So Many Dishes

Last year, I wrote about how the Super Bowl is always an occasion for us to cook a special meal. This year was just a little different. Although I feel great, I still have three weeks left to my recovery period. Even if I wasn’t trying to limit myself, Ken is making sure that I don’t push the envelope of what I can do.

As a result, we decided to make Italian sausage and peppers sandwiches for our game time dinner. It’s a dish I’ve made since we were in graduate school. I may have had a recipe at one time, but now it’s one of those things I cook by instinct. I coarsely chop bell peppers and onions, along with some garlic, in a little bit of olive oil until the veggies are softened. Then I add a can of crushed tomatoes, a tablespoon or so of tomato paste, and some Italian seasonings. Once I’m happy with the sauce, I add Italian sausage links, cover the pot, and let it simmer for a couple hours. It couldn’t be easier.

We planned to eat the sandwiches after the game kicked off, but wanted an appetizer for during our pregame viewing. The recipe I decided to try was from Mediterranean Made Easy, a cookbook I’ve mentioned many times. I’ve never tried anything from this source that hasn’t been delicious, and the Greek veggie tartlets that I made have not broken that trend. This is finger food at its best.

Frozen miniature phyllo tart shells serve as the crust for the tartlets. The most difficult feature of these shells is finding them. Usually, they are in the freezer case in the dessert section, next to frozen puff pastry and frozen phyllo dough. They only require 5 minutes or so in the oven to crisp them.

The tartlet filling is essentially a finely chopped Greek salad. I chopped cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, and Kalamata olives, and mixed them with my own Greek dressing. The recipe says “Greek vinaigrette;” my simple homemade dressing is better than any bottled Greek dressing, in my humble opinion 😄

I’m including the recipe as written, which makes 45 tartlets. (Each box contains 15 phyllo shells). I made a one-third batch, enough for one box of tartlets. The two of us cleaned the plate pretty quickly. The tartlets are irresistible!

Greek Veggie Tartlets

• 3 packages (1.9 ounces each) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells
• 3/4 cup finely chopped English cucumber (if using conventional cucumber, peel and seed before chopping)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 3/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup Greek vinaigrette
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place shells on baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool completely.

Toss vegetables and olives with vinaigrette. Spoon about 1 tablespoon mixture into each tart shell. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

For anyone saying, “but what about the homemade dressing,” this was my quick dressing: I mixed 3 tablespoons of olive oil, juice of one half of a small lemon, about a quarter teaspoon of Penzey’s Greek seasoning, and a dash of granulated garlic. I didn’t add the entire amount to the veggie-olive mixture, as I didn’t want it to be runny. I just added a small amount at a time until it looked—and tasted—right. Olive oil and lemon juice are my go-to ingredients when I’m dressing a Greek salad.

Happy eating, everyone!