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Tag: lemon

Greek Style Potato Salad

This potato salad is yummy with lots of great flavors like oregano, olives and dills. I prefer my potato salad with a lemon dressing and this one has amazing crunch with cucumbers and pine nuts. It is a great side with burgers or any meat or fish!

  • 4 to 5 large yellow skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice

Dressing

  • Juice of 2 large lemons
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and keep aside.

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook till the potatoes are soft but not mushy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour the dressing and mix well and keep aside.

  • ½ English cucumber, chopped
  • ½ cup kalamata olives, chopped
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • ½ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Add all the ingredients to the warm, dressed potatoes. Mix well and check for seasonings. Let the potatoes sit for at least an hour before serving.

 

Fresh Tomato Compote

Some more of my favorite recipes!

I wanted to post this ASAP as tomato season is almost over and this is too good to miss. I made it with baby San Marzano tomatoes I found at Trader Joes. I served this delicious compote with cheese but it can be served with pasta, on pizza, on grilled meats or fish! It is absolutely delicious!

  • 2 pounds cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • Juice of a lemon
  • 1 Serrano pepper, chopped fine
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Transfer the tomatoes to a cookie sheet and bake for half an hour or till the tomatoes get a bit soft and the skin looks loose. Take out and let cool and slide the skins off. Transfer the tomatoes to a saucepan. Add the oil, brown sugar, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. Taste for seasonings and turn heat off. Once the compote is cooled off add the basil and serve with cheese or as a topping for pizza or any meat or fish.

 

Lemon and Dill Roasted Chicken Quarters

I am always looking for easy, flavorful chicken dishes. For this one I took inspiration from Greece. I am looking forward to our trip to the Athens, Mykonos and Santorini next month.. I thought I should get used to the yummy flavors!!

  • 4 chicken quarters

Marinade

  • Juice of 3 lemons
  • 7 to 8 garlic cloves, grated
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • ¼ cup dill, chopped
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Marinate the chicken pieces in the mixture for 4 to 6 hours.

  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • Salt

Preheat oven to 375

Place the chicken pieces in a baking pan with the marinade. Add the chicken broth at the bottom. Top the chicken with a bit more salt. Roast in oven for about an hour and a half or till the juices run clear. Serve with potatoes and green beans.

Lemon and Dill Risotto

Lemon and Dill Risotto There is nothing better than a bowl of creamy, cheesy risotto.. well, maybe a bowl of creamy, cheesy risotto topped with dill shrimp scampi. It was a delicious combination of flavors. The shrimp had garlic, dill and lemon juice… so, I decided to mimic the flavors in the risotto as well. I love making risotto.. it is like having a blank canvas.. I can do whatever I want with it.

I started with garlic and shallots. I added the rice, some white wine and broth. Once the rice was almost cooked, I added half and half, cheese, lemon zest and of course the main ingredient of the evening- dill. The green specks looked amazing against the snowy white rice. It tasted even better, especially with a huge helping of the shrimp scampi…
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Perfect Summer Drink Recipe: Red Sangria

red-sangria-1

When I think of summer,  Sangria comes to mind- so when Memorial Day quickly came our way, it was time to make some! I have been thinking/talking about Sangria for a few weeks now. During a street fair in our town, a local wine store was having a Sangria tasting. A new product was being launched- I was quite skeptical about what was about to come out of the red wine like bottle. I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised! It was very good- the nice man told me about the mixed drink and how it only had red wine and fruit puree. I wanted to buy it thinking how easy it would be to open a bottle of sangria in a moments notice but of course the mixologist in our family- my husband wouldn’t hear of it! He wanted to make his own, even though he admitted the bottled one was pretty good. I had looked up several recipes including one with passion fruit puree- which jumped out at me immediately since passion fruit is my all time favorite fruit. I don’t get to eat it too often around here and when I do, it’s very expensive but it is SO worth every penny- if you have never tasted a real passion fruit you have to try it- it is kind of a mix between a mango, guava and a peach but a lot better and intense! Anyway, I suggested the recipes to my husband but he refused and wanted to do research himself and come up with his own concoction. We went out to the ironbound section of Newark for a fabulous Portuguese/Spanish meal on Saturday and had a great tasting sangria there- it was not very intense in alcohol but was delicious. It reminded me of the sangria we had in Barcelona- it was our first day there and we had just unpacked and settled into our apartment. To keep awake we decided to walk to the popular area of Las Rambla. After a while we sat down in the median at a cafe and indulged in the biggest glasses of sangria I had ever seen! It was the most delicious sangria I have ever had. While in the Newark restaurant, I asked the waiter for the ingredients and they were quite standard- wine, simple syrup and fruit- quite easy to replicate at home.

My husband’s concoction was extremely delicious- it was tangy and sweet and the alcohol was apparent as well. A very well balanced drink that went really well with salsa and guacamole and chorizo burgers- recipes to come in the next week or so. I predict a lot of sangria in our future this summer!

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Flank Steak with Citrus Marinade

  • 2 pounds flank steak
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • 2 garlic cloves- minced
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce- minced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch-dissolved in a quarter cup of water
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients and marinate the steak from 2 to 6 hours.

Take the steak out of the marinade and save for later.  Add the oil to a grill pan or an outside grill and cook the steak for 5 to 6 minutes on each side.  Cover and let rest for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the marinade in a small skillet until it comes to a boil.  Add the corn starch in the marinade and bring to another boil.  Add salt and pepper and check for seasonings.  Set aside, and serve as sauce for the steak. Cut against the grain and serve with guacamole and grilled lavash bread.