Greek Chicken Thighs with Pomegranate-Olive Salsa

While the whole act of making a meal is an exciting adventure, for me, I could boil it all down to three distinct moments that are my favorite. The first of my favorite moments occurs before I even pick up my knife to get started. I'll lay out all of the ingredients that I plan to use and place them on the counter before staring them down, thinking about each one. I'll imagine how every ingredient tastes. Then I'll consider their smell, color and texture and think about what the completed dish will be like. I'll make changes. I'll put some items away while bringing out new components to add new elements to a dish. To me, this is where the fun's at. This is where all the creativity lies and it's the start of something. 

My second favorite moment lies in the execution of a dish. The rhythmic tap of the knife hitting the cutting board. The opening and shutting of the oven door, the sharp flick of the wrist as it shakes a saute pan and the whole rush of excitement that goes along with timing everything to ensure that it all gets cooked to the proper temperature and to the desired level of doneness. It is here that the rest of the world can seem to disappear and I'm in my own world, focused on doing what I love best.

My third favorite moment of the cooking process is the right after every element of the dish is completed and it's time to plate the meal. I get personal satisfaction out of taking extra effort and care to spoon things onto a plate and arrange it just so. Then, of course, there's no satisfaction quite like taking a group of ingredients and transforming them into something deliciously beautiful that when it gets presented, you can see on people's faces that they are content. You can see their expressions soften and maybe even a little smile flicker across their face as they take that first bite and that's what makes this all worthwhile. 

Below is a recipe for my Mediterranean inspired roast chicken thighs, complete with a Pomegranate - Olive Salsa and served with fresh roasted asparagus. This is a perfect meal for a nice pre-summer night. It's light, fresh and satisfying. The salsa seems to pop with bright flavors of citrus juice, roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs. It's balanced by the sweet brinyness of the crushed Kalamata olives and the tart Pomegranate seeds. This meal isn't complicated or time consuming but yields delicious results and plenty of opportunities to savor the art of cooking.

Greek Chicken Thighs with Pomegranate-Olive Salsa

For the chicken:

- 4 Chicken thighs

- 1 Meyer lemon, zested and juices reserved

- 2 TBS Dijon mustard

- Splash of red wine vinegar

- 3 TBS fresh mint

- 1 TBS fresh rosemary

- 1 TBS fresh oregano

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- Asparagus spears, trimmed and cleaned

- Pomegranate - Olive Salsa (recipe below)

Set aside chicken in a shallow baking dish. Combine the rest of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and combine until a thick sauce is created. Spoon over chicken and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a 400 degree oven until chicken is cooked through. To crisp up the chicken skin and to heat the asparagus, for the last couple of minutes of cooking, switch the oven to broil and add the asparagus spears with the chicken. Broil until skin is crisp and the asparagus is cooked through. Top with Pomegranate - Olive Salsa and serve immediately. 

Pomegranate - Olive Salsa

- The seeds from one Pomegranate 

- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped

- 2 TBS fresh mint, finely chopped

- 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

- 1/2 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

- 1 clove garlic, finely minced

- 1 pint cherry tomatoes

- 2 TBS olive oil, plus more for drizzling

- Salt and Pepper to taste

Roast the tomatoes in a drizzle of olive oil at 350 until they become very tender and start to get jammy. Once cooled, roughly chop them.

In a small bowl, combine the olives, mint, rosemary, oregano, garlic and chopped roasted tomatoes. Mix thoroughly and add olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Saturday Night Greek Dinner...Opa!

It's always nice when food brings people together, giving a purpose and making an occasion out of any gathering.  To me, there is no purer pleasure than the feeling I get when I make people happy through food.  Last night, my good friend Sara invited me take over her kitchen so that I could make dinner for her, her husband Anil and our friend Aisha.  Now that is an offer I simply couldn't refuse.

Sara just had a baby, Maya, and is magnificently mastering motherhood.  Every once in a while, I like to head over to her place and help out by making dinner and give her and Anil a nice change of pace.  With Saturday being such a beautiful day, we were all craving a dinner chock full of vegetables.  I thought Greek food would be a great way to go.  To me, Greek food is synonymous with that warm happy weather that you get right before summer comes into full swing.  

I started by making a simple lemon, basil and oregano marinade for chicken breasts and the skewered it in between colorful peppers, onions and mushrooms.  I also made a side of tzatziki (Greek yogurt and cucumber dip) to pour over the kebabs.  Next, I created a simple Greek peasant salad from tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumbers and slivered red onions.  I dressed the vegetables with a little red wine vinegar, oregano, pepper and then topped it off with feta cheese.  

