Neer Dosas

Dosa-Do
The world of bread in India is an unending rabbit hole of textures, flavors, and preparations. Seriously. You could fill an entire year just working your way through them all. It’s a journey I would be happy to take.

Some breads you no doubt have heard of like naan and chapati. But, there are plenty of lesser-known regional varieties like litti that are hard to find locally.

Unlike the bread baskets on the tables of restaurants in the US, Indian breads are an important part of the meal, not just a filling accompaniment. Forget forks, Indian breads are usually how you get those flavors to your mouth.

While I would never refuse a fresh and piping-hot piece of naan, I do like to seek out other options when I can. My favorite non-naan? That would be a tie between chapati and dosas. But, puri are great too.

Dosas are very thin South Indian pancakes that are similar to crepes and are most commonly served with chutneys and Indian pickles as a snack. They are a favorite of mine both for their flavor and because they are a fantastic vessel for tasty vegetable tidbits, sauces, and even soups. The issue with dosas is that there are plenty of ways to make them, adding another level to that rabbit hole.

I recommend starting with the most basic version when trying something new at home. While the most familiar dosa batter is made from rice and lentils that have been fermented, a Neer Dosa is made from only 3 ingredients and is not fermented at all. This makes it much lower maintenance and a great place to start—because making dosas can take a little time and practice to get them right.

Just like their better-known cousin, neer dosas should be served with a wide variety of chutneys and pickled veggies.

Neer Dosas Recipe
Yields about 8 dosas Read more…

Greek Meatball Sheet Pan Dinner

Bowl Me Over
I am a huge fan of weeknight sheet pan dinners. I used to love them because when the kids were all home it was a fast and easy way to cook dinner. And, knew that they were eating real food. Now I love them because, after twenty-five-plus years, I have dinner-making fatigue. And, sheet pan dinners mean easy clean up. But, I have recently been combining that love with another love, bowls.

Bowls are great. Especially when it seems weird to eat at the dinner table because it is just the two of you. Bowls make eating dinner on the couch in front of Jeopardy! So much easier. (It’s not as tragic as it sounds. We don’t do that every night.)

The recipe below is a new addition to my Bowl Rotation. I love the bright flavors. Reminds me that Spring has, in fact, sprung!

Greek Meatball Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Yields 6 servings

This Greek Meatball Sheet Pan Dinner is served with sweet potato fries and lots of Tzatziki sauce. Combine all this in a bowl with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and a tasty olive and feta dressing. Serve this easy dinner with fresh pitas bread for a meal that hits the spot! Read more…

Amy’s Tzatziki

Spin Cycle
My sister’s washing machine blew up a few weeks ago, which is never good. Besides the inconvenience of not being able to wash your clothes, she now has to deal with getting the repair person out, having them figure out what’s going on, and all the rest of the hassle. The good news is that she lives five minutes from me which is so much better than the laundromat. And, it is why we found ourselves having a throwback Sunday family dinner while she did a few loads of laundry.

Growing up, Sunday nights meant dinner at my grandmother’s house—which I loved and hated at the same time. I loved having dinner with my grandparents because the food was fantastic. But, I almost always was dragged kicking and screaming. I didn’t want to stop playing out in front of our house with my friends, not to mention having to shower and put on decent clothes.

Anyway, when I got the call from my sister asking to use my washing machine, I immediately started planning for a Sunday dinner a la Gammy which meant some sort of roasted beast. I opted for a leg of lamb. Now, a leg of lamb isn’t cheap. And, normally it wouldn’t be my first choice. But, I had ulterior motives.

I knew that a leg of lamb would be too much for the number of people eating. But, I also knew that the leftovers would be great the next night wrapped in warm pita bread with tomatoes, sliced onions, and one of my favorite things in the whole world, tzatziki.

I love tzatziki and have been known to have just that with some fresh pita slices for dinner. You can buy pre-made tzatziki from the store and it will be tasty. But, it is so worth the minor effort it takes to make it fresh. Plus you have the opportunity to customize it to your liking. I go pretty heavy on the garlic. Thankfully, my husband likes it that way too. Otherwise, we would be sleeping in different bedrooms because of lingering garlic breath…

Amy’s Tzatziki recipe is good on so many things like lamb meatballs, kababs, and sandwiches. Use it as a veggie dip or chip dip. Any way you can think of to get some in your mouth will work. Bonus…because it’s made with yogurt, tzatziki is pretty good for you, too.

Amy’s Tzatziki Recipe
Yields 4 to 6 servings

Tzatziki is a creamy cucumber yogurt dip or sauce made from simple ingredients that are both tangy and garlicky. It is made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, lemon, and sometimes fresh herbs. A full-fat Greek yogurt works well in this quick-to-prepare recipe. Read more…

Fish a la Spetsiota

It’s Greek To Me
If you ever feel like you’re in a cooking rut, take a Saturday and go through your cookbooks. As you weed out the ones to be donated, you will discover books you forgot you had. The ones you loved at one time but since have languished on the shelf are desperate to see the light of day.

This was me last Saturday.

Because my love of cookbooks (read: addiction) exceeds the amount of room I have to store them, it became necessary for me to cull the herd, as it were. Some books were easy to remove. Those were the books I acquired as editorial copies during my Barnes and Noble days and frankly never really used.

Then there were the books you never get rid of even if you don’t use them on a weekly basis. The Art of French Cooking (my grandmother’s copy) for example or The Joy of Cooking. Anything by James Beard or the 1941 copy of The Escoffier Cookbook (also my grandmothers…you get the gist).

The hardest decisions were made with the regional cooking books. I was shocked to note that I have just as many Cajun/Louisiana cookbooks as I do Mexican cookbooks, and I have a lot of Mexican cookbooks. I couldn’t bring myself to part with any of those. There were a few French ones that I just didn’t really need anymore but France is still well represented as are Spain and Italy. I was surprised, given the fact that I love the cuisine, that I didn’t have a wide selection of Greek cookbooks. I have a number of Mediterranean cookbooks but only a few that are specifically Greek.

One of the books I do have is The Glorious Foods of Greece by Diane Kochilas. It is a fantastically comprehensive collection of recipes from across all of Greece and its many islands. I recommend it highly. Diane Kochilas is an authority on Greek and Greek American cooking and her books are a must-have for any well-rounded library.

Apparently, I need to do a little work on my well-rounded library….

Maybe it’s because spring is right around the corner or maybe it’s because it’s been a while, but after my spring book cleaning I find myself with Greek food on the brain. The bright fresh flavor of lemons, olives, and olive oil are calling to me in a big way. But first, I need another Greek cookbook or two…I wouldn’t want all that new shelf space to go to waste….

Fish a la Spetsiota
Adapted from Diane Kochilas
Yields 4 Servings

This classic Greek Fish a la Spetsiota recipe comes from the island of Spetses off the eastern coast of the Peloponnese. This dish has many versions and this simple one is a favorite. Read more…