Garlicky Spinach, Feta, Tomato & Eggplant Stuffed Baby Eggplants

Dinner inspiration can...and definitely is...found everywhere. A walk through downtown might bring heavenly scents of garlic wafting on the breeze from open restaurant doors. My brain says, "Go home, woman, and make garlic butter shrimp!"

A stroll through the Strip along sidewalk displays of vibrant veggies has me craving stir frys of sweet red and yellow peppers, crunchy, candy-like bright green sugar snap peas and creamy white cauliflower to be heaped atop rice noodles found in one of a myriad of Asian shops we pass.

The Mediterranean blue tiled storefront of Penn Avenue Fish Company lures me in with its always-kept promise of fresh fish, both finny and shelled. I find it's always best to go looking for what might catch my fancy instead of having a plan. An open mind for what's new or on sale is requisite for a creative, spur-of-the-moment evening's repast. (Hmmmm...maybe some gorgeous fresh-not-frozen wild caught Georgia shrimp for that garlic butter shrimp?!)

And then there's Costco. Costco's inspirational? Sure is! If you've ever ventured into the Siberian cold of the veggie section, you know what I mean.

Lately, my favorite warehouse store seems to be the reigning champion of small veggies. Bags of mixed, tiny and colorful peppers, adorable, teeny weeny, finger-long cucumbers, giant containers of the smallest baby (preemie?) spinach around. Head-high stacked boxes of Brussels sprouts are the most minuscule green orbs I've found anywhere, ironically in the biggest bags to boot. Heads of Romaine or mixed red and green heads of lettuce no longer than 4 inches to make perfect lettuce wraps!

What did I find on my latest tour-de-Costco? Deep, deep purple...almost black...baby eggplants. Bought 'em, stuffed 'em, baked 'em, devoured 'em, loved 'em. Here's the recipe.

Baked and ready to enjoy. The top pic is "before"!

Garlicky Spinach, Feta, Tomato & Eggplant 

Stuffed Baby Eggplants 

• Olive oil spray 
• 1 T olive oil 
• 3 mini eggplants, cap cut off, sliced in half lengthwise, pulp removed leaving a 1/4" shell - chop the pulp roughly 
• 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped roughly 
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 1/2 cups spinach, left whole if it's baby (or preemie) spinach, otherwise chop roughly 
• 3/4 t dried oregano 
• 4 small tomatoes, chopped (or 12 cherry tomatoes) 
• 1 t salt 
• 2 oz crumbled feta 

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with olive oil and set the hollowed out eggplant halves in the dish cut side up. Spray the eggplant edges with olive oil

In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 T olive oil and add chopped eggplant, onion and garlic. Saute until they start to wilt, but don't let the garlic burn. Add spinach, oregano, chopped tomatoes and salt. Stir until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat and stir in feta.

Spoon the spinach mixture into the eggplant shells. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the eggplants are soft, but not falling apart. Maybe 45 minutes or so. Remove the foil and brown slightly. Serve with chicken, steak, lamb (really nice!) or whatever protein strikes your fancy!

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

Spinach & Feta Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes

Yesterday was Mark’s birthday…he’s finally as old as I am!  Are you a cougar if you’re nine months older than your husband?  Hmmmmm…..

For every single birthday dinner I can remember, Mark has requested steak for dinner.  He isn’t hard to please!  His choice this year was a big ol’ T-Bone.  He’s so simple when it comes to special dinners, just give him meat….preferably beef…preferably a steak…preferably a BIG ASS STEAK!  That’s exactly what he got. 

His choice of sides?  If you go to the trouble of making a twice baked potato, he gets REALLY happy!  So I came up with a new version for him with spinach and feta and green onions…kind of a Greek take on the traditional stuffed potato....and he loved it!  What else to complete the meal?  Crisp grilled fresh asparagus with just a drizzle of lemon juice.  

Yet another birthday gone by, celebrated in his very favorite way.  He is happy as he can possibly be....okay, without winning the lottery. 

Whoops!  Except I forgot to mention that NO birthday dinner for Mark is complete without a BEER!  Happy Birthday, Marky-pooh!

Spinach & Feta Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes

Makes 4

• 4 baking potatoes, baked
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, dry, dry!
• 4 green onions, sliced thinly, well into the green
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste - don't be stingy
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Jane's Crazy Salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

 Cut a thin slice off the top off each potato, lengthwise.  Carefully scoop out the potato, leaving an 1/8" edge, into a bowl.  Fluff the potato in the bowl and break up well.  Add DRY spinach and onions - fluff again.
 

