I love to mess with traditional Greek ingredients updating the presentation to a more contemporary dish.  I call this Greek Chic (because it sort of rhymes and because you could also mispronounce it and call Greek Chick, which also works).

We had some friends over for lunch on Sunday, and I felt like messing with some filo.  Anything put in filo is called “pita”.  Spanakopita means spinach “pita”, or pie.  I never like using pie because pie means something else completely to me.  But I understand how “pita” can be confused with the flat bread of the Middle East by the same name.  In any case, since this pita has meat in it which would make it Kreatopita…but you can just call it Lamb Filo.  I made a filling of ground beef, ground lamb, and sautéed zucchini and peppers.  This was rolled filo brushed with melted butter and baked until the filo is golden.  I served them with an orange, rosemary yogurt sauce.

Since the pastries are substantial I thought a salad would be the best side dish.  Right now our markets are filled with persimmon’s and pomegranates, both fruits grow in Greece so creating a salad with them kept with my theme.  I dressed the salad with a lemony vinaigrette and topped the salad with toasted almonds and shaved kefalograviera cheese.  The salad was crunchy, refreshing, and beautiful to look at.

Since I had baked some Greek cookies (soon these cookies will be available to purchase from DorothyEatsGreek) I thought it would be fun to play on the traditional Greek coffee and cookies by making a Frappe Granita (Iced Greek coffee) to serve with the cookies.   In Greece Frappe is served all over, this is an iced coffee traditionally made with instant Nescafe and canned milk, it’s then processed with ice and is very refreshing.  Many Greek festivals offer it.  I decided to take this beverage one step further and make it a dessert.

This is a whimsical menu, it’s Greek but no quite.  It’s second generation Greek…like me.

Lamb Filo

1 T olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground lamb

1 t salt

½ t ground cumin

Pepper to taste

1 T tomato paste

½ C red wine

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 zucchini, cut into small cubes

1 t dried oregano

1 cube butter, melted

1 pound filo, room temperature

 

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and add the beef and lamb.  Add the salt, cumin, and pepper and brown the meet.  Pour off any fat, add the tomato paste and red wine and simmer until the wine has evaporated.  Remove meat to a bowl.  Return the pan to the heat, add the 2T olive oil and sautee the onion and garlic until soft, add the red bell pepper and zucchini and sautee until the vegetables are cooked and beginning to brown.  Place the cooked vegetables with the meat, add the oregano and mix well.  Allow to cool slightly before rolling the filo.  If you try and roll hot meat in the filo the filo will tear and soften so that you can’t roll it easily.

 

When ready to roll heat the oven to 375.  Brush a sheet of filo with melted butter, top with another sheet of filo and brush it as well.  Place about ¾ C meat mixture at one end of the filo and fold the two ends of the filo in and roll it like you would a burrito.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, once all the filling has been rolled brush the rolls with butter and place in a preheated oven and bake 35-45 minutes or until the filo is golden brown.   Serve the filo immediately with the yogurt sauce.  Serves 6

 

Yogurt Sauce

 

½ C plain Greek yogurt

1 T orange zest

1 T olive oil (or orange olive oil if it’s available in your area)

Pinch dried rosemary leaves, crush the leaves slightly in your palm

2 t honey

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Serve a dollop on each filo.

 

Makes about ¾ C

 

Spinach with Persimmons, Pomegranate, and Kefalograviera Cheese

 

1 bag washed spinach

1 Japanese persimmon, cut in quarters and sliced

1/3 C pomegranate seeds

1/3 C toasted slivered almonds

2 oz. Kefalograviera (ricotta salata or similar cheese will do), shaved

 

Dressing

 

Zest and juice of one lemon

1 T lemon olive oil (if you have it-it’s fine if you don’t)

1/3 C olive oil

½ a shallot minced

1 T honey

Salt and pepper to taste

 

In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth. Place the spinach, persimmon, and pomegranate in a large bowl.  Add enough dressing to just coat the leaves.  Arrange the salad in a serving bowl and top with toasted almonds and shaved cheese.

 

Serves 6

 

Frappe Granita

 

3 C brewed strong coffee

1/3 C sweetened condensed milk

1 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise

 

Combine the coffee, condensed milk, and vanilla bean and stir until all the condensed milk has dissolved.  Taste for sweetness, adding more condensed milk if you think it needs it.  Allow the mixture to cool completely in the fridge.  Remove the vanilla bean and pour the coffee into a shallow dish and place in the freezer.  After about two hours take the granite out of the freezer and use a fork to break up the ice crystals.  Granita has an almost snow cone like texture.  Return to the freezer and repeat the breaking up process with a fork until the whole dish is icy and fluffy.  Return to the freezer until ready to serve.

 

To serve spoon into individual serving dishes and garnish with honey whipped cream (cream, honey, and a touch of vanilla whipped to soft peaks) and cinnamon if desired.