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Old July 3rd, 2009, 06:29 PM
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Default Re: Greek Pasta Salad

Granny - I don't know how much help this is - but I'm going to post some Greek/Mediterranean recipes and you take a look at them - maybe you can tweak one the way you want it -

1 medium head lettuce
1 bunch romaine
10 radishes, sliced
1 medium cucumber, sliced
6 scallions (with tops), cut into 1/2?inch pieces
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/3 cup wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
24 Greek or ripe green olives
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 (2 ounce) can rolled anchovies with capers, drained

Tear lettuce and romaine into bite?size pieces. Place lettuce, romaine, radishes, cucumber and scallions in large plastic bag. Close bag tightly and refrigerate.

Shake oil, vinegar, salt and oregano in tightly covered jar; refrigerate.

Just before serving, shake dressing. Add dressing and olives to vegetables in bag. Close bag tightly and shake until ingredients are well coated.

Pour salad into large bowl; top with cheese and anchovies.

Yields 8 servings.


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Ingredients:

Flour (for dredging)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (3 pound) frying chicken, cut into 6 to 8 serving pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large red onions, peeled, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon oregano

Combine flour, salt and pepper on a plate and lightly dredge the chicken. Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a large, deep skillet and brown the chicken on all sides, over high heat. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add remaining olive oil to skillet, and saute onions until wilted and lightly browned. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Place chicken back in the pan. Pour in the tomatoes and wine, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Ten minutes before removing from heat, add the crumbled feta and stir until melted. Five minutes before removing from heat, add olives and oregano.

Serve warm. Yields 6 servings.

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3/4 C. thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 C. thinly sliced cucumber
2 T. ripe olives
2 T. crumbled feta cheese
1 T. white balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
2 Roma or small tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (2 1/2 oz.) submarine rolls
2 lettuce leaves
6 slices baked cooked ham
6 slices honey roasted smoked turkey

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; toss gently. Let stand
for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Cut a thin slice off top of each roll and set aside.

Cut a 2-inch wide, V-shape wedge down the length of each roll
(as they do at Subway). Reserve bread wedges for another use.

Drain vegetable mixture. Line each roll with a lettuce leaf; arrange
ham and turkey evenly over lettuce.

Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over meat and cover with roll tops

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FOR THE DRESSING:
1/2 cup olive oil
Tbsp. dry white wine
Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried leaf oregano (Greek, if possible)
1 tsp. dried mint
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped green onion (approximately
2 whole scallions)
4 to 5 grinds black pepper
FOR THE SALAD:
1 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber
1/4 head red or purple cabbage
10 black olives (Greek brine-cured olives, if possible)
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried leaf oregano (not ground)
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried mint

TO MAKE THE DRESSING:
Combine all ingredients in a blender jar and whirl on high speed for 20-30 seconds, or until the green onions are completely pureed. Prepare the dressing at least an hour before serving, to allow the flavors to combine.

TO MAKE THE SALAD:
Cut or tear the lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces and whirl them in a sink filled with cold water. Drain in a colander and whirl dry in a lettuce dryer, or pat dry with paper towel. Store the lettuce in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until serving time.

Cut off both ends of the cucumber and score the length of it using the tines of a dinner fork. Cut the cucumber in half and soak it in a bowl of cold water for 15-20 minutes. This step removes any bitterness in the skin of the cucumber. (If the end of the cucumber does not taste bitter, you can skip this step.) Drain them and cut them in l/4inch thick slices. Cut the round slices in half crosswise. Refrigerate them until serving time.

Core and finely shred or chop the red or purple cabbage and refrigerate.

TO SERVE:
Combine the salad greens, cucumber slices, and purple cabbage in a large salad bowl. Toss salad with enough dressing to moisten well. Taste for salt and pepper. Sprinkle the dried herbs over the salad, add the black olives, and toss one more time before serving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 pound medium-size shell or other short pasta (4 cups)
Salt
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 small cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 1/2 cups chopped cucumber (2 medium-size or 1 large cucumber)
1 cup chopped red onion (1 medium-size onion)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint or parsley
Pickled banana or cherry peppers or steamed shrimp (optional), for garnish


1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta
and 1 teaspoon of salt, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook the pasta,
uncovered, according to the package directions until just done, 8 to 9
minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano in a
large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to
taste. Set the salad dressing aside.

3. Drain the pasta well in a colander, shaking it to remove the excess
water. Transfer the pasta to the large mixing bowl with the dressing. Stir
to coat and let the pasta come to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

4. When the pasta is cool, fold in the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta
cheese, olives, and mint or parsley. Stir to combine well. Taste for
seasoning, adding more salt and/or black pepper if needed. Transfer the
salad to a serving bowl and serve at once garnished with the banana peppers
or shrimp, if desired, or cover and refrigerate the salad until serving
time.
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