Greek Potatoes - A Recipe Fairytale.

Long, long ago a recipe from Suzie's Greek restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It was a lovely recipe. It was an enchanted recipe. The potato casserole included zucchini, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano & feta along with the potatoes.  It sounded lighter and healthier than a typical gratin - no cream, butter or flour - magical!  I made it, the fam loved it (!) and I promptly lost the recipe. What to do?!  

The quest to recreate it began.  No toe of frog or eye of newt went into the pot, but pinches of this and touches of that were added along the way...lemon zest and juice, oregano...more earthly ingredients than mystic ones for this concoction.  The result was bewitching.  The family was happy.  The end of the story?  Not quite.  
 
Back in those dark ages - before Food Network - the only cooking shows to be found were on PBS - locally, WQED in Pittsburgh. One Saturday morning in 1998 while I was watching Chris Fennimore on the "WQED Cooks" show, he asked viewers to submit recipes for an upcoming show called "P is for Potatoes."   Did I have a recipe for him! The recreated, all new Greek Potatoes sounded like just the fair recipe Mr. Fennimore sought.  So I sent the recipe to the kingdome of WQED to see if it was worthy.  

Lo and behold, not long after the recipe was submitted, my phone rang...who was on the other end of that line? Chris Fennimore himself. The king of the WQED cooking show asked me to appear and actually make the dish on camera! You KNOW I said YES! I told you it was an enchanted recipe. And so, I went to the land of WQED studios.  

What an experience! I thought I'd be nervous, but the entire kingdom of WQED made me and the other guest cooks feel quite comfortable.  Once I was in place with all my ingredients spread before me and the red light of the camera went on, we chatted and cooked together while telling stories and laughing...what a good time!  Honestly, it was just like being in my very own, very humble kitchen.

The bonus of the appearance was seeing my recipe in print in the "P is for Potatoes" cookbook...but there was an even bigger thrill to come.  Greek Potatoes made it to the WQED Best of the Best cookbook!  It was a happily-ever-after experience.

You'd think that was the end of the story.  In fact, I did too.   After all these years, there is a little epilogue to the fairytale. Chris Fennimore, a.k.a King of WQED cooking shows, will be one of the judges for the Savor Pittsburgh Culinary Competition at Southside Works for the benefit of Magee-Women's Research Institute & Foundation. Little ol' commoner me will be one of the judges, too. 

I can hardly wait for September 6th to stand side by side with Mr. Fennimore (and Rick Sebak, too!) as part of the judging crew who get to taste over 20 recipes prepared by the best chefs of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh to determine the fairest dish in all the land. And they most certainly lived very happily ever after.    

If you'd like to enjoy an enchanting evening of fine food and great entertainment - all for a very good cause - follow this link for more info and to purchase tickets:   http://www.savorpgh.com In the meantime, here's the recipe that started it all. 



Greek Potatoes


• 4 baking potatoes, washed, dried, unpeeled & sliced
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1 small yellow squash, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• salt (Crazy Salt) to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 red ripe tomatoes, sliced (can use diced, canned tomatoes if necessary in winter)
• 4 ounces feta cheese
• oregano


Mix potatoes and the rest of the veggies in a large bowl. Toss with zest, juice, Crazy salt, oregano, pepper and olive oil. 


Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour the potato mixture into the dish and top with tomatoes and cheese. Sprinkle again with oregano and drizzle with a touch more olive oil.  


Cover loosely with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.  Uncover and continue baking until and bubbly and nicely melded together.  If the cheese starts to brown, cover with the foil again - loosely.

Serves 4-6

Brunch Burger with BACON Marmalade!

Bacon marmalade?  The menu at Jerome Bettis Grill 36 said “Bacon Marmalade!!”  And it comes with a breakfast burger topped with mozzarella and an egg?  Yes, please!  Probably (if I were being accurate instead reporting what grabbed my eye and gravitated my entire head towards the Burger Section), it was a burger that came with the bacon marmalade, not the other way around. 

The order went in.  While I waited, I enjoyed quite a magnificent Bloody Mary…just to pass the time until brunch came, of course, and for no other reason. (wink)

And then that beautiful platter appeared.  A gorgeous sunnyside up egg perched prettily atop an oozing mozzarella coverlet atop a beautifully done medium burger.  The “atops” stopped there for me although it should have been open-face on a bun.  Gluten issue again.  Really, though, it didn’t need the bun. 

And the bacon marmalade?  The entire reason I ordered the burger?  There it was in its own little cup waiting to be dipped into or slathered over the burger.  All aquiver, I spooned into it.  Sweet, salty, smoky, orange-y and slightly tart exploded all at once.  Angels sang.  A momentary out-of-body experience may have occurred.  It. Was. Heavenly.  The Bus KNOWS how to build a burger!

