Happy 2013!!!!

We had a fantastic dinner to bring in the New Year!!

Balcer Rating: 4.5

 Greek Salad

Ingredients

• 1 English cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 plum tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 1/3 cups drained pitted kalamata olives, halved if large
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 balls of fresh mozzarella quartered
• sprinkle with pine nuts
• Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and olives.
2. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano.
3. Add dressing and mix gently, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: You can prepare through step 2 up to 4 hours ahead; cover and chill vegetables and dressing separately. Just before serving, pour cucumber mixture into a colander to drain off any liquid, then return to bowl and mix dressing.

Balcer Rating: 4.5

Mavromatika me Kappari: Black-Eyed Peas with Capers

In Greek: μαυροματικά με κάππαρι;, pronounced mah-vroh-mah-tee-KAH meh KAH-pah-ree
This easy dish highlights black-eyed peas with the tastes of onions, capers, and dill. Because it is often served chilled or at room temperature, we call it a salad, but it makes a wonderful side dish or vegetarian and vegan main dish. Keys to success: use capers that come bottled in vinegar and, if using dried peas instead of canned, salt the water rather than the final dish itself.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dried black-eyed peas (or 7 1/2 cups of rinsed, drained canned peas)
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt (for dried peas)
• 10-12 cups of water (for dried peas)
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, finely chopped (2 teaspoons of dried)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of capers (packed in vinegar)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• ----------
• GARNISH
• black Greek olives

Preparation:

Using dried black-eyed peas

• Day One: Pour the peas into a colander or bowl and check for any damaged peas or debris and discard. In a large pot, soak the black-eyed peas overnight in plenty of cold water to cover generously.
• Day Two: Bring the peas to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse. Wipe any foam residue from the pot and fill with 10-12 cups of fresh cold water. Add sea salt to the water and bring to a full boil. Add peas and when boil resumes, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 40 minutes. Drain peas and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with remaining ingredients and garnish with olives.

Using Canned Black-Eyed Peas
Note: A 14oz can of black-eyed peas is about 1 1/2 cups of drained peas.

• Pour peas into a colander and rinse well under running water.
• Drain for 20 minutes and transfer to a serving bowl.
• Toss with remaining ingredients and garnish with olives.

Yield: 7 1/2 cups of Black-Eyed Peas with Capers (serves 7-10)

Balcer Rating: 4.5

Moussaka

• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 lbs ground beef or 2 lbs ground lamb
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped ripe olives, preferably kalamata (optional)
• 15 ounces seasoned tomato sauce

Bechamel Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups hot milk
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated kefalograviera cheese ( use Parmesan if unavailable)

Eggplant and Potatoes

• 2 lbs eggplants
• olive oil, to brush on
• salt
•  2 -3 potatoes ( cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds or long slices, enough to cover bottom of baking pan in 1 layer)  

For Assembly

• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup kasseri cheese or 1 cup white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

1. In large, heavy saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil; saute finely ground meat, onion and garlic until lightly browned; add oregano, basil, cinnamon, salt, ripe olives (if using) and tomato sauce; Cover and simmer slowly about 30 minutes; uncover and simmer slowly another 30 minutes.
2. While sauce simmers, prepare Bechamel Sauce (recipe below) and eggplant; cut ends from eggplant (1 large or 2 small) and cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices (if using large, flask-type eggplant, peel the skin off in strips with a vegetable peeler - creating a striped look - with some of the peel left on and some off. If using Japanese-style (the longish, purply-white ones), don't bother to peel at all); Place on a cookie sheet and brush with remaining olive oil; Place under broiler and broil until light brown; Remove from oven, salt lightly, turn eggplant and repeat process; Then position rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees.
3. There are three ways you can prepare the potatoes for this delicious casserole: 1) shallow-fry potato rounds in olive oil until golden-brown or, 2) for fewer calories, arrange the potato slices in your baking pan, brush lightly with olive oil, bake for 15 minutes, continue with assembly, or 3) if you want to cut calories further, parboil them for 8 minutes; drain well on paper towels.
4. To assemble: In 13x9x2-inch baking dish, arrange layer of potatoes, overlapping slightly, season lightly (there will be only one layer of potatoes, so use them all up); next, do a layer of eggplant; sprinkle some Parmesan, kaseri (or cheddar) and bread crumbs over eggplant; layer meat sauce, freshly grated cheeses, crumbs and Bechamel Sauce until all is used; bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees or until flecked golden-brown on top.
5. To make Bechamel Sauce: In saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat; whisk in flour and cook slowly until smooth and lightly cooked (2-3 minutes); add salt and remove from heat; add milk, whisking rapidly and return to heat; cook until thick and bubbly, whisking constantly; allow to cool 5 minutes, whisking once in a while to prevent a skin from forming; incorporate eggs and grated cheese with wire whisk to make fluffy sauce.
6. Freezer Notes: Once the baked moussaka has completely cooked, cut serving-size pieces, double-wrap in foil and freeze. Defrost in the usual manner and reheat in microwave (or oven) for a delicious, quick meal, when there's little time to cook and dinner is ready and waiting in the freezer!

Balcer Rating: 4.5

Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice and Herbs - Dolmathakia

The use of grape leaves to wrap food dates back to the days of Alexander the Great. Stuffed with rice, pine nuts, and fresh herbs, dolmathakia (dol-mah-THAH-kya) take a little bit of time to prepare, but they are worth the effort.
They can be served cold or at room temperature and are a classic Greek appetizer or meze.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Yield: About 50 pieces

Ingredients:

• 50-60 fresh grape leaves or 1 jar (16 oz.) brined grape leaves
• 1-cup olive oil (divided into 1/2 cups)
• 6 large onions, minced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 tbsp. dried mint
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of two lemons

Preparation:

Note: Brined grape leaves are packed by weight so the quantity will vary from jar to jar.
Rinse the leaves well to remove brine. Place the leaves in boiling water and boil for 3 to 5 minutes to soften them and make them more pliable. Remove from water and set aside.
In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat 1/2 cup olive oil. Sauté the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, parsley, dill, pine nuts, mint, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Allow the filling to cool.
Line the bottom of a heavy saucepan with 2 or three grape leaves (I use the broken or torn ones for this.)
You can also see How to Roll Grape Leaves, step by step with photos.

Roll the Dolmathakia:
Place a leaf with the stem towards you on a flat surface. The underside of the leaf should be face up. (The veins of the leaf are raised on the underside.) Using the point of a sharp paring knife cut out the stem of the leaf. Overlap the bottom two sections of the leaf toward the center.
Place a tablespoon of filling in the bottom center of the leaf, just above the stem. Fold the bottom section up to cover the filling. Fold the sides in towards the center.
Continue rolling the packet up towards the top point of the leaf.
Place the rolls in layers in the saucepan. Be sure to place the packets with the seam on the bottom.
Pour remaining 1/2 cup olive oil over the dolmathakia and enough water to cover them by about an inch. Place an inverted heatproof plate on top of the rolls to keep them submerged in the water. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour or until the leaves are tender and the rice filling is cooked through.