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).

 

 

 

Potato-Mac Salad [or an ode to my love of Best Foods mayo]

photo: ohioandoakley.com

Hawaii is equally famous for it's macaroni and potato salads (okay, maybe just "island famous") so it only makes sense that two great tastes would taste great together, right?  For those that are skeptical (and I know you are reading), I say, you just have to try it once and you will be a believer. 

By now you probably already know that Hawaii consumes more Spam per capita than any of the other 49 United States, but I would venture to say that Hawaiians also consume more Best Foods mayonnaise.  When making mac or potato salads, there is just no substitute. There just isn't so don't try to argue with any islander. You won't convince her otherwise. Best Foods FTMFW!

This salad was a huge hit at our Memorial Day barbecue where it was made by my sister.  I love tuna in my macaroni potato salad so I include it here (in a recipe adapted from the excellent cookbook, The Island Plate), but you can omit it if you are a purist. Don't balk at the amount of mayo used. You want the salad to be very white and creamy.

POTATO-MAC SALAD

If you don't want to make chili pepper water, you can subsitute Tabasco sauce.  Potato-Mac salad is a plate lunch staple in Hawaii where it is usually served alongside--you guessed it, MORE STARCH--two scoops of rice.

• 1/2 lb macaroni
• 2 white (waxy) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1.5 cups Best Foods mayo
• Chili pepper water* (recipe follows)
• 1 6-ounce can of tuna, drained and flaked
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup minced celery
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• chopped black or green olives (optional)
• chopped parsley or paprika for garnish (optional)

Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse. Set aside.

Cook potatoes in gently boiling, salted water until just tender, about 7 minutes.  Check at the 5 minute mark to make sure they aren't too soft. Drain.

Place macaroni and potatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with chili pepper water, salt, and pepper to taste, and let sit for 10 minutes, then toss with 1 cup of mayonnaise and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate. Just before serving taste for salt and pepper and toss with remaining half cup of mayonnaise so salad looks creamy and fresh. Garnish as you wish.

Chili Pepper Water

Recipe adapted from The Island Plate.

• Water (or some use gin or vodka or a combination of gin or vodka and water)
• generous pinch of coarse sea salt, Hawaiian preferred
• 2-3 small, hot, red chili peppers, stemmed and sliced in half. Since Hawaiian (nioi) peppers are virtually impossible to find outside of Hawaii use small Thai chilis instead.(Available at any Thai or Vietnamese grocer.)
• 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and smashed

Fill an old, cleaned glass 8 oz. bottle (i.e. ketchup bottle) 3/4 full of water then pour water into a pot along with Hawaiian salt. Heat water until just boiling; turn off heat and throw in chilis and garlic. Allow to cool and pour into ketchup bottle. Keeps for 3 months in the fridge and gets hotter as it ages.

Gravlax: Easy and elegant appetizer

Wild coho salmon topped with salt, sugar, and dill, ready to go in the fridge.

While my mom was visiting this week, she whipped up a batch of the most delicious gravlax. Following her recipe, it's very simple to make—the hardest part is waiting the three days for it to cure. We're heading into holiday season and this would be a perfect appetizer for any holiday party. I'm definitely serving it this Christmas.

TATA'S GRAVLAX

• 1 pound best-quality wild salmon fillet, skin removed (ask the fishmonger to do it)
• 5 tablespoons sea salt
• 4 tablespoons light brown sugar (less if you don't want it sweet)
• 1 bunch of dill (stems removed), finely chopped

Combine the sea salt and brown sugar and pack firmly onto both sides of the salmon fillet. Sprinkle half the chopped dill onto a sheet of plastic wrap then place the salmon on top of it. Put the remaining dill atop the salmon. (For a spicier twist you can add a half-palmful of crushed juniper berries to the salt/sugar mixture. My mom doesn't do this, but I like it.)

Tightly wrap the salmon fillet and place in a baking dish. Put in the fridge for three days before eating. Do not disturb the salmon, but you can drain off any liquid that collects in the dish.

After three days, unwrap, scrape off the dill, slice, and enjoy!

Tata's tips:

• Fill pre-made vol-au-vents (available at Bryan's in San Francisco or any speciality/gourmet grocer) with mascarpone, a slice of gravlax, and garnish with a small slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh dill.
• Slice and serve the gravlax (with mini-toasts or crackers) accompanied by a sauce made from sour cream, chopped green onion, honey, mustard, and balsamic vinegar (the sauce a tip from my Finnish friend).
• Gravlax freezes beautifully so you can make several batches at once.

Snack Attack: Yummy Yogurt Parfaits

We often enjoy yogurt and muesli as a snack at home, so these will be making their way into my kindergartner's lunch this fall. The best part is: she can make this herself with a little guidance.

Yummy Yogurt Parfaits

• 2 cups low fat Greek yogurt
• 1 small apple grated (a box grater is fine for this)
• chopped fresh fruit or whole berries
• slivered dried apricots, peaches, pineapple
• your favorite granola or muesli

Combine yogurt with grated apple and set aside.

Start with a handful of granola in the bottom of a wide-mouthed, short glass. Then let kids layer in yogurt-apple mixture and fruit followed by more granola and so on until glass is full. Serve at once or, to take with you, make the parfaits in a sealable plastic container.

Snack Attack: Cheesy Tortilla Roll-ups

I'm thinking about back-to-school these days and what I will put in my daughter's lunchbox for her snack. I want her snacks to be healthy, tasty, and easily portable.  For the month of August I'm going to be blogging snack ideas and if you have any to share, please let me know!

Cheesy Tortilla Roll-Ups

• Tortillas (any style or flavor)
• 1 cup each shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded mozarella cheese (or whatever combo your kids prefer), combined
• light cream cheese
• thinly sliced green onions
• 1 chopped seeded tomato
• 1/2 chopped, seeded red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
• 1 can of sliced olives drained
• optional: chopped, leftover chicken or turkey

Spread tortilla lightly with cream cheese. Top with shredded cheese. Let kids add remaining toppings of their choosing.  Roll up tightly and serve immediately alongside lime-cilantro yogurt dip. Or, wrap securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Keeps well for at least a day. Makes 4-6 roll-ups.

Lime-Cilantro Yogurt Dip

In a food processor or blender, whiz until uniformly smooth:

• 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• juice of one lime
• a handful of fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• salt to taste

Serve alongside tortilla roll-ups.