Dinner, Anyone? It's Greek to Me!

I was really hungry for Greek Cuisine, so I decided to roll up my sleeves and make some for our own. I started by making some fresh Tzitziki Sauce. Delicious and so easy to make at home.

You will need:

• 1 sml. container of greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic grated or pressed
• dash of cumin
• dash of salt & pepper

First, finely grate your cucumber. Then lightly salt it & let the excess moisture drain off. This will take about 1/2 hour or so.




Then add your other ingredients and mix well. This should sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before serving. Let those ingredients really meld together.

We are still eating through that lamb we were given, and I used some of the ground lamb for this dinner. I made meat patties...


I also tried my hand at fresh baked pita bread. I was very happy with how it turned out. Again, not difficult to make.

You will need:

• 1 package of yeast, or 2 1/4 tsp.
  
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

In a seperate bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a small depression in the flour and pour the yeast into the middle. Slowly add 1c. of warm water & stir with a wooden or plastic utensil.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, you are done. Place dough in a sprayed bowl that allows ample room to rise. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated.
Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.


Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let them rest, covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Also preheat your baking sheet at this time.

Roll each ball of dough into a 6" circle. Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for another 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking. Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.


...and this is how it turned out. I wished I had some fresh lettuce to put in there, but I haven't planted my seeds yet. My DH seemed to enjoy them and polished off more than pictured here. Yes, even in a small town like mine, you can find ethnic cuisine. It just might be made in my kitchen. Happy Cooking!