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Explore Recipes Page 47

Traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

One of the most talented food writers I’ve known personally, David Rosengarten, published this terrific recipe in his book It’s All American Food. It’s a natural accompaniment to almost any protein—fish, chicken, pork, or beef.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups diced ripe tomatoes, such as Romas
  • 2 loosely packed cups of whole flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 cup diced red or green bell pepper (about 1 large one)
  • 1 cup diced English cucumber
  • 1 cup diced purple (Bermuda) onion
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Step 1

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Just before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from It’s All American Food by David Rosengarten (Little, Brown and Company, 2003)

Easy Greek Bean Soup (Fasolada)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

According to ancient Greek mythology, Theseus promised Apollo olive branches and fresh fruit if he triumphed over the fearsome Minotaur. But stores of fresh food were nearly depleted during the return sail from Crete, forcing Theseus to offer this simple soup to the god. And it is fit for the gods!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1 large yellow or white onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 3 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, or more if needed
  • Three 15-ounce cans cannellini or navy beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled, and diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • Rustic country-style bread, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Heat a heavy pot, like a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Add
2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Next, add the garlic, celery, bay leaf, and oregano. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring regularly.

Step 2

Add the broth, cannellini beans, carrots, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Increase the heat and bring to a rolling boil for 3 minutes or so. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, adding more broth if necessary.

Step 3

Remove the bay leaf. Ladle 2 cups of the soup into the bowl of a food processor or a blender jar. (If using a blender, place a folded kitchen towel over the lid and hold it down firmly.) Blend, then return to the cooking pot. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat.

Step 4

Off the heat, stir in about 1/3 cup of olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Transfer to serving bowls and top each bowl with another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired. Serve with your favorite rustic bread.

Serves 4 to 6 — Recipe adapted from themediterraneandish.com

Sicilian-Style Swordfish

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Known as “the doyenne of Italian cuisine,” Marcella Hazan recommends pricking the fish with the tines of a fork as a genius way of delivering the flavors of the sauce deep into the meat. This recipe was selected by the staff at Food and Wine as one of the magazine’s top 40 published recipes. The preparation is also excellent with tuna or halibut.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons table salt
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds swordfish steaks, cut 1/2-inch thick

Directions

Step 1

Light a grill or preheat the broiler. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice with the salt until the salt dissolves. Stir in the oregano. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season generously with pepper.

Step 2

Grill the swordfish steaks over high heat, turning once, until cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter. Prick each fish steak in several places with a fork to allow the sauce to penetrate. Using a spoon, beat the sauce, then drizzle it over the fish. Serve at once.

Serves 4 to 6 — Recipe from foodandwine.com

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Grapes, Garlic, and Rosemary

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Elegant enough for guests yet simple enough for weeknights, this one-pan dish will soon become one of your go-to dishes. (If you don’t want to cut up a whole chicken—not always the least expensive option—buy thighs, breasts, or even legs.) Serve with a nice rosé or an effervescent Lambrusco.

Ingredients

  • One 4-pound roaster chicken, cut into 8 pieces 
  • 4 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth, dry white wine, or water
  • 1 medium bunch of red seedless grapes (about 2 cups), divided into small clusters
  • 1 large garlic head, separated, cloves peeled (15 to 20 cloves) 
  • 1 small bunch fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Season the chicken pieces with the salt. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in the skillet, skin sides down and cook until the skin is browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat
and transfer the chicken to a plate.

Step 2

Deglaze the pan: Add the chicken broth to the hot skillet, stirring and
scraping up any brown bits, called the fond. Add the grapes, garlic cloves, and rosemary to the skillet. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, skin sides up, nestling them between the grape clusters. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Step 3

Roast in the preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken pieces registers 165°F, 22 to 25 minutes. (If using chicken legs, roast to 170°F.) Let the chicken rest 10 minutes, then sprinkle with black pepper.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from foodandwine.com