So Many Dishes

We have been cooking a lot of familiar recipes lately, including many that I’ve already written about. I was going to do a post about the Colcannon I made for St. Patrick’s Day, but then I realized I posted that recipe last year.

Last evening was another favorite that we make regularly but which I’ve already blogged, Moroccan chicken with olives and preserved lemons. It tasted especially good, because I used Turkish cracked olives, rather than manzanilla olives, and it really kicked the dish up a notch. I hadn’t used cracked olives since we lived in Prague. There, they were available in bulk at the “supermarket,” but I’d never found anything comparable here, even on the Whole Foods olive bar. A new European grocery opened near us, and I found the olives while I was exploring. They had a lot of interesting-looking items, especially from Eastern Europe. Ken is anxious to check it out, too.

At this point, I know you’re thinking, is she ever going to get to the point, and is there a recipe coming? Yes and yes!

Two nights ago, I made a recipe that we’ve enjoyed before. It’s been a while, though, and I’ve never written about it. I wanted something easy to put together and that we could eat in front of the tv if there was a good basketball game on. Yes, it’s NCAA tournament time, and we’ve already enjoyed some excellent games. We actually turned the television off at dinner time and ate at the dining room table, but I was prepared.

The dish is called chicken sausage and zucchini pockets, and is simple to prepare. Sliced fully cooked sausage is sautéed, as is sliced onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and yellow squash, then served in pita pockets with optional chopped tomato and tzatziki.

I ran into only one snag: I bought pocketless pitas! I spotted the Greek pita bread in the market, which we love, and automatically put it in our cart. Greek pita, however, is softer than Arabic pita, and doesn’t have a pocket for filling. So we just piled the meat and veggies onto the bread, topped it with tomatoes and tzatziki, and rolled it up gyro-style. A picture of the rolled up sandwich was impossible, however. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

The recipe is from Taste of Home Mediterranean Made Easy, and, believe it or not, I didn’t make any changes. I used Publix Greenwise chicken sausages with spinach and feta, which work perfectly for this dish.

Chicken Sausage and Zucchini Pockets

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 package (12 oz.) fully cooked chicken sausages, sliced
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 8 pita pocket halves, warmed (or 4 whole Greek pitas)
• Chopped tomato and tzatziki sauce, optional (but highly recommended)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan.

In the same skillet, heat 2 more teaspoons oil. Add mushrooms and onion; cook and stir 4-6 minutes, until tender. Remove from pan.

Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add zucchini and yellow squash, cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until tender. Stir in basil. Return sausage and mushroom mixture to the pan. Heat through. Serve in pita. If desired, add tomato and tzatziki. Makes 4 servings.

Happy eating!