Boiled Rice Recipe

Yes this is kind of like "how to boil water".  BUT have you tried the awful rice some people make?  A rice cooker is the easiest option but when you don't have one, here's the basic recipe.  If you double or triple it, then cut back some on the water because it won't need as much to cook.

1.  Pour 1 3/4 cups of water in a pot that has a lid.  Add 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter. 
2. Bring to a rolling boil. I sometimes cheat, don't wait long enough, and people can always tell.
3. Add 1 cup of rice slowly.
4. Cover and cook over low heat.  Set a timer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat to another burner and let sit for 5 minutes more.
5. Fluff with a fork, serve, and eat.

Empanadas and Fillings

Yes, I make empanadas and because of soy allergy problems, I make them in big batches for the freezer.  They are amazingly helpful for lunches and times we go anywhere that we need to have something in case there isn't anything soy-free when we are out.  I used to have to reserve most of them for my daughter with the allergy or they would dissapear too quickly to replace.  Recently a new restaurant called the "Gauchito Grill" has opened near San Marcos Civic Center and has amazing empanadas and Milanesas so I can enjoy them for myself without the work.  $2.00 per empanada for myself and wife is fine to have the variety without the work.  It is a little too much to pay to put 60+ of them in my freezer though so I will continue making them at home.  We tried making peanut butter and jelly versions and its just not worth it. 

The recipe makes about 32 of them if you roll the dough out thick like my wife likes them or about 64 of them if you roll them out thin.  I like them both ways but usually make somewhere between 32 and 60 of them.  I will make a double batch occasionally but usually wind up giving up near the end and turn the last of the dough into pizza blanks or pitas to dip in tzatziki sauce for a greek meal later.

Below is a copy of the menu from the Gauchitos Grill to give ideas on other fillings and also to drool over if you are too far away to visit it.

Greek Chicken Meal Recipes when Moussaka isn't available

Moussaka is my favorite but when I don't have eggplant, this meal really is a close tie.  I love this Greek meal as it is made up of the things I love most at greek restaurants tweeked to the taste of our family.  The Menu includes:
Avgolemono Lemon Soup, Greek Salad, Greek Chicken, Honey Rice, Pita Bread, and Tzatziki Sauce.
Start with  Lemon Soup if you like it.  I've had some that are kind of curdled eggy and sort of slimy but this recipe is just about right.  Sometimes we have it and sometimes we don't.

Greek Salad for our family is flexible with the ingredients but very hard to have without cucumber and if its just cucumber, that's fine.  I love the Greek Olives although the rest of the family doesn't so I add them to my salad afterwards.  The dressing is too strong and salty for some, so have it on the side to toss individual portions if you're unsure.

This recipe for Greek Chicken and Rice is so easy and I like to make double to make sure to have leftovers.  Everyone in the family also loves the Honey Rice that goes with it.

Pita Bread ( I make it from scratch but storebought works fine) is impossible for our family to have without Tzatziki Sauce similar to it being difficult to not have a good Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for Italian bread to dip in. The sauce recipe is adapted to the taste of our family and the supplies that we easily have on hand.  It tastes better as it sits and we put it on all kinds of things for the next few days until it is gone.

Leftover Chicken and salad and tzaziki sauce are wonderful the next day with feta cheese for Greek Pizza.

Moussaka Recipe

I fell in love with Moussaka while staying in Athen, Greece many, many years ago.  For the few days to a week we stayed at the Hilton or Sheraton, I ate Moussaka for lunch and/or dinner in the hotel restaurant almost daily.  Of course, we ate at other places in town and one nice small place on the water along the coast but the Moussaka was my favorite food in Greece.

I searched for recipes over the years and many had potatoes or other ingredients that just didn't bring back the taste of what I had remembered being served from the casserole on the side table at the restaurant in Greece.

Finally after trial and error and adaptations, I developed this version that our family loves and that is much easier than other recipes I tried to make.  Doubling the bechamel sauce never hurts and be careful and keep checking when you do the broiler for 10 minutes because different ovens brown or burn in as little as 3-5 minutes.