After reading your post, I stood up and went over to the frig and lo and behold, there is the Island Teriyaki Sauce you mentioned on the door shelf. Yes, you are right, it really is very good. I was given a gift certificate to a small gourmet store in town and so that was one of the items I purchased just because the ingredients looked very good. I would then recommend their line of products as well.

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Life is not a child's game of follow the Leader. Instead, life is more about finding one's own purpose in life....your life's plan, and then making a positive difference on earth.

In NYC, Gristedes carries that line.

[barcann.livejournal.com]

And in CT, both Stew Leonards and Stop and Shop carry it.

It used to be a gourmet item but now Shaw's and Trader Joe's carry their products.


Contessa

A very simple but very refreshing one fr lunch...

For one person :

1 seedless cucumber
1 small plain yogurt (unsweeten!!!!)
3 table spoons of heavy cream
1 schallot
some fresh mint
salt and peper

Peel and cut the cucumber in half an inche cubes. Chop the shallot as well as the mint (but for the mint do not use a metal blade as it denature the taste of fresh herbs but a plastic knife instead...).
Mix the cucumber, the schallot and the fresh mint with the plain yogurt and the heavy cream, add salt and peper and reserve in the fridge for an hour. Serve very cold.

Kind Regards,
Philippe



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REFRIGERATOR PICKLES (like Bread & Butter)

Ingredients:

1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui), thinly sliced
2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, thinly sliced ( I use a Mandoline)
1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included)
1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (I've also used Splenda)

Slice onions & pickles. In another container mix the liquid ingredients w/sugar & spices. Taste the mixture to make sure it's what you like. Sometimes it may need more sugar or vinegar. Put sliced cukes in either jars or plastic containers. Pour liquid ingredients. Refrigerate 24 hours.
Makes delicious pickles!


Contessa

BTW....sometimes my daughter slices a few carrots and adds them. They're great!

Hi Philippe...for some reason I think I remember my Mom making this side dish.... does it have Mediterranean origins? I know that the Greeks use Cucumber sauce on their Gyros so I will assume this is as close as it can get to a side dish rather than a sauce. Yummmm...... thanks as it may bring back some memories...

[www.vrbo.com]

Life is not a child's game of follow the Leader. Instead, life is more about finding one's own purpose in life....your life's plan, and then making a positive difference on earth.

Well... you are right on! this is a "very" Mediterrannean recipe, and yes it originated in Greece before sliding toward Turkey and then Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, Israel, etc...). Not surprising then that yur Mom was making that dish.
It is soooooo simple, basic BUT soooo good!!!! I can't understand the recipes with 10 or 12 (15 or more...) ingredients! "Cuisine" is supposed to be simple and accessible to all. IMHO...!!! You can have very good dishes with only a couple of ingredients, basics ingredients....

Kind Regards,
Philippe



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Vicky -- Aegean memories! I'm going to have to try those keftedes.

OK, this is a tip rather than a recipe. To prevent chicken and port from drying out on the barbecue, soak the meat in brine for an hour beforehand.

Make a brine with 1 ltr (1 quart) of water and dissolve 6 tablespoons of table salt and the same quantity of sugar.
Put the chicken or port in a 4 litre/1 gallon ziplock bag and add the brine. Expel most of the air and close the bag and let it soak for an hour. Take the meat out of the brine, rinse it and pat it well dry. You can now coat it in any rub or paste of your choice and bang it on the grill. Even with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which taper off to one end, you won't dry out the meat.

Interesting take on tzatziki, Phillipe. I've never made it with cream, only yoghurt. Good Greek style yoghurt works best, I find.

Some great appetizers:

Cherry tomato and feta kebabs.
Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Cut feta into cubes about the same size as the tomatoes. Sandwich the feta between the tomato halves and thread onto a toothpick.
Add a small piece of basil to one end as the "leaf" of the tomato.

Asparagus and prosciutto.
Trim the asparagus and cut the prosciutto slices in half (to make shorter slices).
Wrap the prosciutto around the asparagus.
Fry in a some olive oil until the asparagus is crispy.

Olives and anchovies.
Wrap anchovy fillets around good quality calamata olives. Secure with a toothpick.

Actually the recipe I described originated in Greece (Tzatziki) but is in fact a libaneese variation called "Khiar bi laban ", and is normally made with "Laban" which is not really a yogurt, but a bit more creamy. Since it is not available in USA and rarely here in sxm (or even in France) we are used to mix a yogurt with a little bit of heavy cream to get almost the same effect. In Lebanon, some people add some raisins to the cucumber salade. Another variation of the "Khiar bi laban " is to replace the mint with Dill and Chives both together and add a little bit of Paprika.

Kind Regards,
Philippe



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They sell Laban in Astoria, New York and ATlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, home to many Greeks and Middle Easterns.

My favorite thread!

What's a picnic without deviled eggs? This recipe puts the 'devil' back in 'deviled'!


Real Deviled Eggs

6 eggs, hard boiled, cooled, and peeled
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
Hot pepper sauce to taste
Paprika
Salt and pepper
2 chopped jalapeno peppers

Radichio leaves, for garnish
3 parsley sprigs, for garnish

Place the cooked egg yolks in a bowl. Using a fork, work the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, chives, and salt and pepper into the yolks to form a smooth paste. Taste. Place 1/2 of this mixture in a small pastry bag with a large star tip. Fill the egg halves with the basic filling.If you can't master a pastry bag just fill with a spoon. Top with paprika. Place on a platter on the radicchio leaves, and parsley sprigs.


Contessa