Pita Mozz, Feta Dressing and Pita Dinner

Need a new Greek meal? You’ll love this pita mozz, feta dressing, and pita dinner! It’s my spin on a Keifer’s copycat meal.

If you’ve ever been to Jackson, MS, you’ve probably eaten at Keifer’s, the best Greek restaurant ever.  Tom and I went to college in Jackson, and Keifer’s was one of our favorite places to eat.  In fact we’ve missed it so much since moving, that one time we planned a trip to Jackson just to eat at Keifer’s.  Well, Sal & Mookies and Broad Street were on the list too.  Making my own Keifer’s meal is a hell of a lot cheaper than flying to Jackson to go on a culinary adventure!

While this isn’t authentic Greek, I think it is better!  The owners put their own spin on everything from the feta dressing to the pitas made in Chicago just for Keifer’s.  Every few years I get a craving for pita mozz and I do a Pinterest search to find the perfect recipe.  After 8 years of living away from Jackson, I’ve finally mastered the art of cooking a Keifer’s meal.  I enjoy my knock off meal, but it’s nothing like the real stuff.  I’d much rather go to the source.  If you don’t live near Jackson you need these recipes for pita mozz, feta dressing, cottage fries and BLT pitas.

It took me a long time to find the best recipe for a pita mozz.  I finally found this one from Sarah and Ryan:

Pita Mozz

Toufayan flatbread works better than pita, use pita in a pinch
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Feta Dressing (next recipe)

Heat non-stick or cast iron pan over medium-high heat — do not use a stainless steel pan!

Place pita bread in pan and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.  Leave on this side until cheese starts to get soft and melt.  

Flip pita so the cheese side is down. Let cook a couple of minutes, until the cheese gets a good brown crust on it. Quickly slide the spatula under and move to a plate, cheese side up. Serve with feta dressing.

Next you’re going to need some feta dressing.  The best recipe I’ve found is from The Supermom Chef:

Homemade Feta Sauce

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise (use the real stuff for this, folks!)

1 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil (or more, depending on how thin you like your sauce)

pinch of dried basil

pinch of dried oregano

In the bowl of a manual food processor (DO NOT use an electric food processor, it will chop the Feta up too small), mix together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, oregano, and basil. Process until completely combined. Add Feta; process a few times until the cheese is evenly distributed but not completely broken down into tiny pieces. You want some bigger pieces of Feta left in the mixture. Chill until ready to serve with crackers, on fries, or on your favorite pita or gyro.

Once you’ve finished your pita mozz, you need to start on your cottage fries.

Cottage Fries

 2 russet potatoes (one potato per person)

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

Cut your potatoes into 1/2 inch slices and coat generously with olive oil.  Sprinkle on some sea salt and roast on 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Toss halfway through.  Add more salt if needed. 

Finally, you need to make your pita!  My favorite way to do this is to make another pita mozz, and then stuff it with all your favorite sandwich fillings and top it with feta dressing.

I like to make BLT pitas.  Here is my recipe:

BLT Pita (serves 2)

2 pita mozz

feta dressing

8 fried bacon slices

4 tomato slices

2 handfuls of lettuce

As soon as you finish your pita mozz, stuff it with a handful of lettuce, 2 slices of tomato, 4 slices of bacon and a generous heap of feta dressing.  Roll us in wax paper or a thin cloth napkin to keep it all together while eating.

Don’t waste your leftovers!  Use these ideas: 

• we use the rest of the bacon to make a breakfast casserole
• extra pitas and feta dressing are fun for snacking, add some carrots to make it a little healthier

Have you ever been to Keifer’s?  Are you as obsessed as I am?  What’s your favorite recipe from a restaurant that you like to do at home?