Chef Larry’s Greek Salad
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn
3 cups Pepperoncini, sliced
2/3 cup Kalamata olives
1/2 Red onion, thinly sliced
1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 cup Red Bryan or grape tomatoes
2/3 cup Feta cheese
to season Salt
to season Fresh ground black pepper
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup Red wine vinegar
2/3 cup Olive oil
to season Salt
to season Fresh ground black pepper
Method:
Prepare Red Wine Vinaigrette by combining red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Mix well and reserve. In a large mixing bowl combine Romaine lettuce, pepperoncini, Kalamata olives, red onion, cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes and feta cheese. Whisk Red Wine Vinaigrette well and add approximately one half to salad. Season salad with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Toss until salad ingredients are evenly coated adding more dressing if necessary. Serve immediately. Reserve remaining Red Wine Vinaigrette.
Chef Larry’s Notes:
Iceberg lettuce may be substituted for Romaine in this recipe.
Chef Larry’s Spanokopita
Yield: 14 - 16 each
Ingredients:
1 box Phyllo dough sheets
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1 1/4 lb. Fresh Spinach leaves, stemmed
1/2 cup Onion, finely diced
4 Garlic cloves, finely minced
4 Scallions, minced
2 tsp. Parsley, chopped
1 tsp. Fresh dill, minced
3 Eggs
1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
to season Fresh ground black pepper
as needed Melted butter
Method:
Blanch spinach leaves briefly in simmering water. Cool immediately in ice water. Squeeze out moisture from blanched spinach and rough chop, reserve. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, garlic and scallions. Saute until tender. Add chopped, blanched spinach, dill and parsley. Season with fresh ground black pepper. Remove and cool. Beat eggs and stir in crumbled Feta cheese. Stir in cooled spinach mixture and mix well. Remove phyllo dough sheets from package and cover with a damp clean towel.
Take a single phyllo dough sheet and brush one-half with melted butter lengthwise. Fold phyllo sheet in half to create a long strip. Place a dollop of the spinach mixture on one end and fold to create a triangle. Continue to execute this flag fold until you reach the end. Brush end piece of phyllo with melted butter and seal. Repeat process until spinach mixture is used. Store remaining phyllo dough sheets. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place filled Spanokopita triangles on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter, Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 -25 minutes or until golden brown. Arrange on a platter for service.
Chef Larry’s Greek Roast Chicken with Potatoes
Yield: 4 - 6 Servings
Ingredients:
1 Whole chicken, 3 lbs.
6 - 7 Potatoes, medium size, peeled, halved
to season Salt
to season Fresh ground black pepper
For the marinade:
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 1/2 Lemons, squeezed and strained
1 1/2 tsp. Greek oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. Rosemary leaves
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Fresh ground black pepper
Method:
Rinse chicken thoroughly under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken in a large sturdy zip-lock bag, reserve. Prepare marinade by combining olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour marinade into zip-lock bag with chicken and seal. Carefully turn bag to coat chicken with marinade. Place under refrigeration and allow chicken to marinate for at least 4 - 6 hours. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place potatoes in a baking dish. Remove chicken from zip -lock bag. Pour remaining marinade over potatoes and season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Rest chicken on top of potatoes . Place in preheated oven and roast at 400 degrees F. for 1 1/4 - 1 2 hours or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
