Another week in Greece

Hondros:  (Bulgar with onions, tomatoes and cheese) from The Foods of the Greek Isles.

 Heat 3 tbsp olive oil and saute 1/2 chopped onion.  Add 1 cup coarse bulgur and a pinch of crushed red pepper.  Saute for about 30 seconds.  Add 2 cup chicken stock, 1 cup grated tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 3 minutes.  Stir in 2/3 cup crumbled feta.  Season with salt and pepper.  (We left the cheese out because the dinner was being served with feta on the side)

A repeat of previous nights with the above bulgar added.  We had less time to let the briami roast so it wasn't as sweet as before.  I would definitely give it the extra time to bring out the sweetness.

Chicken Baked in Yogurt with spinach, from Modern Greek.  This had good flavors but the texture was a little strange.  The boys didn't seem to notice.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in skillet.  Saute 2 diced onions until soft.  Remove.  Brown 4 chicken breasts on the bone.  Transfer onions and chicken to casserole dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix 4 cups greek yogurt with 2 beaten eggs, 2 minced garlic cloves, 3 tbsp flour, 2 tsp dried mint, 1 tsp ground cumin, salt and pepper.  Pour mixture over chicken, making sure all the chicken is covered.  Sprinkle with 2 tbsp kefalotiri or parmesan.    Bake for 40 minutes.  We served this with sauteed spinach.

Fakes (lentil soup) from How to Cook a Lamb.  I made this last week using yellow split peas in place of the lentils and ham hocks.  This week I used brown lentils and bacon.  If using smoked ham hocks, cover them in a large pot with water, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  I just chopped 3 slices of smoky bacon and sauteed them.  Then add 2 tbsp canola and or olive oil.  Saute 2 chopped onions, 2 chopped celery stalks, 1 diced potato, 2 finely chopped and peeled carrots and 8 minced garlic cloves.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Add 3 dried bay leaves and 3 large sprigs of thyme.  (I used dried this week since I was out of fresh).  Add 1 cup red wine cook until wine evaporated.  Add 2 tbsp sherry vinegar.  (I couldn't find sherry vinegar so I added a little sherry and a little red wine vinegar).  Add the ham hocks back in and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until lentils are tender.  (The recipe says 30 minutes, but I have never had tender lentils in 30 minutes.  I cooked this for about 1 1/2 hours)  Season with salt and pepper.  I added a bunch of spinach at this point, just because I like it.  Serve with grated kefalotiri or parmesan cheese, sliced scallions and a little drizzle of olive oil.

We ate a local greek pizzeria last night.  Ordered the saganaki (fried cheese) which was really pretty good.  We also had their pork souvlaki and greek salad.  It was a disappointment.  I think the brine and marinade that we used from How to Cook a Lamb made ours much better, more tender and flavorful.  I have a few more recipes that I would like to make, so Greece may last a few days longer.