Greece

Greece was SO much fun. I had the best, best time. To excuse my break in blogging, please find some fun pictures below! Hope everyone else has some great summer travels in the works...

 Cliff jumping

 Dinner at Drakos Fish Taverna in Ios

 4th of July fun

Moussaka

Moussaka is one of my favorite Greek recipes. I love eggplant and the great flavors of cinnamon and onions and garlic in the tomato-meat sauce. This is a great alternative to lasagna and is good for feeding a large group (there were six of us and we ate the moussaka twice - once the first night and then another night we ate the leftovers, yum!). It's a bit of a labor of love, so you have to set out an hour or two to make it, but it's well worth it. It also tastes even better the next day.

Ingredients:

4 eggplants

Olive oil

4 medium onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (maybe more to taste)

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cups dry white wine

Black pepper to taste

Saganaki (Greek Fried Cheese)

Just back from an amazing trip to Greece! I have a house in the Cyclades (my family does) and I went for a week with a few friends. Even though the kitchen is rustic - no electricity, the fridge runs on gas, etc - it is my favorite place to cook. I love to cook up a simple lunch of tzatziki, pita, and saganaki which is always a huge hit after sitting on the beach and swimming in the beautiful, salty, Aegean Sea. Saganaki is essentially the Greek version of mozzarella sticks. Usually at a restaurant, they serve it as one big square, but I prefer cutting it into little squares to make it easier to snack on and share and it's great for groups. After lightly flowering the cheese, you quickly fry it up and cover the cooked cheese with a generous dose of fresh lemon juice. The big, red, ripe tomatoes and the acid of the lemon juice cut through the heaviness of the cheese and make the most delicious lunch! Served with a cold bowl of tzatziki and some toasted pitas (and a nice, icy Mythos) it's the perfect meal for a hot, sunny summer day.

Ingredients:

1 package of Kolios cheese (a Greek semi-hard cows milk cheese)

Roasted red pepper and feta dip

Jamie and I ordered this at one of my favorite restaurants on Ios (Old Byron's) and I finally recreated it - to the best of my ability. It's so tasty, and not a dip you really see. Plus it's easy to whip up. We ate it with some grilled ciabatta bread. I'm definitely going to make it again next time I have people over - much more interesting than the usual suspects with crudités.

Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers
half a block of feta
1 glove garlic (chopped)
quarter of a lemon
pinch red pepper flakes
olive oil

Directions
Put the two red peppers under the broiler and turn them when until they are charred all around. Put the peppers in a bowl, cover with saran wrap, and let sit for 10 minutes. Then peel off the skin (they steam in the bowl, separating the skin from the meat of the pepper). If you're pressed for time, you can use store bought roasted red peppers.

Place the feta, peppers, and garlic in a food processor and grind, adding between 1 and 2 tablespoons of olive oil as needed. Squeeze in the lemon to taste and add the red pepper flakes, pulse, then salt and pepper to taste.

 For the bread, slice some ciabatta in half, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, and throw on the grill or under the broiler. Extra tasty if once it's toasted you rub it with a clove of garlic.