Chicken Gyros & Tzatziki

When you want something fresh and healthy, a great choice is choosing the gyro. Often mispronounced (proper pronunciation here), it's a great way to get protein and vegetables. Served with tzatziki, a yogurt-based sauce, it's also full of flavor.

The word gyro literally translates to turn in Greek. Typically the dish is made of meat (usually beef, veal, mutton, pork, or chicken) cooked on a vertical rotisserie served in a pita with tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce.

A couple months ago I discovered a gyro food truck near a job I was working. The next day I was on the web seeking out a gyro recipe to try at home. I don't have a rotisserie or spit on my grill so it needed to be something I could do easily.

I stumbled across Tide & Thyme's recipe and gave it ago. DELISH! I even followed her recipe for tzatziki. I've now made it a few times and really the only changes I've made is what I put into the sandwich. As you can see in the photo, I included some shredded red cabbage to the shredded lettuce, and omitted the cucumber since there was already a good amount in the tzatziki. I warmed the pita on the stove (as you would for tortillas for tacos) to help wake up the bread (you could even toss it on the grill for a couple seconds). The other trick I did was to tear off a square of foil and build the sandwich on it and then use it to roll the gyro up nice and tight. It makes eating it a lot easier, plus you get that food truck feel.

Listing this here for posterity, but check out Tide & Thyme's blog - there are some other great things there too!

Tide & Thyme's Chicken Gyros

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. chicken (I use breasts or tenders because I prefer white meat)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper
• tzatziki sauce
• sliced tomatoes
• shredded lettuce
• shredded red cabbage (if desired)
• sliced cucumber (if desired)
• 4-6 pitas

METHOD:
1) Combine garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt & pepper with whisk or fork in bowl or ziplock bag. Add chicken, thoroughly coat with marinade, and place in fridge to marinate for at least an hour.
2) Grill or cook in pan until browned and cooked through. After resting, slice into strips or shred.
3) Warm pita then top with chicken, tzatziki, and veggies.
4) Enjoy.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Tide & Thyme's Tzatziki Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 32oz. container of plain greek yogurt
• 2 regular cucumbers or 1 english cucumber, peeled & seeded
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed (use a garlic press or microplane)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dried dill or fresh (I use fresh)
• salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:
1) Shred or grate cucumber (I like to use my food processor). Then place them in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.
2) Mix yogurt, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, dill, salt & pepper together and refrigerate to let flavors blend together.
3) Enjoy. It makes a lot, but if you have leftover from gyros, it's a great dip for veggies too.

Latin-Inspired Braised Pork & Rice

Over the last month or so, work has consumed my time. Then there was the rain and hurricanes. The garden and house in general didn't get much attention. But I did do some cooking.

For whatever reason, the idea of slow cooked, shredded bits of meat have really appealed to me. Maybe it was the rainy days or the cool spell of weather.


I love latin cuisine and the flavors of those dishes. Pork is a very typical meat used in those recipes. So I was inspired to create something that included all of these things. I didn't really follow a recipe, but I'm sure that there is something out there that is not that different from this.


Braised Pork & Rice
2-3 lbs pork (I used bone-in country ribs but use what looks good)
1 large onion (large dice)
1 red pepper (large dice)
1 jalapeno (diced small, remove seeds - depending on how hot you want it)
2-3 cubenelle peppers (diced)
2 cans whole tomatoes (cut into 3rds or 4ths) + liquid 
4 large cloves, smashed with back of the knife
1 packet Goya Sazón with Coriander and Annatto
2 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP dried oregano
2 TSP dried cilantro or parsley
1 TBSP chili powder
1 can black beans, drained
1 can red beans (or kidney), drained
Salt
Pepper
3 TBSP oil
Fresh cilantro or parsley


Add about 3 TBSP oil (olive, canola, etc) to a large pot and let it get hot. Add cumin, dried oregano, dried cilantro, chili powder and packet of Sazón with Coriander and Annatto to wake up the flavors. Pat your pork so it is dry (this will help it get browned easier), season with salt and pepper on all sides. Slip it into the hot oil and spices and let it get brown. Once you have the pork browned on all sides, remove and set aside.


Add onions to the pan and saute until they start to go a bit translucent. Then toss in the garlic and all the peppers. Cook until the peppers get softened. Add in the tomato and liquid from the cans. Stir to combine. Place the pork you had set aside in the pot and make sure it is covered with liquid. You might need to add a little water or broth to bring the liquid level up over the pork.


Place on a low heat and cook until the pork starts to fall apart (about 3-4 hours). 


Once the pork is done, use a slotted spoon and take out all of the solids. If your pork has bones in it, carefully remove the bones and any fat or connective tissue that remains (there shouldn't be much of that left). Skim off any fat floating on the liquid. 


Now to make the rice. Pour out the liquid that remains. You'll want about 4 cups of liquid to cook the rice - but you want a bit left over afterwards so measure out the liquid you have from cooking the pork. Use about 2 cups (or can use more if your liquid measures over 4 cups), and then add another 2 cups of water. Place back in the pan and bring to a boil.