Add the cream, sour cream feta and seasonings.  Mix well and spoon back into shells.* 
 

Bake at 400 degrees until the tops are golden.

*There will be more filling than you can fit into the shells - put what's left into small buttered ramekins for another meal.

Lemony Greek Potato Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives

Just what was that sexy side dish alongside the Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Grilled Chicken in the last Dinner Plan-it post?  Why it was a Greek Potato Salad loaded with chunks of creamy, salty feta, bejeweled with beautiful black kalamata olives, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, brightened with fresh lemon juice and a dash of perky red wine vinegar, mellowed out with a smooth garlic paste.  

This is one nice alternative to traditional potato salad that's NOT mayo based!  

Here's the recipe:

Lemony Greek Potato Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives

• 3 pounds red potatoes, small ones, halved and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, slivered
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled*
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Cook potatoes with the unpeeled garlic until tender.  Cube the potatoes, set the garlic aside.  Squeeze the garlic from the skins and mash with a fork; set aside.  Combine potatoes with olives and feta in a large bowl. 
 

Mix garlic paste with oregano, vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil; whisk. 
 

Toss potato mixture with the dressing, parsley, salt and pepper.

*Did you notice the technique for making the garlic paste?  When you don't have time to roast garlic, this is an easy way to mellow out raw garlic...not as roasty toasty, but works very well in this and other recipes!

Lamburger Sliders with Spinach & Feta

Spring.  Warm breezes, sunshine, the smell of freshly cut grass drifting across the yard, perky daffodils, swaying tulips and lamb.  Some of my favorite springtime delights, for sure.  The bouquet of lamb grilling on the barbecue grill?  That one may trump all the other spring sensory experiences hands down!

Lamb is one of those meats we serve rarely in this house - I don't mean "rare" as in medium or well-done, I mean not often.  Why?  It's expensive!  To buy a leg of lamb for just the two of us seems pretty foolish...and the kids don't care for it so just the two of us it is.  But lamb burgers fit the bill as far as cost AND not having to eat it for the entire next week in order to finish it up.

Sweet, slightly gamey ground lamb mixed with garlic, spinach and feta, grilled to perfection, tucked into warm pita and dipped into cool and refreshing tzatziki is a lovely meal to enjoy on a warm spring evening on the deck!

Lamburger Sliders with Spinach & Feta

Serves 2

• 3/4 pound ground lamb
• 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced finely
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 2 pita bread rounds - Gluten-free to make these GF (see note)
• spinach
• red onion, sliced thinly

    

Mix lamb, chopped spinach, garlic, feta, salt and pepper thoroughly, but lightly.  Form into 4 patties.
 

Grill over flames to get that gorgeous carmelization!
 

Put two sliders into a pita with red onion and fresh spinach.  Serve with tzatziki on the side for dipping!

NOTE:  Soergel's in Wexford carries Heaven Mills gluten-free pita that is out of this world!  If you can't get to Soergel's, be sure to look for it wherever you buy your GF products.  Eden's in Mt. Lebanon carries it, too.    


NOTE 2:  See tzatziki recipe below.
   

Tzatziki

Tzatziki

• 1 seedless English cucumber, grated (if you use regular cucumbers, be sure to peel the cucumber and scrape the seeds out before grating - regular cucumbers are waxed)
• 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt (I use Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 3/4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Jane's Crazy Salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh mint leaves
• 1 small clove garlic, minced

Put the grated cucumber into a sieve and sprinkle with a little salt.  Let the cucumber drain for 1/2 an hour over a bowl.  Press the cucumber against the sieve to get all the rest of the liquid out.  Then proceed with the recipe.

Blend all ingredients together and chill for an hour.
 

To serve:  On large platter, surround bowl of Tzatziki with cherry tomatoes, cubes of feta cheese, Calamata olives, pickled hot peppers and wedges of pita bread.  You can dip the pita itself or tuck cheese, tomatoes, etc. into the bread before dipping!  

NOTE:  Soergel's in Wexford carries Heaven Mills gluten-free pita that is out of this world!  If you can't get to Soergel's, be sure to look for it wherever you buy your GF products.  Eden's in Mt. Lebanon carries it, too.