Month: July 2013

Chicken souvlaki

Ingredients
1 red onion, quartered
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 tablespoon yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions
Mix all of the ingredients, place them in a sealed container along with the chicken and let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to overnight.
Skewer the meat, and grill over medium-high heat until cooked, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Chicken souvlaki pita

Ingredients
4 pitas
1 batch chicken souvlaki, warm
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, sliced
1/4 cup tzatziki
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
2 roasted red peppers, sliced (optional)

Directions
Assemble the gyros and enjoy.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 slices rye, lightly toasted
1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded and at room temperature
1-2 slices roast turkey, warm
1/4 cup coleslaw or sauerkraut, squeezed, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon russian dressing or thousand islands dressing

Directions
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
Butter the outside of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese on the inside of one slice of bread, top with the turkey, coleslaw or sauerkraut, dressing, the remaining cheese and finally the other slice of bread.
Add the sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Notes
You can use either rye or sourdough bread. The bread should be slightly tasted to help absorb moisture.
Try and remove as much moisture from the coleslaw/sauerkraut to avoid a soggy sandwich.
The roast turkey can also be substituted for corned beef, to make a proper Reuben sandwich.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup Guinness
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 slices rye, lightly toasted
1/2 cup cheddar, shredded, room temperature
2 ounces cooked corned beef, sliced or shredded, warm

Directions
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup Guinness , cover and simmer until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes and repeat three more times.
Remove from heat and mix in grainy mustard.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
Butter the outside of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese on the inside of one slice of bread, top with half of the onions, the corned beef, the remaining onions, cheese and finally the other slice of bread.
Add the sandwich to the pan and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Ingredients
2 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 small onion, diced
1/4 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard
salt and pepper or steak seasoning to taste
2 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon pickle, diced

Directions
Cook the bacon in a pan over medium heat, set aside on paper towels to drain reserving 1 teaspoon of grease in the pan and the rest elsewhere.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the ground beef and cook draining any grease when done.
Mix in the ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, simmer to reduce, remove from heat and set aside.
Heat a clean pan over medium heat.
Butter the outside side of each slice of bread, place one slice in a pan buttered side down, sprinkle on half of the cheese, then top with the the bacon, beef, lettuce, tomato and pickle followed by the remaining cheese and slice of bread, buttered side up.
Cook until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1/4 cup white wine or broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
1 cup fontina or gruyere, shredded
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
4 slices bread
2 tablespoon butter

Directions
Melt the butter and heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and thyme and saute until the start to caramelized and turn golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the wine, deglaze the pan and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, add the parsley and remove from heat and let cool a bit.
Mix the cheese into the mushrooms.
Butter one side of each slice of bread and place 2 in the pan buttered side down.
Top each with 1/2 of the mushroom mixture and finally the remaining slices of bread with the buttered side up.
Grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Ingredients

long ciabatta loaf, sliced in half lengthways
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 big handfuls of rocket
8 roasted artichoke hearts from a jar, quartered
250g roasted red peppers from a jar
8 slices prosciutto
handful of basil
125g ball mozzarella, cut into slices
1/2 red onion, very finely sliced

Method

Slice the ciabatta loaf in half lengthways and heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Put the ciabatta loaf halves, crust-side down, on a large baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Pop them in the oven for a few mins until just golden and lightly toasted.

Put the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard in a bowl, then whisk them together with a fork.

Remove the toasted ciabatta halves from the tray and drizzle the bottom slice with about half of the dressing.

Arrange the rest of the ingredients in layers. Start with a large handful of rocket, then a few artichoke hearts. Next add the slices of pepper, the prosciutto, basil, mozzarella and, finally, the red onion.

Drizzle over the rest of the dressing and pop the other slice of ciabatta on top.

Press down on the sandwich to squash all the layers together.

Wrap the sandwich in baking parchment and tie it together with a couple of pieces of string.

Place a heavy baking tray on top of your sandwich and top it with weights or loaf tins filled with baking beans.

Pop it all in the fridge overnight or until you are ready to eat it. Cut and serve in slices for the perfect picnic snack.