Greek Salad

On New Year's Eve we spent some quality time with some good friends and friends of theirs who also have an almost-three-year-old child. We went on a horse-drawn sleigh ride (after Willem was assured that it was not going to fly) then celebrated in festive, family style with wine and homemade pizza in our friends' cozy, woodstove-heated cabin in the woods. (And, somewhat unbelievably, we DID stay up until midnight. Though we-- especially the parents among us-- were a pretty pathetic bunch at that point and said our goodbyes promptly at 12:02.) 




The family of the friend of a friend is from Greece, and she mentioned in chatting that evening that they eat a lot of Greek salads at their house-- "tomato, onion, cucumber"-- and that their toddler daughter likes it and even eats raw onion, sometimes like an apple, as a snack. I'm a firm believer that kids develop a taste for what they are raised on, but spicy raw onion was an impressive example.

Anyway, I didn't ask her about the dressing or any other details about how they serve their everyday family Greek salad or other dishes they enjoy, and I should have. But as soon as she said "Greek salad," my mind went to the place of forgotten recipes where I had this one stored away, and I then couldn't stop thinking about it until I made it a few days later. 

The original recipe was for a pretty traditional Greek salad (with the addition of olive-oil-fried croutons!), but I add the bed of greens as a base to make it a meal. I also decided to use the extra-flavorful oil in which I'd just fried the olives and bread in the dressing. 


I'm a sucker for a good dinner salad no matter what-- one dish, lots of veggies, beautiful on a plate, infinite yummy combinations-- but this one is just So. Darn. Good. I mean, I realize it's not all healthful, but it's just too wonderful to worry about that. It's one of those meals when I have to remind myself to slow down on shoveling it in long enough to look up, pause for a breath, say a few words between bites. Oily, salty olives, crispy fried bread, sweet baby tomatoes, generous bits of good feta cheese (we love Neighborly Farms of Vermont feta), those slightly spicy crunchy raw onions-- it's a delicious challenge trying to get all those flavors in every bite. 




Greek Salad 

adapted from Martha Stewart Living, May 2011 

Croutons and Olives
1 C olive oil
1/2 loaf olive bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes/about 2 cups (I used ciabatta)
1/2 C pitted kalamata olives 

Dressing
1/4 C plus 2 T olive oil
2 T red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 


Salad
2 C (1 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber (I used a whole, long English cucumber), peeled and coarsely chopped
3 T fresh dill (omitted)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 block feta cheese (6 ounces), sliced 1/2 inch thick
salad greens 

Make the croutons and olives: Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over high heat until it reaches 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer (I didn't measure heat, just get it hot enough that the bread and olives will fry not just sit in the oil). Fry bread and olives until bread is golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.

Make the dressing: Whisk together oil (use the oil left in the pan, now flavored with olives and bits of bread) and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Make the salad: Combine all but feta and greens in a large bowl. Toss with dressing (or save dressing to drizzle over everything, last). 

Arrange salad greens on plates. Top with salad and croutons and olives, with wedges of feta on the side.

Old-Fashioned

from The Bartender's Black Book

We've been appreciating classic, "old-fashioned" cocktails this days, especially those involving whiskey. Side note: a very nice whiskey for splurging and for drinking all by itself is Whistlepig Straight Rye Whiskey (bottled in Vermont).

Maraschino cherry
1 orange slice
1/2 t sugar or splash simple syrup
4 - 5 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 oz. whiskey
soda water

In a short glass, muddle cherry, orange, sugar, and bitters. Fill with ice. Add whiskey. Splash, or fill, with soda water. Stir.

