Greek-style Stuffed Chicken

This flavourful roasted chicken breast goes wonderfully with any Greek side dishes, from Village Salad to roasted lemon potatoes. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• The juice of 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp of oregano
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 tsp of ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup of kalamata olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/8 cup of sundried tomatoes, finely diced
• Several wooden toothpicks

Directions

1. Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts, and using a very sharp knife slit the breasts in half along their thinnest edge and fold outward (a "butterfly" cut.) Set aside.
2. In a shallow baking dish, mix the lemon juice, EVOO, oregano, garlic and white pepper and whisk to blend well.
3. Place the butterflied chicken into the marinade and stir or shake the dish to ensure marinade covers all parts of the chicken. Cover and refrigerate between two and four hours.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. In a small bowl mix the kalamata olives, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes.
6. Remove chicken from marinade and lay "butterfly open" on a cutting board.
7. Spoon 1/4 of the feta mixture onto one half of the butterfly, then fold the other half on top.
8. Use toothpicks to securely close the seam so the filling does not pour out during the cooking process. Repeat with the other three chicken breasts.
9. Place stuffed chicken breasts on a parchment-lined baking dish or deeply-lipped pan and roast in the oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until juices run clear when the chicken is pricked at it's thickest part.
10. Toothpicks can be removed during the cooking process once the edges have sealed closed, or can be removed after the chicken has been taken from the oven. If leaving the toothpicks in until the end, watch them and baste with a little bit of water if they begin to char.

Fresh Tomato Salad

One of our family's favourites, and so simple (really - you can't go wrong with only four ingredients). Great on a hot summer day, as it just bathes the tongue with flavour especially if tomatoes are in season in your area.

Ingredients

• 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 ball of buffalo mozzarella
• About 15 fresh basil leaves - more or less depending on size
• A dash of extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Wash tomatoes thoroughly, quarter them and add them to your salad bowl.
2. Dice the buffalo mozzarella into small cubes - about 1cm in size works well - and add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
3. Wash the basil leaves and dry them, then rip roughly by hand and toss into the salad bowl.
4. Just before serving, splash with a small amount of EVOO and toss gently. Enjoy!

Greek-style Potatoes with Thyme

This simple recipe will make soft and rich roasted potatoes, unlike some of the more traditional dry-roasting recipes, which tend to make for tough outer skins and dry inner flesh.

Ingredients:

• 5 - 6 large white potatoes
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• The juice of one lemon
• The leaves from 5 - 6 branches of thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and dice potatoes into roughly 1 - 2" cubes, leaving the skin on. Pour the potatoes into a glass casserole dish and set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and use a hand blender to thoroughly combine the oil with the broth and lemon juice, as it will naturally attempt to separate.
4. Pour the broth mixture over the potatoes and stir to ensure that all the potatoes are coated in the sauce.
5. Roast in the oven for an hour and a half to two hours, stirring to re-coat the top potatoes each half hour.

Makes an excellent side-dish for Greek dishes and also complements traditional "meat and potato" meals (roast chicken, barbecued steak, etc.)

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Simple Vegetable Broth

This recipe was used to create the stock needed for both the soups we created at my Soup Making class at Tecumseh Community School, and will make between 16 and 24 cups of stock depending on how long you simmer it.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 medium onions, quartered (keep the skins on as they will colour the stock.)
• 3 carrots, peeled, broken in several pieces
• 3 stalks celery, broken in several pieces
• 6 dehydrated mushrooms
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled (More if you like)
• 6-8 peppercorns
• 1-2 tsp of salt, to taste
• 2 to 3 quarts of water

Helpful Hint: making vegetable stock is a great way to clean out your vegetable crisper. Most vegetables can be used to make broth with the exception of crusiferous veggies like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, which will overpower the broth.

Directions:

1. Place the fresh vegetables into a large heavy pot and cover with cold water by about two inches.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and skim off the impurities that rise to the top - this should take about five minutes.
3. Add the remaining water, herbs, dried mushrooms and peppercorns, partially cover and maintain at a very slow simmer for five hours. If the water level gets too low, add boiling water to the pot, skimming as necessary.
4. Taste the stock. Add salt if necessary and desired. If the flavours in the stock are not strong enough, leave it partially covered for an hour or two longer, reducing the liquid.
5. Strain the vegetables from the pot and let cool to room temperature.

