Although I am a GRIT for sure (Girls Raised in the South), I am not a ginormous fan of Southern cooking. I can't love all my veggies cooked to death. Also, pork fat just is not my friend. (Sorry, Emeril...) So anyways, although it is traditional in these parts to eat greens & black-eyed peas for New Year's for good luck, we just really can't like it.
So, we made our own tradition three or four years ago. We make black-eyed pea & spinach pizza.
Very simple, really. It started with using a store bought pizza crust several years ago, but nowadays we make our own, which is more cost effective AND healthier. Check out my recipe for pizza crust here if you want to make your own. I try to use homemade pizza sauce when possible also, but that doesn't always happen. This year we used store-bought. Once we layer the crust with sauce, we added spinach, black-eyed peas, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, and more mozzarella cheese.
The secret I learned this year is (duh!) to cook up dried black-eyed peas instead of using canned. Over the last year I have learned that dried beans and peas are ALWAYS better than canned or frozen. People say it takes more time and planning, but it's worth it. To make it easy-peasy, soak the night before. The next morning, rinse and throw in the crockpot on low. That's all.
Anyway, the finished product... Or half-finished... it disappeared too quickly (as food often does around my house) to get a proper pic.
I don't know exactly how I've managed to get behind on blogging except that the holidays, were, well, holidays. Busy, busy, busy!
But Saturday night my husband and I went on our first date night in six months or so. We had a gift card to Taverna Plaka that was due to expire the 25th of this month. We had been putting off going because they have waiters dancing on tables, belly dancers, plate throwing, etc., etc. and wanted to have time for that. But we went anyway, and forget the spectacle-- the food alone was worth the 20+ mile trek into the city over icy streets! I don't know how I manage to forget that I love Greek food... and so, inspiration hit me. Unfortunately, I couldn't begin to duplicate Taverna Plaka's expertise, but I did a bit of my own Greekish-style cuisine last night and the family was supremely happy.
Greek Style Lemon Lamb 3 lb. Lamb Stew Meat 1/2 onion, diced 2 tbsp. minced garlic 1 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1 can tomato sauce 1 cup spinach 1 tbsp. lemon zest 1 large can black olives 1 whole lemon 2-3 cups of water 1 tbsp. capers
Throw the lamb meat, onion, spinach, and tomato sauce into a crock pot. Add the can of olives, juices and all, along with the salt, garlic, black pepper, capers, and water. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze the lemon as much as you can into the crock pot. Cook in the crock pot on low for about 5 1/2 hours. Keep on warm until ready to serve.
The lemon juice tenderized the meat tons, and made it very flavorful. Serve with pita bread. I didn't have any, so I served with wheat tortillas, and also a side green salad with feta cheese and cucumbers.
Lemon Vinagrette Couscous I wanted a couscous recipe to stand up the the flavorful lamb, and I am not always the best at imparting a great flavor. I found a great recipe from Bobby Flay and changed it up a bit to suit my purpose.
I started with Trader Joe's whole wheat couscous, so I just boiled water, salt, and olive oil, then added a cup of couscous and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Once this was done, I fluffed ( just stir it up with a fork) and added diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions. I then stirred in a homemade lemon vinagrette (my changes to the recipe are starred):
Lemon-Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/4 small onion, minced*
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Whisk onion, juice, zest, vinegars, and salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified.
The verdict on the couscous?? Everyone from the 11 month-old boy to the 30 year-old boy liked it. Tehe...
Or half-finished... it disappeared too quickly (as food often does around my house) to get a proper pic.
