Jazzed-Up Insalata Tricolore

I realize this is my second salad post in a row, but it is hot as hades in New York and frankly light summer food is the only thing I can think about making or eating. This salad is a variation of the Insalata Di Foccacia that I used to eat at I Tre Merli, an Italian restaurant I worked at for several years. Last year I was craving the salad and tried to recreate it to only find out that I liked my version more (Sorry Paolo). What I think I did was merge the Insalata Tricolore with the Insalata Di Foccacia.

For extra protein/flavor you can add shaved parmesan or halved boccini mozzarella. As is, this salad is vegan, vegetarian and hearty enough to be sufficient as lunch or a light dinner. If you are feeling fancy you can even make your own foccacia croutons, although I find the store bought Italian seasoned croutons good enough. I douse my salad with balsamic vinegar, but since I realize not everyone may like vinegar as much as I do, I have modified the dressing so that you don’t end up with a permanent pucker.

Ingredients:

1 package of pre-washed baby arugula or 3 cups of baby arugula washed, rinsed and dried

2 endives halved and sliced into ½ inch pieces

1 small radicchio sliced into one inch pieces

2 ripe tomatoes cut into one inch pieces

6-8 large basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced

1 cup Italian croutons or Foccacia croutons

½ cup toasted pignoli nuts a.ka. pine nuts (see note and picture below)

2 Tbs capers (more if you love capers like I do)

3 Tbs good quality balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste (go easy on the salt and add more if needed later. Capers are pretty briny).

Directions:

Toss everything into a large bowl, add the dressing and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

The nice thing about this salad is that the arugula, radicchio and endive stand up to the dressing and it won't get soggy as quickly as other salads. What I really like is when the croutons get soaked in the balsamic. Sometimes I just pick at the balsamic doused croutons and leave the rest for my husband. Yum!

Note: Toast the pine nuts lightly over medium heat in a small frying or saute pan until they have reached the color below. No oil is needed and make sure they do not burn! Check ethnic stores for pine nuts since they tend to be cheaper than the ones you find at gourmet shops.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.

Buon Appetito!

Kat's Summer Orzo Salad

I am back! Although my blog is new, I unfortunately had to take a mini blogging vacation. The reason for my cooking/writing sabbatical will be revealed shortly and hopefully my next few recipes will make up for my time away. My original plan for my next post was my friend Ifrain’s tostones recipe, but because I made this orzo salad for a 4^th of July party, I figured this recipe should come first. It is a great summer dish and tastes even better on the beach! This recipe is a modification of a salad I used to buy at Wild Oats in Miami Beach and over the years I have changed the recipe to create a perfect balance of orzo, feta, olives and tomatoes.

As further proof of this recipe’s success, I have posted a picture below of my friend’s beautiful daughter finishing up her second portion of the salad. This was the truest compliment since her mother says she is a picky eater and at 14 months she is too young to know how to lie. To me this is as good as a four star review from the Times!

Ingredients:

1 package of orzo (or about two cups uncooked orzo)

1 pint of grape tomatoes halved or quartered (sometimes I don't have enough tomatoes to I quarter them so they go further)

1 cup of pitted Kalamatas chopped

3/4 lb of Feta, crumbled

6-8 thinly sliced basil leaves

2 thinly sliced scallions

2 Tbs olive oil plus extra for the orzo

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 cloves crushed garlic or finely mince and create a paste using the flat of your knife and a little salt

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook the orzo according to the package instructions in rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. (Make sure it is not overcooked or it will be mushy). Stir frequently to ensure the orzo does not clump. When done rinse in cold water and top immediately with olive oil and mix to ensure the orzo does not stick together. Normally I don’t rinse pasta, but in this instance it is ok since it will be served cold and you don’t need the extra starch to bind a sauce.

When the orzo has cooled add the Feta, Kalamatas, tomatoes, scallions and basil leaves.

