Recipes

[house_cat]

@Allegheny

I'm thinking Italian oregano and olive oil can be substituted for Greek with no noticeable difference - correct me if I'm wrong. Thank you.

[Allegheny]

@house_cat  

Hi.  I never made her recipe.  To my taste buds, (I'm not Greek)  I probably wouldn't know the difference.  LOL.  I'd probably make it the first time using ingredients I had.  If I really liked the salad, and planned on making it frequently I may invest in the Greek products to see if they made a difference.

[cookinfreak]

@house_cat

I was in the grocery store the other day and noticed that there is Food Network dressings on the shelf with the other salad dressing and one is Feta Herb.

I'm thinking if you find a recipe you want to try, maybe you could use this in place of the Italian dressing so many pasta salad recipes call for or add it along with the other.

cookin

PS I have a recipe for pasta salad that I make a lot. You drain the oil off Italian dressing and then add a packet of dry ranch dressing to the bottle. I have made this for years, and it is so tasy. I now bring a container of feta cheese (not everyone in my family likes it) and the people who do like it can add feta to their servings. So good!

[sabatini]

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@house_cat wrote:

@Allegheny

I'm thinking Italian oregano and olive oil can be substituted for Greek with no noticeable difference - correct me if I'm wrong. Thank you.

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@house_cat, I'm sure it'd be fine.

However, just a few days ago, I threw some Greek oregano into the marinara I was making, and it altered the flavor. A very noticeable difference which I didn't care for.

Until then, I'd just used the Greek oregano when making lemon chicken, etc.

[loriqvc]

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@fthunt wrote:

Whew - I'm tired just reading what's needed.  Here's my chance to ask the million $ question I've had for years.........what's the big deal about white pepper?  How different from black?

And...I've seen recipes calling for unsalted butter and then it calls for salt!   What's the deal on that one?    LOL

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White pepper and black pepper have differences in taste as well as color; however, I'm not sure how much you'd taste that difference in the recipe given since it has so many ingredients. As another person mentioned, white pepper is nice for sauces and soups because it won't introduce black flecks, but more importantly, white pepper has less heat than black pepper, so using it in creamy bases like sauces and soups makes the flavor impact more subtle. White pepper is also really great to complement Indian spices like cumin and turmeric (and other "earthy" spices).

It was only last year that I finally discovered the big deal between salted and unsalted butter. For my entire cooking/baking life, I have always used my grocery store brand's salted butter because it has a great taste, a good balance in its flavor, and a wallet-friendly pricepoint. Whether I was baking with it or spreading it on toast, it was perfect, and I never bothered using the unsalted kind. But last year, I saw a nice sale on butter at another store while I was there, so I bought a bunch of the salted variety. I didn't think twice about using it when making some cookies, but as I tasted the dough just before portioning it out for baking, I absolutely GAGGED--the salt was completely overwhelming. I was so glad I had "treated myself" before baking and sharing the cookies!

So, to sum up: If you know the salt level in your butter, you will know how to account for it in recipes. If you're trying something new, definitely start with the unsalted version and add salt based on your tastebuds and experience.

[Free2be]

For cooks in a hurry, Penzeys sells a Greek seasoning blend that I often rely on for Greek salads and sometimes on grilled chicken.  

[Bridgegal]

@Free2be

Yes, and it is very good.   Cavendar's All Purpose Greek seasoning is good too.

[hsawaknow]

@shaggygirl

This is the Greek salad that I have had many times and it is delicious.