Tzatziki

Making tzatziki is dead easy. The hard part is figuring out how to spell it. I am convinced there are as many spellings as there are Greeks.







This time I used Astro Original Balkan Style yogurt. I am very fond of the Organic Meadow product as well.



I have tried many types of Greek Pita and the Pita Delight brand from Concord, Ontario is the most authentic for my tastes, as far as a pita found in a grocery store. It is very similar to what is used at Greekfest here in Ottawa in August every year. I buy mine at the Produce Depot at Carling and Maitland.



The pitas must be heated before serving to make them light and fluffy. I heat my pitas on the BBQ or I use my crepe pan on the stove to heat them through one at a time. Brush just a little bit of olive oil on the bread before putting it on the heat.



If you have a Greek pita recipe, I would love to try it.



Tzatziki can be used in many ways - as a dip with pita bread or vegetables, inside a souvlaki pita sandwich, or along side grilled lamb. I have also used it as 'butter' on rye bread, topped with thin slices of cucumber and roast pork.



Enjoy! Opa!



Tzatziki



4 cups Plain Yogurt

cucumber, peeled and grated (equivalent in quantity to one English cucumber)

3 - 4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 tsp Salt

Pita Bread



Line a colander with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl to drain. Pour in the yogurt and allow it to drip for at least two hours.







I let it sit in the fridge overnight as I like a very dense yogurt cheese. (Make sure you have a bowl that is big enough to catch close to two cups of liquid.)







Peel the cucumbers and grate them finely.











[Cucumbers and garlic from Roots and Shoots Farm]



Also drain the cucumber so it is just a pulp. You may have to squeeze it multiple times. It is important to drain the cucumber well to ensure a dense tzatziki.



Combine the yogurt cheese, cucumber pulp and minced garlic. Place back in the yogurt container and refrigerate until just before serving.



When serving, drizzle the olive oil over the surface and without stirring, sprinkle on the salt. It needs no mixing. Leave that to your guests when they dig in.



Makes 2 cups.

'Soup Kitchen' Party with some help from Mark Bittman

Tonight we ran our own street version of a soup kitchen. It ended up that we had prepared a huge quantity of food, so off we went in search of those looking for a meal 'rescue'. On our street, with all the renovations underway, that is like shooting fish in a barrel.

One neighbour said a very quick 'yes' in the midst of all their chaos. They have a kitchen renovation underway, as well as other big tuneups being incorporated into their large renovation plan. At the same time, their backyard is being re-landscaped. To top it off, the mom was in Toronto for just the day and was flying in at 7 pm. Tired and hungry. Our 3 plus their 3 made 6. Another teenage neighbour was on her own since Mom and Dad were off to Bluesfest. Cook for herself or get 'adopted' for a few hours. Easy choice. Now we were up to 7. Another family in Kanata had no plans yet in this sweltering heat and saw our 'soup kitchen' as an effortless drive compared to solving the hunger of their 4. Now we were up to 11. Our customer list seemed complete.

This all started because the mister had seen Mark Bittman's 4th of July blog post for his No-Work Smoked Pork Shoulder dinner. A trip Produce Depot earlier in the day yielded him two Picnic Shoulder Bone-In Roasts totaling 3.3 kg at 3.46/kg. For $11.30 he was going to make a yummy little dinner. Except 3 people don't typically do in 3.3 kg of pork shoulder.



The teenager and the mister got right to the science of how best to use the hickory and the cherry wood chips to make these roasts sing smoke. And sing smoke they did. Two methods were applied. The one described in Mark Bittman's blog and then the second which was a holey foil pouch of soaked wood chips placed below the grill and directly on the heat. All in all, it worked well enough. No Big Green Egg or Traeger smoker required, though I am sure their results would be awfully sweet!



The pressure was on for me to fill in the side dishes. I guess with smoked pork shoulder it just seems obvious that one of those sides has to be coleslaw. I went with our latest favourite creamy coleslaw by Bobby Flay. It was a chance to use some of my CSA produce from Roots and Shoots Farm. I am now finished with my carrots and I substituted the Spanish onion with many finely diced green onions. I really like how the dressing has a heat from the dry mustard.

The family traditional potato salad came into play on request. I incorporated more of the green onions and also a few of the Easter egg radishes. In addition to the diced boiled red potatoes and Miracle Whip, I also add finely chopped hard boiled eggs.

And then a green salad to round things out. It was made with the usual suspects - mixed greens, heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, avocado, the rest of our CSA green onions and then our remaining feta cheese just to kick things up. My dressing was EVOO, balsamic vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a wee bit of minced garlic, a pinch of sugar and then ground black pepper.


(My dinner picture is a bit lame since it is before the second roast was carved. The plate here has only the crumbs from the first roast.)

The verdict on the smoked pork shoulder was that it was 'succulent, smokey and tender'. Some diners loaded it up on a bun and smothered it with BBQ sauce. No time for homemade so we used our President's Choice Smokin' Tequila Habanero Spicy Barbecue Sauce.



To keep it simple, our dessert was fresh strawberries and fresh pineapple, along with a latte from our trusty gal, the Rancilio Silvia.

