Greek Salmon Skewers

I’m always cooking salmon with Asian flavours, so I said it’s time it change things up a bit and do something I hadn’t done before. I love feta cheese, its got a really strong flavour to it, so you don’t need as much as you would of some milder cheeses. I’ve also never skewered salmon before, but I will definitely be trying it again, its really reduces the cooking time. I like my salmon a tad on the side of underdone, for just a little bit of dark pink towards the centre, but by all means cook the salmon to your own liking.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Marinade

·         2 salmon darnes, cut in bitesize chunks
·         1 tbsp Cumin
·         1 lemons’ zest
·         1 Lemon’s juice
·         1 tbsp Dried Oregano
·         1 tsp Olive oil

·         2 Tomatoes, cut in quarters
·         40 g reduced fat Feta Cheese, cubed
·         Black Olives, 5 or 6 halved
·         1 Red onion, sliced very thinly
·         Lemon dressing, squeeze half a lemon and use 1 tsp of olive oil, season well.

Method

1.       Firstly combine the marinade and let the salmon soak up all the juices for 30 minutes
2.       Soak wooden skewers in water
3.       Place the salmon on the skewers, alternating with the olives and tomatoes
4.       Preheat the grill, and then grill the skewers turning occasionally for 6-7 minutes.
5.       Serve with a small Greek salad of feta, olives, tomatoes and lettuce leaves. Use a simple lemon dressing by simply squeezing lemon juice over the salad and a dash of olive oil and toss.

Lamb Souvalaki (Greek Lamb Kebabs)

 I have 2 rump lamb steaks and I want to do a summery dish with them. What better way to cook lamb to conjour up summer time smells, than to do a Greek dish. This Lamb souvalaki is simple to prepare. Simply marinate and grill or BBQ, and serve with a simple potato salad, or perhaps a pitta bread, some yogurt & couscous.

Ingredients

• 2 lamb steaks cut into bite size chunks
• ½ lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped oregano
• ½ tsp of chopped rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 onion
• 3-4 mushrooms
• 1 green pepper
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Marinate the lamb for approx 30-40 mins in the juice, oil, garlic and herbs
2. Chop the onion, mushrooms and green pepper into bite size chunks
3. Soak some wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes
4. Skew the lamb and vegetables onto the skewers, alternating the lamb and vegatables
5. Preheat a grill or BBQ to high
6. Grill the skewers for 6-7 minutes each side
7. I would serve this with tzatiki or a spicy yogurt dip and cous cous

Greek Griddled Aubergine Salad

This salad can be served as a starter/lunch/side dish or even as a main course with a baked potato or some couscous. Ideally this should be cooked on a BBQ. It’s a great dish to serve at summertime BBQs for those guests who aren’t lovers of meat.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine
• Thyme leaves from 3 sprigs
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Zest and juice of a lemon
• 1 tbsp of cumin powder
• 1 handful of rocket
• 80g of low fat feta cheese
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp of chopped mint
• 1 tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley

Method

1. Slice the aubergine into rounds, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 minutes
2. To make the marinade, combine the thyme, garlic,  ½ the lemon zest and juice, ½ tbsp of oil and cumin powder.
3. Squeeze excess water out of the aubergine and pour over the marinade.
4. Let to marinade soak into the aubergine for 15-20 minutes
5. Heat a grill pan to high, and cook the marinated slices of aubergines, transfer the slices to plate and keep them warm until all slices are cooked
6. To serve, arrange the rocket on a plate.
7. Combine the remaining oil, lemon zest and juice, vinegar and chopped herbs, to create a really refreshing dressing. Season well with salt and pepper
8. Place the aubergine slices over the rocket, crumble over the feta and pour over the dressing.

Grilled Greek Pork Chops

The Greek marinade used in this recipe is delicious, and it also really tenderizes the meat. Leave to marinate for an hour, if you can, to get the flavours all mingled together. I bash the chops firstly in a food bag to make them thin and they also absorb the flavours really well this way. So when you've had a bad day, this recipe is a great way of taking out your frustrations. The marinade is also great with chicken and lamb.

Serves 1 hungry man

Ingredients

• 2 pork chops

marinade

• zest and juice of a lemon
• salt and pepper
• fresh oregano (1 tbsp of dried)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 chopper garlic clove
• Olive oil

Method

1. Put the chops in a food bag, seal, and bash a little with your preferred blunt object, I like a saucepan
2. Add the marinade ingredients to the bag and leave for 1 hour
3. Heat the grill to medium
4. Grill the chops 5 minutes a side.

Some serving suggestions I would have is pitta bread, and greek salad with feta and olives, or baked potato

This works well on the BBQ also.