Tilapia with Tomato and Chickpeas

I have a suspicion that this baby I'm carrying is a vegetarian. Meats and some poultry makes me gag, and if I could, I would probably live off fruit or veggie salads. The only other foods I can handle are non-fishy smelling seafood, and fresh Tilapia is a good example of this. I bought a pound and brought it home and had no idea what to do with it. So I came up with this somewhat Mediterranean inspired recipe. It was pretty good and the chickpeas gave it a very nice texture to the dish...and the baby like it, too!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2 to 3)

• 1 lb. Fresh Tilapia fillets
• Flour
• Olive oil and butter
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs. pitted olives, preferably Greek, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 4 leaves fresh mint
• 1/8 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. coriander
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup garbanzo bean (chickpeas)
• 2/3 cup water
• Coarse salt and pepper
• Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Run fillets over cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle a little salt only on one side of each fillet then lightly dredge in flour.

Heat about 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Working in batches, fry the fillets one minute per side and set aside on a plate. You may need to add more olive oil on the second batch. Fish will not be complete cooked through yet.

In the same skillet (don't clean it), add 1 tablespoon butter. When melted add the halved tomatoes, chopped shallots, olives, mint leaves, sprig of oregano, all the spices, garbanzo beans and 2/3 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.

Place fish fillets on top of garbanzo-tomato sauce and cover. Simmer on very low for 10 minutes.

Before serving, remove the oregano sprig and mint leaves. Serve fillets over some rice and pour some the garbanzo-tomato over that.

Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter Spaghetti

When my brothers and I were little, my dad and Elaine used to take us chichinos (our tias gave us that nickname) to the Old Spaghetti Factory on special occasions. It was probably one of our favorite places to go, next to Disneyland and IHOP. We LOVED going there and I think my brothers, Tom & Bobby, look forward to playing the Pac-Man video game they had in the lounge.

Then a few years ago this landmark restaurant was closed to make room for fancy schmanzy restaurants and high-end hotels. But luckily this year OSF re-opened (I'm thinking the economy had something to do with it). The restaurant is half the size it used to be; the charm it used to have is gone, and Pac-Man is no where to be found. But at least we have an affordable restaurant back in downtown SD. This dish is one of OSF's signature dishes. The secret is being patient in browning the butter and of course in using this wonderful Greek cheese, mizithra.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 4 oz. butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup Mizithra cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

First, cook your pasta in a large bowl of salted water. Cook according to package directions.

Cut 1 stick of butter into 4 pieces and place in a sauce pan. Place the pan on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes).

Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. With a spoon remove as much foam as you can by lightly skimming it off.

Once most foam is removed, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma. Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.

Pour the brown butter through a fine sieve into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan.

Drain pasta and divide into two servings. Spread 1/4 cup of Mizithra over each pasta serving. Top with 1/4 cup of hot brown butter. Sprinkle chopped parsley and enjoy!

Watermelon Greek Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

I have been craving watermelon a lot...I mean A LOT, but it's still a little pricey over here. I bought a half of a watermelon instead and I just finally had to make this watermelon Greek-style salad. This is my take on Urban Solace's Greek salad they have in their menu during the summer. It is such and incredible salad and if you're ever in the 'hood, you should go to this restaurant and try it out. It's also one of the very few places that serves PBR!

You can use lightly toasted pine nuts, if you prefer, and raisins if you can't find currants. The vinaigrette makes about 1-1/2 cups, which you can use on other salads, and it also tastes good on grilled chicken or lamb.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

• 1 Tbsp. minced shallots
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar (I used fig-infused vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice (fresh squeezed)
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses (available at specialty stores or middle eastern markets)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup canola oil (I used 1/2 cup EVOO and 1/2 cup vegetable oil)

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients except oil in a blender and puree. Slowly add the oil to make a smooth vinaigrette.

Watermelon Greek Salad (makes one gigantic salad)

• 3 oz. baby spinach or mesclun mix
• 1/4 cup diced tomato
• 1/4 cup diced cucumber
• 2 Tbsp. currants
• 2 Tbsp. toasted pecans or pine nuts, chopped
• A few thin slices of red onion
• 1 cup watermelon, cubed
• 2 oz. crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup pomegranate vinaigrette, or more to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a salad bowl, pour half of the vinaigrette then add the rest of ingredients, except the pecans. Top with remaining vinaigrette then gently toss, making sure everything gets a little coating of the dressing. Serve the salad, and sprinkle the the toasted pecans.

Fried Veggies, Cretian Style

My husband is currently in Crete for work. I hope that I get to visit him there in the near future because Greek food is one my top 5 favorite foods of all time. I especially love how Greeks eat a lot of veggies and greens and fish, and rarely eat any meat. Of course they also drink wine like there's no tomorrow and rarely ever use butter...olive oil is the way of life there. So no wonder they live very long and healthy lives.

Matthew went out to the local market in Chania, Crete and he found a local vendor selling fresh cuttlefish and fried veggies. This is fried vegetable recipe is quite common in Greece and its islands, and as Matthew told me, "if all moms in the US cooked their vegetables this way, kids would eat them up!"

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4 as a side dish)

• 1 large zucchini, washed, trimmed, cut lengthwise into strips 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick
• 1 medium eggplant, trimmed, unpeeled, sliced into strips 1/8 to 3/16-inch thick
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• olive oil for frying
• 1/2 tablespoon of salt

Latholemono Sauce

• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons

Batter

• 8 ounces of bottled soda water
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

Prepare zucchini: Cut zucchini slices in half if they are long. Slices measuring about 3 inches long work best.

Prepare eggplant: Put slices in a bowl, salt, and let sit 20-25 minutes. Pour off liquid before dipping in batter.

Prepare cauliflower: Boil florets for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened. Shock in an ice water bath to cool and place in paper towels to remove excess water.

Make the batter: Pour the soda into a bowl, and stir in flour and salt slowly, using a whisk or fork to mix.

Fry: Bring oil to high heat (you want at least 2 to 3 inches of oil) . Coat zucchini, eggplant and cauliflower in the batter. Use a fork to place pieces in oil (do not overcrowd the pan; only fry a few pieces at a time). Fry until veggies golden on both sides and batter puffs up. Drain on absorbent paper toweling just long enough to remove excess oil.

Latholemono Sauce: In a small bowl or food processor, combine olive oil and lemon juice. Whisk or puree until fully blended. Serve veggies hot with lathelemono sauce.