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Spanakopita with Harissa/Bengali-5-Spice Roasted Cauliflower

17 Apr

Spanakopita. Spinach Pie. Feta + Spinach wrapped up in flaky filo. Served up with some harissa and bengali-5-spice roasted cauliflower. Roasted cauliflower pairs swimmingly with any dinner. Easy and healthy. I had leftover harissa from when I made a variation of Heidi’s Harissa Noodles. I had leftover bengali-5-spice from when I roasted these nuts. Bam! to using leftover spices and sauces.

I’m totally into spanakopita. These tasted so savory and lovely. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I made a darn good meal.

Making spanakopita would be a great dinner party idea or date night activity, and even a way to involve the kiddos with making dinner. While I was perfectly capable of doing everything myself, it would have been nice to have an extra pair of hands to help pass the filo sheets, brush with butter, and fill and roll. Filo dough dries out quick, so just remember to be efficient when time comes to fill and roll. And you can always patch things up or just discard a sheet of filo if it rips.

Feta and spinach are the stars here. Onion adds a deeper flavor. Nutmeg gives it that cozy comfort hint. The egg makes it all stay rich and together. Butter for brushing. Lemon for squeezing. Salt and pepper for good measure.

Above you see the filling all mixed together and ready to go.

Filling gets placed on the bottom center of the rectangle of filo (2 sheets).

Edges get folded in (“hot dog” style as some call it).

Folding upward in an attempt to make a triangle. I had issues with this because I’m not great with geometry. Let’s see how you fare.

I wholly approve of round-shaped spanikopita. Any shape you make them, these darlings taste so friggin’ dang good!

Spanakopita

adapted from David Lebovitz

makes 8-10 triangles (I got 10)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed in the fridge overnight and then drained (you could use fresh, too, if you prefer)

1 8-oz block feta cheese

big pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

fresh ground pepper

1/2 of a lemon, juiced

1 egg

2 oz butter, melted

1/2 of a 16 oz box (1 package) of filo dough, thawed in the fridge overnight

Before beginning, make sure that the spinach is defrosted and drained (I broke the spinach up with my hands, set it in a strainer, and pushed down with paper towel to ensure that it was fully drained). Also, melt the 2 oz of butter either in a little pan or in the microwave and set aside while you prepare everything else.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic clove and saute for 1 minute more. Add the spinach and stir until everything is mixed together and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool down a bit.

In a bowl, crumble the feta and add grated nutmeg, fresh pepper, lemon, and a tiny pinch of salt (remember, feta is already quite salty). Stir together. Add the spinach and onions and stir everything together. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the egg until everything is mixed together.

Now comes the tricky part. Take a dish towel and get it damp with water. Unroll the filo dough and cover it with the damp dish towel.

Working quickly, take one layer of filo out, brush it lightly but thoroughly with melted butter. Lay another sheet of filo on top and brush it with butter as well. Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling onto the bottom center, about 1-inch from the edge. Roll the two edges over the filling (lengthwise) to encase the filling. It should look like a long rectangle with the filling at the far end. Brush the exposed surface of the filo with butter and fold one corner diagonally over the filling, then continue folding keeping the triangle shape and brushing the exposed surfaces of the filo with butter, until you have a neat triangle (I did not get neat triangles, but I had nice shapes that encased my filling anyway). Brush the top with butter and set on a baking sheet in the freezer.

Continue making more spanakopitas with the remaining filling. Once all the spanakopitas are frozen, store them in a freezer bag until ready to bake. If well-wrapped, they’ll keep for a couple of months.

To bake the frozen spanakopita, preheat the oven to 350F and put the frozen triangles on a baking sheet, then brush each with butter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until deeply-golden brown. If you’re baking them without freezing them first, they’ll take less time to bake, so check them before the recommended baking time.

Harissa & Bengali-5-Spice Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, chopped

1 tablespoon harissa (I bought mine at Whole Foods)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon bengali-5-spice (see my recipe here)

few pinches of salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together cauliflower with harissa, olive oil, bengali-5-spice, and salt. Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for about 35-45 minutes, stirring once or twice while baking.

