calzephyr | Mediterranean Dinner for Two!

It's been a while since I made a meal of such grand proportions. I bought a little magazine that was chock full of interesting recipes with interesting ingredients such as coucous and bulgar; definitely a change from our staple rice and pasta. Oh, and polenta! That caused a bit of confusion as one person I asked at the grocery store insisted it was cheese (it's made from cornmeal). I found it in a big 1 kilo chuck.

Recipes are always merely suggestions, so I changed up a few things.

Appetizer: Hummus
This recipe says it makes six servings, but if you really like hummus, it's enough for two! I didn't measure the garlic accurately, figuring more is better, but, uh, well, we'll keep the vampires tonight :-D I would say it makes about 2 cups.

This hummus ends up being the dry kind; I'm thinking if you add olive oil or more water, it might make it more smooth and wet.

I also added in some salt after tasting it.

2 tablespoons garlic
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh parsley sprigs
2 tablespoons water (I added about four since it seemed too dry)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 sesame oil (I couldn't find this so I omitted it)
Dash hot pepper sauce
Pita bread, pita chips or veggies for dipping

1. Measure ingredients and place in food processor or blender.

2. Cover and process until smooth.

3. Serve or refrigerate until needed.

Main dish: Chicken Cacciatore

4 ounces uncooked pasta or noodles
1 can (8 oz) chunky Italian style tomato sauce
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I made it 3/4 cup because we looove mushrooms)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. Prepare the sauce:
a) Combine tomato sauce, onion, mushrooms and bell pepper in a microwavable dish.
b)Cover loosely with plastic wrap on high for 6-8 minutes, stir about halfway through.

2. Coat a large frying pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 3-4 minutes per side or until lightly browned.

3. Once the chicken is started, cook pasta according to the package and drain. Don't worry if it's done before the chicken.

4. After the chicken is browned, add the sauce to the frying pan. Add salt and pepper to season (as you like of course :-)).

5. Reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Ensure chicken is thoroughly cooked.

6. Divide pasta onto two plates; place chicken on top and spoon the sauce over both.

Side dish: Grilled vegetables

This is supposed to be done over a grill, but one can just saute (fry) them instead. I think this would be a great addition to linguine or fettucini as well.

Nonstick cooking spray
1 medium zucchini
4 ounces plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
1/2 (or small) green bell pepper, sliced, seeded and cored
1/2 (or small) red bell pepper, sliced, seeded and cored
1/2 cup frozen corn
3 tablespoons of prepared pesto
2.25 cups of water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons butter (if desired, I suppose, I skipped this)

1. Coat frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
2. Added prepared vegetables and fry until desired tenderness, stirring every couple of minutes.
3. At the end of cooking, turn the heat off and stir in pesto.
4. At butter on top of each serving if desired.

Dessert: Macedoine

This recipe called for the finely grated peel and juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime. I wasn't up to this and just used Realemon instead and skipped the lime :-D

This will also make four servings or two large ones. I bought a package of chopped fruit from the grocery store, so I figured it was best to use it all.

Finely grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
Finely grated peel and juice of 1/2 lime
3-4 cups of diced assorted seasonal fruit
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (heh, I used 5 Alive :-D)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts or almonds (skipped this)

1. Combine lemon juice and lime juice in a large bowl. Add fruit and toss to coat.

2. Combine sugar, orange juice and citrus peels in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved.

3. Pour the ingredients of the small bowl over the ingredients in the large bowl. Toss gently.

3. Refrigerated 1 hour. Add nuts on top just before serving.