The Greek Store and Arugula and Strawberry Salad with Pecan Crackers

In the next small town over from the small town where I live in is a great little store called, The Greek Store.

The Greek Store sells all manner of wonderfully sinful Greek delights (not that Greeks are sinful, just some of their food!).

Down each narrow aisle of the store, food treasure after treasure is offered up to the shopper while the owners yell back and forth in their native tongue.

Salty, briny olives, black, green and pink, glistening in huge vats.

Spanakopita that is oozing with feta and spinach all stuffed into light, buttery filo.

Hummus, made the right way, with lots of garlic and lemon.

Baklava that is so moist, the honey runs down your wrists when you take a bite and nobody cares if you suck your fingers when you're done.

Big jugs of red wine encased in twine, reminiscent of a 60's movie where fat candles ran hot wax down the sides of spent bottles.

First communion veils and rosaries are somehow sandwiched in with cheese, bread, olives, salt, anchovies and wine.

At Easter, there are fat loaves of round bread with hard boiled eggs baked right into the centers.

But the most impressive, beautiful, thing they sell is home made Filo dough.

Oh, perfection.

It is nothing like the dry, cracking frozen dough you buy in the grocer's freezer. You know the stuff I'm talking about.

The stuff that made you cry the first time you tried making anything with it? You brought it to room temperature and covered it with the moist kitchen towel just like the package said to and it still broke and splintered in your very hands. You did your best patching it up with more melted butter than should be legal, only to bake it and end up with tops that burned and a middle that was gooey and undercooked.

Not The Greek Store's Filo. This dough is soft and pliable. It has never seen the inside of a freezer and as long as The Greek Store is in business, it never will.

Anyway,

This salad is easy enough for company and impressive enough for family. No, I didn't get that mixed up. An old Greek saying tells us "To treat company like family and family like company if you wish to be blessed by both"

Arugula with Strawberries on Pecan Crackers (makes 4 salads)

Pecan Crackers: (makes 1 pan, about 12 to 14 crackers each 1"x4")

8 ounces Filo Dough* or 12 pieces + a few for mistake making

2/3 cup pecans, ground fine in a food processor

2 tablespoons sugar

honey

1 stick unsalted butter

Salad:

4 cups fresh baby arugula, washed and spun dry

1 cup fresh sliced strawberries

4 ounces fresh goat cheese

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crackers, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the ground pecans and the 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl. Set aside

Melt the butter in a small ramekin.

Using a pastry brush, use some of the butter and butter the bottom of a rimmed cookie sheet.

Unroll your filo dough. Have a moist, clean kitchen towel ready and keep it on top of the filo when you are working with a piece. Don't put the towel directly on top of the filo, put a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap between the dough and the towel.

Lay one piece of dough on your cookie sheet and using your pastry brush, butter it well. Repeat until you have 6 pieces of filo dough stacked on top of one another, making sure you butter each piece all the way out to the ends of the dough.

I really should buy new pans, but these are so well seasoned... they just look nasty....

Next, sprinkle the nut and sugar mixture over the dough. Make sure it's even, all the way to the ends.

Stick a teaspoon into a jar of honey, lift it straight up and drizzle the nuts all over with a thin, steady stream of honey. Be scant, we are just giving it some sweet richness and a little moisture.

Do you know how hard this picture was to take? One hand on the spoon, the other on the camera?

Now, place a piece of filo dough on top of the nuts and honey, butter and repeat until you have 6 pieces of dough. Make sure you butter the top piece really well - you don't want it to dry out and crack while baking.

Even the best made dough misbehaves sometimes. Be gone you bad piece of Filo.

You are no help at all and no, you cannot have that piece of dough.

Pop the cookie sheet with your buttered filo cracker into the oven for 8 minutes or until golden brown and slightly puffed on top. The top will fall as the cracker cools.

When completely cool use a pizza cutter and cut the cracker in half horizontally, then into 1 inch "strips".. you will have a rectangular cracker about 1 inch by 4 inches.

Assemble the salad:

Place two crackers on each plate, to the side. Place about a cup of arugula on each plate, allow most of cracker to show. Sprinkle arugula with 1/4 cup fresh sliced strawberries and a few dobs of goat cheese. Drizzle each salad with about a teaspoon of high quality olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Add a pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper. Serve.

A Cook's Notes: *filo dough - if you only have access to frozen filo dough check the date on the box and buy the absolute freshest box you can find. Filo tends to dry out the older it is, even when kept frozen. Defrost in the refrigerator and use it as soon as you can. With practice, you can master the filo!

