Today Sylvester, Chiarina, and Dixie make a dip we all love, — Hummus

Hummus (a transliteration of the Arabic: حمّص‎; also spelled hamos, homos, houmous, hommos, hommus, hummos or hummous; see romanization of Arabic) is a Levantine Arab dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is a popular food throughout the Middle East and elsewhere.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cans of Chickpeas
• 6 tsp of Tahini
• 1/2 cup of Water
• 1/2 cup of Olive Oil
• Juice of 2 Lemons
• 5 Garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup of Parsley
• 1 tsp ground Coriander
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Marjoram (optional)
• salt
• pepper

Cooking / Prep Time:

(15 minutes ) fifteen minutes..

Food Prep

• Finely chop the Parsley

This Recipe requires a food processor !

Mix the Hummus

1. Pour the Chickpeas into the food processor.
2. Pour each of the ingredients into the food processor and mix.

Storage:

Hummus needs to be refrigerated.

Today Sylvester, Jake, and Sophia make an dressing we all love, –  Balsamic Viniagrette

Vinaigrette /vɪnəˈɡrɛt/ is a mixture (emulsion) of salad oil and vinegar, often flavored with herbs, spices, and other ingredients. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing, but also as a sauce or marinade.

Ingredients:

• 40 oz. Olive Oil (NOT virgin)
• 8 1/2 oz. quality Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 1/2 oz Raspberry Vinegar
• 4 Tbs Dijon Mustard
• 2 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1/4 tsp Majororam
• 1 Shallot thinly chopped (Large)
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper

Cooking / Prep Time:

(15 minutes ) fifteen minutes..

Food Prep

• Finely chop the Shallot.

Make the Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Mix everything except the Olive Oil together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Slowly pour the Olive Oil into the mix, and WISK the mixture continually.
3. Ladle the mixture into a funnel atop a glass bottle.

Storage:

Pour the mixture into any bottle and cork.

Today Sylvester, Jake, Sophia, Chiarina & Nicky make an apetizer Sylvester is well known for, — Sylvester’s famous Spanakopita (Spinach-Pie.)

Spanakopita Modern Greek: σπανακόπιτα, from σπανάκι, spanáki, spinach, and πίττα, pítta, pie) is a Greek savoury pastry in the burek family with a filling of chopped spinach, feta cheese (sometimes in combination with ricotta cheese, as it is less expensive), green onions, egg, and seasoning. The filling is wrapped in layers of phyllo (filo) pastry with butter and/or olive oil, either in a large pan from which individual servings are cut, or rolled into individual triangular servings (see burek). Spanakopita is golden in color when baked, the color often enhanced by butter and egg yolk. Other white, fresh, preferably salted cheeses may also mixed with, or substituted for, the feta cheese.

It is mostly eaten as a snack in Greece, and it can be an alternative to tyropita. There is a “fasting”, or vegan, version of spanakopita, eaten during the Great Lent and other religious fasts, and comprising of spinach, onions or green onions, other green herbs like dill, parsley or celery, olive oil and a little wheat flour, but without eggs or dairy products; the mixture is oven-baked until crisp.

Ingredients:

• 1 package phyllo dough
• 4 packages frozen spinach
• 2 bunches scallions, tender parts chopped fine
• 3/4 cup finely chopped dill
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 small bunch escarole, green parts finely chopped
• 1 1/4 lb crumbled feta
• 4 oz ricotta
• 1/3 cup Parmesan
• 1 1/2 sticks sweet butter (or olive oil)
• 4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Cooking Time:

(1 hour + 45 minutes ) One hours and forty-five minutes..

Food Prep

• Defrost spinach and squeeze against strainer to remove as much water as possible.
• Finely chop scallions
• Finely chop dill
• Finely chop parsely
• Finely chop escarole
• You will need a brush to spread the butter on the phyllo so go find one…

Step 1: Make the Spinach & Cheese filling

1. In large frying pan, saute scallions over medium heat 3 or 4 minutes. Add escarole and cook for 1.5 minutes, then add spinach, breaking apart any lumps. Mix and cook for 2 minutes more. Add salt, pepper. Mix and remove from heat.
2. Prepare the cheese mixture: In a large bowl mix feta, ricotta and Parmesan. Then add eggs. Mix. Add the spinach mixture to the cheese mixture and mix well.

Step 2: Make Spinach Pie

1. Melt butter. Keep phyllo at room temperature. Using a pastry brush, cover a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan with edges all around) with butter. Place single sheet of phyllo over buttered cookie sheet. Butter the phyllo all over (with brush) and place a second sheet atop the first. Repeat until you have 10 layers (each with butter between them).
2. Pour the spinach/cheese mixture over evenly and spread to smooth. But save about 10% for Triangles.
3. Place one sheet phyllo over spinach mixture and butter it with brush. Continue until you have 10 more layers of phyllo/butter. Cut excess phyllo dough around the edges with a small sharp knife, leaving about 1/4″. Tuck the 1/4″ overhang in around the edges (this will hold the pie together).
4. Cook in 350 deg. preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is light brown.
5. Let the pie sit a bit before cutting. This will set it and it won’t break up when you cut it.