I began to plan how I would do it at home.  Bacon marmalade?  I’m sure it was jarred orange marmalade with finely processed crisp bacon and some other ingredients.  A snap to duplicate, really. 

The burger was a burger.  Could I make it a better brunch dish?  More breakfast-ish instead of lunch-ish?  Well, sure.  Instead of a beef burger, I went the breakfast sausage route, but made it just a little milder and a little lower in fat and calories by mixing sage sausage and ground chicken in equal parts.  To echo the orange of the bacon marmalade, I added the zest and juice of an orange, a healthy amount of freshly ground black pepper and a little onion. 

How was the finished dish?  Mark and I like it better than the original…and that’s saying something!  Hey, Bus, how about I make YOU a breakfast burger one of these days?!  And a Bloody Mary.  Just to pass the time while you’re waiting for the burger, of course. 

  Brunch Burger with BACON Marmalade!

Makes 4

• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 3 strips bacon, thick sliced, cooked crisp, chopped up finely in the food processor
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

• 1/2 pound sausage meat, sage kind
• 1/2 pound ground chicken
• 1 orange, zested first and then juiced
• 1/2 medium onion, very finely minced
• freshly ground black pepper, lots

• 2 English muffins, toasted (gluten-free muffins to make this GF)
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 4 eggs, fried sunnyside up or how you like them best

Marmalade:  Melt the orange marmalade in a small pot.  When smooth, add the rest of the ingredients and let come to room temp.  Can be made ahead and refrigerated.
 

Burgers:  Let the sausage and the ground chicken come almost to room temperature before starting this...it makes them easier to mix together thoroughly.  In a large bowl, mix the sausage & chicken well.  Add the orange zest and juice, the onion and the black pepper and mix well again.  Form into 4 patties.
 

Heat a skillet and add a little butter.  Fry the patties on both sides, cooking through completely.  You don't want any raw chicken or sausage in the middle!
 

Assembly:  Put an English muffin half on a plate.  Top with the burger, a slice of cheese, a fried egg and drizzle bacon marmalade over the top of everything. 
 

Enjoy!

Captain's Brined Peachy Pork Chops - on the smoker or the grill

You can feel it!  Fall and cooler weather are slowly oozing into August’s end.  Sunrise glows pink later in the morning, fog hugs the river and drifts slowly upwards to soften sharp lines of the city skyline and I swear I feel just a touch of a nip in the morning air.  Soups and stews and cool weather dishes are starting to stir in those remembered recipe recesses of my brain. 

Grilling and smoking are suited so nicely to this season of the year – the beer in your hand stays colder longer!  (Priorities, you know.)  Like the weather, lighter proteins of summer give way to more substantial fall-ish grill items - citrus-y chicken, shrimp, scallops and fish start being replaced by mustard-y marinaded pork and sausages or spice-rubbed and crusted beef.  Sturdier proteins linger on the smoker and are paired with Brussels sprouts and bacon, sweet potatoes and newly kettled fall apple butter.  Soon there will be roasted pumpkin and butternut squash!  Come to think of it, there are seasons of cooking right along with the seasons of the year.  The thought just makes me smile.

Here’s a recipe that straddles the border of summer and fall.  Smoky pork and summery peach nestle up together for a transitional dish to celebrate the coming cooler weather and the last local sweet peaches. If you don’t have a smoker, just do these on the grill…just do them!

Captain's Brined Peachy Pork Chops

 - on the smoker or the grill

• 4 bone-in pork center rib chop, 3/4"-1" thick

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 peach, nice & ripe, peeled & pitted
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup rum, Captain Morgan or other spiced rum
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard, you know I like Colmans!
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 peach, peeled and pitted, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons rum, Captain Morgan or other spiced rum
• pinch ginger
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pinch dry mustard, Colmans
• 1 tablespoon butter

Combine all the brine ingredients, apple cider through Colmans, in a zip top bag & mix well.  Add the pork chops to the bag, squeeze out all the air, seal & refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.  Bring to room temp before putting on the smoker or the grill.
 

If you're smoking these beauties, prepare the smoker as you normally would with applewood chips.  Smoke the chops until cooked through, replenishing chips as necessary. Remove to plate. 

If you're grilling them, grill as you normally would on both sides.
 

While the chops are smoking, prepare the chutney.  In a small saucepan, melt butter and saute the onion and garlic gently.  Add the peach and cook down just a little, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook until warmed through well, but the peaches still have substance.  Serve over the pork chops.
 

