Balsamic Caramelized Onion & Asiago Focaccia

This was actually quite sweet, even for my tastes!

Ingredients
4 tsp olive oil, divided
½ C choped onion
1 T honey, divided
½ t fresh thyme (or pinch dried)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t salt, divided
1 t yeast
½ C warm water (~105)
1¾ C flour
1½ oz grated fresh Asiago cheese

Directions
Heat 2 tsp oil in a skillet (medium heat). Add oinion nad thyme, cooking until onions are translucent and browned. Remove from heat, stir in half the honey (1½ tsp), balsamic vinegar, ½ tsp salt. Set aside to let cool.

Dissolve yeast with remaining honey in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast begins to bloom.

Add half the flour, remaining 2 tsp oil, remaining ½ tsp salt, and onion mixture; mix until soft dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading and adding additional flour as needed until dough is smooth and elastic and barely sticks to your hands (7-8 minutes)

Place dough in large bowl coated with oil (or non-stick cooking spray), turning dough to coat. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).

Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes.

Gently press dough into a ¼ sheet jelly roll pan (or 9x13 pan) lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray and/or lines with parchment. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in thickness (about 25 minutes).

Preheat oven to 400°. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Avgolemono (?) Greek lemon-egg soup...or Sauce

Hmmm...not sure how enthusiastic I am about lemon-egg soup. But...slightly thicker, as a sauce...it was good over broccoli! But I saw a avgolemono soup recipe presented as a sauce in a magazine (Cooking Light, if I remember correctly, but it was years ago), so I found a recipe, reduced it (I don't need a ton of it, used as a sauce), thickened it a bit and...here you go!

Ingredients
2/3 C chicken stock
1 egg
2 tsp lemon zest
2½ tsp lemon juice
pinch salt
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan to just simmering. Meanwhile, whisk together everything else except the olive oil until very light and frothy. Whisk, whisk, whisk!

Temper the egg mixture by slowly adding a little of the hot chicken broth at a time while continuing to whisk. Add about half the chicken broth this way, then slowly add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking continuously.

Reheat the mixture just until it thickens (don't boil it!). Remove from heat and whisk in the olive oil.

Spiced Chicken with Shallots and Grapes

What I've fixed was significantly inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light.  I didn't have exactly the ingredients they indicated, and substituted a few things.  Also, the photo is my "reduced for one serving" prep of the recipe; the amounts below will feed at least 4, up to 6.

Ingredients
1-2 T olive oil
s & p
2 lb chicken pieces (about 1½ lb if boneless)
2 C seedless red grapes
1 C shallots, sliced
1 t cardamom
¼ t cumin
1/8  t cayenne
C chicken stock
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T butter
chopped parsley

Directions
Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet; sear chicken until golden brown on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet; if needed, finish cooking chicken (to an internal temperature of 165°F) in the oven, covered.

Add shallots to hot skillet, stirring until soft and translucent. Add grapes; cook, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until skins are somewhat charred and beginning to burst. Add cardamom, cumin, cayenne, stock and vinegar; cook until reduced by almost half. Add butter; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Return chicken to skillet - presentation side up - to warm through. Garnish with chopped parslely just before serving.

Mediterranean Chickpea-Tomato Salad

Ingredients
1 15-oz can chickpeas
1 C small diced tomato
¼ C crumbled feta
¼ C chopped kalamata olives
2 T finely chopped fresh ming
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley
2 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1½ t sugar
1 t salt
½ t pepper

Directions
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Gently toss all ingredients in a bowl.

Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette

This was a Bobby Flay/Food Network recipe I tried today (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/greek-potatoes-with-lemon-vinaigrette-recipe2/index.html). I love a good vinaigrette; the lemon and oregano really add a fresh, light zip to roast potato wedges.

Arancini

I fell in love with arancini, a Sicilian-born croquette, while traveling in Italy. [arancini = Italian for 'little orange'; croquettes are often cylindrical or more oval shaped. I don't know about Italian, but in French, croquer = 'to crunch'.] There are lots of varieties -- different fillings including meat, shellfish, cheeses, veggies.

And these deep fried, cheesy rice balls somehow manage to crossover and be both a delicacy and an easy-to-grab-on-the-go fast food option. The recipe below includes pine nuts, which are delicious, but were nothing I ever had in Italian arancini. They make a nice side to meat and veggies, or a couple with marinara dipping sauce can serve as an appetizer. 

Ingredients:
3 C chicken broth
1 C arborio rice
2 Tbls toasted pine nuts 
½ C shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz) 
½ C shredded fontina cheese (2 oz)
2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs 
½ C grated parmesan cheese
1½ C breadcrumbs
vegetable oil (for frying)

Directions:
Bring broth to a boil (with a dash of salt). Stir in rice. Reduce heat to low; simmer until tender (about 20 minutes). Spread on parchment lined baking sheet; allow to cool completely.

Combine pine nuts, mozzarella, fontina and parsley in a bowl; set aside.

Beat eggs in large bowl, then stir in cooled rice, parmesan, and ²/₃C breadcrumbs. Shape mixture into 12 to 15  1½" balls. Press your finger (or thumb) into the center of each rice ball, forming a small cup. Scoop 2 tsp of mozzarella mixture into 'cup' and pinch the rice around filling to enclose it. (This is definitely a hands-on, somewhat messy process.) :) Roll balls in breadcrumbs; place on parchment lined baking sheet. (With the filling, the finished balls end up about 2½".) Refrigerate 1-3 hours.

