Chicken with Okra in the Oven

Finally, a meat dish! While olive oil is perhaps best-known for pouring over fresh veggies, it also does wonders in baked dishes. This is a simple, tasty meal that can be prepared in just a few minutes.

First let's talk chicken. After going through a recent period of avoiding chicken, likening most to watery rubber, (I'll have the steak please!), I soon discovered organic chicken. It's everything chicken was meant to be - juicy, tender and full of flavor. Also, I prefer dark meat with the skin left on: fat = flavor. If you're weary of fat, fine, but just think of all that flavor you'll be sacraficing! Bird skin is magic!

As for the okra, it can be difficult to find fresh, so checking your grocer's freezer is a good bet.

What you'll need:

Organic chicken thighs and drumsticks with skin
(I generally use about 1 thigh and 1 drumstick per person)
Potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise
(1 large potato per person)
Fresh or frozen okra
(about one cup per person)
2 medium ripe tomatoes for grating*
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper

*see 'Grating A Tomato' blog

First, grate the tomatoes into a baking dish. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, and about 1 cup of water. Then place the chicken, potatoes and okra in the dish, spooning the tomato mixture over the ingredients. Bake at 425°F for one hour.

Grating Tomatoes

"What? Grate a tomato?" Yes folks, throw out your gooey canned tomato paste and grab a big juicy tomato, we're about to make some fresh tomato sauce!

For years I wondered how those fine-dining restaurants could produce such a light, 'real tomato-tasting' sauce in some of their dishes. I tried everything from finely dicing them to tossing them in the blender. Then I moved to Greece and discovered their age-old tomato grating technique. I wondered how on earth this never caught on in the rest of the world and feel I must deliver this message to the masses! I now firmly believe that all red sauces should be made fresh, no excuses, because it's just too dang easy - no boiling or broiling necessary.

To start, select the ripest tomato from the bunch as you want to extract as much juice as possible from the fruit. Next, slice the tomato in half and press the open side of one half against the wide-toothed side of a cheese grater, beginning to grate the tomato with a plate or dish underneath to catch the juice. As you can see from the pictures, all you are left with is the juice from the tomato in your dish, and the entire skin in your hand to toss out. Simple as that.



Add a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and this can be used as a base in anything from pasta to chicken to toasted bread!

Simple Cabbage Salad

I'm sure you have read by now about the super-food qualities of the cabbage. Not only is cabbage a great source of fiber, protein, beta-carotene, iron, potassium and vitamis B1, B6, and C, but it is also high in antioxidants, which protect against heart disease and cancer. The health benefits go on and on, but what it comes down to is that nothing beats the way this veggie tastes sprinkled with a little salt and drenched in the finest olive oil!

Cabbage is considered a winter vegetable and back before the Greeks had their greenhouses to supply them with juicy tomatoes and crisp cucumbers all year long, the cabbage salad was winter's answer to summer's Horiatiki, or Greek, salad. To this day, the Greeks still eat very seasonally, so when the temperature and leaves begin to drop, this is the salad you'll find on nearly every taverna table.

Cabbage Salad

1 firm head of white/green cabbage
2 carrots
Olive Oil
White Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt

With the cabbage salad, it's all about how you cut the cabbage. So to begin, be sure to select a firm, good looking cabbage from your grocer. Peel and discard the first outer layers and rinse the cabbage under water. Next, cut the cabbage in half vertically from top to base so you have two equal-looking halves. Leave one half out to chop and store the other in the fridge to use down the road when you get the cabbage craving. Now this is essential - using a good sharp knife, begin to slice strips as thin as possible. Again, be sure to cut vertically so that the top of your knife is at the top of the cabbage and the bottom of your knife is at the base. Slicing cabbage this thin does take some patience, but trust me, it will not taste the same if you cut it too thick. When finished, place sliced cabbage in a bowl.

Next, peel two medium-sized carrots. I like to use a carrot peeler to first discard the outer layer of the carrot, then continue to peel the carrots, using the same peeler, into the bowl with the cabbage.

Finally, pour your favorite olive oil* all over the salad, then sprinkle the white balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. You can also try a fruit vinegar such as apple or pear, but never red balsamic, it's just too overpowering for this salad. Again, I like to use quite a bit of oil in this salad to have extra at the bottom for bread dipping. Also, don't fear the salt on this one - cabbage takes it well.

*Because cabbage has a sweet, mild flavor, I like to compliment this salad with an Arbequina varietal from Spain. This oil has a smooth, sweet taste with nodes of apple and tomato, with a mild peppery finish.

"Jamie At Home With Olive Oil"

Love it! I just stumbled upon this video on YouTube from a cooking show called 'Jamie at Home' and it made me smile. The person who posted it clearly found it amusing how often the chef, Jamie, uses his olive oil in his cooking and created a collage of clips to demonstrate this. Notice the heafty pouring action straight out of the bottle. Watch and be inspired...

