summer kofta.

 

Kofta is one of my favorite dishes. I've made this dish countless times before, but this time around, I wanted to change things up a bit. I decided to experiment with adding some sun-dried tomatoes and feta to the mix and adjusted the seasoning a little bit. 

This turned out wonderful! Nice and tangy from the tomatoes and feta and gave a different spin on the kofta. Served with a nice tzatziki, some creamy hummus, tomoato salad, fluffy couscous, and some soft naan, this made for a delightful meal!

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Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Kofta
(adapted from Lady and Pups and The Moveable Feasts)

For the Meatballs:

1 lbs ground lamb

1 lbs ground beef

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup pine nuts

3 oz. soft-dried sun-dried tomatoes

Handful of Italian parsley

1 medium red onion, quartered

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried mint

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp everything seasoning 

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp nutmeg

4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle

1/4 to 1/2 cup pine nuts

1 tbsp dried mint

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped italian parsley

In a food processor, combine and coarsely chop garlic, nuts, tomatoes, parsley, and onion. Transfer to a large bowl then add egg, cornstarch, oil and spices. Stir to combine. Crumble in lamb and beef, until just mixed. Add the feta cheese then mix again,, careful not to overwork the meat. Adjust seasoning as needed by cooking a small sample then form into 1 to 1.5 inch sized balls. Set aside.

In a large nonstick pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown them nicely all over. Remove ball from pan. Add the pine nuts, caraway seeds, and fennel seeds to the pan. Toast until golden brown, being careful not to let them burn.

Add the minced garlic, dried mint, and parsley. Cook for about 30 seconds, return balls to the pan, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Cook for another 30 seconds, tossing the balls gently to coat.

Serve with hot naan, tzatziki, hummus, cucumber-tomato salad, shredded lettuce, and caraway-flavored rice or couscous.

Makes about 6 to 8 servings.

light and filling.

Roasted Vegetable Hummus Plate: Just a quick dinner with roasted eggplant and butternut squash on light, creamy hummus. A dash of sumac and parsley then drizzled generously with olive oil. Add some sliced naan and a simple salad to the side and you have yourself a mighty tasty dinner indeed.

koftas and time management.

This was probably one of our more memorable meals. I was inspired to make something challenging AND wasn't in the realm of what I usually made. Since we're now here in Georgia, I found that while I may be back in the states . . . there are still some things that aren't easy to come by. Like Mediterranean ingredients, for example.

There is no sumac in my area.

Like, none.

I scoured all of the local markets near me, including Walmart, and I could not find sumac for the life of me. So this meal actually almost never happened. However, since my sister and I like to drive around, we googled the nearest middle-eastern store and found one in Jacksonville that was nearly an hour away. Needless to say, I stocked up on key ingredients that I might need and proceeded to plan out our epic themed dinner!

So, this is where time management comes in. That is to say, I did NOT manage my time well at all.

From start to finish, I decided to make this on a random early afternoon and ended up running around all day. Last minute pre-made naan, a small bag of pine nuts and the lamb meat. All at different stores. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't keeping a better inventory of my spices . . . halfway through putting in the ingredients of the meatballs, I ran out of cinnamon. Ugh. Not my day.

So, despite the fact that we ended up eating at around 9 o'clock at night, the meal itself was pretty rewarding. I made some substitutions in this awesome Turkish kofta meatball recipe and added some pointers from this one. It made for some tasty dining.

Since this dinner took so long to make, I didn't have time to take any pretty pictures. Documented and done. While not strictly Mediterranean, this did come together nicely. I made some caraway rice and homemade tzatziki sauce then served it with toasted naan and parsley/shredded romaine lettuce. My sister came up with the tomato-cucumber salad that turned out pretty awesome. Thank god for teamwork! Otherwise, I don't think I would've finished.

Lesson learned.

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Turkish Kofta Meatball Platter
(adapted from Lady and Pups and The Moveable Feasts)

For the Meatballs:
1 lbs ground lamb or lamb/beef/pork mix
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 medium onion, finely minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 small egg, or 1/2 large egg
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp dried mint
2 tbsp minced italian parsley

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped italian parsley
1 tbsp dried mint
1 to 2 tsp chili flakes or dash or cayenne powder

1.5 to 2 cups hummus (I used my tuscan-flavored hummus. :D)
paprika for garnish
chopped italian parsley for garnish

 
Combine ingredients for meatballs. Adjust seasoning as needed by cooking a small sample then form into 1 to 1.5 inch sized balls. Set aside.

