Mediterranean cuisine?

I'm very inspired by the flavors and foods of the mediterranean area, such as italy, france, and especially greece. I was wondering if anyone has any good recipes, or could guide me to a website or cookbook featuring them. Breakfests, lunches (preferably packable, but okay if they aren't), dinners, snacks, desserts, drinks are all welcome. Thanks!Mediterranean cuisine?
Greek Breakfast Omelet

Ingredients



4 oz shaved Lamb Slices (gyro meat)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic

戮 teaspoon Greek oregano

录 teaspoon dried basil

陆 teaspoon dried Parsley

录 teaspoon paprika

录 teaspoon pepper

pinch salt

5-ounce spinach, washed, stemmed, and dried

陆 cup onions diced

录 cup tomatoes diced

1 tablespoon butter

4 eggs

录 cup milk

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions



Cut Lamb to Desired length, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 4 to 6-inch nonstick skillet. Sautee Lamb until brown. (Or buy precooked lamb slices for gyros)

Combine Greek oregano, basil, parsley, paprika, pepper, and salt. Set aside

Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into another non-stick skillet. Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic. Place garlic in cold oil and bring up to heat slowly. Sautee until garlic is just golden. Remove garlic from pan and add spinach, onions and tomatoes. Sweat. Remove from pan.

Beat 4 eggs and milk until smooth, add about half of spice mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to spinach pan. On medium-light heat, pour in the egg mixture.

Once the bottom of the omelet has set Add spinach, onion, tomatoes, and lamb and crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle with half of spice mixture or to desired taste.

Broil omelet until cheese starts to melt. Remove from broiler and fold into half moon shape on to plate. Sprinkle saut茅ed garlic slices, and rest of spices over top of omelet.

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Greek Salad.The way most people are introduced to Greek food is probably through a salad. Here麓s one that麓s fresh and tasty.



Four fresh tomatoes, sliced

One onion, sliced

1/2 cucumber, sliced

3 Tbsp olive oil

Feta cheese to taste

salt, pepper, oregano to taste



Mix the tomatoes, onion and cucumber well. Mix in the olive oil to coat, and then sprinkle the cheese and spices on top. Serves well with fresh bread.

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Peach Smoothie.Greece is well known for the beautiful fruits it grows, including olives, peaches, figs and cherries. Have this delicious drink celebrating one of its favorites!



15 oz can sliced peaches

4 scoops vanilla ice cream

2 cups milk

1/4 cup orange juice



Drain the peaches, then put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth!

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Moussaka is one of the traditional Greek dishes that combines the classic ingredients - lamb, olive oil, eggplant and bread.



3 eggplants

1/2 cup olive oil

3 onions

2 lb ground lamb

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1/4 lb butter

6 Tbsp flour

1 qt milk

4 eggs

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

2 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup parmesan cheese



Peel the skin from the eggplants and slice into circles about 1/2" thick. Brown them in the oil and remove. Now dice the onions and brown in the oil. Add in the lamb and cook about 10 minutes. Remove the fat.

Mix the tomato paste, wine, parsley, cinnamon, salt and pepper until a paste is formed. Add to the meat.

Separately blend butter and flour, heat milk separately and blend with butter-flour. Add in the eggs, nutmeg, and Ricotta cheese.

Mix crumbs and Parmesan in another bowl.

Grease a cakepan and add a layer of breadcrumbs on the bottom. Put layers of eggplant, meat and Parmesan/bread until done. Put Ricotta sauce as the last layer. Bake for 1 hour at 375F.Cool 30 minutes before serving.

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Greek Clove Wedding Cookies.It's best to make these cookies the day before the wedding.



1 pound unsalted sweet butter

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup orange juice

3 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch



1/4 cup whole cloves

1 lb confectioners sugar



Soften the butter, and beat it until it's creamy. Add in the egg yolk, orange juice and sugar. Now sift in the flour and add the sugar. Add in the cornstarch.



Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then roll into a log. Cut diagonally into 1/2 inch circles. Shape each slice into a crescent moon. Put them onto a cookie sheet and add a clove to each.

