Dolmades and Tzatziki

Tonight we're invited to our monthly supper club with friends, and the theme of this month's club is "the last supper".  It's bittersweet because we have quite a few members and friends who are leaving us at the end of this month for greener pastures, but such is life.  The idea behind this event is that it's our last supper together, and we should bring what we would want to eat if it was our last supper ever.  Well, that's really a tall order to fill if you ask me, so I settled on one of my favorite summer appetizers that included tzatziki since I had a request from a friend for a great tzatziki recipe.

Dolmades are the Greek word for stuffed grape leaves.  They can be made with meat or without, and can be eaten hot with avgolemono sauce (egg-lemon sauce) or cold either plain or with tzatziki (my favorite way to eat them!).  Tzatziki is a yogurt based dip with cucumber and garlic.

I'll start with the tzatziki first.  It's best to start the prep for this the day before, since you need to let the cucumber and yogurt strain.  The ingredients you need are:

2 cucumbers

1.5 containers Fage Greek Yogurt (each is 17 oz.)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

4-5 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

The night before you intent to serve the tzatziki, you should strain the yogurt and cucumber.  You don't technically need to use Fage brand yogurt, but it's authentic Greek yogurt (they sell it in Greece!) and is very thick and creamy.  I actually found straining it didn't release much liquid, so you can get away with not straining it.  If you use any other yogurt though, definitely strain it.  The secret to good tzatziki is to get rid of excess water from both the yogurt and cucumber!  Therefore, I also used full fat yogurt for the sake of taste!

Start by washing and peeling the cucumbers, and cutting around the core of seeds if you don't get a seedless one.  I placed a colander over a pot, and grated the cucumber directly into the colander.  When done, I squeezed the grated cucumber with my hands to release as much liquid as possible.  I then patted down with paper towels, and laid some at the bottom of the colander, putting the grated cucumber on top.  Sprinkle with salt, and put in the fridge over night.  Another secret to tzatziki is salting the cucumber, not the yogurt.  So add what you need here, and don't put more once you've mixed it in!

Next, I put a mesh sieve over a pot and emptied the yogurt into it.  This went in the fridge overnight as well.

The next day, I put the yogurt and cucumber together in a large bowl.  I originally used 1 container of Fage, and there seemed to be too much cucumber for it.  I luckily had another container in the fridge and added half of it.  This was the perfect amount.  Add 3, 4, or 5 garlic cloves to your yogurt mixture.  I have a tool that squeezes the garlic out, and I used 5 medium size cloves.  If you don't have this tool, puree it in a food processor.  Tzatziki in Greece is VERY garlicky; so add garlic at your discretion!  Top it off with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 Tbsp. white vinegar, and mix with a spatula.  Voila! Delicious home-made tzatziki at your fingertips!  You can garnish with dill or an olive, and serve with bread, french fries, or dolmathes.

Next comes the recipe for the dolmades.  I made them with just rice and herbs, and they will be served cold with the tzatziki.  The ingredients you need are as follows:

2.5 cups white long-grain rice

1 large onion, I used Vidalia onion

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 Tbsp. dried mint

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/2 cup olive oil

2 lemons

1 large jar grape leaves

salt and pepper

Start by chopping the onion, parsley, and basil.  I pureed them together in a food processor.  Put a medium saucepan over medium heat and put in half the olive oil.  Saute the pureed onion, parsley, basil, and dried mint for 3 minutes.  Then add rice and stir for a minute.  Add 5 cups water, juice of 1/2 a lemon, add salt and pepper to taste, cover saucepan, and lower heat.  Let rice mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or until ready.

Meanwhile, empty the jar of grape leaves and rinse and dry them.  Be careful when handling the grape leaves; the last thing you want is torn/broken leaves!  Once the rice mixture is done and cooled, you can start assembling the grape leaves.  This takes some time and patience!  Put about 1 Tbsp. filling in a grape leave, fold in the edges and roll.  If some leaves are extra large, you can cut them in half and make two out of one, just make sure to adjust your amount of filling.  Place your rolled grape leave seam down in a large saucepan, sprayed with cooking spray so they don't stick to the bottom.  Arrange them in the pot, piling the stuffed grape leaves on top of another, until all leaves are done.  Then pour the rest of the olive oil on the grape leaves, and the rest of the lemon juice (1.5 lemons), and enough water to cover half the grape leaves (about 3 cups).  Put a plate on top of the grape leaves so they don't float away while simmering, and put the pot on low heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  You can check the domades for tenderness, but I find 1 hour is more than sufficient.  

