A Lovely Bunch of… Cucumbers

It's summer in Baltimore which means an abundance of cucumbers. And when I have cucumbers, I think Greek food.

Chicken Souvlaki

Note: this recipe works just as well for pork or beef.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 tsp kosher salt
  
• 1 tsp course black pepper
  
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  

Directions:

Mix the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of the yogurt mixture in a separate bowl. Cut the chicken into 1" cubes and add to yogurt mixture. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Skewer chicken and brush with olive oil. Cook on a hot grill for 3 or 4 minutes per side. Brush the reserved marinade on the chicken after you flip them. Serve on grilled pita or naan with tzatziki sauce and feta cheese.

One thing I am not especially fond of is runny tzatziki so while I am draining the excess moisture from the cucumbers, I put my yogurt in a coffee filter in another strainer to drain out the excess whey.

Tzatziki Sauce

Note: Spring for the Greek yogurt. You can really taste the difference in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (or 1 container) plain Greek yogurt
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  
• 1 tsp course black pepper
  
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
  
• 1 cloves garlic, pressed or minced very finely
  
• 1 medium to large cucumber
  

Directions:

On the largest side of a box grater, grate the cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander or strainer for at least half an hour to drain the excess water. Mix the yogurt, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add shredded cucumber and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

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Cure for anything that ails you

Avgolemono Soup

When we lived on the East side of Baltimore, our favorite late dinner was the thick, bottom of the pot Avgolemono soup at the legendary Ikaros restaurant on Eastern Avenue. Since moving to the suburbs, we don't get there as often as we'd like so I turned to the cookbook I got one year at the Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox cathedral. But being me, the laborious stock making, egg separating process was no match for my laziness and this recipe was born.
Ingredients:

• 2 Lemons
• 4 Eggs
• 3 cups Chicken stock (canned or home-made)
• 1 Carrot
• 1-2 cups Cooked rice
• 1-2 cups Cooked chicken (e.g., leftover rotisserie chicken)
• Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:

• Put chicken stock on to BOIL and then REDUCE to a simmer.
• GRATE the carrot and CUBE the chicken.
• ZEST both lemons and then JUICE them.
• BEAT the eggs in a large bowl until they are foamy.
• ADD the lemon juice and half the lemon zest and beat to combine.
• ADD ~½ cup of the hot stock to the eggs SLOWLY and BEAT as you ADD it.
• REPEAT with another ½ cup of stock.
• ADD the egg/lemon/stock mixture to the simmering stock.
• DO NOT BOIL SOUP AFTER THIS POINT!
• ADD chicken, rice, and carrot to the soup and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• After the soup has simmered for a while, taste the soup (Waiter! Taste my soup!) and add salt, pepper, and additional lemon zest as needed.

This soup must be served with hot, crusty bread or rolls and plenty of butter.
This recipe is very forgiving. The critical part is the beaten eggs with lemon juice, tempered with the hot stock. Once you get that part done, the rest is up for interpretation. The original Ikaros soup doesn't actually have the carrot but our next favorite Greek restaurant (Dmitri's on Frederick Road in Catonsville) makes it that way and we like it. Many places use orzo instead of rice. In an attempt to make us appear "healthy" I stopped buying white rice and I always seem to have leftover brown rice pilaf in the fridge, which works really well. The first time I made this it was a desperation dinner made with canned stock, leftover Thanksgiving turkey, wild rice pilaf, and RealLemon bottled lemon juice. It was delicious.

NOTE: If you are lucky enough to have some leftover, you probably want to add some more stock before you put it in the fridge. Otherwise it will seize up and assume the consistency of wallpaper paste.

UPDATE: I have started making this soup in the slow cooker. It is much easier to control the temp to keep it from simmering too hard and breaking the eggs after you add them. Set the slow cooker to high and get the stock hot (or boil it on the stove and add it to the slow cooker already hot). 


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