Mediterranean (39)
Baba Ganoush is a traditional Mid-Eastern made with Roasted Eggplant. This flavorful sauce can provide a a dip for Pita Bread, as a Marinara replacement, or as a topping for Roasted Chicken. This recipe calls for Tahini, a paste made from roasted Sesame Seeds.
(Pronounced /brä-chē-ˈō-lə/) - Strictly speaking, a Braciola is a bundle of food wrapped in a large cut of meat, then sliced crosswise for individual servings. Since each bundle in this recipe is a single bite-sized serving, one could reasonably argue that this is actually a Beef Involtini. Regardless, there are many different cuts of steak that can be used for this dish, including Milanesa Steaks, Top Round, or Flank Steak. Eye of Round can work in a pinch, but will likely be a more tough cut.
Shawarma is a mid-eastern meat based dish that has become a favorite in our home. Shawarma is traditionally made from large cuts of marinated beef, chicken, or lamb. The meat is slow roasted on a vertical rotisserie and then the outer layers are shaved off and served as they finish cooking.
If you don't have a vertical spit handy, this recipe will allow you to prepare shawarma in your own home.
Breadsticks can be served as a side dish or as an appetizer. These buttery, tasty Breadsticks can escalate the quality of any pasta dish. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce.
This easy recipe can be made entirely within your Instant Pot, making for a quick dinner with an easy cleanup.
Although it is difficult for me to understand, some people do not like sushi. This "Sushi Roll replacement" is made with stuffed Chicken and wrapped in bacon, for all the fun of sushi, without the raw fish. This is an easy recipe, with less than an hour of total time to table. First start with Feta Cheese and a few vegetables. Then wrap the cheese and veggies in chicken, and finally wrap the chicken in bacon and bake. The result is an easy, flavorful dish, that is fun for everyone.
Chicken Souvlaki is a flavorful meal. Oftentimes served with a Pita, Basmati Rice, and Tzatziki. This recipe follows the the Keystone Approach diet. As a result, the Yogurt-based Tzatziki has been replaced with an Avocado-based sauce.
This easy to make semi-flat bread recipe is ready to go in only 15 or 20 minutes. It will add a rustic dimension to any meal.
"Involtini" (plural for Involtino) are small, bite-sized (usually) appetizers, with an outer layer and some sort of filling. Involtini could include Armadillo Eggs, to mini-Pizza Rolls, to bite-sized Twinkies. Eggplant Involtini makes a nice addition to a Beef Roast, Pork Roast, or Grilled Chicken. This recipe specifies canned whole tomatoes. Canned diced tomatoes usually contain preservatives that prevent the tomatoes from breaking down into a nice sauce. Canned whole tomatoes, on the other hand, will break down better when simmered and provide a smoother, thicker sauce.
"Involtini" (plural for Involtino) are small, bite-sized (usually) appetizers, with an outer layer and some sort of filling. Involtini could include Armadillo Eggs, mini-Pizza Rolls, or even bite-sized Twinkies. Eggplant Involtini makes a nice addition to a Beef Roast, Pork Roast, or Grilled Chicken. This recipe specifies canned whole tomatoes. Canned diced tomatoes usually contain preservatives that prevent the tomatoes from breaking down into a nice sauce. Canned whole tomatoes, on the other hand, will break down better when simmered and provide a smoother, thicker sauce. This recipe has been modified for the Slow Cooker.
Risotto is easy to make, but it requires constant stirring. Cooking Risotto in the Sous Vide removes the need for such focused attention: Just prepare the ingredients, seal them in a heat safe bag, and drop it in the Sous Vide. 45 minutes later, you will have a perfect Risotto. Just watch the time so that you do not overcook it.
This is an easy Chicken recipe, designed for the Sous Vide. You can prepare beforehand and freeze in a vacuum-sealed bag up to 6 months. Just drop the bag in your Sous Vide pot and walk away. Your main course will be ready to eat a few hours later.
Polenta is a dish from Northern Italy, similar to Grits from the US South. Polenta (and Grits) are made from coarsely ground yellow corn. Polenta can be cooked, poured into a mold and shaped. Refrigerating the polenta for a few hours, or overnight, will set the shape. Then, you can grill or pan sear the Polenta and serve it warm.
Harissa is a traditional Middle-eastern marinade that works well with Beef or Chicken. Cut the meat into thin slices and marinate for a few hours to several days.
