Greek Feta and Zuchini balls (Kolokithokeftedes)

This is a tasty dish to make in the summer months when there is always a plentiful supply of Zucchini. On our little Island, it is not unusual to have these left on your doorstep on account of everyone being sick of them. I love them fried, grilled and grated into all sorts of breads and muffins. This is my favorite.

Seed the Zuchini (Courgette)using a teaspoon as a scoop then grate the flesh into a bowl. Salt the flesh for about 30 mnts to draw out the liquid and then press in a colander using the bottom of a bowl.

Add crumbled Feta, Chopped Mint and Oregano and season with Black Pepper.  Add some Paprika or Cayenne if you want these to be a bit spicy.

Add sufficient plain flour (abt Tbsp) to the bowl and mix until you can make a ball with the mixture and it stays in shape.

Heat Vegetable oil in a pan, deep enough to coat the balls in hot oil (360F,180C). Fry in small batches so the oil doesn't cool too much.  No one likes soggy balls (ooh er!!), least of all me, so dusting them in cornflour before frying helps them get lovely and crispy.

Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray on a paper towel.

They can be kept in the oven on a warm/low heat while the next batch is made.

Serve with a Yoghurt and Mint sauce or Tzatziki if you prefer, finish with a squeeze of lemon.

The wonders of frozen pastry

I have been doing a lot of party catering recently, and one of my favorite standby, easy peasy treats, is to buy small sheets of frozen puff pastry and make things like this;

Cherry Tomato and Dijon Tarts 

So my last trip to cash and carry taught me one very valuable lesson. Don't go shopping without your glasses, or you could end up with these instead;

As you can see, the sheets are just a wee bit bigger.
Of course, you could just cut them into smaller squares, or you could alter your project, which is what I did.

 I smeared a generous layer of Dijon Mustard over the bottom pastry sheet, together with a layer of sliced onions, and then added ham slices cut off the bone.

On top of that, I added a layer of Feta, just because that's what was in the fridge, but you could use any cheese really.

You could add any herbs you like at this point, but it doesn't really need it. Coarse pepper is always nice in these dishes, so go ahead and sprinkle.
Cover with a second layer of pastry, prick, crimp and egg wash, (sounds like a firm of solicitors) and pop into an oven for 30 minutes or so, at 350 degrees.

 Remove when nicely golden brown and cut into slices when it is cool. I did take a photo of the sliced pie, but before I got round to opening it and discovering it was out of focus, the pie had all gone.
It was SOOOO good.

Edamame, Mint and Feta Bruschetta

I was contacted last week to cater for a party here on Vashon, so I thought I'd show you a couple of items on the menu. The one detailed here is a Bruschetta of Edamame, Mint  and Feta. It is quick and easy, and very tasty.
All you need for the topping is a packet of frozen Edamame, an 8 oz packet of Feta, a handful of garden mint, a couple of tablespoons of walnut oil and some lemon juice to give it a citrus tang. Oh, also some salt and black pepper. Careful with the salt though, as the Feta can be salty enough.

Pop the Edamame into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until you break up the Edamame into popcorn size pieces.

Add half of the crumbled Feta, lemon juice, walnut oil, mint and S&P then pulse again unti combined. It should still be visible as individual items and not a pulp.

Cut a day old baguette (if you can find one in the mark down section, otherwise use fresh) into thin diagonal slices, toast on both sides until golden brown round the edges, then set aside to cool.

One this is done, start piling the minty green Edamame mixture onto the toast, patting it down lightly before adding the larger crumbled pieces of Feta. I added a couple of thin slivers of shallot onto the top before arranging them on a platter.

This mixture makes about 20 Bruschetta, and won't last 5 minutes on the table.

I also made some Cherry Tomato, Thyme and Dijon tartlettes (shown below). I'll have to blog these at a later date as I am up to my arse in house re-modeling, drywall dust and rusty nails. Oh the joys of working from home.

Bye for now.