GREEK SALAD

INGREDIENTS
1 medium head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces, washed, and dried
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and large dice
1 medium English cucumber, large dice
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon), plus more as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and onion; set aside.
2. Place the oil, measured lemon juice, oregano, measured salt, and pepper to taste in a small, nonreactive bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and season with additional lemon juice, salt, or pepper as needed . 3. Sprinkle with the feta and serve.

HUMMUS
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
juice of 2 lemons
3 1/2 cups Freshly Cooked Chickpeas (Recipe Follows)
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 teaspoon cumin
about 1 cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt in a food processor. (If you have a mini prep, you’ll have to do this in two batches.) Process until the garlic is pureed, then add the lemon juice. Pulse again.

2. Reserving a few chickpeaas for garnish, add 3 1/2 cups of chickpeas (that’s about what the slow cooker should have yielded) and 1/4 cup of their cooking liquid. Add the tahini, the cumin, and 1/2 cup olive oil, and pulse to create a dip, adding more tablespoons of cooking liquid as you go as necessary to make a smooth paste. Drizzle in most of the rest of the olive oil and the second teaspoon of salt, tasting as you go until the hummus is rich and creamy.

3. Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Top with a few chickpeas, drizzle with a little more olive oil, and sprinkle with cumin. Serve with warm triangles of pita.

MOUSSAKA

Ingredients
2 large eggplants, cut into ¼ in (5mm) rounds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb (450g) ground lamb
½ cup hearty red wine
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
½ cup lamb or beef stock
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
1 lb (450g) baking potatoes, such as Burbank, cut into ¼ in (5mm) slices
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
¼ cup plain dried bread crumbs
For the topping:
1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
3 large eggs
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ cup cottage cheese
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions
1. Toss the eggplant with 2 tbsp salt in a colander. Let stand in the sink to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse well under cold running water. Drain and pat dry.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb and increase the heat. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, about 5 minutes, until it loses its raw look. Pour off excess fat.

3. Add the wine and boil for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, stock,1 tsp of the oregano, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the meat sauce is quite thick.

4. Preheat the broiler. Brush the eggplant on both sides with the remaining 6 tbsp oil. In batches, broil the eggplant, turning once, about 5 minutes, until golden brown on both sides. Boil the potato slices in a large saucepan of lightly salted water for about 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain.

5. To make the topping, whisk the yogurt, eggs, and cornstarch together until smooth, then whisk in the cottage cheese and feta.

6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly oil 6 individual freezer-to-oven casseroles. In each casserole, starting with the eggplant, alternate 2 layers each of eggplant and meat sauce. Top with the potato slices, then the yogurt sauce. Mix the Parmesan, bread crumbs, and the remaining 1 tsp oregano and sprinkle over the potatoes.

7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Serve while moussaka is hot

SOUVLAKI