Gyro (pronounced /yee-ro/) is a traditional Mediterranean dish made with a Beef/Lamb mixture. Due to the high cost of lamb, pork can be used as a good substitute. The meat is traditionally put on a large vertical rotisserie and cooked over a flame. This recipe provides a simple process to re-create tasty Gyro meat without the expensive and time consuming equipment. For a Keto version of this recipe, just leave out the Pita Bread.
Pesto is a tasty replacement for Marinara sauce when you are want some variation from the standard tomato-based sauce. However, Pesto can be expensive to make. This Pesto recipe is a tasty, cheaper option, that can be made easily in less than half an hour. Leaving out the Parmasan Cheese will significantly lower the cost. Using a small amount of Marmite will replace the Umami falvor that typically came from the Parmasan, and the reduced price makes this Pesto fit better in your budget. The cost can be further reduced by replacing Pine Nuts with raw, chopped Almonds. Pesto can be a great addition to any pasta dish, a tasty relish for an italian sandwhich, or a Pizza sauce. The Olive Oil should be integrated by hand, since using a blender to mix in the Olive Oil can cause the Oil to break down and result in a bitter flavor.
This is an easy Chicken recipe, designed for the Sous Vide. You can prepare beforehand and freeze uncooked in a vacuum-sealed bag up to 6 months. Just drop the bag in your Sous Vide pot and walk away. Your main course will be ready to eat a few hours later. For a Keto recipe, use an Italian dressing with a low carb count (less than 3 carbs per serving) and serve with a Keto approved vegetable medley.
This is a great dip to eat with vegetables or with a pita. Similar to Baba Ghanoush, however, Mama Ghanoush replaces the Eggplant and Tahini with tomatoes and Grilled Zucchini for a fuller and more hearty dip.
This Marinara Sauce is a long, slow cook, taking about 3 and a half hours, but the complexity of the flavor makes it well worth the wait. Long and slow heat applied to the tomatoes helps to caramelize the sugars and provide a savory sweetness that cannot be produced any other way. This Marinara is a great addition to pasta. Serve with meatballs and grilled pimentos to finish out the plate.
This easy dish is based on a recipe originally developed by Julia Childs. With a prep time of less than 30 minutes and then 45 minutes in the Oven, this tasty meal is perfect when you suddenly realize that it is nearly dinner-time. Again.
Minestrone is a hearty, flavorful soup made with vegetables and pasta. This Minestrone includes Kielbasa, but you could use Sweet Italian Sausage, or leave out the meat altogether for a vegetarian version. This soup can be eaten the same day it is prepared, or it can be prepared and then stored in the refrigerator or freezer for a meal on another day.
Generally, Pizza Dough is best cooked at high temperatures, like 800° to 1500° F. However, most in-home ovens can only reach temperatures of 500° or 550° F. Although a Pizza Stone or a Cast Iron Pan does not increase the heat levels in your oven, it will hold the heat within your oven longer, allowing the dough to cook into a perfect crust. Add sauce to this dough, some meat and vegetable toppings, and a freshly shredded Mozzarella. 10 minutes later, it is Pizza time! Sugar is a commonly used to help yeast growth. Diastatic Malt Powder (NOT malted milk powder) is modified flour that can replace the sugar (3:1) and produce more active yeast with a higher rise and a finer crumb.
This is the way that Feta Cheese was meant to be eaten. This sweet, salty, nutty flavor goes great with Lavash Crackers and matches well with any Mediterranean food as an appetizer.
Peperonata is a classic Sicilian stew recipe made by stewing together bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. This dish is great as a side dish with grilled chicken, an appetizer with toasted bread, an accompaniment to polenta, a Bruschetta replacement, or as a sauce over pasta.
This quick and easy red sauce can compliment pasta, be served over grilled vegetables, or used as a pizza sauce. Enjoy the convenience of a flavorful marinara sauce that can literally be put together in minutes and requires no cooking, before adding it to the pizza.
This is an easy Pork recipe, designed for the Sous Vide. You can prepare beforehand and freeze in a vacuum-sealed bag up to 6 months. Just drop the bag in your Sous Vide pot and walk away. Your main course will be ready to eat a few hours later.