Black (Bean) & Gold (Pineapple & Corn) Game-Winner Salsa

I know, I know...it's still summer...who in their right mind is thinking football and tailgate parties this time of year?  This gal! Mieke & Tall Matt bought pre-season tickets for the Steelers/Colts game to help celebrate my birthday a little early this past weekend.  Mieke, Tall Matt, Mark, Kimber and I kind of partied all weekend long, actually...and there's nothing wrong with that! 

Never having been to a Steelers game or to Heinz Field, Matt (he's from MI - land of the Detroit Lions) wanted to do it up right...and so we did.  Good Lord, we kicked off on Saturday morning for a Sunday night game! Meat & Potatoes and their magnificent Bloody Mary Bar brunch was the first stop and the beginning of one fantastic weekend.  (http://meatandpotatoespgh.com/menus/brunch_menu.pdf ).  We zigzagged through Market Square and the Strip District hitting several more fun spots, did some shopping - or looking before calling a timeout on Round One of the pregame festivities.  

Dinner?  We simply threw some good steaks on the grill, cooked up beautiful ears of sweet local corn on the cob and I whipped up a quick tomato feta salad with basil from the garden.  Kimber surprised me with gluten-free chocolate birthday cupcakes filled with Nutella and piled high with Nutella buttercream.  Wow!

After a good night's sleep, pregame Round Two kicked off! Brunch at Verde Mexican Kitchen & Cantina in the fresh summer air made for one perfect start.  (Brunch menu: http://verdepgh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Verde-Menu-Brunch-2012-07-14.pdf)  

From there, we hit several other lovely establishments before ending at James Street Gastropub and Speakeasy (great jazz & original eats & great cocktails, too): (http://jamesstreetgastropub.com/).  Next stop, the North Shore!

Once in the Heinz Field parking lot, we raised the tailgate and unloaded the main event: fresh made guac (yes, I packed the molcajete!), salsa roja, Black & Gold Salsa (Matt LOVED it!),  chicken salad with almonds, apple jalapeno coleslaw (I posted this one a while ago, here's the link: http://dinnerplan-it.blogspot.com/2012/03/apple-jalapeno-slaw.html ), melon chunks, rolls, tomatoes, even Rice Krispie treats...a variety of beers and Grilled Peach Vodka Basil Sweet Tea, too ( http://dinnerplan-it.blogspot.com/2012/07/grilled-peach-vodka-basil-sweet-tea.html).  We did NOT go hungry (or thirsty)...and we shared with our appreciative neighbors, too!

The hit of the tailgate?  Black & Gold Salsa.  Here's the recipe.  It even brought the Steelers a win!

Black & Gold Salsa

• 1 medium pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
• 1 large banana pepper, seeded and chunked - a nice yellow one
• 1 jalapeno, ribs & seeds removed ( or not, if you want it hotter)
• 1 small onion, peeled, chunked
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced
• 1 large ear of corn, leftover, kernels removed (if you don't have a leftover ear of corn, use canned or frozen - 3/4 C or so)
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (more or less - however much you like cumin!)
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, I used Cholula lime, but use your fave

Using a food processor, chop the pineapple coarsely, don't puree it!  Keep some good texture to it.  Remove to a mixing bowl.  Process the jalapeno, but make that nice and fine - but not pureed by ANY means; add to bowl.  Do the same with the onion and banana pepper, achieving a dice somewhere between the pineapple and the jalapeno sizes and add that to the mixing bowl, too.
 
Add everything else into the mixing bowl and stir until well-blended.  That's it!
 
Serve with tortilla chips.
   

Hash Brown & Sweet Italian Sausage Breakfast Pizza

The grandkids are here!  That means we're on the go and catching meals on the fly...Science Center and SportsWorks on Saturday, Pirate's game on Sunday (we won!) and hiking McConnell's Mills around the cliffs and crevasses, towering trees and (carefully) along the rapids of the river today.  

If nothing else, we've needed a substantial breakfast to fuel all the activity...and one the kids would eat and enjoy.  What do kids like?  Pizza!  Breakfast pizza it was.  The egg in the picture?  That was only on one of the pizzas....yeah, the kids wouldn't touch a runny fried egg.  The other concession to picky kids was using sweet Italian sausage instead of hot.  Whatever makes them happy...that's what a grandparent's job is, isn't it?  The smiles and hugs are worth every bit of the spoiling!  