A great variation to the strawberries (if they are not in season where you live) are roasted red pears. Peel, core and quarter 2 pears. Sprinkle with honey and thyme. Roast at 375 for 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Use blue cheese in place of the feta - everything else remains the same. YUM.

ps. you will have a few leftover crackers. Good, because people will ask for more.

Laundry and Lemon Chicken Paillard with Mixed Greens

The laundry portion of this post first appeared in June, 2009 - I'm still not done.

I usually do laundry on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Yes, it takes me three days to do laundry, sometimes more. Not because there is sooo much, but because I really hate doing laundry.

It never ends.

First, you empty out all the hampers.

Then you haul it all downstairs to the basement (two flights) to the laundry room. My house is old so I don't have the luxury of having a laundry on the first floor.

Then it gets sorted. Whites, darks, delicates, towels, sheets, The Best Husband In The World's work clothes.

Work clothes get washed all by themselves because, well, because they are work clothes and they are filthy. Really filthy. If TBHITW has been out drilling wells (water, not the black stuff) they are beyond filthy.

I always do laundry in the same order. Funny how we are creatures of habit.

First the whites.

Then the darks.

Then the sheets

Next, the towels

Last, the stinky work clothes.

And I always forget about it. Three hours after the first load went in I remember, oh the laundry. I race downstairs to "switch" loads and three hours later I remember, oh the laundry. Two loads in six hours. No wonder it takes me three days.

Once everything is sorted and washed, everything has to be dried. Or hung to dry.

Once everything is dry, it all gets hauled back upstairs to be folded.

I always fold the laundry in the TV room. While I fold I watch the very little bit of television that I do watch. And what do I watch? The Food Network of course.

So here is tonight's dinner, courtesy of Tyler Florence* and my laundry, that still isn't done.

Lemon Chicken Paillard with Mixed Green Salad (serves 4)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup flour

2 or 3 eggs, slightly beaten with a splash of milk

2 cups panko bread crumbs

Zest of one lemon

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Dressing: (optional, a honey mustard or light Italian would go equally as well)

2 anchovy fillets

2 egg yolks**

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 lemons, juiced

1/2 cup extra-virgin ollive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 bag baby arugula

1/2 cup shredded carrots

5 artichoke hearts, halved

1 head Romaine, sliced

Any other green you want to add

Lemon wedges for garnish

Begin by pounding out the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.

Hint: "pounding" is really not what you want to do. You want to "sweep" out from the center. Hit and sweep. You are really pulling the meat, not pounding it. You want a nice thin, even breast that will cook quickly and evenly.

Set up a breading station with 3 pie plates. In one place the flour, in the other place the egg and in the last, the panko. Season the flour, egg and panko with salt and pepper, add the lemon zest to the egg. Dip the chicken first in the flour, then the egg, then the panko. Set on a rack to dry for about 10 minutes.

Place about an inch of oil in a frying pan. Fry the chicken paillards in hot oil for approximately 3 minutes per side until crisp and golden. Drain well, season with salt and set aside.

For the dressing:

Put the anchovies, egg yolks, garlic, and lemon juice into a blender and process until smooth. With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Stir in the parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Mix all your ingredients for your salad together, add dressing and toss to coat.

Plating:

Place one paillard on a plate. Mound some salad on top. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Repeat with remaining paillard.

I'm serving this with a fresh loaf of ciabatta bread and a nice bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio.

Oh, and I still haven't put the laundry away. Sigh.

A Cook's Notes: If you are squeamish about raw egg yolks, use 2 tablespoons mayonnaise.

Mise En Place

Mise en place (meez ahn plahs) is a French term referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking.

Ingredients for Veal with capers and lemon, polenta with arugula and brussel sprouts with pistachios

If you have taken one of my classes the term will be familiar to you. I am all about the mise en place.

If you have been a guest in my home you will recognize all the little prep bowls lined up on my counters.

Everything I need is measured, chopped, squeezed and ready to cook before hand. Yes, you will have a few more bowls and dishes to wash, BUT

mise en place makes life easier and allows me to chat and visit with my students, guests, friends and family while I'm busy putting a meal together.

Try mise en place the next time you are cooking or baking. Simply measure out all the ingredients before hand and set aside. Wash and chop everything you may need to combine. Make yourself a cocktail and relax.. having everything on hand will reduce your stress, enhance your cooking experience and guarantee you don't forget to add an ingredient to the recipe.

Mid-Life Crisis and BLT's - Revisited

About 27 months ago I suffered what I now lovingly refer to as my Mid-Life Crisis or simply, The Crisis. 

There were several things going on my life that contributed to The Crisis. 

Our then 17 year old had just gotten his driver's license. 

The Best Husband In The World was just diagnosed with an incurable, life-threatening autoimmune disease, dermatomyositis.  

