I've gone with a (I think, please ignore spelling errors) Mediterranean theme, pretending that just outside my window there is a beach and the sea...Enjoy!
"Greek" Pita Pockets (Meat or Vegetarian)
An easy favourite from my mom that has never failed me with any crowd! It's also very easy to brush the marinade on veggies and then grill them for a vegetarian option--yum!!!
-1 lb either boneless pork, chicken or turkey OR assorted veggies (oh, the possibilities!)
-2 T extra virgin olive oil
-2 T fresh lemon juice
-1/2 T prepared mustard
-1 garlic clove, sliced or crushed
-1/2 t fresh oregano (dried works fine too)
-adjust amounts to taste
Add-ons to the pita to prepare:
-crumbled feta cheese
-Fresh Tzatziki (recipe included)
-Hummus (recipe included)
-butter leaf lettuce (any lettuce will do, but this one you don't even have to use the pita with if you are going the low-carb route)
-sliced cucumber
-seeded tomatoes
-fried onions and peppers
-pitas or tortillas
Marinade meat in refrigerator for at least an hour. It is best to pre-cut all your veggies, cheese, etc., because it cooks fast! Stir-fry meat over medium heat until cooked through. I stir-fry any veggies I am adding in a separate pan, as they tend to not all cook at the perfect speed. For a little extra crispiness brush pitas or tortillas with olive oil and brown just slightly in a medium heat pan. Add whatever you love and eat away!
I'm sure many of you have your own recipe for these, but I really enjoy these two versions.
Fresh Artichoke Tzatziki-from Julie Van Rosendaal's "Grazing"--I love this low-fat cookbook!
This dip is actually best just with pita chips, but the plain stuff goes great in the above pita.
-2 C Tzatziki (home-made or store-bought) NB: Home-made: grate 2 small cucumber and squeeze into towel to get rid of excess water. Add to 2 crushed clove of garlic and 2 C plain yoghurt (Balkan-style if possible), salt and pepper to taste)
-1/2 C Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
-2 red peppers, roasted and chopped (home-made OR bottled from the store)
-170mL jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
-4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
-2 green onions, chopped
Mix ingredients together, chill if needed and serve with pita chips. Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Yummo!
Fresh Spicy Hummus-also from "Grazing"- remove coriander and red pepper flakes if you want it plain
-540mL can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-2 T tahini (apparently you can use light peanut butter, but I didn't love it)
-2 T plain yoghurt
-2 cloves garlic, peeled
-1 T olive oil (I actually forgot this once, and it was a little stickier, but tasty none the less)
-juice from 1 freshly squeezed lemon
-1 t ground cumin
-1 t coriander
-1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
Mix ingredients together in a food processor (if you have one, if not beat up and mix well) and puree. Add salt and pepper to taste, or a little water if it's too thick. Mmmm...
Mediterranean Style Seafood Pasta
Now technically you can add whatever seafood you want to prepare with this, I have only used talapia, halibut and tuna (not together, separately). Basically, as long as you use something fairly mild that will easily take on the flavours of the dish you'll be set.
-1/2 C Caesar Salad Dressing (Newman's Own if you can get it!)
-1/2 white onion, chopped
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-preferred seafood choice--I have to admit, I've never actually measured it out...the more the merrier I say! chopped into eatable bites
-1/2 C sliced Kalamata olives (but the recipe is good without for those of you who are foolish enough to hate black olives)
-1 T fresh basil
-1/4 T hot pepper flakes (fresh is also good! I usually add a few more for a little zing)
-1 C chopped, seeded tomatoes
-crumbled feta cheese (again, the more the merrier! I just go by the look)
-spaghetti, linguine, penne, I have tried all of these ones with it and like the look.
Start cooking pasta. In a skillet, heat the salad dressing over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the seafood, olives, basil and hot pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes, until the seafood is cooked through. Add the tomato and feta cheese last, and cook until they are just warmed and the cheese is melting at the edges. Remove from heat, add to pasta. Delicious!
And finally Summer Pizza
-pre-baked pizza crust (you can bake your own of course, but I have never had ANY luck with bread products where I live, I have no idea how some of you do it!!)
-1/2 C basil pest0 (store-bought OR basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts mixed in a food processor to taste)
-1/3 C sun-dried tomatoes, re-hydrate in boiling water, drain and chop
-1 C shrimp, de-veined and peeled
-1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
Spread pesto all around pizza curst. Add on and spread out sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp and feta cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, until the edges are golden. Also delicious served cold!
If you are a wine drinker...(these will not be perfect, I am not an expert despite what people think! Personally, in the summer I much prefer Kendall's Sangria recipe :)
Red: think Tempranillo (mostly Spanish), or (I can't believe I am saying this) a Merlot--but one with spiciness, the Americans do a couple that are not bad at all
Rose: solid and not sweet rose to go with these dishes--in fact there are one or two Australian ones (Mitolo if you can find it!) if you can get them that are very full-bodied, if not, the French and Spanish always do lovely roses.
White: Dry, dry, dry. Not sweet! Whatever you prefer from there is good, I find sauvignon blanc usually works out well with almost everything.
Happy Eating in July everyone!
