1 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dill
1 small cucumber, seeded and grated
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

1. Strain yogurt with cheesecloth overnight to thicken or use Greek style yogurt. Also leave the grated cucumber in cheesecloth to remove any excess moisture.
2. Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate before serving.

Makes 1 cup

16 phyllo dough sheets, halved lengthwise
2 pounds spinach
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
16 scallions, chopped
2 medium white onions, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces feta cheese
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine parsley, dill, green onions and salt in a bowl.
3. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat and add the white onions, sautéing until tender.
4. Gradually add the spinach to the sauce pan in batches until completely wilted.
5. Pat the green onions and herbs dry and add them to the spinach mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Place a heaping tablespoon of the spinach mixture at the bottom of the phyllo rectangle. Top with a portion of feta cheese.
7. Fold one of the bottom edges up to form a triangle at the bottom. Repeat folding over into triangles until you've reached the top, then lightly oil and seal with the remaining dough.
8. Repeat with the remaining filling and place the spanakopita on an ungreased baking sheet.
9. Bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.

Makes 16 spanakopita

1 medium tomato, thickly sliced
1 ounce feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar

1. Combine garlic, oregano, olive oil, vinegar and sugar and mix well.
2. Lay tomatoes on a plate and garnish with feta and parsley, then top with prepared dressing.

Makes 1 serving

Mediterranean food, even with inferior produce, still gets me excited about cooking again. I made one of my favorite dishes tonight, Spanakopita. I'm not exactly sure the proper way to pronounce it anymore; I say span-oh-ko-pee-tah, but I recently watched Kat Kora on an episode of Iron Chef say span-ah-ko-pih-ta, followed by several repetitions of the same pronunciations, so perhaps she knows better than me. At any rate, it's basically a spinach pie or turnover, and truly a delicious creation. I often have a few little foibles whenever trying to make it. This time I added too much salt. Every recipe I've seen also calls for a liberal amount of butter and olive oil, and I find it ends up with a greasy "crust" afterwards. The next time I make this (or something else using phyllo dough) I'm skipping the oil and butter altogether and just throwing it in the oven. Maybe I can find out what I've been doing wrong all along before then. Other than the high sodium and despite being a bit soggy, I still loved every bite.

Spankopita is especially good with Tzatziki, which I made a wonderful batch of. Tzatziki goes good with pretty much everything Greek, like Donairs or the Dilled Spinach Rice I made A Couple Days Ago. This, by the way, made it taste a lot more like the dolmades I was trying to duplicate. It also goes exceptionally well with raw vegetables, especially Cucumbers. I also like it with roasted potatoes, which is what it is pictured with on the dinner plate. Tzatziki takes a bit to prepare, since you have to remove the excess moisture from the yogurt and cucumber, but it's definitely a worthwhile procedure.

This has no bearing on reality and just how I conjure up culture in my head, but I think if Greece was to respond to the Caprese Salad, they should have this Tomato Feta Salad. It's not very often I make a simple vinaigrette and find it amazing, but there's something about the combination of such simple ingredients and that little pinch of sugar that makes it so great. Fresh herbs definitely don't hurt, either. The tomato, mozzarella and basil are so exceptionally delicious, but I might even go so far as to say that the tomato, feta and oregano version could give the Caprese salad a run for its money.