Once the water is at a boil, add 2 cups of rice. Stir and cover and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the rice is done. Once the rice is done, stir in the remaining pork liquid (ha that sounds funny). Then add your shredded pork mixture, black beans and red beans and some black pepper. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (you might want to add not only more salt & pepper but a dash of cumin, etc). Sprinkle with some freshly chopped cilantro or parsley.


Serve with slices of avocado, a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of your favorite Mexican or Latin cheese.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Risotto

Slightly modified risotto recipe from Lidia Bastianich's "Lidia's Family Table". Key to this is to stir a lot as the result is creamier and yummier (tip: use a wooden spoon with a thicker handle for more comfort).

Ingredients:
For Squash:
1/2 - 1 lb butternut squash, cleaned and diced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1-2 tsp dried thyme
1-3 TBSP ground sage or 3-4 leaves fresh, crushed and shredded

For Risotto:
5-7 cups water or stock (heated to almost a boil - keep it hot and near your risotto pot)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
10 oz or more minced onion, leek, shallot, etc.(can pick one or combine) (2 cups or more)
2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli Rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1-3 TBSP ground sage or fresh
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 2-3 tsp dried thyme

For Finishing:
1/2 - 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese or Grana Padano
Freshly Ground Pepper
2 TBSP EVOO or Butter
Pepper & Salt to taste

Directions:
Put diced butternut squash in bowl. Add 1/2 the thyme, season with salt and pepper and add just enough olive oil to coat. Place in 400F oven for 25 minutes (I like to put mine on a rack that keeps it off the baking tray to help heat circulate). Then place under broiler for 5-10 to brown a little more if needed. You can also drizzle with a little maple syrup or agave syrup to help sweeten up the squash.

Saute 1/4 cup oil, onions and 1/2 tsp salt, and about 1 TBSP sage over medium heat. Cook slowly and stirring frequently with wooden spoon until they take on a golden color (8-10 minutes). Add 1/2 cup water/stock and cook until ALL water is gone (5-10 minutes), and only glistening onions remain.

Once water is gone, add rice, raise heat to medium and stir, to coat with oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes to toast the rice (don't let them scorch or color). Add wine and stir until liquid is gone. Add 1 1/2-2 cups of hot liquid (enough to barely cover the rice). Add remaining 1/2 tsp salt....stirring often at first and then constantly as mixture thickens. Adjust heat to maintain a very gentle perking. When can see the bottom of the pan and all liquid is absorbed, add another 1 cup of liquid. Stir to blend, often as thickens. Add 2 cups liquid...and continue until consistency is reached.
(You should have added at least 5 cups if hot liquid).
Taste and check for seasoning of sage...add more if desire. (I usually stop after or around this step--after adding 5 or so cups--but you can keep going.)


Remove from heat, stir in 1-3 TBSP olive oil and grated cheese. Add in squash. Taste & season with salt and pepper.

Nosh.

Recipe: Turkey & Bean Chili

On cool Spring evenings (and throughout the Fall and Winter), a nice pot of chili is perfect. It's great to make over the weekend and have it for the week ahead. It's great on its own (topped with cheese, guac, sour cream, or whatever you like), over egg noodles, in a baked potato, and on hot dogs (chili dogs) among other things. We've even once turned it almost into a tex-mex style Shepard's Pie.

Note below, that you can make this hotter or not at all hot, depending on how you like it.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (or beef, or omit for veggie chili)
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pink beans
1 onion, diced (can also add some leek)
2-5 cloves garlic, smashed/diced
1 bay leaf
4-5 carrots, peeled and diced into rounds
1 small bell pepper (green or red or any color)
1-2 jalapenos, diced (if don't like heat, remove seeds and white ribs inside)
1 little can tomato paste
1 15.5oz (or so) can tomato sauce
cumin
garlic powder
chili powder (add more or less to your taste. If you want it really hot you can add hot sauce or red pepper flakes)
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Add a little olive oil or canola oil to a hot pan. Saute onions, and once starting to turn translucent, add garlic.
2. Add jalapeno and bell pepper. Add about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 bay leaf and 2 tsp garlic powder. Stir to distribute spices evenly.
3. Add ground turkey (or beef, or skip this step if making veggie version) and saute until cooked through.
4. Add carrots and tomato paste and stir to mix in well.
5. Add tomato sauce, beans (including water...if would rather strain them, then use a LARGE can of tomato sauce).
6. Stir well, and add 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder and 2 tsp garlic powder again. Stir well to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper or adjust seasonings as desired.
7. Cook on low heat for at least 30 minutes but up to 2 hours. Allow steam to evaporate a little while cooking to thicken chili. If gets too thick, add a little water or stock.
8. Serve and enjoy! Good topped with a little mexican blend cheese, avocado, sour cream. Great alone, on pasta, on baked potato, etc.

If doing a veggie version, you can add whatever veggies you like to this. It's a very flexible dish and that makes it an easy way to make it chock-a-block full of veggies.

