one deal.  Of course there is the beloved plump, juicy, bright red fruit; the foundation of summer salsas, BLTs, and Caprese Salads, to name a few.  On the other hand, there is the less celebrated firm, tangy, and vividly green sibling.  It is this member of the family that is my summer beacon. Luckily, living in NC, we have warm enough weather even in October to continue my summer thrill clear into fall.  Last weekend I was delighted to come across some beautifully unripe tomatoes at The Downtown Cary Farmers Market.

My grandmother made the B.E.S.T fried green tomatoes, and of course like everything else she made, the recipe was stored in her head.  Hence, I have spent my adult life hitting and missing (mostly missing) until I have come up with a version of my own, that has just enough likeness to Grandmaw's to spark those summertime memories.  I really am not certain of the measurements, so here are my best estimates.

Fried Green Tomatoes

4 bright green tomatoes, about the size of baseballs
1 cup flour
2 cups corn meal
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt (divided)
2 teaspoons pepper (divided)
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (divided)
Vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

In a pie plate, or other wide dish, Combine flour and 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning. Stir well with a fork.   In another pie plate, or dish, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning.  Gently whisk together with a fork.  Lastly, put cornmeal in another pie plate, or dish.

Slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices.  Begin by dredging 1 slice into the flour first, shaking off the excess.  Next, dip it into the buttermilk-egg mixture, and finally coating it in the cornmeal.  Carefully lay the coated tomato on a cooling rack while you do the same thing to the other tomatoes.  (I find the coating adheres to the tomatoes better when they have a chance to sit on the rack for a few minutes, as opposed to frying each one immediately after dipping.)

Once all tomato slices have been coated and are waiting patiently on the rack, pour vegetable oil, into a large cast iron or other 10-12 inch skillet, to a depth of about 1/4 inch.  Heat the oil over medium heat.

After about 5-7 minutes (depending on the power of your stove top) test the hotness of the oil by slowly dipping a tomato into it.  It will bubble and sizzle immediately when the oil is ready.  Lay about 4-6 tomato slices, depending on the size of your pan, in the skillet and fry over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until a golden brown.  Then flip and do the same on the other side.  Transfer to a baking sheet and hold in a warm oven until all slices have been fried.