As a last minute addition, I made what I am now calling "lazy spanikopita" which was sauted spinach tossed in a little bit of chicken broth, olive oil and some feta and served atop toasted garlic-rubbed baguette slices.  It had all the flavors of spanikopita without the hassle of messing around with phyllo dough.  It was a great way to round out the meal.

While I took to the kitchen to get started on dinner, Sara was able to take a break and got some things done around the apartment.  I was lucky enough to have the help from Sous Chef Maya who supplied gurgles and giggles as I chopped away.  We even took a break from our kitchen work to play an exciting game of peek-a-boo.  Isn't she seriously one of the cutest babies you've ever seen?

After Maya went to bed, the four of us tore into dinner while watching the Celtics win (woohoo!).  The dinner was so good.  Very fresh and completely satisfying.  We ended up finishing everything!

BUT, still left room for dessert, which was fresh berries sandwiched between slices of angel food cake and then smothered with Cool Whip.  This was always a summer staple in my house growing up and it was the perfect ending to an excellent evening.

Steve's Greek Restaurant

You don't go to Steve's for the atmosphere, unless of course you can secure one of three tables that overlooks Newbury Street and then you can people watch.  You also don't go to Steve's for the service.  It has never been outstanding.  What you got to Steve's for is some honest to goodness homemade traditional Greek food.

Situated on the corner of Boston's famed Newbury Street and Hereford Street, (and another location in Faneuil Hall) this place has been serving up great Greek dishes for quite some time now.  I've been a longtime fan of Steve's (and have converted half of my office to be as well) and although I have been here several times, I rarely veer away from my usual.  They make some of the best tzatziki around.  Loaded with dill and creamy from the thick Greek yogurt and served with some fresh pita bread, it's the perfect little snack. I've always followed up my tzatziki with a big bowl of their Avgolemono (lemon, chicken and rice) soup.  However, on this particular visit to Steve's, I found myself drawn to their Spinach pie lunch special and couldn't pass it up.  There is something so wonderful about spinach and feta encased in a crispy phyllo shell.  When you bite in, you get the crunch from the phyllo followed by the smooth creamy spinach, egg and feta combination.  It's just delicious.

Next time you have a hankering for some traditional Greek food, head on over to Steve's and ask for a table by the window.  You won't be sorry.

Vlora Mediterranean Restaurant: A Little Slice of Europe on Boylston

I don't know why this place seems to be located in some sort of black hole on Boylston that most people haven't heard of, even though they may walk right past it daily.  With outstandingly fresh Mediterranean fare to include perfectly seasoned chicken kebabs, fantastic salads, large portions of sandwiches to name a few, Vlora (http://www.vloraboston.com/) makes healthy and fresh eating relaxing and fun.  The best part, when you sit down in one of their plush, high-backed white leather chairs, a waiter immediately brings over some still piping hot rolls and a little dish of lemon olive oil for dipping (Oh olive oil, I love you).  As an added bonus, this place is one of the best bargains there is.  A quick stop for lunch at Au Bon Pain is more expensive and you certainly don't get the refreshing atmosphere there.  It is one of life's mysteries, why isn't this place filled to the brim everyday?  They even have prime outdoor seating real estate, which is a hot commodity in Beantown once spring and summer weather really settles in.


Truth be told, I have not been here for dinner (yet) but I have peeked at the wine list and it's an impressive one.  I think one of the things that I like most about this location is how versatile it is.  You could go for a happy hour after work and sit at their sleek bar (they even have happy hour appetizer specials, score!) or you could spend the afternoon there by yourself, getting lost in a book.  At night, the lights are dim and this sunny place is transformed into an ideal Boston date destination.  With endless possibilities, delicious food, excellent service and very reasonable prices, do yourself a favor and make a point to pay Vlora a visit.  

A Little On The Lighter Side: Greek Salad

After a carefree weekend full of my dietary needs not being top priority (it started with Thursday's mac and cheese at the Publick House and went downhill from there..) I was left feeling sluggish and craving something fresh and nutritionally sound. It feels like I've been trying to get in all the cold weather comfort food I can before spring ushers in a new crop of fresh vegetables and naturally lighter meals.   So today I made simple salad that I guess you could classify as some sort of Mediterranean fare.  Along with my salad, I served a whole wheat pita that I toasted up and brushed with a little extra virgin olive oil and then topped with za'atar, which is a blend of sumac, thyme, sesame seeds and salt.  Za'atar is just something a little different that just switches things up a bit and keeps things interesting.  The sesame seeds also give off a subtle little crunch that is a great compliment to the chewy pita bread.  This step of course is optional and if you can't find this spice blend, you could just oregano and sea salt to top your pita bread.

