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.

Mediterranean Phyllo Cups

You won't be able to eat just one of these little flavorful phyllo packages. Packed with lamb, eggplant, pistachios and feta cheese my Mediterranean Phyllo Cups are packed with flavor. 

1 - eggplant

1/2 lb - ground lamb (can substitute ground beef)

1 - medium sized shallot, diced

2 - cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBS - Olive oil

Additional Olive oil for brushing phyllo dough, muffin tin, and eggplant.

1/2 cup - crumbled feta

1/3 cup - chopped pistachios (1/4 cup for the mixture, the rest is sprinkled over the top of the cups)

1/4 tsp - ground cumin

1/2 tsp - coriander

1/4 tsp - cinnamon

1/4 tsp - red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp - black pepper

1/2 tsp - salt

3 TBS - chopped fresh mint

6 sheets phyllo dough

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the eggplant in half length wise and brush the inside with a little oil. Sprinkle with pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. When done set aside until cool enough to handle. Once cool remove the flesh from the skin and coarsely chop.

While the eggplant is cooking, heat a saute pan with the TBS of olive oil over medium heat. When hot add the shallot, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the ground lamb. Season the lamb with a couple pinches of salt and continue cooking till the lamb has finished browning. When done set aside to cool.

When both the eggplant and lamb are cool combine them into a bowl with the feta, pistachios, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt and mint. Stir to combine. This makes enough for approximately 12 phyllo cups.

Take one phyllo sheet and lay it out flat on your work surface. Gently brush the sheet with a little olive oil. Place another phyllo sheet on top and again brush it with olive oil. Continue this pattern till you have stacked 6 sheets. Cut the phyllo in half vertically and again in half horizontally to make 4 separate squares. Each square will create one cup. Repeat process to create as many squares as needed.

Liberally brush the inside of a standard muffin tin with olive oil, gently push down one square into each oiled muffin cup. Spoon the lamb eggplant mixture into each cup filling to a little over 3/4 full. Gently fold the phyllo dough over the top of the cup to cover the filling. Brush the top of the cup with olive oil (to help brown) and sprinkle with a little chopped pistachio.

Bake for 20-25 minutes till the top of the cups is golden brown.

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.