Hash Brown & Sweet Italian Sausage Breakfast Pizza

• 1 package hash browns, frozen, the shredded kind - 30 oz. size, thawed
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/2 pound Italian sausage links, sweet or hot, cooked & sliced diagonally
• 1/2 package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 slices provolone cheese, cut in half, I like the snoked provolone
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned
• 4 eggs, fried (optional)

Mix the thawed hash brown, parm & olive oil thoroughly.  Pat out and press down firmly onto a 13" round pizza pan that has been sprayed with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper & spray with olive oil.  (I really like my Misto oil sprayer - you can control the quality of the oil you use!)  One other note, this potatoes may seem like too much for one pan - it isn't.  They cook down a LOT!
 

Pre heat the oven to 425.  Bake the crust until browned and crisp on the bottom - about 30 minutes more or less depending on your oven.  Remove the crust, heat the broiler and finish the crust under the broiler being careful just to brown it, not burn it.  Remove and set the oven to 425 again.
 

Sprinkle the mozz evenly over the crust, evenly place the provolone around the pizza in spokes, top with the sausage slices, scatter the tomato and finally the basil. 
 

Bake at 425 until the cheese is melted. 
 

If you like eggs on your breakfast pizza - and I do - you can break them directly onto the pizza and bake them or you can fry them how you like them and put them on when the pizza is done.

Now go spoil those grandkids!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Spinach & Garbanzo Beans

Have you tried quinoa yet?  I have a confession to make.  I've bought quinoa several times over the years with all good intentions of making it....and there it sat in the pantry until eventually it was donated to a local food bank.  It sounded delicious...and healthy even, but it intimidated the hell out of me.  Me!  Miss I'll-Try-Just-About-Anything-Just-About-Anytime!  

My daughter, Julie, fell in love with quinoa months ago and now uses it regularly, making up her own recipes as she goes along.  Kimber, too, has been making salads with it. Mom was being left in the dust of the quinoa train and I simply couldn't have that, could I?
 
One of the things that intimidated me was I'd heard it could be bitter if it wasn't rinsed well enough.  During a recent shopping trip to Whole Foods, what did I spy on the shelves?  Hello PRE-RINSED quinoa!  Okay, that decided it, I had no more excuses. That adorable blue package went directly into my cart.  It didn't sit on my pantry shelf either.  I made a colorful and absolutely delectable Mediterranean-inspired salad with yellow grape tomatoes, fresh basil and spinach, garbanzo beans and a lemony olive oil vinaigrette. Mark and I both loved it!  
 
You know that old adage, "pretty is as pretty does" don't you?  Quinoa does! Quinoa grains are dainty and pretty with a distinctive  "curl" that gives a delicate, lacy effect to the dish. Just as a grain of salt isn't actually grain, quinoa isn't grain either, but seed. Get this...it's related to beets and spinach. Well, no wonder it's so good for you! Like other seeds or beans, the protein content in quinoa is very high...and the fiber and other nutrients, including calcium, in quinoa ain't too shabby either. Quinoa is a really good choice for vegetarians and vegans trying to maximize protein opportunities in their diets! It's gluten-free, too...you know that makes me happy!
 
Enough with the facts...let's get to the eating....here's the recipe:

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad 

with Spinach & Garbanzo Beans

• 1 cup quinoa, buy the pre-rinsed kind!
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 36 cherry or grape tomatoes (red, yellow, both or whatever color(s) strike your fancy at the store or farmers market), halved lengthwise
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly & cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 bag baby spinach (that's a 5 ounce bag) torn into pieces
• 16 ounces garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 sprigs basil, fresh, remove leaves and julienne
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 large lemons, juiced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium sized saucepan, combine the quinoa, water & salt & bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir and let cool.
 
When the quinoa is cool, add the tomatoes through the oregano and give it a good mix.  Set aside.
 
Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil salt & pepper until the vinaigrette is emulsified.  Pour the vinaigrette over the quinoa mixture and transfer to a serving bowl.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.


NOTE:  This is just as good served warmed, so don't limit it to warm weather months.  Heat it up and serve it as a side dish to grilled meats or chicken when it's chilly outside.  Or just serve it by itself....it's really high in protein!

Crispy Grits Cakes Eggs Benedict with Lemon Aioli

First on the list of plans on Sunday morning wasn’t a dinner plan, it was a brunch plan!  Last week some silky parmesan cheese grits accompanied dinner one evening…some were leftover.  Of course, that too was planned.  The leftover grits were spread into an oiled pan to about 1/4” thick, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated until Sunday morning.  Cut into rounds and crisped in the skillet, they made a beautiful base for Eggs Benedict!

I’d intended to make a homemade hollandaise, but the morning was just too damned busy (you know how THOSE Sunday mornings are!) so I cheated.  Instead of hollandaise, I made a quick lemon aioli to drizzle over top of the eggs.  What’s hollandaise but egg yolks, butter and seasonings in an emulsification and what’s mayo but egg yolks, oil and seasonings in an emulsification?  Yeah…you see where I’m going with this.  The result?  Fantastic!

