Stubborn

Stubborn. Pig-headed. Bull-headed. Hard-headed. Strong-minded.


I've heard 'em all.
They've been directed at me.


I know, I know. You don't believe it. You're asking, "How can that possibly be?" Oh, it be, baby. It be.


Let me confess something to you. If you give me a recipe for lasagna or meatballs, I'll thank you for thinking of me. But the chances of me making that recipe are very slim. I've been making "mine" for almost 20 years. They are much like my mom's and it's hard for me to be swayed from what I grew up with. Same thing with standard potato salad. I make my mother-in-law's, which was her mother's method.


Maybe it's not exactly being stubborn. Maybe it's more that I'm loyal to my family. Yeah. Let's go with that.


So I shocked the hell out of myself recently by making pita bread.

The shocking part wasn't that I made pita, it was that I used a different recipe. I've used this one recipe for almost 10 years. We love the way the pita bread turns out. I love that the recipe is so agreeable, telling me so sweetly that if I don't have olive oil, I can use melted butter, or a list of other fats. Kindly letting me know that if I don't have honey, sugar is just fine and dandy.


It's flexible, bending. So unlike me that I can't help but be drawn in.


But I've also been drawn in to my Tessa Kiros cookbook: Food From Many Greek Kitchens. So drawn in, impressed with everything I've tried so far, that my stubborn loyalty dissolved.


And here's the lesson. You knew there'd be one. Why all this yammering otherwise?


Tessa Kiros' pita bread was THE best pita I've made or had. It was fluffy and chewy. Perfect texture.


It has me thinking that maybe adding pepperoni to my lasagna like K does, or using half Italian sausage/half ground beef like C does may not be so terrible. Maybe my loyalty won't be questioned. Maybe the word "mule" won't be tossed my way.


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Along with the fabulous pita bread, we had Tessa Kiros' Baked Feta. This may be one of the best appetizers I've ever eaten.  In fact, I didn't eat it as an app; I made it my lunch.

I probably won't be trying any other versions. 

pretty even before baking--would be great for Christmas

Linking these recipes with:
Food On Friday: Snacks & Treats @ Carole's Chatter
I Heart Cooking Clubs-November Potluck
Tuesdays at the Table @ All The Small Stuff
Tasty Tuesday @ Naptime Creations
Bake With Bizzy @ Bizzy Bakes
Let's Do Brunch @ The 21st Century Housewife
Hearth and Soul vol 73 @ Mom's Sunday Cafe
Tuesdays Tasty Tidbits @ Permanent Posies
What's Cooking Thursdays @ Feeding Four
Turning the Table Thursday @ Around My Family Table
Simply Delish @ KB & Whitesnakes Home
Friday Food @ Mom Trends
Tailgating Game Week 12 @ Drick's Rambling Cafe
Made It On Monday #32 @ Lark's Country Heart




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Pita Bread
from Food From Many Greek Kitchens

2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
3 TBSP warm water
1 heaping tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
6 TBSP olive oil
7 oz water

Sprinkle the yeast in a large bowl. Add the honey and 3 TBSP warm water and mix to dissolve. Leave it till it starts to activate and get frothy. Add salt, flour, oil, and 7 oz water to the dough and mix until a rough dough slumps around your spoon. Change to your hands and knead until you have a soft springy dough, 8-10 minutes. It will seem sticky at first, but that is good, so only add more flour if the dough clings to your hands.

Wipe out the bowl with an oiled paper towel. Put the dough in, cover with plastic wrap, then a heavy cloth, and leave in a warm place to puff up until about double in size (1 1/2-2 hours).

Preheat the oven to 400. Punch down the dough and divide into 8 balls. Press each ball into a flat disk with your hands and leave for 5 minutes for them to relax.

Roll out the disks into a circle about 1/6" thick. Brush lightly with olive oil and put onto unfloured baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time util they are firmed on the first side, 5 minutes or so, then turn them over amd bake for another 3 minutes, or until the top surface is dry. You will finish cooking them under the broiler or in the oven when you are about to serve, so they should be a little underdone.

Remove and immeaditely stack them on top of each other and wrap in plastic wrap to keep them pliable. To serve, brush each side lightly with olive oil and put under the broiler to warm both sides.



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Baked Feta
from Food From Many Greek Kitchens
About 7 oz feta, crumbled
finely chopped green pepper
finely chopped tomato
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1-2 pinches dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Divide the feta between 2-3 small, shallow oven proof dishes (I used creme brulee dishes). Scatter chopped green pepper and tomatoes over the top. Drizzle with olive oil. Crush the oregano between your fingers and sprinkle over the top of each dish. Also top with a grind of black pepper. Bake until a bit crusty along the edges, about 20 minutes.