Mad For Mezze - Perfect Tzatziki

Tzatziki atop a Lamb Burger, Photo: NK

A simple yogurt sauce or dip with Cucumber and fresh Dill, Tzatziki is indispensible in Greek Cuisine. Every culture has its version of pre-meal nibbles, and in the Near East and Balkans, these are collectively called Mezze. 

I am excited to show you how simple and delicious today's Tzatziki is. 

It's the perfect dip to make for your next party (great served with Pita or Pita Chips) or a deliciously easy offering if you're a guest at someone else's fete. 

We've served ours atop basic Lamb Burgers, but the possibilities are really endless. 





The key to Tzatziki is simple - Let it sit in the fridge two or more hours so the flavors blend and develop.

But first, let's quickly explore some of my other favorite Mezze. 

Baba Ghanoush
Tarmosalata
Dolma / Dolmades
Tabbouleh

We'll look forward to getting around to making these soon enough!

Now for the main event:

Tzatziki comes together in minutes, Photo: NK

Perfect Tzatziki
Adapted from GreekFood.com
Serves 4 as a dip

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Thickly Grated Seedless English or Hot House Cucumber (from ~1/2 a Cucumber)
3 Gloves of Garlic, crushed to a paste or very finely minced
7 Ounces Full Fat Plain Greek Yogurt, we prefer Fage brand
2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
Scant 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 heaping Tablespoon Minced Fresh Dill 
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
Lemon Juice (optional)

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except the Olive Oil and Lemon Juice. 
Add the Oil and stir together gently. Finish with 1-2 optional squeezes of Lemon.

2. Allow to sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours

3. When ready to serve, taste for Salt and add extra if needed. Serve alongside Pita or Pita Chips. Enjoy!

Gambas al Ajillo - AKA: Garlicky Tapas Heaven (in minutes!)

Ever walk by an Italian restaurant or pizza place and pause a moment to smell the intoxicating aroma of warm garlic? I sure have, and if you ask me, there's nothing really like it. Where garlic is concerned, the more the better - and who cares about garlic breath, anyway? I consider it a bonus. That's why when I was recently jonesing to put together a quick tapa as an al fresco appetizer (summer is here!), I stopped right at this drool-worthy Garlic and Shrimp combination: Gambas al Ajillo or Shrimp with Garlic, Spanish style. 

Gambas al Ajillo, The Garlicky Tapa That Everyone Loves, Photo: NK 

Gambas al Ajillo can be found all over Spain and really anywhere where tapas are served. It doesn't get more classic than this garlicky to the max dish. And when you see how fast this delicious tapa comes together,  you'll be completely smitten. It is almost too easy. And the taste, oh the taste - just luscious. A nice kick of spice from the Crushed Red Pepper and smoky complexity from Spanish Paprika - one of my favorite spices that is also responsible for the striking reddish color of the shrimp sauce, make an amazing flavor combo. Be certain to buy yourself a nice loaf of rustic peasant bread to soak up the garlicky oil goodness at the bottom of the bowl. Now sit yourself down with a a nice dry white or rose and enjoy the king of all tapas. You will not be disappointed!


Gambas al Ajillo / Spanish Garlic Shrimp Tapa
Lightly adapted from About.com (topic: Spanish Food)
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients:
24 Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
5 large Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Sweet Spanish Paprika
3 Ounces of Cognac (or substitute Dry Sherry or Bourbon)
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup chopped Italian Parsley
Juice of 1 Lemon 
1 round, crusty Peasant Loaf, cut into large chunk and lightly toasted
Coarse Salt
Black Pepper

Note: this is a fast cooking recipe so be sure to have all your ingredients measured and ready to roll before you start. 

Method: 
1. Heat Oil over a medium flame for a minute and add the minced Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper. Stir gently for about 2 minutes, taking care that the Garlic doesn't burn. 
The mixture will become fragrant. 

2. When the Garlic becomes just slightly brown, add the Shrimp, Lemon Juice, Cognac (or substitute) and Paprika. Raise the flame to high and stir constantly until the Shrimp become pink and curl up. About 2 more minutes.

3. Season the mixture with one or two healthy pinches of Salt, and ample Black Pepper. 
To Serve: Plate equal portions on Shrimp into individual bowls and add some of the Garlic and Oil Mixture on top. Sprinkle each bowl with chopped Parsley and serve with a generous wedge of crusty toasted Bread.

Enjoy! 

How To: Real Chicago Hot Dogs

Still inspired by our recent weekend trip to Chicago (read about it HERE), we decided we wanted to attempt one of the city's specialties. Since I'm not one for Deep Dish Pizza (no offense, Chicagoans), Chicago Hot Dogs seemed like a great idea. For the uninitiated, Chicago Dogs are basically Hot Dogs drizzled with Yellow Mustard and then topped with pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. 

Specifically:

Sweet Pickle Relish                                

Thinly sliced Tomato Wedges (we used Campari Tomatoes)                 

Kosher Dill Pickle Spears (I sliced mine in half lengthwise)   

Chopped Sport Peppers (or Peperoncini)  *what are Sport Peppers? Click HERE

Chopped White Onion     

For the Dog - There is no question that your Hot Dog should be All Beef. I am generally not a huge Hot Dog person for reasons I won't delve into on a blog, so I opted for Organic Dogs from Applegate Farms. The preferred brand for a True Chi Town Dog is Chicago's own, Vienna Beef. Take a look at their website here - Vienna also offers many Authentic products for building the perfect Chicago approved Dog. 

Cooking-

There are many acceptable ways to cook your Hot Dogs. I opted for Steaming them in a a steamer basket over boiling water for 5 minutes. This method was recommended on a great blog called  The Paupered Chef. Their Chicago Hot Dog Post provided a wealth of information on the subject and some handy pictures too!   As a bonus, using a steamer set up is dually convenient because the Hot Dog Buns should also be steamed for a minute or two.  

For the Bun - The most authentic Chicago Dog will be served on a Poppy Seed Bun. Since I couldn't find them, we used regular White Bread Hot Dog Buns. Later, I found out that Martha Stewart, genius that she is, had thought of a way to improvise Poppy Seed Buns HERE.

A note about Mustard - Apparently, the is to be no messing around with the Mustard on a true Chicago Dog. Not only should Mustard be the only condiment besides Relish that you use, but it must indeed be plain old Yellow Mustard. None of that fancy Grain Mustard or Dijon business. Got it? 

And now for the HOW TO:

~Special thanks to Martha Stewart and The Paupered Chef for much of the information in this post. 

1. Cook your Hot Dogs the way you prefer. We steamed ours for five minutes in a steamer basket over boiling water. After removing the Hot Dogs, we then steamed our Buns another 1-2 minutes.

Steamer Basket for Hot Dogs and Buns, Photo: NK

2. Next, drizzle with Mustard and spread Relish alongside.

Photo: NK

3. Finish by topping with Chopped Onion, Sliced Peppers, Tomato Wedges, and nestling a Kosher Dill Spear alongside.

Finished Chicago Hot Dogs, Photo: NK

4. Get a big bunch of napkins and dig in! 

Enjoy!