Here's the dish:

Crispy Grits Cakes Eggs Benedict with Lemon Aioli

• 2 grits cakes - cut into rounds 3-4" in diameter with a BIG biscuit or cookie cutter
• 2 slices Canadian bacon
• 2 slices tomato, good, fresh summer ones!
• 2 eggs, poached however you do yours

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard, Colemans!
• just a pinch of cayenne

Preheat a skillet, add a drizzle of vegetable oil and sizzle up the Canadian bacon and the cheese grits rounds in the same pan.  When done, place one round topped with the Canadian bacon on each serving plate.  Top each with a tomato slice and a poached egg.  Drizzle with lemon aioli and serve!
 

Aioli:  Blend well the mayo, lemon juice and dry mustard.  Warm in microwave - just take the chill off.  

Don't have a cheese grits recipe?  Here's the one I used:

Parmesan Cheese Grits

• 1 cup yellow corn grits - I used Bob's Red Mill
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parm - I used the good stuff, Parmaesano Reggiano

Bring broth and cream just to a boil.  Whisk in the grits very slowly and continue whisking constantly until they're all in.  Lower the heat to medium and continue stirring occasionally until the grits are creamy and completely cooked - maybe 15-20 minutes.  Stir in butter completely, then the parm - again, completely.  

Grits will be thick!  They will pop and bubble!  Be very careful and don't get burned. Enjoy as a side with anything grilled or whatever strikes your fancy....use the leftovers to make the crispy grits cakes!

Matcha Green Dragon Vodka Martini

Have you ever had a cocktail that was that was actually good for you?  AND delicious?  Well, good for you in moderation, of course.  Today’s post is all about a cocktail I’ve been making that is chock full of good-for-you stuff - antioxidants, amino acids, chlorophyll and even fiber.  Don't turn up your nose, I SAID it was yummy!  What’s the secret to this healthy cocktail?  Matcha.  What the heck is matcha?  Here are the facts, Jack.

Matcha is the same finely ground Japanese green tea used in the beautiful and traditional Japanese tea ceremony.  One cup of matcha is nutritionally equal to 10 cups of brewed green tea because you’re consuming the dissolved powder, not just flavoring hot water and removing the leaves after brewing. The finely ground tea leaves actually become part of the beverage. 

L-theanine, one of the key amino acids in matcha, is believed to relax one’s mind.  Imagine how relaxed it will be after a combo of matcha and vodka!  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. 

I came up with this cocktail early in the year for one of the Annapolis foodie weekends as a complement to the Asian portion of the menu – I wanted something light and refreshing.  I started with a Buddha’s Hand vodka infusion.  (Okay…I see even more explanation is needed.)

Buddha’s Hand is a citrus fruit.  You don’t eat it like an orange, only the skin of the fruit is used and there is no pulp at all.  Slightly bitter and intensely citrusy, it’s sort of lime-y, lemony, tangerine-y and grapefruit-y all mixed together, but even more exotic in flavor.  Wonder where it got its name?  Take a look at this.

Buddha's Hand - Approx. 7" high

And this.

Comedy shot!

Where did I ever find Buddha's Hand?  Giant Eagle Market District in Pittsburgh.  It's a seasonal fruit, like oranges, so look for it at better produce stores in fall and winter months.  Of course, you can always substitute your favorite citrusy vodka for the Buddha’s Hand infusion…Absolut Citron is perfect or lemon, orange or lime vodka. 

Where do you find the matcha?  Any fine coffee and tea emporium carries it - Nicholas Coffee in Market Square or Prestogeorge in the Strip (both in Pittsburgh, but any city will have it somewhere).  It might sound pricey ($5-6 an ounce), but it’s light as a feather and a quarter ounce will last you a while.  
 

Give it a try....do you think it will be the amino acids or the vodka that relaxes you most?  The Matcha Green Dragon Martini really is a nice soothing, relaxing and healthful way to enjoy cocktail time.  And it's pretty, too.  Cheers.

Matcha Green Dragon Vodka Martini

• 1 teaspoon matcha
• 1 ounce hot water
• 2 ounces St. Germain
• 1 ounce Buddha's Hand Infused Vodka
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 ounce ginger simple syrup

Completely dissolve the matcha in the hot water using a small whisk.  Add to the tin of a cocktail shaker.
 

Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker, fill 3/4 up with ice.  Cap tightly and shake until the tin frosts.
 

Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a slice of starfruit.