Med-Fest

Can we all agree that the Mediterranean diet is superior in every way?  We can?  Good, that's decided.  Lebanese of course wins top prize.  duh.  But those Greeks know what's up in the food department, as do their brethren across the Ionian/Adriatic.  This week was an explosion of yummy Mediterranean love.

At book club a couple weeks ago my friend Sheila Kaminski (hi Sheila!) served one of those meals in which every bite just explodes with flavor. She is a pro and I expect a lot from dinner at her house, but wow, she served these Greek meatballs that blew my mind.  (Sheila: Stop calling them chicken balls!)

So I googled some Greek (meat)balls recipes and found this one, and made the full recipe for me, Doug and Noah while Dylan was at football camp.  It makes two dozen. I  had four leftover!  So I served it again for some friends this week.  Friends - you will not regret it.

But here's the best part: all the herbs used in this recipe came from ETHS!  I signed up for their CSA boxes this summer - every Thursday I stop by the kitchen loading dock and pick up a box.  It's been a cooking challenge - there's only so much one can do with radishes and turnips, in my humble opinion, but the herbs and greens have been AMAZING.  So all the dill, parsley and mint in this recipe came from our own, beloved Evanston Township High School gardens.  How cool is that?

Where were we?  Oh, Greek balls!  They're from JuicyBites, which is a terrific food blog. (Is it ok to re-blog a food blogger?  I think it is, as long as you give credit where credit is due, right?)

Here we go:

Greek Chicken Meatballs

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix 1/3 cup whole milk with 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs until the liquid is absorbed.

 Add:

• 2 pounds ground chicken (preferably organic)
  
• 1 small onion, chopped very small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 bunch of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves (about a handful of leaves)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• zest of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• a few turns of fresh ground pepper

  Mix well until all of the ingredients are combined.  Shape about 3 tablespoons of the chicken into a balls (this is a messy process – a little water on your hands helps the chicken from sticking) and put on a baking sheet lined with foil and coated with non-stick cooking spray. 

 Bake for about 20-25 minutes, turning them over half way through (test at 20 min to see if they are done on the inside).

 Serve with Ina's Tzaziki Sauce

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Makes about 2 dozen Meatballs

For a side dish, and in keeping with the theme, I served Rhee Drummond's

Mediterranean Orzo salad.

It's even better the next day!!

You're welcome.  xoxo

Lake life

Last week was our annual trip to the north woods of Wisconsin, where my husband's family has a wonderful place on North Twin Lake.  We swam, we skied, we tubed, we pontooned, we kayaked, we SUP'd, we read, we played Euchre and Scrabble and Chronology, we watched movies, we read books, we ran, we biked.  Uncle John led the annual fireworks display.  And before anyone else got there Doug, Dylan and I went to the big 4th of July shindig in downtown Phelps and witnessed something called a Chicken Drop.  Wow.  Google it.  The look on my 16-year-old's face? Priceless!

And, as usual, we ate and drank extremely well.    I didn't take enough pictures but here, for your planning or cooking or drinking pleasure, were last week's menus:  

2017 Summer Phelps Menu

Sunday 7/2:  Arrivals—13 peeps  

Brats and Burgers-- spicycole slaw, potato salad, summer brownie torte

Monday 7/3:  14 peeps

Shrimp Scampi Linguini, arugula watermelon salad, bread

Tuesday 7/4:  13 peeps

Grilled steak kebabs, rice pilaf, Dijon roasted broccoli, s’mores

Wednesday 7/5: 13 peeps 

Chicken Chimichurri-  rosemary roasted potatoes, steamed green beans, lemon cake

Thursday 7/6: 13 peeps

Cook’s night off – Alexander's pizza

Friday 7/7:  14peeps

14 peeps  slow roasted ribs (recipe below), corn black bean salad, watermelon, apple crisp

Saturday 7/8

Baked Mostaccioli, green salad, garlic bread, ice cream shop

Fall-off-the-bone, Slow Roasted Baby-back Ribs:

Baby back ribs - approx 1/2 slab per person.  

(For 14 people we had 18 slabs and every bite was gone)

Soak the ribs overnight in Coke.  It's the key!  My sister Julie taught me this trick - it tenderizes the meat.  

In the morning, drain the coke and place the ribs rib-side-up in a roasting pan (position the ribs so they're not sitting on the bottom of thepan and the eventual grease:  arc the ribs so the meat is up and away from bottom.)

Cover them with some bbq sauce.  We use Sweet Baby Ray's original.  Don't let them swim in it, but do make sure each slab is covered in sauce.   For 18 slabs we used about three jars of bbq sauce.

Cover tightly with foil and cook in a 300 degree oven all day - about 8 hours.

 You can uncover for the last half hour if you like them a little crispier.

Using tongs, lift the ribs out of the sauce/grease and place on a platter, cut them into sections of three or four ribs, arrange them all on a big messy platter and throw some extra sauce on top and to pass on the side.  They will fall off the bone and it's a huge mess but never fear, because it's KILLER!

And, of course, we have a new favorite summer cocktail. Also killer, but in a different way.

Limmer's punch
Prep: 10 minutes
Makes: 12 cocktails, about 5 ounces each
Orange blossom water is available at Whole Foods and other major grocery stores, plus liquor stores.

1 bottle (750 milliliters) gin
10 ounces fresh lemon juice
10 ounces rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water), see note
Orange blossom water, to taste
1 bottle (750 milliliters) sparkling water, chilled
Lemon wheels
Combine gin, lemon juice and syrup in a punch bowl; stir to blend. Add orange blossom water to taste, then stir. Add large block of ice and top with chilled sparkling water. Garnish with lemon wheels.

Rich simple syrup: Heat two parts sugar and 1 part water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool before using.

Limmer's punch — for one
Prep: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 drink
2 ounces gin
2 ounces sparkling water, chilled
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 ounce rich simple syrup
1 dash orange blossom water
Lemon slice
Shake all ingredients, except the lemon slice, with ice and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.

 Happy Summer!