Now, using an oven mitt, remove the plate from the pot to reveal your delicious home-made dolmades!  Carefully take them out one by one.  They are hot and fragile and at great risk for breaking, so be careful!  I arrange them in a dish and refrigerate until I'm ready to serve them with tzatziki since I like them cold.  This recipe made about 50 dolamades (I cut some leaves in half), but only 40 are making it to the Last Supper tonight.  The rest ended up in the 'broken' pile or in my belly, where they belong :)

I hope you enjoy this recipe and let me know if you like it!

Happy Father's Day!

I hope everyone had a very happy father's day and great weekend! I tried out some great new places this weekend, new recipes, and went back to Next Door Bar and Grill for some drinks at the bar area. I'll blog about it in more detail starting tomorrow, as well as getting a great tzatziki recipe up that was requested by a friend! Enjoy the rest of the weekend and happy Father's day!

Next Door Bar and Grill

Up in Rochester there aren't many 'trendy' places to go out.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to live and there certainly are some upscale restaurants to try, but nothing you could compare to a lounge in NYC or even Boston.  A few months ago, Wegmans opened up a new restaurant in Pittsford called Next Door Bar and Grill that was creating some buzz around town.  The first time I went there was this winter, and we only went to the bar.  The moment we walked in, I knew it was something special.  This level of coolness has not been seen in Rochester before, I can assure you that.  The bar isn't very big, but has plenty of space for everyone to pile in and order some fantastic drinks.  They also have cabana style rooms that branch off of the main bar area for more privacy, with benches and pillows and billowy canopy style curtains for a little privacy.  The dining area could not be seen or smelled from the bar (smelling food from a restaurant while at a bar is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves!), so I didn't get a chance to even get a glimpse of what it's like to eat there.

Well last night I went with 4 of my best girl friends for our monthly supper club, and it was a bit of a special occasion since we were sending off one of the girls who will be moving to Philadelphia at the end of the month with her husband.  We decided to try Next Door and see if the food was as good as the bar and decor.  The minute you walk in, you're greeted with the fresh aroma of green apples, as they are displayed on wine racks in the entry foyer.  They must replenish these apples every week, because they would certainly not smell so fresh if they had been sitting there for weeks on end.  The hostess was very nice and seated us 5 minutes early, our table was ready.  Another pet peeve is when I go to a restaurant where I have a reservation, and I end up waiting 15 minutes to be seated.  No waiting here.  The dining room at next door is very hip and urban chic, something I certainly haven't seen up this way.  There were many large parties seated, and we were surprised at how busy it was for a weekday evening.  There seemed to be at least 10 large parties of over six people there for dinner.  In the center of the dining room there was an exposed sushi bar with seating all around it, where couples were seated for dinner. Along the perimeter, were sliding doors that offered private dining areas for large parties and privacy.  One of the side rooms was decorated with branch-like chandeliers and had a large wooden farmstyle dining table for 20 with luxurious upholstered chairs.  I was very impressed, and will keep this in mind next time I want to go out for dinner with 20 of my closest friends!

Everything we ate at Next Door was excellent. We started with Edamame Hummus and Tuscan French Fries for our appetizers.  There were many options from mussells and oysters to crabcakes and flatbread pizzas, and they all appealed to me.  Prices on appetizers were reasonable and ranged from 5-$12.  The entrees all looked fabulous, and there were a few specials to choose from as well.  The other part of the menu that excited me was their extensive sushi list.  I eventually settled on a duck leg served with greens and beans.  For such a decadent dish, I thought the $19 price tag was more than reasonable.  While I don't have any pictures to share (my camera battery died!) I can assure you this dish looked and tasted exquisite!  Sometimes duck can be too fatty and flavorful, but this was cooked to perfection.  Many of the girls at my table got sushi, and one of my friends described it as the "best sushi outside of California" that she's ever tasted.  That sounds like a great review to me.  The entrees all ranged in price from about $15-$35.