Helpful Hint: For a more robust stock, roast the vegetables first in a lightly oiled roasting pan, stirring occasionally to ensure the vegetables don't burn. After transferring the vegetables from the roasting pan to the stock pot, don't forget to deglaze the pan. There's a lot of flavour in there that would taste fabulous in your stock.

Hearty Winter Vegetable Soup with Beef

This basic soup can be made with any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables, and tastes lovely with shredded chicken in place of beef. It’s a perfect soup to change with the seasons, so look for fresh seasonal vegetables to reinvent this soup several times a year. The recipe as shown below, which was used during my Soup Making class at Tecumseh Community School, will make between 12 and 16 cups of soup depending on the type of vegetables used and how long you choose to simmer it - enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 lb of beef, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 2 cups chopped onions or thinly sliced leeks (whites only)
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 5 cups of vegetable broth
• 3 cups of water
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 6 cups mixed winter root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, turnip, squash, parsnips, zucchini, etc.
• 1 cup of frozen peas and 1 cup of frozen corn

Directions:

1. Add 1 Tbsp of oil to a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the beef a few pieces at a time, browning each side before removing it to a small bowl. Repeat until all the beef is browned, then add ½ cup of vegetable stock to the frying pan to deglaze it – be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly to get up any bits of remaining beef. Add the resulting liquid to the bowl with the browned beef.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions or leeks, celery, and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes or until onions are translucent, and then add the browned beef and deglazing liquid.
3. Add broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and 3 cups water to pot; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, 20 minutes.
4. Add root vegetables to the pot, and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add frozen peas and corn, and cook for an additional 10 minutes to heat through before serving. To thicken your soup, continue to simmer for several hours – as the potatoes break down and the broth cooks off your soup will thicken into an almost stew-like consistency.

Curried Squash and Coconut Soup

This lovely, creamy soup is the perfect starter to an elegant meal, and could also be featured as the main course accompanied by freshly baked bread and a light salad. The recipe as shown below will make between 8 and 10 cups of soup depending on the size of the squash used. Please note that this soup is quite similar to an earlier recipe that used roasted hubbard squash, but tweeked to allow you to make it with just the stove top. This was the exact recipe we used at my Soup Making class at Tecumseh Community School - enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of garlic
• 1 large squash, peeled and cut into roughly 1” - 2” chunks
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped finely or pureed in a food processor
• 2 Tbsp plus a drizzle of olive oil
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 3 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 cup of apple juice
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 2 ½ tsp curry powder
• ¼ tsp freshly grated ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut the top ¼” from the head of garlic, exposing the cloves within. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil, and roast for 45 minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the chunks of squash, and boil from 10 -15 minutes or until tender. When cooked, drain the water and remove cooked squash to a large mixing bowl. Add butter and mash until smooth and creamy.
3. Using gentle pressure from the bottom of the head of garlic, squeeze the roasted cloves out of the head into the bowl with the squash. Mix roughly with a large spoon and set aside.
4. In a large pot, add 2 Tbsp of olive oil and gently caramelize onions over medium heat (about 7 minutes). Whisk in vegetable broth, apple juice and coconut milk and as the liquids begin a rolling boil, add the cinnamon, curry powder and ginger.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gradually add the squash mixture, stirring and/or whisking until fully incorporated.
6. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes to allow flavours to combine and deepen.

Cranberry Shortbread

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) butter, softened
• 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
• 2 1/4 cups (550 mL) all purpose flour
• 1 pkg (170 g) Craisins® Sweetened Dried Cranberries, chopped*

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, a little at a time. Stir in Craisins® Sweetened Dried Cranberries.
3. Form dough into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Place 1 dozen at a time on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from sheets; cool slightly and sprinkle with icing sugar. Or use the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar to flatten balls to rounds about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Cool.