as good as it looks: It's All Greek To Me

Can I say, "Yum, yum, yum?" Our Friday night dinner last night was outstanding. It all began the week before as my Friday night cooking mate was looking through my newest Food Network magazine and she kept exclaiming, "oh, wow, yum, ummmm!" It left us with so many options, it might be hard to decide what to prepare for this week. Alas, when push came to shove we chose the lamb dish. What wonderful timing as I watched one of my all time favorites, Ina as in the Barefoot Contessa, to see that she was cooking up a Greek feast. I adapted the Tzatziki and her Greek salad to compliment our roasted tomatoes and fennel and lamb on a bed of white beans. Timing once again came about when my husband delivered a bag full of freshly picked hothouse cucumbers from a client who grows them here in the valley. There was no question that Greek it would have to be.

We gathered the ingredients that I had in my cupboards and then formulated our grocery list for the remaining items we needed and hit the store. Our shopping was an interesting exercise when we could only find packages of five lamb chops and we only needed four. Then we wanted to purchase six tomatoes, but all the boxes only had five in them. Little did we know that we would have a surprise guest joining us for dinner and we would not have to fight over the fifth lamb chop! Amazing how the Lord knew all this before we did and HE mulitiplied our portions to have plenty with leftovers!

GREEK MENU

FRIDAY NIGHT

DINNER

Champagne Cheese

Tzatziki with Pita Crackers

Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Veggies

Lamb Chops on a bed of White Beans

Sweet Blood Orange Garnish
Tiramisu

Dessert was not typical for a Greek meal but it was necessary for me to try this recipe and see how I will "tweeck" it for an event I will be doing in a couple months. Tiramisu was served in large red wine goblets and it was as tasty as it was pleasing to the eye. I will, however, make a few slight adjustments to the recipe.

Let's get started with the prep. First and foremost, you will be happiest and the flavors will be the best if you can use the freshest ingredients. Instead of using canned beans my culinery sidekick had soaked the dry white beans the night before, drained off that water and cooked them with salt and a couple bay leaves the following morning. No matter what the directions state, it takes many, many hours to cook the beans so they are tender enough to put on a plate. The lamb chops were setting at room temperature during our prep of the other ingredients. Meat takes a better sear if it is at room temperature rather than right from the refrigerator. Also, a very hot skillet also gives the chops beautiful color and flavor and truly sears and seals in the juices and flavors as opposed to steaming it. You should also pat your meat with a paper towel to remove any excess water to attain the nice brown crust you want.

Time to begin the appetizer so the flavors will have a little time to marry themselves together and since it is the first course, it was the appropriate dish to prep. Wash, dry, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds from the hothouse cucumbers by using a spoon and scrapping down the middle of the cucumber. Using a fine grater grate the cucumber over a bowl and allow the juice to enter the bowl as well. Main ingredients are Greek yogurt, sour cream, freshly squeezed lemon juice, white wine vinegar, fresh dill, garlic, and salt and pepper. Add all these ingredients and mix well. This can be served with pita chips, crackers or toasted pita bread. Refreshment will fill your palate as you savor this dip which is also figure friendly.

Prep the tomatoes and fennel for roasting and finish the beans with some fresh toasted garlic, fresh oregano and parmesan cheese.

Cut up the veggies, herbs and feta cheese for the Greek salad and then mix up the dressing being sure to emulsify the liquid ingredients. Pour over salad and smell the freshness and taste the crispness in the fresh veggies. Always sample your dishes before serving them to be certain you didn't mistake the sugar for salt or mix up the proportion of oil and vinegar!