In a large nonstick pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown them nicely all over. Add the pine nuts, caraway seeds, and fennel seeds to the pan. Toast until golden brown, being careful not to let them burn.

Add the minced garlic, parsley, dried mint, and chili flakes/cayenne powder. Cook for about 30 seconds, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat and set aside.

To serve, pour hummus on a microwave-safe platter and swirl for an even layer. Microwave for 1 to 1.5 minutes to warm. Add the meatballs and pine nuts on top and drizzle with additional olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped italian parsley to garnish.

Serve with hot naan, tzatziki, cucumber-tomato salad, shredded lettuce, and caraway rice.

Makes about 4 to 5 servings.

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Mediterranean Tomato-Cucumber Salad
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 large tomato, diced large
1 large cucumber, diced large
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
5 to 6 pinches sumac
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon
salt and pepper
1 to 2 tbsp minced italian parsley (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Adjust seasoning as needed and refrigerate at leat 30 minutes before serving.

it's all greek to me.

Today was a hectic grocery day. I don't know why I didn't do it on Sunday, but I found myself wandering the island and getting things for next week's lunches and dinners. So not only did I get the groceries, I did a ton of prep today as well. Man... Am I pooped.

With that being said, I still wanted to make something that took *some* effort (even though I was starting to run on fumes) despite the busy day I've had. So I went on my pinterest board and looked for inspiration. I don't know what made me look for "Greek", but when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. And being an over-achiever that I am, I decided to make some mash and veggies to go with it.

The first problem that I ran into was not having any Greek seasoning. Another quick looksie through pinterest and I found this spice mix which looked interesting (with the added bonus that I had everything listed in my pantry). After tasting a bit of it, I was really blown away! Herby a little salty, I knew this was a killer spice mix! I made sure to save the recipe in my files so I can make it again when I run out in the future.

With the main problem out of the way, everything went surprisingly smooth and with very little effort than I anticipated. Of course, it definitely helped that I went grocery shopping earlier today...I just so happened to get all the ingredients that I needed for the recipes I chose. Yay for happy happenstance!

With regard to the actual meal, I thought that it all went well together. Loved the mash and also the veggies. The chicken was so-and-so... I'm thinking that I went overboard on the yogurt (I halved the recipe) and it didn't cook that way it was intended because I used skinless boneless thighs. I may do this recipe again, but with no lemon juice (just zest) and just enough yogurt to coat the chicken...

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Greek Seasoning Blend
(from AllRecipes.com)

2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried rosemary, minced
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, rosemary, dill, marjoram, cornstarch, thyme, and nutmeg in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. Alternately, blend spices in a spice grinder for a finer texture.

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Greek Marinated Chicken
(from Budget Bytes)

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tbsp dried oregano
1 medium lemon
½ tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper
¼ bunch fresh parsley
3½ to 4 lbs chicken pieces

To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.

Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.

To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9x13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

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Feta and Herb Mashed Potatoes
(from Katie's Cucina)

6 medium white potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup each fresh parsley, dill, and sliced green onions
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 tsp black pepper
*3 tbsp milk if needed

Peel, chop, and rinse potatoes. Fill water to just above the potatoes and add 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to fall apart when a knife is inserted in them.

Drain potatoes, and add 1/4 cup butter to the pot the potatoes were boiling in. Add the potatoes back to the pot then add fresh parsley, dill, and green onions followed by feta cheese. Place a lid on top of the potatoes and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Add black pepper to the potatoes and mash using a hand-mixer. Add milk if needed (one tablespoon at a time or until moist). Top with more fresh herbs and butter and serve immediately.

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Easy Mediterranean Vegetables
(from She Wears Many Hats)

2 tbsp + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium zucchini, cut in eighths lengthwise, then halved crosswise (about 3 inches long)
1 medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch wide strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch wide strips
2 tsp greek seasonings
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp sugar

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large grill-safe skillet and place on hot grill (or stove-top over medium-high heat) until hot. Add zucchini, onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 6 minutes or until browned on edges.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil plus remaining ingredients.

