Greek Week Day 6: Beef with Artichokes and Pine Nuts

Have you ever had one of those days were time just completely gets away from you and you end the day in more chaos than you started it? That was today for me. And that says something being that I woke up at about 3am and 3am, if you are awake is chaotic. So after helping to fry up 28 dozen more than the normal amount, I came home and had my cheerios for breakfast. That was the calmest moment of my day. From there I did some cleaning and some menu planning and then off to do grocery shopping. Then I came home and started dinner. Somewhere in there I missed lunch.

And our dryer is broken, so I have to hang my clothes on the clothesline. I really AM a Midwestern housewife. Ugh. Actually clothes smell really good hung on the line. The only problem is the rain we keep getting. Our clothes are extra clean now! The point of all this is that it has been a hectic day. And Greek Week Day 6 provides a easy and comforting dinner. The lovely people of The Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral provide the recipe for Beef with Artichokes and Pine Nuts, Kreas me Anginares ke Koukounaria.

It's like the Greek equivalent of the ultimate comfort food. Pot Roast. I let the beef simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes and it's incredibly fork tender. And wow is it delicious! The beef and the pine nuts and the artichokes all compliment each other perfectly. I did slice the beef as directed, but then I had to put it back in the sauce while I was waiting for my pasta to cook. I kept snacking on it. I served it over egg noodles. I'm not sure how Greek they are, but yummy!

Beef with Artichokes and Pine Nuts, Kreas me Anginares ke Koukounaria
from The Complete Book of Greek Cooking by The Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds london broil
2 cups beef stock
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
one 10-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup pine nuts

Heat oil in a casserole. Add garlic and beef and saute over high heat until beef is browned on all sides. Add stock and seasonings and bring to a boil. Lower hear, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until fork tender. Add artichokes and pine nuts. Simmer for 5 minutes. Slice beef and arrange on a serving plate. Garnish with artichoke hearts and pour sauce on top.

Greek Week Day 5: Chicken Souvlakia

OK, it's HOT. hot hot hot. This is the kind of day I don't want to cook indoors. So what's a gal exploring Greek food to do? Take it to the grill. Other than the 3 hour marinating time, this has to be one of the quickest, easiest recipes yet! I just had to throw together a marinade, chop up some chicken breasts, wait the 3 hours, and then thread the chicken onto skewers with some yummy vegetables and grill. Fantastic!

I did alter this recipe just a bit. Instead of 12 small mushroom caps, I used 18. Instead of 12 cherry tomatoes, I used 18. I didn't chop the green peppers into 12 pieces. I chopped it into bite size pieces. Maybe my peppers were just big, but 12 pieces would have been very big pieces. And then, I only used 4 skewers instead of 6. Mostly that's because I finally broke down and bought skewers. And there were only 4 in a pack. Despite my alterations, these were very very tasty skewers. I served them with some rice and I think I'll be cherishing the leftovers in leftover pita pockets. Yummy!

Chicken Souvlakia (Souvlakia me Kota)

adapted from The Complete Book of Greek Cooking by the Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral

marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup red wine

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

2 chicken breasts (boned and skinned) cut into bite sized pieces

2 green peppers cut into bite size pieces

18 button mushrooms

18 cherry tomatoes

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Using 4 long skewers, arrange alternating pieces of chicken, green pepper, mushroom, and tomatoes. Brush with some of the marinade. Barbecue on the grill for 15 to 20 minutes, brushing with marinade and turning frequently.