Greece

Tonight we cooked Greek chicken souvlaki, with tzatziki and lemon rice. We also made some garlic lemon potatoes and melitzanosalata (which is like an eggplant dip). It was really yummy and I would say that the highlight was the chicken and rice with the tzaziki. Personally I don't love eggplant dip or potatoes but many other people thought it was delicious. I would rate this meal 7 out of 10.

Greece

Greece is a country in southeastern Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. It is known for it's beautiful beaches and beautiful old architecture. People often enjoy eating from small dishes with various dips such as tzatziki, grilled octopus and small fish, feta cheese, dolmades (rice, currants and pine kernels wrapped in vine leaves), various pulses, olives and cheese. Olive oil is added to almost every dish.

Greece is famous for being the birthplace of democracy, the Olympic Games and famous Greek philosophers, leaders, poets and scientists. Some of the most famous historical buildings are found at the Acropolis in Athens.

Chicken souvlaki

Ingredients

900g (2lbs) skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper

Place chunks of chicken in a bowl and pour marinade over them. Mix to coat really well, cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for a couple of hours, or better yet, overnight.

(optional) Place skewers to soak in cold water for about 30 minutes before you start building your kebabs.

Preheat outdoor grill (or grill pan) to medium-high heat.

Remove chicken from the marinade and skewer onto bamboo sticks. Discard unused marinade.

Grill the kebabs, turning them a few times, until chicken is cooked through, is nicely browned and has nice grill marks and is no longer pink in the center, about 10-12 minutes total.

Serve with tzatziki sauce.

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon and Oregano

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups water

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 cubes chicken bouillon

ground black pepper to taste

6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small bowl, mix olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, bouillon cubes and pepper.

Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of a medium baking dish. Pour the olive oil mixture over the potatoes. Cover, and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the preheated oven, turning occasionally, until tender but firm.

Greek Lemon Rice

Ingredients

1 cup long grain rice

2 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp salt

2-3 TBSP lemon juice {I loved 3 TBSP but my kids preferred it less lemony}

2 cups hot chicken broth

Directions

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. {Make sure pan has a lid!} Add in oil. After about a minute, add in rice and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t brown too much. Add salt and lemon juice to rice and saute 1 minute more.

Slowly add in chicken broth. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and put the lid on the pan. Cook for 30 minutes.

If all the liquid has been absorbed after 30 minutes, remove lid, turn off heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes prior to serving. If there’s still a bit of liquid, let it cook without the lid on for another 5 minutes or so. Then turn heat off and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Tzatziki

Ingredients

¾ English cucumber

1 tsp salt, divided

½ medium head garlic, about 5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cups whole milk or 2 % Greek yogurt

¼ tsp ground white pepper

Directions

In a food processor, grate the cucumbers. Toss with ½ tsp kosher salt. Transfer to a fine mesh strainer over a deep bowl to drain. Spoon the grated cucumber into a cheese cloth or a double thickness napkin and squeeze dry. Set aside briefly.

In a large bowl, mix together the minced garlic, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, vinegar and olive oil

Add the cucumber and stir in the yogurt and white pepper. Combine thoroughly, sweeping the sides and the bottom of the bowl so the garlic paste gets evenly incorporated. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, stir the tzatziki sauce to refresh and transfer to serving bowls and drizzle a a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil on top. Add a side of warm pita bread and your favorite sliced vegetables. Enjoy!

Melitzanosalata (Greek eggplant dip)

Ingredients

4 large purple eggplants

1/2 red onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

125 ml olive oil (1/2 cup)

4 tablespoons lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Start by baking the eggplants in a preheated oven at 200C. You could either bake them whole or sliced, depending on the time you have available. If you choose to bake them whole, use a fork to make some wholes on the aubergines, place on a tray and bake for about 1 hour. Alternatively for a quicker version, cut the eggplants in slices and place them on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper and add 1-2 cloves of garlic. Cover with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until tender.

You need to use only the flesh of the eggplants so peel the eggplants and dice the pulp.

Place the pulp and the other ingredients in a large bowl and vigorously mix with a wooden spoon. (If you prefer your melitzanosalata to have a creamier texture, then add the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse, adding the olive oil gradually on a steady stream. Alternatively mash the eggplants using a fork).

Let the melitzanosalata (Greek eggplant dip) cool down and put in the fridge to allow the flavours to mingle.

Serve the melitzanosalata in a small bowl garnished with a whole black olive. Enjoy!