feta crusted chicken breast with greek orzo salad: a fuse-d culinary art piece

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There is something about olives, and any dish that incorporates them. Using the overbearingly salty, briny and yet slightly sweet and savory fruit produces fantastic effects in meals if properly mixed with more subtle flavors.

I decided that olives were in order on Friday. A pseudo-Greek salad to be exact. But we also needed protien for the night to come, one that had us running throughout an art gallery, avoiding art students and hipsters alike. The heavy food was also needed for energy to deal with modern art - I needed to sustain my constant shudders (though they stopped when I saw the few Emily Carr pieces).

Josh, however, got right into the artsy scene with his PBR and hip approach to cooking.

I, however, stayed ol' plain Jane with my salad.

No matter which way it was cooked or eaten, the food was enjoyed all round.

And once the food was eaten, and settled for five minutes in our stomachs, we trudged off to celebrate FUSE-ing . . . Stuff.

Feta Crusted Chicken Breast with Greek Orzo Salad

2 chicken breasts
3 tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. feta cheese
1 tbs. white balsalmic vinegar
2 tbs. lemon juice
pepper, to taste
1/2 tbs. oregano
1 tsp. powdered sage

3 cups cooked orzo pasta, cooled
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 english cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
2 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. balsalmic vinegar
1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp. dried oregano
pepper, to taste

1. Place the chicken breast and following seven ingredients (mixed together) in a heavy skillet. Place it on the stove on medium-high and cover it. Let it cook for about five minutes.

2. Flip the chicken over and leave it uncovered to cook for another five minutes, allowing most of the excess moisture to burn off.

3. Toss the salad ingredients together and set it aside.

4. Serve the chicken on the salad, with freshly heated pita on the side.

5. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Go to the VAG, and not only because it is an amusing acronym, but to revel in Emily Carr and revile modern art.

stuffed chicken breasts: get her to the greek . . . cuisine.

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So my friend Naomi and I headed down West Broadway on Sunday to go an Indian restaurant (I know, this past weekend has been filled with a medley of international fare). Unfortunately, we were blocked off from our ultimate destination by a huge, random Greek festival. Honestly, I didn't even know that there were enough Greek people living in Vancouver to fill a phone booth - but filling an entire festival . . . well, lets just say all my assumptions were completely erased. 

Of course, like any good celebration of a culture, it appeared that the festival revolved around food. Souvlaki, tzatziki, mousaka, calamari, and baklava. The smell of warm honeyed pastry and smokey lamb enveloped the entire festival (and several blocks surrounding it - can you imagine living there?! My salivary glands would have been tired at the end of the day.)

This entire celebration reminded me about one of my favorite chicken dishes to make - to me, it encapsulates all the ingredients which make good Greek food. Since I was drawing most of Sunday night (photos of which I will share soon), I wasn't able to make the stuffed chicken (though I have photos of previous times I've made it).

However, you can. This is a tried and tested recipe, and just so yummy. You'll have neighbors peering in your windows as the smells waft out of your house. It's also a good recipe to persuade (coerce) friends to hang out with you. How can they resist? Opa!!

Stuffed Chicken Breast 
with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, and Feta

2 chicken breasts (pounded between 2 sheets of plastic to about 1/4")
1/3 c. olive oil (some of it drained from the sun-dried tomatoes)
1 tsp. sea salt
3 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. white wine
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp. oregano, dried
1/2 onion, minced
1 tbs. parsley, dried
1 tsp. thyme

1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 c. artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 c. roasted red pepper (for sweetness!), drained and chopped
10 kalamata olives, chopped

1. Combine the first 10 ingredients - marinade the chicken at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375F. Meanwhile, stir together the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.(These are very detailed instructions, I know.) Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place equal amounts of the stuffing mixture onto each piece of chicken. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks (essentially, roll it into a log). Place onto a baking dish, seam-side down, and drizzle leftover marinade over top.

3. Cook until chicken is no longer pink - about 30 mins.

4. Pray. Eat. Enjoy.