"Primavera" is Italian for "Spring". A Primavera Pasta is traditionally a Pasta dish served with Spring vegetables. This quick and easy recipe is somewhat of a "peasant" dish, meaning that it can be made with whatever ingredients that you have available. While you can use any type of pasta, I prefer to use a small-shaped noodle, such as Bowtie (Farfalle) or Penne Pasta. Using the Instant Pot, you can put dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
This Turkish Pita Bread is a simple recipe, with a "time to table" of only about 1 hour. Pita is a great addition to Shawarma, just make sure that you have plenty of Tzatziki.
Traditional Bolognese Sauce uses Italian Pork Sausage (both Hot and Sweet) with the sausage casings removed and milk to tenderize the meat.
After creating this recipe a few times, I realized that the ingredient list is a lot like Bolognese, however, this Red Sauce is made with Ground Beef and does not include milk.
Ricotta, strictly speaking, is not cheese. Ricotta is technically a cheese by-product. Ricotta can be made by straining any remaining solids from the whey, while making cheese. Although Ricotta is commonly used as a filling for lasagna, it can also be used as an ingredient for bread. The Ricotta in this bread recipe produces a soft crumb.
Canned diced tomatoes usually contain preservatives that prevent the tomatoes from breaking down into a nice sauce. Canned whole tomatoes, on the other hand, will break down better when simmered and provide a smother, thicker sauce. The caramelized sugars from the roasted tomatoes make this roasted cauliflower side-dish pair perfectly with Pork or with Chicken. Just make sure that you reserve some of the flavorful tomato sauce to use as a finishing sauce for the accompanying meat. To make this meal Keto compatible, leave out the Brown Sugar and the Raisins.
Okra has a bad reputation as a slimy, strange tasting vegetable. However, this roasted Okra is a crispy side dish that is easy to make and tastes so good that you will want to add it to every meal.
This is an easy Chicken recipe, designed for the Sous Vide. You can prepare beforehand and freeze in a vacuum-sealed bag up to 6 months. Just drop the bag in your Sous Vide pot and walk away. Your main course will be ready to eat a few hours later.
Confit (pronounced /kon-'fi/) is an ancient food preservation method that involves cooking food at a low temperature, usually in oil or grease. Garlic Confit can be refrigerated for a few weeks and used as a spread on French Bread or as garlic seasoning. The oil carries a delicious roasted garlic/rosemary flavor and can be used as a replacement for any savory dish that calls for Olive Oil. WARNING: Due to the risk of botulism growth, the finished Confit should be stored in the refrigerator and should be kept no more than 3 weeks.
This marinade provides a full flavor for Shawarma meat, steak, chicken, or turkey. The flavors in this marinade will permeate about 1/4 inch every 12 hours. However, due to inclusion of lemon juice and vinegar, do not marinate for more than 24 hours or the meat will take on a mealy texture or dissolve completely.
Soutzoukakia (pronounced /soot-zoo-KA-key-ah/) are Greek meatballs, that are traditionally oven-baked in a tomato sauce. Soutzoukakia is similar to a Turkish dish called Kofte. This recipe is prepared on the stovetop and includes a loosely defined Arabic spice mix called Ras El Hanout. If you do not have this mix on hand, you can make your own mix. Serve with Tzatziki over a bed of basmati rice or with roasted potatoes. Poblano or jalapeno peppers will add heat to the dish. For a Keto version of this recipe, serve with a medley of Keto-friendly roasted vegetables.
Strombolis and Calzones, for the uninitiated, are like a pizza, that is wrapped up like a burrito. Calzone purists claim that a Calzone should be made without sauce as an ingredient. Instead, the sauce is served on the side. In my opinion, a sauce-free Calzone is unecesarily dry, even with the inclusion of a marinara dipping sauce. Additionally, the Calzone is typically folded over, while a Stromboli is rolled up. This recipe includes sauce as an ingredient. Similar to pizza, the possible options for filling your Calzone is endless. You should note that the order that toppings go onto the Calzone is different from a pizza. Start with cheese, then add sauce, then a layer of meat and/or vegetables, and finally top it all off with the seasonings.
Tzatziki (pronounced /zat-ziki/) is a traditional Greek Yogurt Sauce. Cacik (pronounced /jah-'jik/) is the same sauce, but from Turkey. Tzatziki can be used with meat dishes or as a dip for Crudites.
Feta Cheese is a staple of Mediterranean food. Mixing Feta Cheese with Greek Yogurt results in a tangy, creamy texture for a flavorful dipping sauce, or a tasty topping to any Mediterranean dish. Use this dip as a healthy and fresh Mediterranean replacement for 7 Layer Nacho dip.