There certainly was a lot of pressure when we knew we had food for a dozen people and no guests. But it always seems to work out eventually that after the word is out, to someone you are a godsend.

Crab Cakes Followed by Veal Scallopini in Mushroom Madeira Sauce

Yesterday my niece turned 26. She lives in town for now since she is enrolled in graduate studies at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. To celebrate her big day and the 'almost' completion of her program, she accepted the invitation to our 'restaurant' and she brought along two of her school friends. We eased into the meal with a very meaty crab cake appetizer. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated and therefore guaranteed to be tried and true.



I like to get my crab (real) for this dish at the Produce Depot on Carling Avenue. In their seafood section they carry a container of crab that is close to 1 pound and the crab has already been prepared. We had tried it once before and found it worked well and it is a super easy way to begin the preparation of this delectable treat. What a starter for fine dining!



Although the recipe says it makes 4 patties, I pushed for 5 to accommodate the crowd (one person sat this one out). They still weighed in at a good 4 ounces each. I also made a few change ups to the recipe. I decided to try Panko (Japanese bread flakes) instead of the more pedestrian, everyday bread crumbs. And the herb I chose was cilantro. The picture below is plating in progress and; therefore, pre-sauce. I made a concoction of mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, horseradish and capers. A real burst of flavours. For me, the crab cakes turned out to be my favourite dish from the evening.



PAN-FRIED CRAB CAKES WITH OLD BAY SEASONING
Source: The 'New' Best Recipe - from the editors of Cook's Illustrated

The amount of bread crumbs you add will depend on the crab meat's juiciness. Start with the smallest amount, adjust the seasonings, and then add the egg. If the cakes won't bind at this point, add more bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time.

1 pound crab meat
4 scallions, green parts only, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, or dill, basil or parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seafood seasoning
2 tablespoons bread crumbs, plain dry
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt
ground white pepper
1 large egg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
lemon wedges

Gently fold the crab meat, scallions, herb, Old Bay, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs and mayonnaise together in a medium bowl, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Carefully fold in the egg with a rubber spatula until the mixture just clings together. Add more crumbs if necessary.

Divide the crab mixture into 4 portions and shape each into a fat, round cake, about 3 inches across and 1 1/2 inches high. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. (The crab cakes can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Put the flour on a plate or in a pie tin. Lightly dredge the crab cakes in the flour. Heat the oil in a large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Gently lay the chilled crab cakes in the skillet and pan-fry until the outsides are crisp and browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with lemon wedges or dipping sauce.

***

Then on to the main course. The veal dish is one we found back in 1990. It came from the then newly published Canadian Rush Hour Cookbook. We made it expecting 'reliable' but came away pleasantly surprised at the WOW factor. What a fantastic dish for entertaining. I ended up getting the veal at Produce Depot as well. Costco was sold out and the product at Farm Boy, although on sale, didn't warm me.

For sides, we chose oven roast potatoes and sautéed green beans and red, yellow and orange peppers. The peeled, red (because they are so creamy!) potatoes are first tossed lightly in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. The Pampered Chef stoneware pan gives consistent results every time. I vary the temperature and roasting time depending on the dinner party and how we are juggling other dishes timing-wise. If we need them fast, it is 425ºF for an hour. Last night I went for 350ºF and maybe as long as 2 hours as we were trying to throttle back on their readiness. The vegetables were first steamed and then quickly sautéed lightly in butter to finish.




VEAL SCALLOPINI IN MUSHROOM MADEIRA SAUCE
Source: The Canadian Living Rush Hour Cookbook

A simple but stylish sauce over quickly cooked meat makes classy
rush-hour fare. Use pork or turkey scallopini for a change of flavor.

All-Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 lb Mushrooms, small, cut in half
2 tbsp Shallots, minced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 lb veal scallops
1/2 cups Beef Stock
1/4 cups Madeira
1/2 cups Whipping Cream (35%)
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp Parsley, chopped

Using flat side of meat cleaver, pound veal very thin between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Dust veal lightly with flour.

In large skillet, heat oil with 1 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat; cook veal (in batches if necessary) for about 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Remove veal; set aside.

Melt remaining butter in skillet; cook mushrooms, stirring, for about 3 minutes or just until tender, adding a little more butter if needed. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside with veal.

To juices in pan, add shallots and garlic; cook briefly until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in stock and Madeira; cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add any juice that has accumulated around veal and mushrooms; pour in cream.

Reduce again to thicken slightly, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add veal, mushrooms and parsley; heat through. Makes 4 servings.

***

We went at a relaxing pace towards dessert. As the lattes were being brewed from our Rancilio Silvia, the Triple Lemon Layer Cake was being prepped with candles. Really, really long candles. The cake is a find from Fine Cooking. It is family tradition to decorate the birthday cake with smarties. 26 is the age of sophistication so we dispensed with multicolour and artfully placed only the yellow smarties, along with the house favourite jujubes and the ubiquitous silver dragées.



The Lemon Curd filling (also Fine Cooking) between the layers is to die for. This is definitely a worth-while recipe to have tucked away for future use.



All in all, a very good birthday dinner that left us all feeling a wee bit soporific!