Quiche

from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, by Mollie Katzen

This is a nice dish for a make-ahead breakfast/brunch/dinner that can use whatever vegetable fillings you have around. A bonus is that you make two quiches when you do it so you can bake them then freeze one (or both) for another day.
 

pie pastry-- roll out each half after chilling, fit each into a pie plate, flute edges in a pretty way

Then for each pie plate you will need:

• 1/4 - 1/3 lb. grated or cubed cheddar cheese (or Swiss/Gruyere) (I do 1/4 lb. cubed-- she says if you have a quiche pan (instead of a pie plate) or if you grate it, you could use the larger amount)
• vegetable filling (spinach is always good and countless other combinations of sauteed onion, kale, tomato, zucchini, chard, artichoke, herbs, peppers...)
• 3 eggs and 1 C milk, beat together (4 eggs and 1 1/2 C milk for a quiche pan)
• paprika for dusting

Put cubed cheese on the crust.

Cook/saute vegetables as needed, then place vegetable filling on top of cheese.

Gently pour milk/egg mixture over it all. Dust with paprika.

Bake at 375 35 - 40 minutes, or until crust is golden and egg is no longer jiggly.

Apple Weekend 2012

Apple galette-- the only dish photographed during Apple Weekend 2011

The 10th Annual Apple Weekend happened the first weekend in October this past fall at my sister's house. We've revised some of the rules and regulations for this event over the years and this year was especially fabulous as a result, I think. In the past every dish we made and consumed on this day involved apples in some way and there was a competition for a savory dish each and an apple pie each. In 2011 (which I never posted about), we decided to change things pretty dramatically. The savory dish had to be as local and seasonal as possible, with or without apples, and the dessert had to include apples but some participants thought we'd done the pie thing enough (and there was really no question any more that I would win, so I think they got a little bored). Anyway, so that year we had a yummy chowder, a roasted potato salad with fresh tomatoes and other goodies on it, a risotto cake, and roasted beets and homemade potato chips with local beef as savory entries. For dessert I made an apple galette.


So for 2012, we decided to stick with the guideline of anything local and seasonal for each contestant's savory dish and to continue that theme for the dessert entries as well. So, apples welcome but not required, even though we still called it Apple Weekend! I'm pretty sure we will continue in future years with the weekend being a celebration of all things local and delicious because it allowed us to be more imaginative and have great variety. We also decided to add an optional, non-judged drink pairing with our dishes this year which was fun.

Meg's salad with endive and roasted Brussels sprouts

Brenna's cheese fondue with boiled potatoes, apple, croutons, and radish. Paired with a beer.

Cassidy joined the competition and, perhaps obviously, won the savory portion of the night with this mouthwatering quail with savory bread pudding, crispy fennel, and a mouth-watering sauce.

My baked sweet potato with cranberries, pecans, blue cheese, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Paired with Oregon A to Z Pinot Noir.

Brenna's pumpkin-vanilla semifreddo with homemade brittle

My ice cream terrine with five-spice pumpkin ice cream, vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon-rum ice cream. Despite lack of splashy presentation, this was the favorite dessert.

Meg's profiteroles

Cassidy's pumpkin bread with mascarpone and rum-caramel sauce

Matt joined in with apple pie pockets

Sweet Potato with Brussels Sprouts, Blue Cheese, Cranberries, and Pecans

adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Pairs well with an earthy Pinot. This contains so many robust fall flavors and they come together so well. I love to get a bite of this with as many of the flavors in it as possible. By the way, roasting Brussels sprouts is a great way to enjoy them. This can be served on the side of some butternut or spinach soup, as a single course, or as a surprisingly filling meal in itself. This recipe serves 2 for a meal, 4 as a side.

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
about 10 Brussels sprouts, rinsed and quartered
handful of pecans
handful of dried cranberries
plenty of blue cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Wash the sweet potatoes and pierce the skin all over with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a knife can be easily inserted into the potatoes.

After about a half hour in the oven, toss the Brussels sprouts in olive oil, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan or casserole. Cook for 15 minutes or until the leaves begin to brown and crisp.

Cut potatoes in half to open. Top with the roasted Brussels sprouts, cranberries, pecans and cheese.