Step 3: Make Spinach Triangles

1. Use left over Spinach &  Cheese Mixture and phyllo to make triangles.
2. Take sheets of phyllo and cut into four equal widths lengthwise.
3. Take one strip and butter it, then lay another strip on top and butter it as well.
4. Put about (1) tablespoon of Spinach &  Cheese Mixture at top of strips and start to fold inward and repeat until a fully wrapped triangle is made.
5. Butter the outside of the triangle and then place on a cookie sheet for baking.
6. Cook in 350 deg. preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is light brown.
7. Let the triangles sit a bit before eatting. This will set it and it won’t break up when you cut it.

Storage:

Both the Pies and Triangles freezes very well and will last about a week in the refrigerator.

Today Sylvester, Jake, Sophia, Chiarina & Nicky make an entree Sylvester is well known for, — Sylvester’s famous  Avgolemono (Egg-Lemon) Soup.

Avgolemono is a Greek soup made with egg and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken but before they boil and curdle. Avgolémono translates to “egg-lemon,” in English.

As a soup, it usually starts with chicken broth (though meat, fish, or vegetable broths may sometimes be used). Typically, rice or soup pasta, such as orzo, are cooked in the broth with thin strips of meat (chicken, for example) before a mixture of eggs and lemon is added. Its consistency varies from near-stew to near-broth. It is important to remove the mixture from the heat before adding the egg-lemon mix, in order to avoid curdling. The safest way to prevent curdling is to remove a cup of broth from the pot and let cool a little, then gradually add the egg and lemon juice while beating the mixture vigorously with a fork or whisk; once the broth is frothy, it is gently added back to the pot and the soup is served immediately. Leftover soup will invariably curdle, even if refrigerated or rewarmed. Its taste will not change but the texture and mouth-feel cannot be recovered

Ingredients:

• 1  5lb Chicken (Whole)
• 1 Medium Onion, Chop in large pieces
• 2 Medium Carrots Chopped
• 2 Celery Sticks Chopped
• 10 Sprigs of Parsley
• 10 Peppercorns
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 3/4 Cup of Rice
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Lemons
• salt /pepper

Cooking Time:

(2 + 1/4 hours ) Two hours and 15 minutes; but it’s worth the wait — promise.

Food Prep

• Chop the Onion into large pieces.
• Chop the Carrots into large pieces.
• Chop the Celery Sticks up in small pieces.
• Squeeze the Lemons

Step 1: Make the Base

1. Put Chicken in large Pot and fill with water so that Chicken is almost covered.
2. Take out Chicken and then bring water to a boil
3. Put Chicken back into Pot
4. Add Onion (Chop in large pieces), Carrots (Chopped in large pieces), Celery Sticks (Chopped), Sprigs of Parsley, Peppercorns, and Bay Leaves.
5. Bring it all back to a boil, then drop it down to simmer for 1 and 3/4 hours.

Step 2: Pull the Chicken and Make the Rice

1. Get another pot and put a strainer on top of it, put paper towel in the strainer.
2. Remove the chicken, and vegetables from the Base leaving only the stock.
3. Pour the stock through the strainer (covered with paper towels) this will filter out the fat.
4. Bring broth back to a boil and add Rice.
5. Bring Rice to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer for 12 minutes.
6. While the Rice is cooking, skin the chicken and pull it apart — chop it to bits. Only use the parts you like the best. You want to get 2 cups of chopped up chicken for the Avgolemono — but a 5 pound chicken will give you a lot more than that so save the extra meat for other things.

Step 3: Make the Avgolemono

1. When the Rice hits the 12 minute mark start the Avgolemono
2. Squeeze the Lemon to get all the juice out — use 1 and 1/2 juicy lemons.
3. Start beating the eggs and the lemon together in a mixing bowl.
4. WITHOUT STOPPING BEATING — Add a ladle of broth to the egg & lemon juice.
5. WITHOUT STOPPING BEATING — Add another  ladle of broth to the egg, lemon juice & broth.
6. Repeat until 3 and 1/2 ladels of broth has been added.
7. REMEMBER DON’T STOPPING BEATING the mixture.
8. STILL BEATING Now remove the Pot with the Rice from the Stove and pour the Avgolemono mixture into the rice / broth pot.
9. Ok — enough with the BEATING — YOU CAN STOP.
10. Add the cut up vegetables and the 2 cups of chicken back in.
11. Don’t forget to add the salt and pepper to taste.
12. in at the end.

