Big Fat Greek Dinner! Part 2

We had a great time Saturday night at our big Greek dinner. We had our two missionaries, Elder Buffat & Elder Stinson. Elder Tye & Elder Rutland from the other ward joined us too because they didn't have a dinner appointment. Be sure to check out the previous post to see some pretty photos of Greece.


In my opinion, the dinner turned out great. :)

Here's the recipes (we also had pita bread with hummus and rice pilaf with feta cheese):


SOUVLAKI (Pork or Lamb Kabobs)

1 kilo of pork or Lamb Meat (2.5 lbs)
5 Cloves finely chopped garlic
Olive oil
1 tbspOregano
Salt
Pepper
Onion
green peper

Cut the meat into 2 x 2 inch cubes. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and marinate, preferably overnight, in the refrigerator. Skewer with or without your favourite vegetables, like peppers, onions or tomatoes, and barbecue at medium heat. Baste with an olive oil, lemon juice and oregano brine.

Greek Salad

3-4 tomatoes
2 medium cucumbers
1 sliced onion
1 green sliced pepper
200 grams (7 oz) Feta cheese
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 table spoons vinegar
150 grams (5 oz) black olives
2 tablespoons caper optional
Oregano
Salt & Pepper

Slice the tomatoes in thin quarters. Peel and slice thinly the cucumbers. Add the cucumbers, the oregano, the black olives, the onion, the green pepper and the caper (optional). Dress the salad with the olive oil, vinegar and salt and mix them. Add the Feta cheese broken into small pieces.

Patates Psites (Roasted potatoes with lemon & herbs)

Servings: 8

2-3 Cup Chicken Broth**
1 A Little Garlic (Fresh or powdered, to taste)
4-5 Whole Lemons
1 A Little Olive Oil
3-4 Pinch Oregano
1-2 Pinch Pepper
12 Medium Potatoes (Peeled & quartered)
2-3 Pinch Salt
1/4 Cup Shortening (I used butter)

Wash the potatoes and cut into quarters lengthwise. Place in a large, deep baking pan. Sprinkle or lightly brush the potatoes with olive oil. Put the chicken broth in the pan, add the juice from 3 lemons and top off to about 1cm deep with water if needed. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, oregano, and finely chopped garlic or garlic powder. Turn the potatoes over and repeat the seasoning. Cut 1/4 cup of shortening (or lard) into 1/2 in. by 1/2 in. cubes and distribute evenly amongst the potatoes.

Cover the pan and place in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender inside. Uncover the potatoes and broil for a short while to brown and crisp them as desired. Squeeze a lemon or two over them. **Substitute vegetable broth for vegetarians.

Yiaourti me Meli: Yogurt with Honey

In many Greek restaurants, this dessert is served compliments of the house. Both yogurt and honey are great for the digestive system, and the combined tastes are delicious. It's worth the effort to find the original thick Greek yogurt available at Greek and ethnic markets. Because yogurt is such a popular breakfast dish around the world, try this as an early morning starter as well!

1/2 - 3/4 cup of strained Greek yogurt per serving
1-2 teaspoons of Greek thyme honey per serving
crushed walnuts and/or almonds (optional) - I used sliced almonds

In individual serving bowls, drizzle honey over the yogurt and sprinkle with walnuts and/or almonds if desired.

Next month we're doing Russia, the Vladivastock region. We had the elders pick a region of Russia since it's such a huge country & to make it a little more challenging for me. (This is a photo of some girl enjoying her vacation in Vladivostok Russia!)