Catch up: Greek food in class and comfort food with friends!

I definitely have to get back on the workout bandwagon if I want to stay at my current weight this holiday season.  It's barely November and I am already eating comfort food like it's going out of style!

Let's start with class this week.... After a couple of weeks of uninspired meals that were just sort of "eh," our group made up for it by making a delicious Greek meal!  Instead of each team making one dish to share with the whole class, each team made only enough food for themselves.  This meant serious teamwork and organization.  I think we did really well!

Our menu included tzatziki (which I have made before), Greek Salad, Spanikopitas and the grand finale, Moussaka.  Everything came out really delicious! Greek cuisine is known for it's use of fresh vegetables, olive oil, olives, lamb/poultry, nuts, honey and filo (phyllo) dough.  We incorporated many of these ingredients into our meal this week.

The Moussaka recipe was really quite delicious.  A total comfort food which has a similarity to the Irish Shepherd's Pie.  It's basically a layered dish of (from top to bottom) Bechamel Sauce, Meat sauce and eggplant.  Something you'd want to eat on a cold night with a fire going and a nice glass of red wine.

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Speaking of comfort food, last night I had a wonderful dinner with my some (old and new) friends who are working on their culinary careers.  It was a potluck/networking/gossip session that was a total blast.  We will certainly have more of these dinners in the future!

We were asked by my friend and occasional cooking partner, Mandy to bring over something with an autumn theme so I decided a few days ago to make Chicken Pot Pie with autumn vegetables (from Anne Burrell of the Food Network).  Little did I know that it would be 95 degrees outside when I was cooking it.  Nevertheless, we all made some form of comfort food and were able to eat most of it despite the heat.  LA may not feel like it, but it is fall in our hearts.  Mandy has some great pics on her blog of everything we made. It was a feast.

It was my first time making a pie crust from scratch and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.  I think  the most important suggestion I can make is not to handle the dough too much.  Only pulse it until it just comes together in the food processor.  Only knead it until it just looks like it's smooth. Less handling = tender, flaky crust.  I used some bits of the leftover dough to cut out leaves and make the top look pretty.  :) This recipe is a little time consuming but don't be afraid...  it is worth the effort!

What are some of your favorite fall comfort foods?  Feel free to share with me here!

Chow for Now! :)

Chicken gyros...Opa!

I have been craving chicken gyros.  Not sure where it came from; I haven't had Greek food or passed by a Greek restaurant in recent days... But I have been dreaming of cool tzatziki, crispy/soft pita and garlicky chicken for days.  I'll be honest, I went to Google maps to find a Greek take out place before I remembered - I'm a chef!  Make it yourself!

So, I went to the grocery store to get the ingredients for a highly rated recipe I found on Epicurious, then came home to make it.

It took some time because I roasted a chicken (rather than buy a rotisserie chicken, as some of the reviewers did).  But boy was it worth it.  This gyro rivaled any one I have had at an authentic Greek restaurant and I knew that the ingredients were fresh and mostly local.  Good stuff.

Chicken gyros with cucumber salsa and tzatziki sauce
from March 2009 Gourmet Magazine

2 Kirby cucumbers, divided
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt (3/4 pounds)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 rounded teaspoon dried oregano
1 rounded teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1 (12-ounces) package naan bread (four 8-inch pieces)
or 4 (8-inch) pocketless pita rounds
1/2 roasted chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded (about 2 1/4 cups), and carcass reserved for stock
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

Preheat broiler.

Peel and grate 1 cucumber, then squeeze it with your hands to remove excess water. Stir together with yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, one third of garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make tzatziki.

Cut remaining cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces and stir together with tomatoes, onion, parsley, mint, remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make salsa.

Gently simmer oil, oregano, rosemary, remaining garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small heavy saucepan, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic oil and brush one side of bread with remainder.

Heat bread, oiled side up, in a 4-sided sheet pan, covered with foil, 3 to 4 inches from broiler 3 minutes. Uncover and broil, rotating bread for even coloring, until golden in spots, about 2 minutes.

Spread some of tzatsiki on warm bread and top with chicken and some of lettuce and salsa. Serve remaining lettuce, salsa, and tzatsiki on the side.

* Tzatziki can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
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I used a hothouse cucumber, but any small seeded cucumber should work fine.  I also used pocket pitas, even though they aren't recommended.  I found that they worked just fine once they were broiled and warm.  Last thing I substituted was romaine instead of iceberg lettuce.  I didn't have any rosemary on hand and I didn't miss it.  Sometimes rosemary can be a little strong, anyway.  The real "aha moment" came when I took the cooked/shredded chicken and tossed it with the garlicky oil.  YUM!  Mine was especially garlicky because I roasted the chicken with five cloves of garlic stuffed in the cavity!

Like I mentioned earlier, it was delicious!  It requires quite a bit of chopping and prep, especially if you roast the chicken yourself, but for short cuts you could use store bought tzatziki and already cooked rotisserie chicken.

Do you have any Greek favorites?  Feel free to share with me here!

Chow for Now!