Heat ½" vegetable oil in large saucepan until thermometer reads 350°. Work in batches to fry rice balls, turning until golden on all sides (4-5 minutes). The refrigerated arancini will cool the oil. When the oil temperature drops the oil soaks in rather than frying at the surface...and no one wants greasy arancini! Don't add too many at a time, and monitor the temperature. Remove with tongs or slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

Season with salt. Serve alone or with marinara dipping sauce.

Panzanella -- Tuscan Bread Salad

(a variation on a recipe I got from the chefs at BTC)

Salad:
6 C mixed baby greens
6 C bread, cut to ½" cubes and lightly toasted
   (it's okay, even good, if it's a little stale)
1 C red, green and/or yellow pepper, ½" diced
½ yellow onion, ½" diced
2 C tomato, ½" diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2+ Tbls pine nuts, toasted, salt & pepper to taste
3-4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2-3 Tbls fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 Tbls chives, cut to ½" lengths

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 oz red wine vinegar
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grain mustard
1 tsp minced shallot
½ C olive oil
1 Tbls herbs (basil and/or chives, parsley, rosemary, sage, etc.)
salt & pepper to taste

Combine vinegars, mustard and shallots. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in herbs. Set aside.

Sauté garlic, peppers and onions just to soften (3-4 minutes). Reduce heat. Add bread, tomatoes, pine nuts and enough dressing to coat the mixture. Toss in basil and season with salt & pepper. 

Toss greens with remaining dressing, and spread over a serving platter. Top with warm bread mixture. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and chives.

No-Fuss Focaccia

3 Tbls olive oil; additional oil for topping bread
1½ C warm water
4 tsp (2 pkgs) active dry yeast
1¼ tsp salt
3¼ C (bread) flour
Italian seasoning or dried herbs of your choice for topping

Lightly grease a 9x13" rectangular pan...drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in bottom of pan, tilt to coat.

Combine water with yeast. Add remaining oil, salt and flour; beat on high speed for 1 minute. Scoop sticky batter into prepared pan; cover pan and let rise at room temperature until it becomes puffy (about 90 minutes).

Preheat oven to 375°. Drizzle dough with additional olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning or herbs of choice. (I also added a bit of grated parmesan.) Bake bread until golden brown (35-40 minutes). Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes then turn out of pan. Serve warm.

Mediterranean Biscuits

2 C flour
1 Tbls baking powder
1 Tbls sugar
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbls butter
¾ C crumbled feta cheese
¼ C pitted, chopped Kalamata olives
3 Tbls oil-packed dried tomatoes
(drained and chopped)
¾ C light cream
1 egg

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, basil and salt. Using pastry blender (or fork), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in feta, olives and tomatoes. Add cream and stir with a fork to moisten throughout.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead dough gently until just well combined (just enough to pick up all loose crumbs). Lightly roll dough to ½" thick; cut into 2" squares.* Place biscuits 1" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Beat egg; brush tops of biscuits with egg.

Bake at 450° for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet immediately. Makes about 20 biscuits.

Delicious served warm, with whole Kalamata olives.

* I made mine bite-sized because I was taking them to school...my World Literature classes are just beginning our Mediterranean unit, and I wanted 'snack size' to share with my students.

Italian Stew

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken
2 Tbls olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
1 Tbls capers, drained and minced
1 lemon
1/2 C white wine
2 C chicken broth
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 8-oz pkg/jar artichoke hearts
1/2 C flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 C pitted green olives
salt & pepper
optional: lemon wedges

Cut chicken, potatoes and artichoke hearts into approximate 3/4" cubes.

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook, turning at least once, until browned (about 5 minutes). Remove from pot and set aside. (While chicken is browning, press or mince garlic cloves; zest and juice lemon.)

Reduce heat. Add minced garlic, minced capers, and lemon zest; stir just intil fragrant (1 minute or less). Add wine, scraping browned bits from chicken off bottom of pan; simmer until reduced by about 1/2 (2-4 minutes). Add broth, potatoes, and chicken and return to simmer. Lower heat slightly to maintain simmering. Cover,and cook 20-30 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and parsley, stirring to combine. Simmer until heated through, or until potatoes are tender.

Cut olives in half if desired. Add olives shortly before serving, allowing time for them to get thoroughly heated. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, with lemon wedges on the side.

Tomato, Apricot & Chickpea Chicken

4 chicken breasts
salt
pepper
olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 C chopped dried apricots
1 Tbls sugar
3 minced garlic cloves
1 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzos)
1/4 C chopped parsley



Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until golden, turning once (about 6 minutes); transfer to a plate and set aside.







Stir tomatoes, apricots, sugar and garlic together in skillet. Simmer 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to blend (and to reduce juices).

Return chicken to pan and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes). Drain and rinse chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and add to skillet along with parsley. Cook until heated through.
OR...



Place chicken in casserole baking dish, cover with tomato-apricot mixture, top with chickpeas and parsley; bake in oven (350°) until chicken is cooked through.