UUUUUSSSSAAA
As mentioned, "Mediterrean" cuisine would not be found in the northern areas of France or even Italy in particular. It's generally the foods eaten by people fairly close to the water (in this case the Mediterranean Sea).
Certain plants and animals do best in those kinds of areas and often don't do well in colder climates or different geographical areas (even in the same country), so those are usually the basis for the "Mediterranean" cuisine.

"Mediterranean cuisine" can also include countries in the Middle East, northern Africa, and Spain, as well as Greece, southern Italy and seaside France.
Many of those cuisines overlap but may also have a focus on olive oil, seafood, and veggies, along with certain seasonings which may vary from area to area.

I'd suggest you begin by checking out "Mediterranean Diet" (which is sometimes touted for weight loss, but is just healthy), but then also learn to distinguish which countries (and which parts of those countries) have the kinds of recipes you're interested in:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Mediterra鈥?/a>
http://www.google.com/search?q=Mediterra鈥?/a>
http://www.google.com/images?q=Mediterra鈥?/a>

HTH and happy eating!Mediterranean cuisine?
True mediterranean cuisine has got little to do with France and northern Italy, though you can still find a few tasty and healthy dishes. Mediterranean dishes are based on legumes, cereals, olive oil, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables. You may find a lot of mediterranean dishes in the maghrebi cuisine as well.

There are a lot of delicious recipes you may try, it depends on what you're looking for, what you usually eat, your fav foods, etc.



Here are some links of some of my fav recipes:



- pasta alla norma (eggplant and pasta, Italy) http://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/rcp/p_klmn/n鈥?/a>

- bouillabaisse (fish stew, France) http://www.cuisine-france.com/recipes/bo鈥?/a>

- caponata (eggplant salad, Italy) http://italianfood.about.com/od/eggplant鈥?/a>

- tzatziki (yogurt dressing, Greece)http://homecooking.about.com/od/condimen鈥?/a>

- garides saganaki (prawns with feta cheese, Greece)

http://realgreekrecipes.blogspot.com/200鈥?/a>

- cr猫pes suzettes (pancake dessert, France) http://www.gourmed.com/recipes/DESSERT-C鈥?/a>



If you're looking for something specific, I'll be glad to help :-)
For a snack, pack into a lunch box with separate compartments some feta cheese, olives, dates, sundried tomatoes, some flat bread and a tub of hummus. It's filling and healthy.Mediterranean cuisine?
Check out Chef Boy Arde at the grocery store. Delicious !
Here's a recipe I gleaned from a lady who lived in northern Spain (on the Mediterranean). I call it Mediterranean Spaghetti:

Cook two servings of thin spaghetti or your favorite kind.
In a separate bowl, combine:
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried basil flakes

Cut up the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, and gently stir to combine all the spices with it.
Pour over cooked, drained spaghetti. Makes 2 servings. Good hot or cold.

And then here's a Tabouli recipe to die for. I got it from a Lebanese restauranteur (at least the ingredients) but had to figure out how much of each from personal experimenting -- something you are welcome to do to tweak this recipe to our own liking.

To a large mixing bowl place:
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup cold purified water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
Stir until salt is dissolved, then add:
1 pkg (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups) bulgar wheat (the kind that doesn't have to be cooked)

Make sure the bulgar is covered by the wet ingredients, then let sit for 15 minutes undisturbed, covered.

Meanwhile chop into 1/2 inch pieces:
1 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes (cut out the stem end but leave the juicy insides)
2 cucumbers, peeled and de-seeded
1 pkg (about 12) green onions (scallions) minus tops and roots (use the white part only)
3-4 bundles (sometimes 5 if they are small) fresh curled parsley, washed, dried and plucked from the stems (use the leaves only). Finely chop the parsley leaves in a food processor.

Add all the vegetables to the container with the soaked and softened bulgar wheat. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of coarse kosher salt on top of the vegetables as you mix them gently into the bulgar wheat. A large wooden spoon works well for this, scooping from the bottom and turning it over in a sort of rowing motion as you turn the bowl. When it's evenly mixed, it's ready to serve. It can be refrigerated for 3-4 days but the oil tends to settle to the bottom the longer it sits, so gently toss it again before serving it.