Monday, June 14, 2010

Food on bread, take two.

On Saturday, after a long day wheeling that magical cart around Ikea (love the 360 degree wheels - that cart is almost as cool as our Dyson, the one with the ball), and an even longer evening putting together a desk with more screws, dowels, and other mystery adjoining devices, we needed something simple and filling.  Why does it take more than two hours to attach four legs to a wooden table top?  This I do not know; you would have to ask the Grand Scandinavian Poobah to receive any kind of acceptable answer.  But you can come to me for something easy to cook and easy to assemble, plus tasty to boot.
Once the desk was complete, and before we could tackle the huge new bookcase (groooan), we cracked open a bottle of chardonnay and got down to business with a fresh and easy dinner: Greek Flatbread Pizzas with Grilled Onions, Zucchini, and Feta.  Mmmmm.  This recipe uses only a handful of ingredients, including two that we had in our box this week: red onions and arugula.  It's so simple that I was fully capable of whipping it together outside in the dark.

The recipe calls for Greek flatbreads, which I believe can be found in the pita/tortilla region of your grocery store.  I like to use the ones from Trader Joe's, called "Middle Eastern Flatbreads."  These are a bit more bready and substantial than other well-known Middle Eastern breads, such as lavash or pita.  Perhaps they include a bit of leavening?  At any rate, they are thinner than a gordita but thicker than a tortilla, sturdy enough to form the base of an assembled-on-the-plate pizza.  Really, this is just another way to feed my food-on-bread obsession, while maintaining a facade of variety and creativity.

The recipe below feeds two or three; you can increase the veggies and the number of flatbreads if you'd like to serve more.

Greek Flatbread Pizzas with Grilled Onions, Zucchini, and Feta
Adapted from Jack Bishop's "A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen"
Note: My husband just gave me a fun new toy - a grill tray that can be placed atop the regular grill rack.  Mine has a grid shape - I believe its porcelain - and it is wonderful for cooking veggies on the grill.  You don't lose anything through the holes in the grate, and you still get the lovely charred grill marks and smokey flavor that grilling imparts.  Zero compromise. 

3 zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
2 medium red onions, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups arugula, chopped (if using baby arugula, you can skip the chopping)
olive oil for brushing veggies and flatbreads - about 3 tablespoons
3 Middle Eastern flatbreads, about 8-inches in diameter
salt and pepper
dried oregano for sprinkling

Heat the grill while you prep the veggies.  Spread the sliced zucchini and onion out on a large baking sheet.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; flip the veggies over and repeat this on the other side.  When your grill is nice and hot, turn it down to medium.  Add the veggies and grill for a total of 10 minutes for the zucchini, 12 minutes for the onion, flipping once about halfway through the cooking.  (Take care not to overcook the zucchini - they can lose a lot of structure.)  Remove the veggies from the grill and place back on the baking sheet.

Place the flatbreads on the grill and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until heated, puffed, and charred in some places.  Remove and set on serving plates.  Spread with arugula, then top with zucchini strips and onion.  Sprinkle with feta cheese and oregano.  Enjoy!

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