Menu I - Greek Feast

It's only natural to look to Mediterranean cultures for a summer menu: grilling and fresh vegetables are part of those cultures' DNA. For this menu, once I decided on a main course of lamb kebabs, the rest of the menu easily fell into place.

Greek Feast Menu

Appetizers:

Grilled flat bread

Olive tapenade

Grilled Halloumi Cheese

Stuffed grape leaves

Marinated Olives

Main Course:

Lamb kebabs

Rice Pilaf

Grilled zucchini and eggplant

Dessert:

Ice Box cake contributed by a guest.

How To

The appetizers rely heavily on prepared food. Purchase:

marinated olives

stuffed grape leaves

halloumi cheese

pizza dough

marinated olives

olive tapenade

To learn how to grill the cheese see my earlier post of September 23, 2008.

To make grilled flat bread:

Make sure your purchased pizza dough is at room temperature. On a piece of parchment paper cut large enough to hold the rolled pizza dough, sprinkle 1 tbsp. cornmeal. Cover dough lightly in cornmeal then shake-off excess. Roll and stretch dough to the desired thickness (no more than 1/4"). Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Preheat gas grill to high. Place dough on grill, oiled side down. Remove parchment paper. Spray side of dough facing-up with oil. Close grill lid and leave dough undisturbed for 1 minute. Using a metal spatula and tongs check to see if underside of dough is cooked. If not cook for 30 seconds longer. Flip dough and cook second side for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from grill and cut into small squares.

For the main course:

Lamb Kebabs - I'm not an expert at kebabs. The recipe I used called for equal proportions of olive oil and fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, lots of chopped garlic and greek oregano. I marinated 3 pounds of boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 inch square for approximately 6 hours. The lamb was tender but not flavorful enough for my taste, even though the marinade smelled heavenly. Skewer the lamb pieces along with large pieces of red pepper and mushrooms. The kebabs will cook quickly on a hot grill, 6 to 8 minutes in total.

Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini - I used small italian eggplants, sliced into 1 inch rounds. The zucchini was also sliced into 1" rounds. Both vegetables were placed on skewers so the surface area on the grill was maximized. Brush or spray on olive oil and season with kosher salt. Place on grill set to medium heat. Check frequently so the vegetables do not burn, approximately 2 minutes per side.