How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [83]
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large pot of generously salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until almost tender, a minute or so before the al dente stage. Drain well. Spread 1 cup of the Greek Béchamel Sauce on the bottom of a deep roasting pan or lasagna pan, and sprinkle with cup graviera. Lay half of the noodles out on top of the béchamel. You should have 2 to 3 layers of noodles. Spread another cup of the béchamel over the noodles, without disturbing the direction of the noodles, to bind them. Scatter with cup of the graviera. Spoon all of the kima sauce over the top and smooth flat. Spread 1 more cup of the béchamel over the kima sauce, scatter with cup graviera.
Layer remaining pasta noodles over the béchamel. Spoon on the remaining béchamel and scatter with the remaining cup of graviera. Bake uncovered until crusty, golden, and set, about 1 hour. If you don’t have a convection oven, you may want to increase the heat to 400°F at the end, to brown the top. Cool for at least 40 minutes, to allow the custard to set so that the squares will remain intact when you cut them. Or, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
GREEK SALAD
HORIATIKI SALATA
SERVES 10 TO 15 AS PART OF A LARGE BUFFET
Some people think a Greek salad is a few olives, some cucumbers, tomatoes, and a block of feta on top of some lettuce. This refined version of the quintessential Greek side dish can be assembled up to an hour ahead of time, and kept in the refrigerator. As always, don’t dress the salad until just before serving. This salad turns a grilled chicken breast, lamb chop, or any protein into a fresh and bright meal.
1 large Spanish or sweet onion, thickly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 large head iceberg lettuce, sliced paper-thin
1½ pounds whole trimmed bulbs of fennel, sliced crosswise paper-thin
4 small fire-roasted red bell peppers, home-roasted (page 270) or store-bought, cut into strips
24 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
¾ pound English cucumber, peeled, halved, seeds scooped out, and thickly sliced
8 whole scallions, thinly sliced
1 red onion, sliced paper-thin
½ cup small, picked sprigs dill, roughly chopped
½ cup small, picked sprigs parsley, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon dry Greek oregano
About 50 mixed green and black olives, brined and/or oil-cured, pitted and halved
16 whole caperberries
¾ cup Red Wine & Feta Vinaigrette (page 271)
cup crumbled feta cheese
4 pepperoncini (pickled yellow peppers), sliced
Brush the onion slices with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. On a griddle pan or in a cast-iron skillet, grill the onion until tender. Separate into rings.
In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients except the Red Wine and Feta Vinaigrette, feta, and pepperoncini. Toss.
Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss the mixture aggressively with clean hands. Scatter with the feta and pepperoncini.
SPANAKOPITA
SERVES ABOUT 15, FAMILY-STYLE
I call this dish spanakopita, but it’s really more a hybrid of Greek-scented creamed spinach and spanakopita. This version captures the flavors of my mom’s spanakopita, but it’s presented in my own special way.
16 sheets phyllo dough (about 6 ounces), thawed
cup clarified butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 large shallots, finely chopped
8 whole scallions, thickly sliced
16 ounces baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
2 cups Béchamel Sauce Without Eggs (page 276)
cup roughly chopped dill
½ cup plus ¼ cup coarsely grated graviera cheese
½ cup plus ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a large baking sheet, paint 1 sheet of phyllo with clarified butter and layer on 3 more sheets, painting each one and keeping the edges lined up. On a dry surface, make another, separate stack of 4 butter-painted sheets. Fit the second stack into a 9 x 12-inch (or similar-sized) baking dish, with the edges hanging over the dish all around. Layer on