Salads sometimes have the reputation for being lame and boring but I find that if you add new flavors and textures to it, it suddenly becomes a little more interesting.  I like to try various lettuces, fruits, vegetables and toppings to make it different every time.  Really, the options are endless.  Salads are also a great way to use up leftover ingredients and they are a great choice for workday lunches because they travel well.  Just buy some plastic containers and don't dress the salad until just before serving otherwise it will get soggy.

Tzatziki With Homemade Pita Chips

In light of tomorrow's impending frenzy of buffalo wings, nachos, chilis and pizzas, I thought I'd share my recipe for one of my favorite snacks.  Today's dish might not be a frequent visitor to the super bowl snack table, but it is guaranteed to help shake things up a little, providing a lighter and refreshing fare to help balance the regular heavier hitters of the day.

Tzatziki (pronounced tsah-ZEE-kee) is a yogurt based dip that is Greek in origin and can be used either as a dip for pita chips or as a sauce for other Greek dishes like kabobs, gyros, or souvlaki.  A combination of thick Greek yogurt, thinly shredded cucumbers and garlic, punched up by fresh lemon, it's so refreshing and perfect to munch on during game time.  Another bonus, it's so super easy to make and you can make it up a day or two in advance.  Just keep it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.  I recommend serving this dip with fresh made pita chips.  You can always buy a bag of pita chips as well but nothing beats a still warm and crunchy pita chip dunked into a cool tzatziki dip, especially since it is so very easy to make and very inexpensive.  Plus, homemade anything is always way more impressive than anything store bought. 

Simply put, this little snack is delicious and so super easy.  You might find yourself making it again (and again, and again...). 

Avgolemono Soup

I'm not 100% sure how to correctly pronounce the name of this soup, but man is it good! Back in my Small Boston Kitchen today I was looking for something comforting to ward off the cold that I can feel coming on (thank you ever changing Boston weather; almost 50 degrees one day and freezing cold and snowing the next.) I wanted something super simple to make but also felt the urge to try something new. That's when this soup came to mind.

I remember the first time I had Avgolemono soup. I was at Steve's on Newbury Street (one of the best Greek restaurants I've ever been to) and it was love at first bite. There really isn't much to this soup, it's a chicken based soup with lemon and dill. But the real magic starts to happen when you temper in 2 eggs. (Tempering is the art of slowly introducing eggs to a hot substance in a special way so that you don't end up with scrambled eggs floating around in your soup.) The addition of egg transforms the soup to a rich and velvety consistency and the addition of fresh squeezed lemon make this soup the perfect thing to make on a day when you aren't feeling your best. I even made this already easy soup a little easier by using a store bought, already cooked chicken and a box of chicken broth. Traditionally, this soup is made with rice but I prefer to use orzo (a rice shaped pasta). Actual cooking time total was approximately 30 minutes and this recipe provides about four bowls of this hard to pronounce, but very delicious Greek soup. Serve with a side of warm pita bread for dipping.

Avgolemono Soup

- 1 32 oz. box of chicken stock

- About 1-1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced

- 2 eggs (brought to room temperature)

- About 1 tsp dry dill

- A couple pinches of oregano

- The juice from two lemons

- Salt and pepper to taste

- About a cup of cooked orzo (or rice)

Put chicken into a soup pot and add chicken broth, dill, oregano and the juice of the lemons. Put the lid on a heat the soup for about 10-15 minutes on medium low heat. In a small bowl, crack the eggs and whisk them together until they combine. To temper the eggs, continuously mix them with one hand while slowly adding a ladle full of the hot soup with the other hand. Mix for a couple of seconds. Slowly add another ladle full of soup to the egg mixture while continuously whisking the eggs. At this point, the eggs should be warmer but there should not be any bits of scrambled egg. Slowly add the egg mixture to the soup pot while continuously stirring the soup. You should immediately feel the soup start to thicken a bit. Put the cover on the soup and let it cook for at least another 10-15 minutes on low heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and add the orzo to the bowls. Serve immediately with fresh pita bread for dipping.