CityMama™

Party fare: Greek-Style 9-Layer Dip

One of my favorite things to do is to take classic recipes and add my own variation. I made this delicious layered dip for a Golden Globes party last night—it's my twist on a Mexican 7-layered dip. Not that 7-layered dip needs any improvement... It's perfect for awards season or football season. Don't you love this time of year?

The dip reminds me of Greek moussaka. It has all those rich and warm flavors without being a total gut-bomb. It's easiest to serve by setting the pan out with a spoon and let people serve portions onto their plates that they can then scoop up with pita chips.

The only thing you need to cook is the lamb mixture (see below). I made the tzatziki as well (you'll need about 3 cups-worth, my recipe is here), but you could purchase that as well—I know Trader Joe's carries it. I used 93% lean ground beef non-fat yogurt in the tzatziki and I also used non-fat feta to keep the dip a little lighter.

GREEK-STYLE 9-LAYER DIP

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of seasoned, cooked ground lamb/beef (recipe below), warmed
• 2 containers of plain hummus
• about 3 cups of tzaziki (cucumbers, yogurt, garlic)
• a sprinkling of chopped tomatoes (I used a prepared pico de gallo mixture)
• 1 cup of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• a good handful of pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half
• half a small red onion, finely minced
• 1-1 1/2 cups of crumbled feta
• a handful of fresh mint chiffonade (sliced) for garnish
• a drizzle of fruity olive oil (optional)

Pita chips for serving

Layer in this order (using a 9 x 13 inch pan). The lamb is the first ingredient in the pan, topped in the following order, ending with a drizzle of olive oil if desired:

lamb

hummus (spread carefully, it doesn't have to reach the edges of pan)

tzaziki

chopped tomatoes

garbanzo beans (sprinkled over evenly)

olives (scatter over)

onion

feta (sprinkled over evenly)

mint to garnish

olive oil if desired (use best quality and use a light touch)

 

SEASONED LAMB MIXTURE

• one pound each ground lamb and ground beef (you could use all lamb, too)
• a touch of olive oil
• 2 tsps ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp clove
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute the ground meats and all seasonings over medium-high heat in a drizzle of olive oil until browned and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to assemble dip (or reheat before assembling).

 

 

 

Cook Your CSA: Crustless Spinach Quiche

This is what we made for dear lunch guests visiting us from Italy today. It used up two week's-worth of CSA spinach. I served it with a black-eyed pea salad on the side, but a green salad would have been fine, too.

CRUSTLESS SPINACH QUICHE

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of fresh spinach, triple-washed and drained
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• one small onion, chopped
• olive oil
• a splash of white wine (if you like, and I do!)
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup of half and half
• a dash of nutmeg
• 2 cups of shredded light 3-cheese mixture (Trader Joe's)
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9 x 9 (or similar-sized) baking pan.

Drizzle some olive oil in a pan and sauté garlic and onion over medium heat until onions are soft and start to turn golden brown. Add spinach and when it's wilted in the pan, splash in a glug or two of white wine. Cook for about a minute, season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine beaten eggs, half and half, nutmeg, cheese, salt and pepper. Add in cooled spinach mixture.

Pour into greased pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until quiche is puffy and eggs are set.

 

Starting a new workout routine in 2012?

Here's some inspiration (not just workout, but, I dare say, fashion as well), Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta-style. My eyes. They don't know where to look.