Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Salad)

After returning a few days ago from an unforgettable sailing trip in the Greek Isles, I have been craving some classic Greek snacks.  Greece is a beautiful country, with thousands of tiny islands and an array of delectable food.  In the summer, the weather is seemingly always sunny and a bit hot, ideal for sunning yourself and swimming in the Mediterranean.

Sérifos, Greece

Melitzanosalata and pita bread

One of my favorite dishes from the trip was Greek eggplant salad, known as melitzanosalata.  Pureed eggplant mixed with fresh garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and of course, olive oil, was a delicious bite that I must have enjoyed a dozen times over the ten days I was in the country.  

What was fascinating about this dish in Greece was how much it varied from island to island, or sometimes even restaurant to restaurant.  Sometimes it would be incredibly smoky, other times not at all.  Some would add something creamy (maybe yogurt), others would add extra garlic.

And, of course you can’t enjoy melitzanosalata without pita bread.

During my search for a great recipe, I also read a little about the variations of melitzanosalata in other parts of the world.  Tahini seems to be a common theme outside of Greece, with the Turks and Armenians adding it to their versions.  The Hungarians and Romanians toss in chopped onions and use sunflower oil in place of olive oil.  Perhaps the most interesting variation is found in Israel, where they use mayonnaise!

A couple of the best recipes and articles came from fellow bloggers, specifically Whipped (Whipped - Melitzanosalata Recipe) and The Hummus Blog (The Hummus Blog - Roasting an Eggplant).  Make sure to read The Hummus Blog article, as it gives great instructions on how to roast an eggplant (critical for the smokiness of this recipe).  And to give credit, my melitzanosalata recipe is largely based on the link above from Whipped. 

As I mentioned, the pita bread is also important for this Greek snack.  I have not made pita bread before, but I figured it’s a very simple bread dating back to antiquity.  A little side trivia, pita means “bread” in Aramaic (the language from the time of Jesus).  So…with the rich history behind this bread, I thought it couldn’t be that hard to make.  And it’s not.  Only six ingredients, one of which is water, are required to make pita bread.  It only needs to rise for 30 minutes, and then it cooks in less than 10 minutes.  Anyone can make this.

Just as with anything that is homemade from fresh, high-quality ingredients, the melitzanosalata and pita bread turned out deliciously.  Serve as a snack or as an appetizer before enjoying a Greek salad, moussaka, pastitso, or kebabs.

Cheers!

Melitzanosalata – Greek Eggplant Dip

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. olive oil

2 T. Italian parsley, chopped

½ tsp. smoked paprika

Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Roast eggplant over open flame on your gas stove (see The Hummus Blog article), or slice in half and roast in the oven at 400º F until soft, about 30-40 minutes

2. Remove the skin from the eggplant, and cut into small pieces

3. In batches, combine eggplant pieces and all other ingredients into a food processor

4. Puree until smooth

5. Mix batches together

6. Taste for salt & pepper

7. Chill in the refrigerator

8. Serve with pita bread

Pita Bread

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour (I use King Arthur’s organic whole wheat flour*)

2 tsp salt

1 T. sugar

1 packet active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)

2 T. olive oil

1 cup warm water

Extra olive oil, salt, & pepper for basting mixture

*http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-100-organic-whole-wheat-flour-5-lb

Instructions:

1. Mix dry ingredients together (flour, salt, sugar, and yeast)

2. Mix oil and water in a different bowl

3. Combine ingredients, stirring with a spoon and eventually moving to your hands once it’s starting to mix well

4. Knead the dough for 4-6 minutes

5. Cut the dough, using a scraper, into eight equal pieces

6. Roll into balls and let rise for 30 minutes under a damp cloth

7. Preheat oven to 500º F

8. Roll raised balls into circles, about ¼” thick

9. Place onto pieces of tinfoil

10. Bake for 1-2 minutes, then brush a dash of the basting mixture onto the top of the bread

11. Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes, until cooked through

12. Let cool before serving

Cashew Chicken

One of my favorite American-style Chinese dishes is Cashew Chicken.  A quick sauté of fresh veggies, chunks of meaty chicken, salty cashews, and piercing chili spice makes this meal ideal for impressing your guests.