Make a vinegraitte by combining the vinegar, olive oil and garlic. Combine well and toss over the salad and then stir to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually add one teaspoon of salt and black pepper, but the season will vary depending on the Feta you use. Some brands are saltier than other. Make sure the salad is thoroughly mixed, then chill over night or at least a few hours. This salad tastes best the next day!

Notes:

§ Chiffonade the basil leaves by stacking, then rolling tight and slicing. I usually give them an extra chop so the pieces are smaller.

§ You can usually find pitted Kalamatas, but if not, you can use a cherry pitter to remove the pits. You also can use the flat side of your knife, by smashing the olive as you would a garlic clove. The pit will be pushed away from the flesh of the olive. Remove the pit and immediately throw it away. Even if you use pitted Kalamatas make sure there are no pits hiding since you don’t want anyone to chip a tooth while enjoying this salad.

§ As with all recipes, this salad required the best quality Feta, Kalamatas and olive oil.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as Nairee did!!

Kat

Perfect Greek Salad

Greek food is the perfect example of why less is more and why the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference in the world. Last week after watching an episode of “The Best thing I Ever Ate,” my husband asked me what my favorite dish was, and the things that came to mind were sea urchin, octopus, tomatoes and fondue. It was an interesting exercise in self-examination, because I realized that my favorite dishes are often the simplest. One of my other favorite things to eat is a Greek salad. Not the one you get at diners or your average Greek restaurant, but the one they serve in Greece. The simple one, the one without radishes, anchovies, dolmades or lettuce. Yes, lettuce, you heard me correctly, there is NO Lettuce in a Greek salad.

Now don’t get me wrong, Greeks like lettuce and in fact we have many salads and dishes with leafy Greens. It is just that lettuce has no place in a classic Greek salad. I have pondered why lettuce appears in the Greek salad west of the Atlantic and have come to two conclusions. First, lettuce helps to keep costs down since it acts as filler and two, restaurant owners were probably afraid that if lettuce wasn’t present, customers wouldn’t think it was an actual salad. You would think that something as simple as a Greek salad would not need a lengthy post or recipe, but I can assure you that other than in Greece, there are very few places where I can get a decent Greek salad.

What makes this salad difficult is finding the right ingredients. Your tomatoes need to be perfectly ripe, your olive oil needs to be the best and your black olives cannot come out of a can. Kalamatas are preferable, but I have gotten away with Nicoise. In Greece you can order either a tomato-cucumber salad (Anguro-Tomata) or Greek village salad (Horiatiki). The difference is that the latter has cheese and olives, but other than that they are the same.

Greek Village Salad a.k.a The Greek Salad

2-3 super ripe tomatoes cut into eights

½ an English or seedless cucumber halved, then sliced

½ small red onion sliced

4 oz Feta either crumbled or in a large slice on top (omit Feta to make this a vegan entree or side)

10-15 Kalamata olives, depending on your taste and the size of the olives.*

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup vinegar (I like a lot of vinegar which will add to the

dipping experience which is described below)

1 tsp Greek or Mexican oregano

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, black olives, salt, pepper, ½ of the oregano, olive oil and vinegar to a serving bowl and toss. Top with feta and add the remaining oregano on top.

*My grandmother also will include thinly slices light green peppers if they are available.

Serves four as a side or 2 as a main.

Serve with crusty bread, which you can dip in the juices that collect in the bottom of the bowl. This is not rude and considered proper form at the dinner table. In fact we frequently eat out of the same bowl and don’t bother to serve the salad on individual plates.

For a variety of bargain-priced, quality feta, olive oil, olives and oregano, go to Titan Foods in Astoria (http://www.titanfood.com/). When I lived in Miami I used to ship from them and even with the shipping included it was still cheaper than buying local. If you are feeling adventurous and want to try other Greek products, feel free to email me for other recommendations on what to buy.

Enjoy!

