Cucumber Mint Feta Salad With Toasted Pita Food

CUCUMBER AND MINT SALAD WITH TOASTED PITAS

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath. Cook green beans in a pot of boiling salted water until bright green and just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain; transfer to ice-water bath, and drain again. Cut into thirds. Toss with mint, cucumber, and lettuce.
• Pour 1/4 cup oil into lemon juice in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toast pitas over the flame of a gas burner, turning with tongs, until crisp and blackened in spots. (Alternatively, char in broiler, turning.) Rub with garlic, and brush with remaining 1/4 cup oil. Season with salt. Tear into large pieces. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to coat. Serve with pitas.

FATTOUSH SALAD WITH MINT DRESSING

Steps:

• To toast the pita: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss the torn pita with 2 tablespoons olive oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven until the pieces are very golden and crispy, tossing halfway, 8 to 12 minutes. Set the baking sheet aside to cool.
• To prepare the salad: Make the salad dressing as directed and set aside. In a large serving bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, radish, mint, optional parsley and feta, and toasted pita.
• Wait until you're ready to serve to drizzle up to 1/2 cup dressing over the salad. Gently toss until all of the ingredients are lightly coated in dressing. Serve promptly, and sprinkle individual servings generously with sumac.
• This salad is best consumed soon after making, since the dressing will wilt the lettuce and soften the pita with time. If you intend to have leftovers, store the salad separately from the dressing, and toss individual salads before serving. The salad will keep this way, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

PITA-BREAD SALAD WITH CUCUMBER, MINT, AND FETA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pita squares in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until they are nicely crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and olive oil, and season with salt.
• In a medium salad bowl, combine toasted pita bread, celery, and cucumber; add vinegar mixture, and toss well to combine. Just before serving, add mint and watercress; gently toss again. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top, and season with pepper.

FRIED FETA GREEK SALAD PITAS

Steps:

• Combine the olives, cucumbers, red pepper and onion in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, a big pinch of salt and some black pepper and toss to combine. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator while you make the feta.
• For the feta, prepare a dredging station. In a rimmed dish, add the flour. In a separate rimmed dish, whisk the egg with a splash of water. In a third separate dish, whisk together the breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper. Coat each chunk of feta in the flour and tap off the excess. Dunk in the beaten egg and then coat in the breadcrumbs, tapping off the excess.
• Heat a 1/4-inch layer of olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. (Test to see if it is hot enough by sprinkling a bit of breadcrumb in the oil. If it sizzles right away, it's ready.) Carefully place the breaded feta cubes in the oil and fry in batches for 90 seconds to 2 minutes on the first side, undisturbed. Flip and fry on the other side for another minute or so, or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and allow excess oil to drain. Repeat until all pieces are fried.
• To serve, slice open each pita and create a pocket. Schmear a big plop of hummus inside each one, followed by some arugula. Top with a pile of the Greek salad, a few chunks of the warm, fried feta, a dollop of yogurt and a few pieces of mint. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce, if desired.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the water, sugar and yeast just to dissolve. Add the oil and salt and then gradually add the flour. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 7 to 10 minutes, adding just enough additional flour so that the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Do not add too much flour. The dough should be smooth and slightly sticky. Lightly coat a clean large bowl with oil or cooking spray, then place the dough in the bowl and turn it once or twice to coat it in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
• Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Mold each piece into a ball by stretching the top and tucking the edges under. Place the balls 1 inch apart on a piece of parchment paper, cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes.
• Set an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• With a rolling pin, roll out the balls of dough into 6-inch circles. Place them on the baking sheets and bake for about 5 minutes, or until they're puffy and just starting to brown.

FETA CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove seeds and discard. Cut cucumbers into 1/2-in. cubes; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Stir in onions. Combine the cheese, lemon juice, oil and pepper; add to cucumber mixture and stir gently.

FETA, CUCUMBER AND SPINACH PITA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Mix yogurt, garlic and cayenne in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Mix cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, green onion, mint, vinegar and oil in large bowl. Stir in spinach and feta cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand while preparing pita bread.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap pita breads in foil. Place in oven until heated through, about 10 minutes. Fill pita halves with cucumber mixture. Spoon some of yogurt dressing into each pita half. Serve, passing remaining yogurt dressing separately.

GREEK CHICKEN WITH CUCUMBER-FETA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt and garlic; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/2 cup of the yogurt to a medium bowl and reserve for Step 5.
• Coat the chicken: To the large bowl, add the oregano and stir to combine. Season the chicken all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the chicken to the large bowl and turn to coat; set aside.
• Start the salad: Smash the cucumbers with the side of your knife until craggy and split. Rip into ½- to 1-inch pieces and transfer to a colander placed in the sink. Slice or chop the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Add to the cucumbers along with 1 ½ teaspoons salt. (It may seem like a lot of salt, but most will drain away.) Toss to combine and leave to drain.
• In a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Scrape excess marinade off the chicken, then cook the chicken in batches, adding oil to the pan if necessary, until it's well browned and releases from the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to plates to rest. (For grilling info, see Tip.)
• To the medium bowl of yogurt, add the feta and mash with a fork until a chunky paste forms. Shake the cucumbers and tomatoes to get rid of any excess moisture. Add to the feta yogurt along with the olives and stir until coated. The balance is dependent on your produce and feta, so season to taste with salt and pepper until flavors are vivid. Eat alongside the chicken.