Recipes

First Fuges Family Dinner Recipes:

Kebabs

Depends on what part of the country or the world for that matter, you are in, whether they call it a kebab, or souvlaki.  Both mean generally the same thing.  I got this recipe from Jamie Oliver's site and almost followed exactly, but played around with the measurements a bit.   I cooked my pork on skewers, on the grill, so I am going to go with kebab this time around.  Either way they are delicious and always a favorite of mine.  I doubled this recipe below since I was serving 8people instead of 4 and you can easily do the same.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. of pork loin-cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp dried Mint (works better than fresh mint)
1 tbsp dried Oregano
Juice of 1 lemon
100ml Olive Oil (greek if you have it otherwise whatever you have)
2 gloves garlic, peeled and grated (I used my microplane)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Pinch of ground black pepper
Pinch of salt (I use sea salt)

Put all your kebab ingredients into a bowl and use your clean hands to mix everything together really well. Cover with plastic wrap, then pop into the fridge for 30 minutes, or longer if you want the flavours to get a bit more intense.  I did mine overnight as this was one of my day before preps, the lemon really makes the pork taste so yummy that I think I'll do this every time from now on.  Once you are ready to cook, make sure to take your scewers and soak them in water for at least 10 minutes to minimize burning on the grill.  Preheat the grill on high heat.  Thread the pork loin through the screwers.  Then place the skewers on the grill for about 10 minutes turning occasionally to get all sides.  And Serve.

Roasted Peppers

You can buy roasted peppers in a jar in the store, but it is just as easy to roast your own peppers.  It really takes no time at all and the ones in the jar are usually packed in some kind of oil and you can save yourself the calories.

A bunch of sweet peppers, multiple colors(I bought the small ones from Trader Joe's, one bag)
4 prigs of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped
A small bunch of fresh dill (I completely forgot to put this in and didn't miss it)
A couple splashes of red wine vinegar
A couple slugs of Olive Oil (Greek if you have it or whatever you have)


As you preheat the grill, throw the peppers on and occasionally turn them until they are black and blistered and look unedible, but still are!  Then put them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until the kebabs are done.  This will allow you to easily peel the skin off and voila you have roasted peppers.  Just remove the stem and the seeds and then peel them into strips.  Chop the fresh mint, and the dill (if you use it).  Then add the red wine vinegar, and the olive oil and mix together with the peppers.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki sauce is one of my favorite sauces, it tastes so fresh and clean, kinda like a nice glass of cold white wine and I just want to eat it by itself half the time, and my friend Fran actually was.  Using nonfat greek yogurt cuts out some of the calories and of course the fat so don't worry if you want more than a small dollop on your kebab.

1/2 a large cucumber (or 1 medium)
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 tsp dried mint (you don't have to be exact)
1.5 tsp red wine vinegar

Make your tzatziki by coarsely grating the cucumber into a sieve set up over a bowl. Add a few good pinches of salt, then use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can. Pour the water away, then tip the cucumber into the empty bowl and add the yogurt. Pound the garlic in a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of salt until you have a paste, if you don't have a mortor and pestle don't worry, just chop up the garlic very finely and then use a spoon to crush the pieces against the bowl and with the salt and then spoon that into the bowl with the cucumber. Add the dried mint and red wine vinegar and mix really well. Have a taste to make sure you’ve got the balance right, I added a bit extra vinegar, but definitely depends on your taste.  This was another dish that I made the night before, just cover and put it in the fridge.

Hummus

So many people buy hummus at the store, but it is so simple to make on your own, with just a few ingredients you'll wonder why you ever did.  Usually the issue is the Tahini sauce, it can be hard to find or expensive, but so you know, it is worth the cost because it lasts forever and once you learn to make hummus you won't buy it in the store anymore.  This time I just made plain hummus, but once you get this down, then you can start adding leftover herbs or pepper, or whatever you think will make a great combo.

2  (15.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2  garlic cloves, crushed
1/2  cu  water
1/4  cup tahini
3  tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more for taste)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4  teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tsp hot sauce (optional, I like to add a little spice because everything is better with a kick)
olive oil (optional for the top)
paprika (optional for the top)

Place beans and garlic in a food processor; pulse 5 times or until chopped. Add 1/2 cup water and remaining ingredients; pulse until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.  You can use a blender if you don't have a food processor, but it may take a bit longer to mix.  Add a little more of any of the ingredients to taste.  To make different flavors of hummus, just add the extra ingredients to this recipe.

Tomato Salad

I saw this recipe on The Kitchn a couple months ago and couldn't wait to try it.  It consists of tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar three of my favorite things.  You can add anything you want to this, but really don't need to.  For my version, I added feta cheese and some mint leaves to correlate with the kebabs, but you can leave that out for the basic tomato salad.  I doubled this recipe for 8 people.

3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 pint grape tomatoes, rinsed and halved length-wise (cherry tomatoes are a fine alternative)
1/4 loosely packed basil leaves, sliced thin
coarse salt (like sea salt)
freshly ground pepper
crumbled feta cheese (optional)
mint leaves, sliced thin (optional)

Heat the olive oil and a little less than half the vinegar over a low flame until bubbling and just beginning to reduce, about 2 minutes. Toss the tomatoes with the hot liquid, sliced basil (mint if using) and salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the salt, you'll add more just before serving. Cover and allow to sit out before serving, 30 min. and up to 4 hours. Just before serving, reduce the remaining vinegar in the same manner as before: over a low flame, watching it bubble until it begins to reduce in volume. Toss the tomatoes in their own juices, then drizzle the newly reduced vinegar over the mixture and toss lightly. Add a final sprinkling of coarse salt, to taste. And add the feta if using.  Enjoy!

Playground Bullies Style Recipes:

Chili

This chili serves 8, with plenty of leftovers for the days to follow.  You can easily make this the day before, store it in the fridge and then heat it up.  As you  may know, chili is always better the day or two after you make it.

6  oz.  hot turkey Italian sausage
2  cups  chopped onion (2 medium)
1  cup  chopped green bell pepper (2 medium)
8  garlic cloves, minced
1 lb.  ground sirloin (more if you like a thicker chili)
1  jalapeño pepper, chopped
2  TBSP  chili powder
2  TBSP  brown sugar
1  TBSP  ground cumin
3  TBSP  tomato paste
1  TSP  dried oregano
1/2 TSP freshly ground black pepper (more to taste)
1/4  teaspoon  salt (more to taste)
2  bay leaves
1 1/4  cups  Merlot or other fruity red wine
2  28oz. cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
2  15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
1/2  cup  shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional for topping)

Heat a large Dutch oven or sauce pan over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage, onion, bell peppers, garlic, sirloin, and jalapeno pepper to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.

Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese and dollop of sour cream if you prefer.


Spicy Cornbread

This cornbread makes 12 muffins, and you'll need them because there are never any leftovers.  It is super simple and can go well with any meal, but especially chili.

2  8.5 oz boxes corn muffin mix
1 cup milk (I use 1% milk)
2 eggs, beaten
1 8.75 oz can corn kernels, drained
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, minced (freeze the leftovers, or grab one from the freezer)
1/2 cup grated Monterey jack

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix, otherwise they cornbread will bake and be dried out and dense. Divide the batter evenly in a 12-portion nonstick muffin tin. (If using a tin that isn't nonstick, spray with cooking spray or use muffin cups).

Bake in the center of the oven until just golden and muffin springs back when gently pressed, about 20 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and serve warm.