My Mother's Spanakopita Recipe

The spanakopita has made its appearance on Greek diner menus since the 1970s and is almost as famous as the gyro or moussaka. Literally translated, spanakopita means spinach pie, so the ones with spinach and feta are technically spanakotiropita or spinach-cheese pies. I call them both spanakopita, even though it is technically not correct, because there comes a point when the pronunciation becomes too complicated, even for me. These little savory bundles can be filled with just cheese (tiropita), zucchini (kolokithopita), meat (kreatopita), onions (kremithopita) and one of my favorites, sauerkraut (armiopita). In addition to the savory pies, are the sweet ones, like bougatsa (sweet cheese pie) or galaktobouriko (milk pie). The options are limitless.

The recipe below was taught to me by my Mother, who was not Greek, but Finnish-American, and in honor of Mother’s Day I am sharing the recipe with you.

Linnea's Spanakopita

2 Tbs olive oil

1 packet frozen chopped spinach (or 1 lb of fresh spinach)

1 small red onion chopped

½ pound good feta

1 pound ricotta cheese (the 15oz container is fine. In Greece we actually use mizithra cheese, so if you can find that, better yet.)

2 eggs beaten

1-2 Tbs. chopped dill (I use a scissor)

Pinch of nutmeg (I like to grate my own, about 6-8 sweeps on a microplane grater)

Fresh ground black pepper

Stick of butter for brushing the phyllo

Packet of phyllo dough

Pastry brush

1. In a frying pan heat the olive oil and sweat the onions. Add the spinach and cook until the excess water has evaporated. (If using frozen spinach either defrost it first or add a little water to the pan to get it started).

2. In a large mixing bowl add the ricotta and crumble in the feta. Add the black pepper, dill and nutmeg, taste and adjust the seasoning. Because the feta is salty I never add salt, but this is up to you. I really like to taste the nutmeg, but it should be understated. I use a little dill because as it cooks the flavor becomes more pronounced, but feel free to add more. As you make this dish a couple times you will figure out what works for you.

4. Once the flavor is right, beat the eggs and add them to the mixture. Stir to combine.

5. Make sure the spinach has cooled and then add to the egg cheese mixture. If the spinach is still super moist strain it in a paper towel lined colander. (Sometimes I make the mixture the night before to save time. When I make the filling the day before I leave the eggs out until the next day).

6. Butter a large sheet pan and then lay down a single layer of phyllo. Butter the phyllo and then add another layer. Repeat until you have a layer of 10. Add the spinach cheese mixture and spread evenly. Top with another single layer of phyllo and then brush with butter. Repeat until you have a top layer of 10. Cut away any excess phyllo.

7. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until the top is brown. Before you bake you can also sprinkle with a little fleur de sel or kosher salt.

Important Note: Most phyllo (unless fresh) is in the freezer section of your market and requires you to defrost it overnight and then leave it out at room temperature for a couple hours before use. Don’t plan on making this recipe tonight unless you happen to have defrosted phyllo on hand.

Here is a link on how to make triangles with the phyllo dough.

http://greekfood.about.com/od/makephyllosweetsavory/ig/Folding-Triangles/

If using store bought phyllo just cut it in thirds or half and then follow the instructions. Just remember to keep the phyllo you are not using covered or it will dry out.

My Greek Yia Yia (Grandma) taught me how to make homemade phyllo dough and when I get better at blogging I will post the recipe with a “how to” video. Lets just say it includes a long wooden stick and plenty of elbow grease. Home made phyllo is more rustic, but I cannot say that I prefer one over the other. For dinner parties I make little triangles, and when I am lazy I make one large sheet pan. Both taste just as good, but the triangles are better if you are serving a crowd. The homemade phyllo dough from Poseidon bakery in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, is worth the trip.

If you are vegan or just fasting for lent, I would be happy to provide you with my dairy/egg free recipe (which my husband says is just as good) upon email request.

Kali Orexi!