I quit smoking and was gaining weight overnight (for the first time in my life)

I had a stressful job that had me travelling on a regular basis while trying to serve a sales force of over 2,000 who 50% of the time made unreasonable demands and the other 50% of the time made impossible demands. 

We were planning a family trip of a lifetime to Iceland - yes, Iceland. The Best Husband In The World's dream trip - a Geologist's Disney World. Land of the midnight sun, the aurora borealis, glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, icebergs and volcanoes, all wrapped up in one tidy island. All the trip needed was micro-planning by the minute - by me. 

I became a grandmother. 

Oh, yeah, and I was fast approaching the 1/2 century mark. 

Bleah. 

What's a girl to do? 

I did what any normal, red blooded American would do. I had a Mid-Life Crisis. 

Now, the way I looked at it, there were several ways of responding to The Crisis. 

1. I could have an affair. But I was already having the love affair of my life with my husband. How much passion could a middle aged woman muster? So, check off affair. 

2. I could change the color of my hair.  Oh, that was easy enough done. 90 minutes in the chair of my favorite salon and I emerged a red head, gone was the natural light brown I was born with. I was somewhat authentic since my youngest son IS a natural red head and besides, only your GYN knows for sure! 

3. I could trade in my super practical 50 mile a gallon, Honda Civic Hybrid mom car:

 and get a souped up luxury Saab convertible. 

New red hair flying in the wind, I put the pedal to the medal and drove this little baby girl off the lot. The whole transaction was painless, exhilarating and FUN! For about 4 hours. Then I realized:

1. A two door vehicle is not convenient when you have to constantly drive kids and their friends around.

2. The dog could never travel in a white leather interior.

3. A six speed manual transmission in New Jersey, land of the traffic jam - was building up my right bicep to Arnold Schwarzenegger proportions.

4. A four seater car with teenagers and friends doesn't add up to enough seats per bottoms. 

5. Nine months out of the year it's too cold to have the top down. The other 3 months it's either raining or too hot. 

6. If I didn't want to look like Carrot Top being electrocuted I would have to wear a baseball cap when driving with the top down - not a good look for me. 

So, the 27 month lease is up this week. The Crisis Car is going back to the dealer. 

It was fun. It was pretty. It was fast. And it so did not fit my lifestyle. (I am keeping the red hair, brown / gray roots and all)

Lesson learned, from now on when I feel The Crisis calling my name I'll stick to the exciting adventure of fooling around with common foods, like this BLT gone wild. 

Not Your Mama's BLT: serves 4

12 slices Whole Grain Bread, toasted lightly

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 4 slices

8 fresh basil leaves

1 red tomato

1 yellow tomato

2 cups arugula, washed and dried (or mixed baby greens)

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked, sliced thinly

8 pieces panchetta (Italian Bacon), cooked crisp (or you can use turkey or regular bacon)

1 ripe Haas Avocado, pitted, then crushed (keep it chunky) 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Pepper

Thick slice the tomatoes, 4 slices each. 

In a shallow pan, layer the tomatoes, basil leaves and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes. 

In a small bowl toss arugula with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Lightly toast the bread. Spread a tablespoon of the mashed avocado on four pieces. Divide the chicken among the four pieces. Top with 2 bacon slices, 1/4 of the arugula, then a piece of toast. Next, layer in the tomatoes (red and yellow on each), basil and mozzarella cheese. Spread 1 tablespoon of the avocado on last piece of toast and top the sandwich. Slice in half on the diagonal. 

Serve with watermelon slices and fresh corn on the cob. 

Crisis Averted. 

Hmm.. maybe a little something with an automatic transmission and a moonroof.... 

Don't Blame The Kitchen - Panini's

"Don't blame the kitchen, blame the cook" is an old saying in the culinary crowd. I was reminded of this quote as I navigated my way around my mother's kitchen the past few days. 

Unfamiliar electric stove (gasp!), pots and pans that were not my beloved All-Clad, one set of tongs to choose from, one size whisk, I could go on and on.. but a good cook makes do. And make do I did. 

Cooking times will be different depending on your fuel source (gas or electric). Browning, sauteeing and baking will yield various results depending on your pans - you may have to move things around a bit. 

Perhaps a pantry lacks corn starch - what do you use instead to thicken? (flour, butter or arrowroot) There are always variations and substitutions you can make if you just use your head (and your tastebuds)

Here is a recipe that will work no matter if you grill it indoors or out, use a grill pan or a frying pan, have a panini press or a brick from your patio - the visual results may be a tad different, but the flavor profile will knock your socks off everytime - no matter the tools! 