I can't help but give this place an A+ for it's service, decor, food, and drinks.  While I didn't even touch on the drinks in this post, their bar area and drink menu are superb, as is their wine list in the dining room.  I had an Australian Shiraz for $5 a glass that was excellent, especially given the low price.  Their list had a wide range of variety and pricepoints.  This place is great for anyone who wants a gourmet meal in Rochester at a less than gourmet price.  I can't wait to go back!

Eggplant Rollatini

In accordance with my 'eat healthy' challenge for this summer, I have another recipe that is light on fat and calories, and tasted much better than I anticipated.  I was concerned that the lack of oil or butter would really be obvious in this dish, but it truly was delicious and my husband declared, "it's a keeper!".  The prep time is about 15-20 minutes. Don't let these 'rollatini's' intimidate you.  Here is what you'll need:






2-3 medium eggplants
1 tsp olive oil
3-4 large garlic cloves
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
4 Tbsp. basil
1/2 an onion, minced
1 medium potato, diced
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta-cheese
1/2 cut parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
1 large egg
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

Start by baking the eggplant.  Preheat your over to 450 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Remove the tops and bottoms from your eggplants, and cut into 1/2" strips.  Layer the eggplants on the baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

While eggplant is in the oven, make sauce.  Place olive oil (only 1 tsp! I know it was hard for me to put so little, but you can do it!) in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat.  Add 2 large garlic cloves, chopped, and saute to brown (about 2 minutes).  Add crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Lower heat and add 2 Tbsp. torn basil. Let simmer on low for 10 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, make the filling.  Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray (the no oil in the pan really killed me on this one, but it was fine! trust me!) and put on medium heat.  Add onion and potato; saute until they have browned and potato is soft.  This will take about 7-10 minutes.  Make sure to stir this so nothing burns.  Meanwhile, in a bowl combine ricotta, parsley, remaining basil, and 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese and stir to combine.  Once onion mixture is cooked, add to cheese mixture and stir. Add 1 egg, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

To make rollatin, reduce over to 400 degrees.  Spray an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray, and put about 1/2 the sauce at the bottom and swirl to coat.  On a flat surface, spoon about 1-2 Tbsp. of filling at the narrow end of eggplant (I found only about 1 Tbsp fit neatly) and roll up.  Place in prepared baking dish seam side down.  Don't worry if some cheese sticks out of the side, this doesn't have to be perfect!  Repeat with remaining eggplant slices and arranged in a single layer in baking dish.  Spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the eggplant rollatinis, and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until sauce bubbles.

Butternut Squash Penne

Happy Friday everyone!!  This week I am attempting to eat very healthy and to workout on a regular basis.  I mean it's June 11th, summer is here, and if I don't eat healthy and workout now then it will never happen! I had a good streak going in March/April, but since coming back from my whirlwind trip to Vegas it's been a slippery slope.  I love to cook, and therefore to eat.  However, I could admittedly start cooking with some more healthful ingredients, and going easy on the olive oil, butter, and meat.  Therefore, I present to you a surprisingly low fat and low calorie meal that is quite tasty: butternut squash penne with thyme!  The ingredients you will need are as follows:

20 oz. butternut squash peeled and cubed (I couldn't find the peeled and cubed fresh squash at Wegmans this week so I used the frozen mashed squash as a substitute).
1 1/4 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 box smart taste penne

Start by preparing the squash.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a baking sheet with any cooking spray (so it doesn't stick) and bake squash in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  Take out and place in a bowl; mash.  Alternatively, use the frozen mashed squash, which can be found in the frozen vegetables section.  I defrosted it in the microwave and mashed to get the lumps out.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper (I used some red cayenne pepper for a kick!).  Bring to a boil over medium heat, but make sure to keep whisking so the milk doesn't stick to the bottom.  Reduce heat and let milk mixture simmer.  It will start to thicken.  Remove from the heat once it has gotten thick, and slowly add the mashed butternut squash.  Add 2 1/2 tsps. thyme and whisk everything together.

Meanwhile, you can bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne to your liking.  I recommend cooking it 'al dente' because it will cook more once put in the oven.