Remove skillet from heat. Add seasoning mixture to cooked vegetables; toss gently to coat.

learning how to cook.

my sister has always had trouble with cooking. try as she might, everything that she does is either under-seasoned or just plain off. in an effort to boost her cooking skills, she looked to her favorite food for inspiration: mediterranean food.

maybe it's something about the rice...or maybe the meat...or maybe even the wonderful mix of spices that this cuisine offers...whatever it is, mediterranean food has always been her favorite. every time that we have "ethnic" night for dinner, it's been her go-to for dining out. but after a while, she started to want to be able to cook as well as she was eating. it's been a tricky journey for her to learn how to taste her food and knowing the basics of preparing the ingredients that she loves. and with the help of her newly found favorite cookbook, tonight she made us a meal worthy of all her efforts.

 

Chicken With Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice
(from Jerusalem, c/o The New York Times)

Time: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes’ cooking and 10 minutes’ resting
Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons sugar (40 grams)
2 1/2 tablespoons barberries, or use currants (25 grams)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (2 cups/250 grams)
2 1/4 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (1 kilogram), or 1 whole chicken, quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 cardamom pods
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
2 long cinnamon sticks, broken in two
1 2/3 cups basmati rice (300 grams)
2 1/4 cups boiling water (550 milliliters)
1 1/2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves (5 grams), chopped
1/2 cup dill leaves (5 grams), chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (5 grams), chopped
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (100 grams), mixed with 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

1. Put the sugar and scant 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, add the barberries, and set aside to soak. If using currants, you do not need to soak them in this way.

2. Meanwhile, heat half the olive oil in a large sauté pan for which you have a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has turned a deep golden brown. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and wipe the pan clean.

3. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and season with 1½ teaspoons each salt and black pepper. Add the remaining olive oil, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and use your hands to mix everything together well. Heat the frying pan again and place the chicken and spices in it. Sear chicken for 5 minutes on each side and remove from the pan (this is important as it part-cooks the chicken). The spices can stay in the pan, but don’t worry if they stick to the chicken. Remove most of the remaining oil as well, leaving just a thin film at the bottom. Add the rice, caramelized onion, 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper. Drain the barberries and add them as well. Stir well and return the seared chicken to the pan, pushing it into the rice.

4. Pour the boiling water over the rice and chicken, cover the pan, and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid, quickly place a clean tea towel over the pan, and seal again with the lid. Leave the dish undisturbed for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the herbs and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot or warm with yogurt mixture if you like.

 

Mixed Bean Salad
(from Jerusalem c/o The Guardian)

If you can't get yellow beans, just double the amount of french – it won't be a "mixed" bean salad, but it'll still be damned tasty. Serves four.

280g yellow beans
280g french beans, trimmed
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 0.5cm strips
2½ tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp extra
50g capers, rinsed and patted dry
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
10g roughly chopped tarragon
20g picked chervil (or a mixture of picked dill and shredded parsley)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and add the yellow beans. After two minutes, add the french beans and cook for four minutes more. Refresh under cold water, drain, pat dry and place in a large bowl. Toss the pepper strips in a teaspoon of oil, spread on an oven tray and roast for five minutes, until tender. Remove and add to the beans.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the capers (be careful, as they'll spit) and garlic, fry for 20 seconds, then add the seeds and fry for another 20 seconds. The garlic should by now have turned golden. Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the beans. Add the spring onion, herbs, lemon zest, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and some black pepper, and toss to combine. This salad will keep well for a day.

hummus say, haven't we met before?

oh hummus...my favorite dip evar. :D this time around, decided to make a slow-roasted red pepper version. i probably could've done the peppers faster but i didn't think about it and i was multi-tasking so it worked out. :) this was awesome with the second round of pita chips i made. enjoy!

 
Smokey Slow-Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
(makes about 2-3 cups)

2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed with half can of the liquid reserved
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 medium red bell pepper
2-3 tbsp lime juice
2-3 tbsp tahini
2 tsp smoked paprika
a couple dashes of onion powder
a couple dashes of garlic powder
water
salt and pepper to taste
sumac and parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take the bell pepper and cut in half. Remove core, stem, and seeds and place skin-side up on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast for 55 minutes then remove from the oven. Carefully, bring up the foil from the corners and make a sealed tent over the peppers and let sit for ten minutes. Afterwards, remove and discard the skin and then place peppers in the blender/food processor.

