Tag kalamata olives

Parties That Cook’s Memorial Day Recipe: Greek Salad with Grilled Halloumi Cheese

1 comment By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , May 25th, 2012 @ 2:53 pm

Memorial Day Weekend: Here.
Swim Suit Season: Fast-approaching.
Easy Recipe That Will Prepare You For Both: You Got It!

This Greek Salad makes the perfect side (or entrée, if you’re into that vegetarian stuff) for your Memorial Day barbecue. You can prepare the simple dressing in advance, if you’re on the go, and just re-mix when ready! The understated flavor of the dressing really lets the ingredients shine. Cherry Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives balance each other out, while Cucumbers add a crisp texture to the mix. The best part: you won’t feel left out of the grilling festivities! Addictively delicious Halloumi Cheese is best served hot off the grill.

Looking for more fun (edible) things to throw on the grill this weekend? Check out this unbelievably relevant blog from last year! 20 Unconventional Summer Grilling Ideas

Greek Salad with Grilled Halloumi Cheese and Kalamata Olives
This recipe can be found in our Soups, Salads, & Pasta Recipe Section!

Ingredients
Dressing:
2 Tablespoons shallots, finely chopped 1 teaspoon oregano, chopped
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Salad:
1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half or 3 medium heirloom tomatoes (if in season)
1 medium English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced lengthwise
9 ounces Halloumi cheese, drained and patted dry
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups baby arugula, washed and dried

Methods/Steps
Prepare Ingredients: Finely chop the shallots and the oregano and place into a medium bowl. Juice the lemon into the bowl. Add the red wine vinegar and the mustard and whisk to combine well.

Emulsify Dressing: Slowly whisk the olive oil into the bowl. Season the dressing with the salt, pepper and sugar. Taste and re season if necessary.

Prepare Salad Ingredients: Cut the cherry tomatoes in half (or in 1” dice) and the cucumber into cubes. Place into a bowl. Pit the olives, slice them lengthwise and add them to the bowl. Set aside.

Grill Cheese: Preheat grill pan. Slice the Halloumi into 8 equal pieces. Brush with olive oil. Grill until grill marks form, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a cooling rack. Slice into bite size pieces if desired.

Plate Salad: Lay out all of the first course plates in a single layer. When you’re about ready to eat, toss arugula lightly with half the dressing. Divide arugula among salad plates. Toss the tomatoes, cucumbers and olives with some of the dressing and evenly distribute among plates. Distrubute the Halloumi, wipe the rim clean and serve immediately.

Serves/Makes
Serves 8

March’s Multitasking Cookbook Club: Parties That Cook’s Spring Menus

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Menus & Recipes, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , April 10th, 2012 @ 7:52 am

A few short weeks ago we had our most important cookbook club meeting in months. In an attempt at ultimate productivity, we decided to host a lunch featuring none other than Parties That Cook’s Spring Menus. The finalized list of recipes for all Spring cooking parties, corporate team building events, and classes hadn’t yet been released (Top Secret!). I must admit, I felt a bit special.

This season, you can expect to see a lot of familiar recipes. Call them what you will — classics, favorites, “mine” — we love these recipes, and we’re sure you will, too. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

Creamy Artichoke Soup with Basil Pistou – Crissy elected to make this dish after a few days of indecision, and we were not disappointed! The soup had a delightful flavor, and was not heavy enough to overpower our appetites. Refrigerated, the soup lasted for a few days beyond this lunch!

Sweet Pea Galetes with Prosciutto and Sour Cream – Christina signed on to make this dish. Having tried a few of the other galete varieties we’ve had on our menus over the years, I had high expectations. One bite was all it took to know we had another winner on our hands. Whole peas add a nice texture and a little surprise in the galetes, and you really can’t go wrong with a prosciutto and sour cream combo!

Greek Salad with Grilled Halloumi Cheese, Kalamata Olives and Smoked Olive Oil Dressing – Rebecca swooped on the opportunity to try this recipe. (“You had me at ‘halloumi’.“) What could have been another plain salad turned out to be a delicious dish worthy of center-plate. The ingredients really come together to provide the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and tangy flavors. Word to the wise: Do make sure you use a ridged grill pan when grilling halloumi. You really want those beautiful grill marks!

Crispy Pancetta Wrapped Marble Potatoes with Caperberry Remoulade – Kelle called dibs on this recipe rather early in the game. Unfortunately, she came down with the worst cold the office has seen in a while, and was unable to bring anything in this cookbook club.

Spinach and Feta Cigars with Tzatziki Sauce – Bibby immediately staked her claim on these fun little “cigars”. To the best of my knowledge, she stuck to the recipe. A couple of ladies at the table expressed an initial concern about this dish, but all were silenced with the first deliciously crunchy bite. I, for one, am intrigued to learn just how many dipping sauces (and which sauces) would pair well with the cigars.

Philly Cheese Steak Bites with Peppadew Peppers and Melted Gruyere Cheese Sauce – Rosie opted to make TWO dishes this cookbook club (she’s quite the over-achiever). This appetizer was so delicious (and colorful!), I continuously piled a few more on my plate throughout lunch. Sadly, a staff meeting later that afternoon wiped out any I had refrained from eating myself…

Open Face Rock Shrimp Sliders with Lotus Root Pickles and Rainbow Micro Greens – Tanya, our very own Executive Chef and mastermind behind most recipes you find at events, wanted to take on this recipe. And she sure did it justice. With maybe a couple of tweaks here and there, she got this recipe ready for the lime-light (Recipe of the Month, anyone??). The final product was almost too pretty to eat, (Almost.) and definitely too good not too eat. (Definitely.)

Baby Polenta Cakes with Raspberry Coulis and Amaretto Cream – Erin went back to her preferred course: Dessert. Let me just say: YUM. Though I can’t speak for everyone, I really enjoyed the grainy texture the polenta provided. There were absolutely no complaints about flavor, and the next day, I could find absolutely no trace of left-overs. (‘Twas a sad day for me..)

Strawberry and Rhubarb Empanadas – Rosie, the over-achiever, brought in these monstrous desserts for her second dish. They weren’t actually that big, but after eating so many other dishes, I knew I could/should/would not attempt an entire empanada on my own. These were so delicious! The crust was not too thick, and as a whole, the dessert was not overly sweet. Ya gotta try these!

Overall, the lunch was great! I walked back to my desk feeling satisfied, if not a bit too full, and excited for all the positive feedback we can only imagine trickling in this season. Get ready for some awesome recipe blogs to come!