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Bake

I *love* enchiladas. But they are a pain to make the traditional way. Torn tortillas and heating and saucing. This cuts the time down considerably. Even more of a time saver is if you buy the sauce instead of making it from scratch (Trader Joe's has a great Enchilada Sauce). But of course, from fresh means you can control the salt, the flavors and really make it just how you like it. Plus you can make a lot of it at once, and freeze it until you are ready for another batch.

The Sauce:
1 onion - rough chop
1-3 poblano/ancho peppers (fresh) - depending on how hot you like it
2 large tomatoes
1 can Rotel (or 1 can diced tomatoes + jalapeno)
3-4 garlic cloves
2-3 TBSP oregano
1 small can tomato paste
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Slice tomato and put on tray with poblano/ancho peppers. Drizzle with oil and season with a little salt. Put in oven under broiler (low) for 15 minutes to roast and concentrate flavors.

Blend onion, peppers, tomatoes, rotel, garlic and oregano in blender/food processor until smooth. In a saucepan, add tomato paste and saute it for 3-5 minutes to cook it a little (will add a sweetness). Add in mixture from blender/food processor. Add 1 TBSP cumin, 1 TBSP chili powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Cook for 1-3 hours on low heat to let flavors develop and meld, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.

For Bake:
- Sauce (see above)
- Corn Tortillas (12)
- Mexican Cheese - about 2 cups
- 1 - 1.5 lbs chicken breast
- 1/2 14 oz can low-sodium Chicken Broth
- 1/2 to 1/3 onion diced

Directions:
In saute pan, add a little olive oil and the diced onion. Let soften, then add chicken and enough chicken broth to cover. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook down until broth evaporates. Shred chicken.

In a 9x13 baking dish, spread a layer of the sauce. Then cover with 6 of the corn tortillas (tip: cut them in half to have a flat edge). Add chicken in even layer, top with coating of sauce and then cheese. Top with the remaining 6 tortillas. Cover with sauce and then cheese.

Bake in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Sliced yumminess

Sliced yumminess
Originally uploaded by janieandchris.

Here's a sliced piece of the Mexican Cornbread Casserole. And the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
1 17oz can creamed-style corn
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pound ground lean beef
1 16oz can red kidney beans, drained
1/2 of 8oz can tomoto sauce (or try tomato paste)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (or real garlic)
chili powder, cumin to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, stir together the cornmeal, baking soda, salt; stir in milk, eggs and corn. Stir in cheese and onion, mix until well blended.


Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook beef until browned; drain. Stir in kidney beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Cook until heated through.

Grease and sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal over the bottom of a 12x7.5X2 inch baking dish (or a 13x9 dish works too). Turn half the cornmeal batter into the dish. Cover with the meat-bean mixture and top with remaining cornmeal batter.



Bake in a 350F degree oven for about 45 mintues or till topping is GBD and done. Let sit 5-10 minutes to cool slightly before slicing.
Makes about 6 servings.

I add 1 jalapeno or pablano pepper diced, fresh garlic, and 1/2-1 red or green bell pepper, or cubanelle pepper to the meat mixture. Also add some garlic powder and onion powder to it as well.

OMG Tamales!!!

I have a deep love for tamales. I'm not sure why that is, but they hold an extremely special place in my heart. Traditionally they are made around the christmas holiday. From Mexican to Guatemalian style, they are all spectacular in my eyes. Someday I will be daring enough to attemmpt to make my own tamales. A large listing of tamale recipes here.

I found the Cooking Diva posted on some traditional Panamanian tamale variations. Read all about them here - Tamal de Maiz Nuevo.

Coriander Teriyaki Marinade

Heavenly Marinade for Coriander Teriyaki (original marinade via epicurious.com)
Ingredients:
* 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, coarsely ground in a spice grinder
* 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
* 1 pound flank steak, steak tips, chicken, or your favorite meat

1. Press coriander onto both sides of meat and put on a large plate.
2. Stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and oil and pour over meat, turning meat to coat. Marinate, turning occasionally, 10 minutes.
3. Cook it up! (Grill it, pan fry it, etc.) Great over wild rice or brown rice.

This works well with steak (pretty much any type- I did it with steak tips and oh it is good) or chicken (also delicious!). Super delish! I didn't have any coriander seeds when I first made this dish, so I left that out but increased the amount of fresh cilantro by doubling it, and it was still amazing (although slightly different in flavor). I also love garlic and tend to put in at least 2-3 good sized cloves. I'm not a fish eater but, I bet this would be great on fish as well.

Another thing that is lovely to do with this is to make a pizza with chicken cooked in the marinade. Cook up the chicken in the marinade, or do it the next day with leftovers (which is what I usually do.) Get either pizza dough or some sort of pizza bread. Spread some of the sauce of the marinade and the bits of fond/carmelized bits from the pan (which I try to save when cleaning the pan of leftovers) on the bread or dough. Add some pizza sauce, only enough to lightly coat the dough or bread (too much and the dough will be too soggy when cooked). Top with shreaded mozzarella and bite sized pieces of chicken cooked in the marinade. Add olives, mushrooms or veggie of your choice (or none at all). Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes or until the crust is brown and the cheese is melted.

I've tried this with whole wheat pizza dough and it's rather good too.