I never used to like Greek food. I think it was more of an exposure thing than anything else (like with Indian food). Living in a small town, dining out didn't give too many options (but, as I talked about before in a previous post, we did at least have a couple of good Chinese restaurants to choose from). It was not a type of food that my mom made, and in my teens, there were still a few foods that I would not willingly eat (fresh tomato, raw onions, raw bell peppers, plain yogurt...mostly the fixings for a Greek salad). Now, I'm all about fresh tomato and raw bell peppers, and I might eat the occasional raw onion (if it's in small amounts). I also love having plain yogurt with fruit and granola for my breakfast, and I enjoy having yogurt-based dips. I think the first time I tried Greek food was while in university, and in all likelihood, it was at a Greek restaurant in a foodcourt.
The item that I tend to order? Lamb souvlaki. I've ventured into the occasional spanokopita (ah, spinach, another food that I've slowly embraced), but I somehow always order lamb souvlaki, be it a fast food place or a sit-down restaurant. I love lamb, and I've found that the lamb takes best to the different flavors for souvlaki (but that could just be my own bias for lamb). I think it may have something to do with the gaminess of the meat. Most of the time, the souvlaki is accompanied by lemon potatoes, rice, greek salad, yogurt & cucumbers, and pitas. You get your money's worth, that is for certain! I really enjoy the fresh pitas that come with the souvlaki, which are NOT the pita pockets that you can get in the grocery store. No, these are crisp on the outside with the help of parmesan, oil and garlic, and light and fluffy on the inside. Top it with the cucumbers and yogurt? Yum!
When hubby and I got our BBQ a couple of years ago, I had bought him Chris Knight's The Complete Licence to Grill book for his birthday. While Knight's show was still on the Food Network, we both really enjoyed his show, as he would do some pretty unique dishes for the BBQ that were relatively easy to pull off. I only ever pull out recipes from his book during the spring and summer, but we've tried quite a few recipes from it since we got the book. When I discovered his lamb souvlaki recipe, I was completely thrilled. Especially once I saw how easy it was to prepare. :) Most of his recipes call for the meat to be marinated for a long time, ensuring flavorful meat. We've only made it once before, so I'm pretty stoked to have it tomorrow for Sunday dinner.
Here is the meal plan for the upcoming week. Just one new recipe (as two are brand-new, with potential for changes to be made), but I'm also including a new cupcake recipe (the baking bug has definitely bit me gud). Happy cooking all!
Oh...and GO CANUCKS GO!!!
May 1-6
Sunday: Lamb souvlaki, cucumbers with yogurt, pitas
Monday: Chicken Enchiladas (new recipe)
Tuesday: Frozen leftover lasagne
Wednesday: Best-Ever Mac & Cheese
Thursday: Smoky pork calzones
Friday: Salisbury steak (new recipe), mashed potatoes