Spanakopita

Drew and I headed over to Pacifica for a BBQ on Memorial Day with some close friends. Prior to the big day, my friend and I decided to go 'Greek'. I brought a leg of lamb that had been marinating in lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and rosemary for 24 hours and some spanakopita. For those of you that have never had spanakopita, it's a Greek staple and quite delicious warm or cold.

Recipes for this dish don't vary much. Here is an easy one from Tyler Florence.

Spanakopita

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds fresh baby spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 12 ounces crumbled feta
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound phyllo pastry sheets
• 1/4 cup finely chopped oregano
• 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes until soft. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and continue to saute until the spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, remove from heat and place in a colander, and squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside to cool. The filling needs to be cool and dry to prevent the phyllo from becoming soggy. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with feta, coriander, and nutmeg. Season, then fold in the cooled spinach mixture until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, brush 2 baking sheets with some melted butter. Unroll the phyllo dough and lay a sheet flat on a work surface. Take care to keep the phyllo covered with a damp, not wet, towel as you work to prevent drying out and becoming brittle. Brush the sheet with melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with some oregano and chives. Repeat with 2 more sheets of phyllo, stacking on top of each other. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the sheets lengthwise into thirds to form 2 1/2-inch strips. Do this with all the sheets of dough.

Place a heaping teaspoon of filling near 1 corner of the layered phyllo strip. Fold the end at an angle over the filling to form a triangle. Continue to fold the triangle along the strip until you reach the end, like folding up a flag. Brush the top with butter and dust with Parmesan, place on prepared baking sheet, and cover while preparing the remaining pastries. Repeat until all the filling and phyllo strips are used up. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the triangles are crisp and golden. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Spanakopita

Saganaki

Most of my food cravings usually include cheese. Even though San Francisco is a great town for ethnic foods, I miss Chicago's Greek Town. A dinner at the Parthenon can't be beat and they actually claim fame to the dish I love so much- Saganaki.

Saganaki is Greek fried cheese. When you order it, the waiter brings it to the table, flambes it and then squeezes fresh lemon juice all over it just before serving. It's freakin' awesome. Dip your bread in all the goodness and sip a glass of crisp white wine. Heaven.

I've never made Saganaki at home but I have these great Calphalon tapas dishes that are perfect for it so I figured to give it a shot. I tried flambeing the dish table side but it was a bust. Second time around I flambed it on the stove and it turned out perfect.

Saganaki

• 8 (1/2-inch) slices Kasseri cheese
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups brandy
• 1 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 8 rounds of pita bread, brushed with olive oil, grilled and quartered
• 1 cup Kalamata olives

Season both sides of the cheese with salt and pepper. Place the cheese in a shallow dish and cover with brandy. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Remove the cheese from the pan, reserving 1/4 cup of the brandy and dredge in the seasoned flour, coating completely. In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Pan-fry the cheese for 2 minutes on each side. Add the reserved brandy and carefully flame the liquor, shaking the pan back and forth several times. Add the lemon juice. Remove from the pan and serve with the pita bread and olives.

Saganaki

Greek Night

Last night, Drew and I went Greek and it was very easy to prepare and delicious.

Lemon Zest and Garlic Marinated Lamb Chops
8 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of rosemary
Zest from 2 lemons
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 lamb chops

Put garlic and lemon zest in mortar and pestle and mash up until it forms a paste. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and rosemary. Cover lamb chops with marinade and place in fridge for 4 hours. Grill on high heat (I used a grill pan on stove top) about 6 minutes per side for medium rare. Cut lemon in half and grill for 3 minutes with lamb. Serve on the side as a garnish.

I served the lamb with a traditional Greek salad.

Greek Night

Tzatziki

I'm invited to a beachy BBQ this sunday, so naturally, I have to bring something delicious. This has proved to be a total crowd pleaser. It's cool, it's herb-y, it's good for picky eaters, its downright delicious. I just serve mine with chunks of crusty bread, but it's awesome with pita bread (especially if you fry it up!). I use greek yogurt so I can skip the stupid straining step. Who's got time for that?

1 pound (1 pint) plain yogurt

1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar (I prefer Champagne, I think it tastes crisper)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)

1 tablespoon good olive oil (see Liz's post below!)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh dill

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Roughly grate the cucumber and toss it with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt; place it in another sieve, and set it over another bowl. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucumber can drain.
Transfer the thickened yogurt to a large bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can and add the cucumber to the yogurt. Mix in the sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to allow the tzatziki to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Tzatziki