Greek Pizza

Just about anything you can think of can become a pizza! So today I made one version of a Greek pizza complete with lamb, red pepper, red onion, feta and yogurt sauce. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1 - 12 inch pizza dough (homemade, store bought, etc)
1 cup - browned ground lamb
2 - small tomatoes sliced into rounds
1/2 - red pepper, julienne
1/4 - red onion, sliced into half moons
3/4 cup - crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup - hummus
Dried oregano
Garlic Powder
Pepper
Olive oil
Yogurt sauce (see Greek Tostada blog for recipe)

Based on your type of pizza crust your oven temperature may be different. For my homemade crust I pre heat my oven between 450-470 degrees with a my pizza stone on the bottom rack at least 1-hr prior to baking the pizza. This allows for the stone to get good and hot.

Spread the hummus over the pizza crust leaving about a 1 inch rim. Spread the tomatoes, red peppers, and red onions over the hummus. On top of the vegetables sprinkle the lamb and the feta. Generously sprinkle oregano and garlic powder on top of the pizza. Grind some fresh black pepper on top of the pizza and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. You can add a pinch of salt if you'd like, but I don't find it necessary as the feta is pretty salty.

Cook the pizza for approximately 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown. When done drizzle the top of the pizza with the yogurt sauce and allow the pizza to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.

Greek Tostada

A twist on a Latin American dish made with the flavors of Greece and the Mediterranean. I chose to stick with tortillas as opposed to pita because I think pita makes the dish too bready and takes away from the other flavors.

Ingredients:

8 – corn tortillas

½ lb – ground lamb

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 – zucchini

½ - red pepper, julienne

2 – tomatoes (sliced into round then quartered)

¼ - red onion sliced

4 TBS – hummus

Feta cheese

1 TBS – oil (Veg or Canola)

Yogurt Sauce

½ cup plain yogurt

10- 15 mint leaves chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 TBS – extra virgin olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of salt and pepper

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat with the oil. When hot, brown the lamb with the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. When browned, drain off the fat and set the lamb aside. Lay out 4-tortillas on a cookie sheet. Spread hummus over the top of each of them. Cover the hummus with a few slices of zucchini, red pepper, red onion and tomato. Top the vegetables with some lamb and a couple TBS of feta. Take the last 4-tortillas and spread hummus on one side of them and place on top of vegetable lamb mixture hummus side up. Cover the top of the second tortilla with the vegetables, lamb, and feta. Place the cookie sheet in the over and bake 12-15 minutes.

When done drizzle the tostada with yogurt sauce (recipe below)

Yogurt Sauce: Mix the yogurt, mint, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper in a bowl. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1-hr to allow for the flavors to develop.

Greek Burger

My wife informed me Thursday we were having burgers and fries for dinner on Friday. I didn't want to settle for your normal burger so I spent my morning at work figuring out how I could shake up the standard burger. I came up with my variation of the Greek Burger. This burger has both warmness of the burger coupled with the coolness of the yogurt sauce, crunch of the relish and tang of the red wine vinegar and yogurt. Here is what you'll need:

Burger (Makes 4-5 burgers)
1lb ground beef (80% beef/ 20% fat)
1/2 small yellow onion diced finely
1/4 cup fresh Oregano roughly chopped (2-2 1/2TBS dried)
1TBS Cumin
3 oz Crumbled Feta
~10 turns of the pepper mill (add more or less if you'd like)
1TBS salt (I use kosher salt)

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for approximately 1-2 hours in order for flavors to meld together. When ready to cook heat your grill pan or grill on high heat (you want a smoking hot pan). When the pan is hot brush a couple drops of oil (olive, canola, etc) on each side of the hamburger patty. Once in the pan turn the stove down to medium heat and cook 3 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for 4 more minutes for a medium burger (assuming a 1/4 lbs burger). Let rest for about 5 minutes before eating so juices redistribute back into the meat.  

Cucumber Relish
1 cup peeled, diced and seeded English Cucumber
1/2 cup Diced Red Onion
1/2 cup Diced Red Pepper
1/2 cup Diced Green Pepper
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 cups Water
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds (1/2 tsp of Cumin Powder)
1 Tsp Mustard Seed
1 Tsp Celery Seed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Bay Leaf

Dice all vegetables evenly. Bring the water, vinegar, and spices to a boil. Once boiling place cucumber, peppers, and onions in the pot. Bring back to a boil then remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool place the vegetables in a storage container with enough liquid to cover about 3/4 of the vegetables. Refrigerate till ready for uses.

Yogurt Sauce
1 Individual Serving of Greek Yogurt
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 tsp dried Mint
1 small clove of garlic diced finely
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
pinch of salt
~ 5 turns of the pepper mill

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate till ready to use.  Works best if you can allow it to sit for about 1-2hrs prior to use so flavors can meld together. Note on the garlic clove. It is important the clove is very small or you will end up with a garlic flavored yogurt as opposed to a tangy lemony sauce that we are looking for.

When the burger is done spread a thin layer of the yogurt sauce on each side of the bun. Place the burger on one side and top with a thin layer of the the yogurt. Then add one leaf of lettuce and top with a scoop of the relish. Serve with your favorite french fry recipe. I chose Sweet Potato.