Chicken Paninis (with lots of variations and options) - makes 1 big or 6 roll size sandwiches

1 loaf ciabatta bread (or 6 medium rolls)

1 pound breast of chicken, pouched and sliced (or 1 pound chicken breast lunchmeat)

1/2 cup pesto (store bought or homemade - recipe follows)

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 6 pieces

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 cups arugula

2 tomatoes (red or yellow) sliced (or roasted red pepper slices)

salt and pepper

drizzle of olive oil

Slice the ciabatta loaf through the center to make a big "roll". Or slice and open up the rolls

Spread pesto on inside top and bottom halves

Begin layering with sliced chicken

Top with a few basil leaves

Top with tomatoe slices

Top with arugula

Top with mozzarella cheese

Place the top half of roll on sandwich. Press down to slightly compress sandwich(es)

Preheat outdoor grill to low. OR

Heat frying pan to low OR

Heat indoor grill pan to low OR

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Drizzle a little olive oil in your pan or brush a little olive oil on your grill or directly on the bottom of the bread. Place on hot heat source (stove, oven, grill, pan, etc)

Immediately place a panini press, a brick (covered in foil) or a cookie sheet weighted with canned goods on top. 

Cook, grill, fry, heat for 4-6 minutes. Flip over and do the same for the top, a few less minutes. If you opted to make one big sandwich, slice into serving sizes. Serve warm with chips or fresh fruit (we're having cantalope and strawberries tonight)

There you have it. Lots of options for making a panini without a panini press. No excuses. Like I said, blame the cook, not the kitchen. 

VARIATIONS: Be inventive:

Use Ham & Salami with Roasted Red Peppers

Ham & Brie, Garlic and Honey

Turkey, Sundried Tomatoes and Provolone and Watercress

Salami, Swiss and Olives

Roast Beef, onions, provolone and roasted red and green peppers

The variations are endless. Use your imagination and enjoy!

Homemade Pesto: (with options of course)

2 cups basil packed (or flat leafed parsely) (or sun dried tomatoes)

3/4 cup parmesan cheese (or pecorino romano) grated

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts or almonds)

1 clove garlic

olive oil as needed

salt and pepper

You will need a food processor (or a heavy duty blender). Blend the basil, garlic and cheese together until fine. Add the nuts and continue to process until fine. With processor or blender running, beginning adding olive oil in a thin stream until desired thickness (it should be spreadable, not runny). Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Tip: pesto freezes beautifully. Spoon into small freezable plastic container. Drizzle a thin film of olive oil over top to cover, cover tightly and freeze. This will keep up to 6 months. 

Tuna Steaks with Roasted Cipolline Onions

I keep getting fooled by Mother Nature. This morning it was snow flurrying on Holly Bear and I at the dog park. Brr... Everyday I look out my kitchen window promising the grill we will get reacquainted only to be foiled by nature. 

Tonight I think I'll fight back with a little comfort food (for my spring cold) and a little bit of spring by grilling indoors. I adapted this recipe from an original by Giada De Laurentiis. (who I secretly hate because she weighs 1 1/2 pounds fully dressed).

Roasted Cipolline Onions:(chip-o-lean-ee)

1 pound cipolline onions- skins removed. (to easily remove skins, drop in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. cool. The skins will slip right off)

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk it all together, coat onions, put in a small oven proof casserole and roast at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes(uncovered). You will know they are done when they are soft and the balsamic vinegar has reduced to a syrup stage. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Tuna Steaks: (enough for 4 people)

2 tuna steaks (about 1/2 pound each)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 T lemon juice (don't make me say it... FRESH SQUEEZED.. throw that bottle out)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt, few grinds fresh black pepper. 

Whisk everything together, place tuna steaks in marinade, turning to coat and let rest for about 5 minutes per side.

Now the comfort food part:

Polenta with wilted arugula (you could also use spinach or blanched asparagus tips)

2 cups chicken broth (low salt)

2 cups water

3/4 cup polenta (quick cooking)

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream (I told you this was comfort food)

2 cups fresh arugula - rough chopped

Heat the broth and water to simmering. Slowing whisk in the polenta (your Italian grandmother will tell you that you have to stir in only one direction). Continue to cook until thick and smooth - about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic. Stir. Add the cheese. Stir. Add the butter and cream and stir until butter is melted. Stir in the arugula. Season to taste with salt and pepper (easy on the salt - remember to taste because the cheese will add salt).

Back to the tuna:

Preheat your grill pan to medium high. Remove tuna steaks from marinade and grill about 3 minutes per side for medium. Cut the steaks in half. Plate - spoon the onions and balsamic sauce over. Pass the polenta. 

Take that Mother Nature.