The Olympics have rolled around again. I was kind of hoping to take the year off, but the kids have grown up with us cooking around the world during the Olympic games over the last 10 years and the older two practically begged me to continue. It's getting tougher to pick out recipes. We have more dietary restrictions than previous years with one child following a diabetic meal plan, not eating red meat, and eating chicken under duress, but after hours of researching recipes and traditional foods, I think we are set.
So, night one of Olympic cooking followed our tradition of starting the Olympics with the location where the games began - Greece. Tonight's menu was chicken souvlaki and
yellow split pea puree (fava).
I had high hopes for tonight. The marinade for the chicken smelled wonderful and I thought that I would really like the fava based on the ingredients. Instead, the chicken was just okay and the fava was very bland. I am pretty sure that I messed up the fava a bit because I added too many peas, so I may make it again at a later point to see if that was the problem. I served the fava with some raw veggies. Anyway, the kids ate everything except the mushrooms without complaint, so that's a positive.
Both the recipe for the chicken souvlaki and the fava came directly from the Girl Cooks World blog. I've copied them both here while adding my own comments into the directions. For the original recipes, please follow the links.
Chicken Souvlaki
Greek Fava
So, night one of Olympic cooking followed our tradition of starting the Olympics with the location where the games began - Greece. Tonight's menu was chicken souvlaki and
yellow split pea puree (fava).
I had high hopes for tonight. The marinade for the chicken smelled wonderful and I thought that I would really like the fava based on the ingredients. Instead, the chicken was just okay and the fava was very bland. I am pretty sure that I messed up the fava a bit because I added too many peas, so I may make it again at a later point to see if that was the problem. I served the fava with some raw veggies. Anyway, the kids ate everything except the mushrooms without complaint, so that's a positive.
Both the recipe for the chicken souvlaki and the fava came directly from the Girl Cooks World blog. I've copied them both here while adding my own comments into the directions. For the original recipes, please follow the links.
Chicken Souvlaki
Ingredients:
1/2 cup
olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 green peppers, cut into large chunks
1 red onion, cut into large chunks
8 ounces fresh button mushrooms
skewers (metal or wooden, whichever you prefer)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 green peppers, cut into large chunks
1 red onion, cut into large chunks
8 ounces fresh button mushrooms
skewers (metal or wooden, whichever you prefer)
Directions:
Combine
the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and oregano in a
large bowl and stir to combine. I use a large Tupperware container. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water while the chicken is marinating.
After marinating, alternate the chicken with the sliced peppers, onions and mushrooms on the skewers. I tend to like my mushrooms a bit less done when grilled so I put all the mushrooms on a separate skewer. Brush with the leftover marinade and grill. The recipe said approximately 5 minutes per side, but we found it took a bit longer than that. You want to grill until the chicken is done and the veggies are slightly charred. Once done, serve immediately.
Greek Fava
Ingredients:
1-1/4
cups dried yellow split peas
3 shallots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 1 TBSP olive oil, divided
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP chopped green onions
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 1 TBSP olive oil, divided
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP chopped green onions
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
Directions:
Rinse the
split peas and put in a large saucepan and over with several inches of cold water.
Bring to a boil on the stove top, and then reduce heat and simmer, skimming if
necessary, until the peas are very soft. This took about 40 minutes for us, so plan accordingly.
While the
peas are cooking, heat a TBSP of olive oil in a frying pan over medium
heat and saute the shallots and garlic until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
Drain the
cooked peas, reserving the cooking liquid if you desire. Transfer the peas to a food
processor, add the shallots,
garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and lemon
juice and process until smooth. If the mixture is too thick for your taste, add a little of the reserved bean liquid.
Add the
green onions and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste, stirring by hand.
Transfer to a bowl and top with oregano and an extra drizzle of olive oil, if
desired.
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