Add the rest of the ingredients in the blender/food processor and pulse to combine. If needed, adjust consistency with water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with a little sumac, and a little bit of chopped Italian parsley. Serve!

taste it and make it: pita chips!

i love baba foods. they're a local company here in our city that produces healthy and tasty mediterranean condiments that come in so many wonderful flavor combinations. they also offer different variety of pita chips that goes awesomely with their dips and sauces. my favorite of the variety would probably be the lemon pepper pita chips! every time i go to the farmer's market, i always try to nab a box of those zingy suckers.

alas, since i've been home bound these last few weeks, i've been a little depraved and haven't been able to make my way there. i have been hankering for some of my favorite dippers! and of course, because it's me, the itch to get some hit when my local mediterranean stores were already closed. man, i made the hummus already...so what's a girl to do?! well, make my own of course! and that's exactly what i did. :D

 

Homemade Lemon Pepper Pita Chips
(makes about 2 cups of chips)

3 pita rounds, cut into wedges or strips
1/8 cup or so extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning (or make your own, like i did. :D)
1 tbsp lemon juice (or more, depending on how lemony you want it to be)
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine olive oil, seasoning, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside. Prepare the pita breads and arrange on a lined baking sheet in an even layer. Brush the olive oil mixture on the bread and flip them over, doing the same for the other side. If needed, season with the kosher salt. Place in the oven and bake, flipping the chips over once during the cooking, for approximately 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy or until desired doneness. Let cool before serving.

Alternatively, you can also just make the oil mixture and toss the pita chips in it and bake as directed. I'm all for doing things easy too, lol. >:D

tasting the garden.

made hummus today! after a long hiatus of not making it for a while, got inspired by this recipe but decided to add a few extra things in it for an even more garden-y flavor. i ended up with a nice, light hummus with the taste i was definitely aiming for! be forewarned tho...the measurements for the veggies are vague for a reason. more room to customize!

 

Vegetable Garden Hummus

2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed with half can of the liquid reserved
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
handful of chopped red onion
handful of baby carrots
handful of chopped yellow bell pepper
handful of italian parsley
2-3 tbsp lime juice
2-3 tbsp tahini
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cellery salt
a couple dashes of onion powder
a couple dashes of garlic powder
water
salt and pepper to taste
toasted pine nuts for garnish

Combine everything in a blender/food processor and adjust consistency with water. season with salt and pepper to taste. garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle of sweet paprika, toasted pine nuts, and a little bit of chopped italian parsley.

makes a little over 2 cups.

hummus say, sir...i'm in love!

more hummus love. must be going on a hummus shtick or something...can't get enough of the stuff especially since i know how easy it is to make it!! this time around i followed (very loosely) this recipe for sumac and smoked paprika hummus. well, since i like my hummus very bold in flavoring, the sumac and the paprika got upped a bit to get that taste that was floating around in my head. conclusion? this was very, very good. mmmmm.....

Sumac Paprika Hummus
(adapted from Frugal By Choice)

2 cans garbanzo beans/chickpeas
5 cloves of garlic or 2 tbs garlic minced to a paste
juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini (i like mid-east tahini)
2 tbs of smoked paprika, plus more for sprinkling on top
1/2 tsp of sumac, plus more for sprinkling on top
dried parsley

drain garbanzo beans a reserve half a cup of liquid. in a food processor or blender, add all the ingredients exept the olive oil and blend until mixed. after a minute or so, drizzle the olive oil in with the machine is still going. add a bit of the reserved liquid if needed. once the hummus is super smooth, stop the machine and adjust seasoning to taste. when done, put hummus in a tupperware container and drizzle with additional olive oil with a sprinkle of paprika, sumac, and dried parsley on top. place in fridge for about an hour to let the flavors develop and serve with pita chips or veggies!

makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of hummus.

hummus be joking!

hummus! so easy to do...took me less than five minutes to make and now i have two weeks worth out of two cans of beans. used this recipe as a base. i didn't really follow it though. considering i just used whatever i had in the pantry, i ended up mixing garbanzo and cannellini so it's a mixed bean hummus. not wanting it plain, i added some tuscany blend spice i bought from san francisco as well as hungarian smoked paprika. the result? deliciousness.

 
Smokey Tuscun Hummus
(adapted from Simply Recipes)

2 garlic cloves, mashed and then minced (used garlic paste, about 1 tsp)
1 (15.oz) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed with half can liquid reserved
1 (15.oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (or use lime juice instead)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt or more to taste
1 1/2 tbsp tuscany blend spice
1 to 2 tsp hungarian smoked paprika
Pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish
water, if needed

1. In a food processor, combine the garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste. (skipped this and used the blender method. use water to thin out the hummus if too thick while blending.)

2. Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley (and also additional smoked paprika).

Makes about 3 cups.