Presentation:

Some people say that if you let a soup sit overnight it’s tastes better that all the flavors inter-mingle together.  This is not really the case with Avgolemono — it’s meant to be served immediately.

Today Sylvester, Sophia make an Entree Sylvester stumbled upon in California, then he adapted it and made it his own. It’s not part of the Greek tradition — but it’s still really yum yum…

Ingredients:

• 2 Skinless Chicken Breast, or boned with skin on
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp of Minced Shallots
• 1 Tbsp of Minced Garlic
• 1 Tsp of finely minced ginger
• 1/4 cup of White Wine
• 2 Tbsp Red-Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 Tsp Sage
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 Banana sliced
• Parsley or Sprig of Basil for garnish
• 4 Tbsp of Butter
• 2 Pinches of Salt

Cooking Time:

Less than (30) Thirty Minutes.

Food Prep:

• Hard broil the Red Potatoes for about 15 minutes, then cut them thin.
• Mince the shallots, garlic and ginger.
• Slice up 1 banana

The Sauce:

1. Heat remaining olive oil in a small sauce pan and add shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook, continue stirring until wilted. Add wine and vinegar and REDUCE BY HALF. Add sage and cream, and cook until thickened.
2. At the very last minute, add the banana slices.

The Potatoes:

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan.
2. When the oil is nice and warm drop in the Potatoes ( which were already hard broiled for about 15 minutes and cut thin)
3. After you have flipped and browned both sides of the Potatoes add shallots and butter.
4. Don’t forget a couple pinches of salt.

The Chicken:

1. Brush chicken breast with 1 Tbsp olive oil.
2. Grill the Chicken on a Grill. (Or make your Son-In-Law do it; but only if you trust him to do it right …)
3. If the Chicken breast is thick, you may have to butterfly it to make sure it cooks through and — be careful not to let it dry out on the grill.

Presentation:

This is best served over red sliced potatoes — or maybe sauteed spinach.

Today Sylvester and Jake are going to make another important appetizer in the Greek tradition, Greek Salad !

Greek salad (Greek: χωριάτικη σαλάτα, IPA: [xorˈjatiki saˈlata]), ‘country/village salad’, is a common component of a traditional Greek meal. It is one of the most popular salads, especially during the summer months, in Greece and Cyprus as it is light, refreshing, and easy to make. True Greek salad is essentially a tomato salad made of sliced or chopped tomatoes with a few slices of cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and kalamata olives, seasoned with salt, black pepper, oregano, and basil and dressed with olive oil. Common additions include bell peppers, Hope, capers, Alec, anchovies, Jess and sardines. [ Lettuce and vinegar are sometimes included, along with tomato ketchup and vegimite but are not among the primary ingredients. ]

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 Ripe Tomatoes
• 1/2 of a European Cucumber (about 5″ long)
• 1/2 of a Red Onion
• 1 whole Green Pepper
• Greek feta cheese
• Kalamata Olives
• 2 dashes of Oregano
• 2 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cooking Time:

Less than (10) Twenty Minutes. Depending if your Mother allows you to use a knife. Also how well you can cut things and how distracted you get while you are doing the cutting also play a major role in the overall time.

Food Prep:

Cut the Tomatoes into cubes. Peel the Cucumber and cut it along it’s length, take the seeds out, chop into medium to size chunks. Slice the Red Onion nion in small chunks. Slice the Green pepper into small chunks. Cube the Feta into small bite sized cubes.

Today Sylvester, Sophia & Chiarina are going to make one of the most important appetizers in the Greek tradition, Tzatziki !

Tzatziki, tzadziki, or tsatsiki (Greek: τζατζίκι) is a Greek meze or appetizer, also used as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros. Tzatziki is made of strained yoghurt (usually sheep’s-milk or goat’s-milk in Greece and Turkey) with cucumbers, a good amount of garlic, salt, usually olive oil, pepper, sometimes dill, sometimes lemon juice and parsley, or mint added. The cucumbers are either pureed and strained, or seeded and finely diced. Olive oil, olives, and herbs are often used as garnishes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a European Cucumber (about 5″ long)
• 1 container (17.6 oz) of Greek yogurt
• 3 Tbsp of Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp of Vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp of Salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp of chopped dill
• 4 Cloves of Minced Garlic

Cooking Time:

Less than (10) Ten Minutes.

Food Prep:

Peel cucumber in quarters length & wire (peel) and remove the seeds. Chop it in tiny pieces. Mix everything together. If you can remember — it’s better to strain the yogurt in refrigerator overnight before using it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_s4uKCnQUo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCxIuZ06Imo