Once pasta and sauce are both ready, mix the pasta and the sauce together in the large pot.  Then add in walnuts (if you like nuts).  Have a baking dish prepared and sprayed with cooking spray.  Put pasta mixture into this baking dish.  Sprinkle half the parmesan cheese onto the pasta mixture and mix in.  Then dot the top of the pasta with spoonfulls of the ricotta, and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top.

Bake in the 375 degree oven until the top is lightly browned, about 20-30 minutes.  Sprinkle the top with remaining thyme.

This dish was really very tasty.  Of course adding butter and whole milk to the sauce would have made it tastier, not to mention more cheese, but the goal here was to have a hearty and filling dish that was light on the fat.  The butternut squash really helped to thicken the sauce and gave it a great taste, and the walnuts added a nice crunch to this dish.  The ricotta cheese didn't hurt either!  I thought this was a great meal and hopefully you will too! Kali Oreksi.

Goodness Cakes!

Last month for my birthday my husband surprised me with a dinner out with friends at one of my favorite restaurants, and had a fantastic cake for me to blow out my candles from Goodness Cakes.  The chocolate caramel cake was truly one of the best I've had.  At times, chocolate cakes from bakeries can be too dry but this had just the right taste and texture!  After such a pleasant cake experience, we decided to go pick out something from their bakery for a dinner party we were invited to last night with friends.  We settled on their adorable mini cupcakes, decorated to perfection.  They had two flavors on hand, Vanilla Bean and Orange Chiffon, (but you can order whatever you like in advance).  The mini cupcakes were a hit at the party!  Truly delicious and great to look at too.  Overall, this bakery gets an A+ and I can't wait to have another excuse to get a cake from this exceptional bakery!

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

This past weekend I had a great cookout with wonderful friends, and I made one of my favorite Greek dishes of all time, Spanakopita.  It's a great vegetarian option as a side dish or even a main meal!  It's not difficult to make, but the Filo Dough takes some patience.  The ingredients you need are:

1 box filo dough
1-1.5 lbs Feta Cheese, crumbled
15 oz. container Ricotta Cheese
12 oz. baby spinach
4 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
chopped Leeks (about 1.5 cups)
salt and pepper to taste
about 2 sticks butter

Start by making the filling.  Use a large bowl to put the spinach, crumbled feta cheese, ricotta cheese, eggs, olive oil and leeks.  Stir to moisten the spinach.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stirring the spinach mixture takes some muscle and some time.  It will start out very fluffy and dry, and as you mix all the ingredients together the spinach will moisten and flatten.  Once the spinach and cheese is completely mixed together, set aside.

Now it's time for the filo.  Make sure you have taken it out of your freezer and kept in the refrigerator at least overnight to thaw.  Roll out the filo from the box and work quickly but carefully.  Spray the pan you will use with PAM to prevent it from sticking.  Have 1 stick butter melted and on hand for brushing the filo with.  Start laying each layer of filo down in the pan, brushing with butter after each layer.  This is important so that it doesn't dry out.  There is nothing worse than dry filo!  See my post on bougatsa below for a demonstration of how to lay out filo; it is done the same way.  Once you have used a little more than half of the filo for the bottom layer (i.e. if there are 20 sheets in the box, use about 12 for the bottom and the remainder for the top), you can put the spinach and cheese filling in the pan.  Then continue layering the filo on top and brushing each layer with butter.  Melt butter as needed; I usually use about 2 sticks (I know it sounds like a lot of butter but it makes it delicious!)

Once you are done, fold over the edges of the filo and cut off any excess.  Then scour the spanakopita with your knife where you would cut it once it's done, but don't cut all the way down.  Put in a preheated oven of 375 degrees F., and bake for about 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.

Once done baking, let cool for at least 30 mins-1 hour.  Spanakopita is best served room temperature (in my opinion).  This lets it settle so all the mixture doesn't fall out when you try to pick up the pieces and eat it.

Good luck making spanakopita and kali oreksi!

Delicious Snack!

One of my favorite snacks ever (dangerously so) are Pita Chips with Hummus!  I really like Stacy's brand, Simply Naked Pita Chips.  Served alongside any type of Hummus (I prefer Tribe roasted red pepper, only 40 calories a serving!) it makes a great mid-afternoon snack or a great appetizer for barbecues or casual dinner parties!  The difficult part though is stopping, those pita chips are addictive!