The New Kitchen!

We’ve moved and our new kitchen is about as fantastic as apartment kitchens come. Maybe even better. Plus we got to paint it bright turquoise, and who wouldn’t love that?

Gyros with Roasted Veggies and Tzatziki

Something you never thought you could make… well, you can. This is proof. Gyros. Complete with authentic gyro meat, ala Alton Brown (who else?). And you know what, they were pretty darn good! Though the recipe was a bit ridiculous (who drains onions and yogurt?)… um, no thanks. We drained the veggies for a few minutes, and didn’t even attempt to drain the yogurt. So what if we’re lazy? It was still good! A great leftover meal too.

We also added some roasted veggies. We just seasoned some zucchini and eggplant with the same spices as went into the gyro meat, and roasted them with a bit of olive oil. It adds a bit more substance to the gyro instead of just lamb, which is nice.

Gyros with Roasted Veggies and Tzatziki

Makes 6-8 servings. Recipe from Alton Brown.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
2 pounds ground lamb
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Directions
Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.

Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.

For Tzatziki sauce, place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator (or just dump it in the bowl). Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the lamb mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

Lentil Salad

Our first foray into lentils… inspired by the great Alton Brown… and I like what I tasted. Though anything simmered with onion and tossed with bacon can’t be bad, right? haha. Needless to say, they’re tasty, hearty, and healthy… definitely something worth trying!

Lentil Salad

Makes 6-8 servings. Recipe from Alton Brown.

Ingredients
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
6 to 8 slices thick-sliced bacon, cooked and chopped

1 pound brown or green lentils, approximately 2 1/2 cups
1 small onion, halved
1 large clove garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound salt pork, optional
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme together in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm lentils and bacon and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pick over the lentils, rinse and drain. Place the lentils along with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pork into a large 6-quart saucepan and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Place over high heat and bring just to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid and discard the onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in black pepper and taste for salt. Serve immediately.

Summer Herb Risotto

A delicious and very pretty dish. We had to make a few adjustments… substituted onion for leek (which are quite expensive around these parts!), and left out the parsley completely (we’re not big fans of parsley). Still delicious and definitely something we’ll make again… that is if our basil plant doesn’t die before then (it’s not looking to good at the moment… thank goodness cooking doesn’t involve keeping anything alive).

Summer Herb Risotto

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (loosely packed) fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
11/2 cups short-grain rice (such as arborio) or medium-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Directions
Blend first 5 ingredients in processor until thick paste forms. Bring broth and 2 1/2 cups water to simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to very low; cover to keep warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add rice; stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add wine; simmer until absorbed, stirring often. Add warm broth mixture 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is tender but still firm to bite, about 20 minutes. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 3 minutes. Uncover; stir in herb paste, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately in warm bowls, passing additional Parmesan cheese alongside.