The best thing about Asian stir-fry recipes is that you can choose any vegetables you have in the kitchen.  Leftover onion?  Throw it in!  Toss in your half-used peppers, mushrooms, or even things such as carrots and celery to the wok.  It's perfect for cleaning out the fridge.

Looking at the origins of my recipe, it's most closely related to the Sichuan dish, Kung Pao chicken.  Based on my research, cashews and peanuts are commonly used in the more authentic recipes (I use cashews because they're a little more indulgent).  The only thing missing from mine is the Sichuan peppercorns (gōng bǎo jī dīng).  These citrus-tasting, mouth-numbing "peppercorns" are a unique fruit of a plant that is neither a chili nor a peppercorn.  Allegedly, these little red spices prepare your palate to better experience the heat of chili peppers.  True or not, you'll definitely notice them in the dish.  If you decide to use them, make sure to toast them slightly (1 to 2 minutes) and grind to a powder.  And only use a small amount.  They easily overpower a dish.

When cooking tantalizing Asian stir-fry dishes, the critical tools are a heavy, well-crafted wok and a gas stove.  Electric stoves will get the job done, but their inability to maintain their heat source (electric stoves typically have heating cycles, heating the surface to the desired temperature and then turning off, repeating as needed) can ruin the efficacy of your wok-style cooking.  The stir-fry is all about flash-frying ingredients for only a minute or two.  If you add your cold chicken to a wok that just went into an "off" cycle on your electric stove, you'll notice the sizzle of your wok stops and only continues once the heating cycle returns the wok to the original hot temperature.

Unfortunately, if you have an electric stove, there's not much you can do about it in the short-term.  While it's not ideal, these stoves are still plenty capable of cooking up a wonderful stir-fry.  I cooked on an electric stove for years.  So don't be too discouraged.  Just something to remember when buying your next stove or signing the lease of a future apartment.  Gas is always better!

Back to the cashew chicken dish.  After gathering your wok and ingredients, the next critical step is prepping EVERYTHING before you start cooking.  A stir-fry, as mentioned, is an incredibly fast recipe.  You won't have time to mince the garlic or chop your onion partway into it.  I like to place all the prepped ingredients in little bowls and dishes, which allows you to toss in what you need at each step of the process.  But you could also leave your diced veggies on a cutting board or place them on a plate.  Another tip is to combine ingredients into each step of the process.  So if you're adding the celery and onion to the wok at the same time, you can mix these two ingredients in the same bowl.

Okay...so you have everything ready to go.  Next, heat your wok to very hot.  When you add the peanut oil, it should be almost smoking.  A very hot wok is critical to a successful stir-fry.  Next, just follow the recipe below and serve with Jasmine rice.  White rice is traditional, but I have been using brown for a couple years now due to its health benefits.


Enjoy!


Cashew Chicken Recipe (serves 4 people)

Ingredients:

¼ cup Peanut Oil

1 ½ lbs chicken breast, cut into 1” pieces

12 dried red chilies

5 slices of fresh ginger, peeled

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, sliced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 can sliced water chestnuts

¼ cup cashews, roasted

3 scallions, cut into 1” pieces (green parts) and diced (white parts)

   Marinade: 1 T. corn starch, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 T. sherry, 1 tsp peanut oil

   Sauce: 3 T. light soy sauce, 2 tsp black vinegar, 1 T. dark soy sauce, ½ cup water,

                           2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp corn starch

Prepared white or brown Jasmine rice

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator

2. Heat work, add 1 T. of vegetable oil until very hot

3. Add chicken, stir well, cook about 2/3 of the way through; remove from wok

4. Clean out wok, add 2 T. of vegetable oil, heat again until very hot

5. Add chilies, garlic, and ginger; sauté for 30 seconds

6. Add onion and celery; sauté for 3-5 minutes, until onions begin to soften

7. Return the chicken to the wok, stir.  Sauté for 1-2 minutes

8. Add cashews and chestnuts, stir

9. Add scallions and sauce, stir

10. Serve over steamed rice