Pull Apart Bread and Greek Salad

Pull Apart Basil Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1 pound round loaf of white bread, unsliced (Margaret used sourdough)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 T. minced basil leaves or a scant T. minced rosemary (Margaret used basil)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice bread in 1 1/2-inch slices, cutting down but not through the bottom. Turn loaf and make 1 1/2-inch slices going the other way, not cutting through the bottom. Place on a sheet of heavy duty foil.

Combine the melted butter, basil, garlic, salt and cheese. Pour over the bread (more like drizzle in between the slices, but some can sit on top, too). Seal foil securely around bread and place on baking sheet. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until the bread is hot and the cheese is melted.

To serve, pull apart the breadsticks. If they were not cut close enough to the bottom, you may need to cut the bottom of the slices. (Margaret just pulled them off, leaving a bottom "crust" that you can eat, too.)

Serve with salad (Greek Salad) or pasta.


Greek Salad
serves 8

Ingredients:

2 bunches Romaine, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 large tomatoes, wedged or cubed
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (1/4" thick)
1 small red onion, cut in half and sliced (or Vidalea onion)
1 cup crumbled Feta Cheese (Margaret uses fresh Feta that comes in
water that is sold at the downtown Ames Fareway)
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese
Coarse black pepper
Dressing (Recipe follows)

Directions:

Combine the Romaine, tomatoes, cucumber and onion in a large salad bowl. Top with the cheeses and olives. Sprinkle with coarse black pepper. Toss with the dressing just before serving. (You probably won't need all the dressing...Margaret used 1/2 to 3/4 of it.)

Serve with pork chops or chicken breasts, or by itself!


Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil or salad oil (Margaret uses 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 salad oil)
1 T. sugar
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. minced fresh oregano
2 T. fresh basil, minced
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
2 tsp. salt
3 T. red wine vinegar
3 T. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Toss with greens just before serving.

* If using dried herbs, use 1/3 the amount of fresh.