Traditional Greek Salad

I'll never forget the first Greek salad I ordered, some years ago, sitting at a taverna under the shadow of the Acropolis in the Plaki neighborhood of Athens. "Why are all the vegetables literally floating in all this olive oil? And where's the lettuce? And do they really expect me to eat this entire two pound block of cheese on top?"

That was back when, like most Americans, I had a huge fear of fat. Fat makes you fat, right? Any recipe that ever called for olive oil always stated to neatly 'drizzle' a teaspoon of olive oil over your salad, safely keeping your daily fat intake below your allotted 60 grams.

Now here I was staring down at my dinner, needing scuba gear to fish out my cucumbers and tomatoes from a sea of what I saw as a substance waiting to attach itself to my thighs. But that was then and oh how I've changed! Now I won't get started on what I believe is a misconception of fats we've adopted in our culture - that's a topic for a whole other blog - but what I will say, is that I eventually had to get over this if I was ever going to live in a Mediterranean country that I soon realized consumes olive oil like water.

After returning from Greece to settle stateside, I've continued to consume olive oil in the same copious amounts as I did in Greece. I guess you could say I'm pretty much addicted to the stuff - not to mention a helpful 20 pounds lighter.

So with my first official recipe posting - the ever popular Greek salad - I would strongly encourage you to throw away your measuring spoons, pick up your favorite bottle of olive oil and pour!

Traditional Greek Salad

1 large English cucumber
2 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 green pepper
pitted Kalamata olives
Feta Cheese
sliced onion (optional)
dried oregano
sea salt

Ok, let's talk ingredients. When it comes to vegetables, you don't want to skimp on quality. I prefer English cucumbers or regular organic cucumbers to those waxy, water things they call a cucumber in most stores. English cucumbers are extra-long and firm and are the closest thing to what they use in Greece. I find most supermarkets sell these as well. Peel the cucumber and slice into rounds about a 1/2 inch thick and place in large glass bowl or plate.

As for the tomato, it can be quite difficult to find a good tomato outside of your own garden, especially in the winter, but it is essential to use a tasty tomato in this salad. Buy a couple different brands from your supermarket and see which one you like best and stick with it. Vine ripe tomatoes can also be a safe bet for flavor. Cut tomatoes in sections and sprinkle lightly with salt, then add on top of cucumbers.

Next, thinly slice the pepper in rounds and arrange on top of cucumbers and tomatoes. Sprinkle entire salad with the sea salt to your taste. I prefer Kalas Greek brand salt if you should happen to have a Greek market near you.

Oh cheese, how I love thee! When buying a good Feta, always look for one that is made from goat's milk as this is from what it is traditionally made. My favorite Greek brand of feta that is also sold in the US is Dodoni - if you can find it, get it. Now cut a huge chunk of the stuff - like half the size of a small paperback book - and place it on top of the salad.

Arrange the Kalamata olives around the salad, sprinkle a pinch of dried oregano on top of the cheese - and now pour your favorite olive oil* all over the salad until you have at least enough oil sitting on the bottom to dip some fresh baked bread into while you're eating.

On a side note, I'm not a huge fan of mixing my leafy greens with other veggies and prefer to keep them in separate salads. However, if you feel adventurous or have some other veggies you want to use up, throw in some red pepper, avocado and walnuts and turn it into a hearty meal (see photo).


*For this salad I use Trader Joe's brand Kalamata oil. This is a fantastic Koroneiki varietal from the region of Kalamata in the South Peloponnese of Greece - and usually just under $8 a liter at Trader Joe's - a super value if you ask me!

Welcome to 'Cooking With Olive Oil'

As an avid connoisseur and passionate lover of fine olive oil, one of the questions I most often receive by those curious about the substance is, "My doctor/friend/family member/newspaper/health magazine suggested I incorporate more olive oil into my diet, so what's the best way to do this?"

Being a person who heartily consumes a liter of olive oil in under two weeks, I feel more than happy to offer suggestions on how to drink (no drizzling here!) this healthy elixir by incorporating it into every meal. Here I will post dishes that I feel everyone and anyone can easily prepare in their own kitchen. When I cook, I lean towards the use of minimal ingredients of the freshest quality. Simple Food prepared simply - with Extra Virgin Olive Oil taking center stage, of course!

Along with posting recipes, I will also throw in some fun info and facts about olive oil as well as various brands and varieties I like. Also, when I say olive oil, let's always assume I am referring to 'Extra Virgin' as this is really the best olive oil to use when preparing your dishes. If you have a regular old bottle of 'olive oil' on hand, save it for the baked dishes or better yet, for frying. Otherwise, always use Extra Virgin, especially when consuming raw - the best and healthiest way to eat olive oil! Just do a taste test between the two and you'll know what I mean.

For more information about olive oil in general such as the history, origins, properties, and health benefits, there is plenty available online, so I'll regularly be adding links I find helpful if you're looking to expand your knowledge of the fruit juice.