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Gypsy Soup

9 Apr

Gypsy Soup

Salty feta crumbles. Soft curls of Parmesan.

Barely wilted lacinato kale, forest green.

Tender chickpeas with rough cut veggies and just enough liquid to eat from a bowl.

Gypsy soup, a delightful vegetable soup that you can mix and match with whatever orange and green vegetables you desire. Will last you for daysss. Yay to getting those veggies into the diet.

My trick to a great soup is to finish with a tiny drizzle of balsamic. I add the vinegar, then top with tons of cheese, and I’m good to go.

Gypsy soup

Serves 8-10; you can cut the recipe in half if you think this will be too much, but I appreciate a batch of soup that will last me a while. You can also freeze the soup, just see below in the directions…
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 medium yellow onions, chopped coarsely
6 stalks celery, chopped
8 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, diced
1 large sweet potato (or winter squash), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 large carrots, sliced into thin coins or roughly chopped
2 small zucchini, chopped
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 cans chickpeas (the original recipe uses about 3 cans)
5 cups liquid (I used 4 cups water + 1 cup veg. broth)
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons turmeric
4 teaspoons mild paprika
1 bay leaf
Dash of cayenne
1 pound greens (I used a mixture of kale and mustard greens), trimmed and, if large, cut into 2-inch-wide pieces

Parmesan or Asiago cheese + crumbled feta, for topping (or any other yummy salty cheese)

Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Directions

In your biggest pot, heat the olive oil. Saute the onions, garlic, celery, and jalapeno until aromatic and beginning to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add the sweet potato and carrots and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or so. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas, broth/water, salt, turmeric, paprika, bay leaf, and cayenne. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer, stirring occasionally until sweet potato and carrots are tender. Stir in the greens, allowing to wilt before removing the soup from the heat.

Serve with a good dusting of cheese and a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

To freeze the soup, allow to cool completely. Ladle into gallon-size freezer bags. Seal, smoothing out any air pockets, and lay flat in the freezer to store.

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Broccoli Quiche

26 Mar

Life as a pastry cook really hit me hard last week. One of our key pastry chefs was on vacation. I was working longer hours, many of them by myself. On Wednesday night, we had 45 people with reservations, on paper. Easy. I prepped for that amount give or take a few, and I felt solid and set up for the night. When more than double the amount of reservations showed up, things got a bit crazy.

I was running out of my set-up. Ice creams were melting. Bowls were not yet cold enough (we keep bowls in the freezer so that our frozen desserts stay cold by the time they arrive at the guest’s table). I had to whip more cream “on the fly” (as in ‘right now’!). I had to torch multiple creme brulee orders. I had to bake off more caramelized apples. I had to supreme more blood oranges. I had to pipe more “whipped chocolate flan” into bowls. I ran out of ramekins filled with honey and ricotta to go with the chocolate bread. There were birthdays that needed “Happy Birthday” written in chocolate on a plate. And of course, the machine that spits out ticket orders ran out of paper.

My hands were shaking, the sweat was dripping down my back. My legs were shot. My mouth was dry.

I did it. I plated all of the desserts. I shuffled and I shook until I got it all done. I re-stocked my mis-en-place. Everyone ate and was satisfied. I left work that night at 11:45pm. I had the biggest adrenaline rush. The next morning, my whole body ached and as I stretched out of bed, I prepared to do it all over again that night.

Even on my days off, I can’t seem to get myself out of the kitchen. I guess I’m a little obsessed. It is, however, a totally different kind of kitchen to be at home versus in a big restaurant kitchen.

This weekend I made a broccoli quiche inspired by Joy the Baker’s beautiful asparagus quiche. And you should totally watch this video with Joy frolicking in the garden and cooking in the test kitchen at the French Laundry in Napa, CA. I’m completely jealous and inspired, and the video just makes me miss California living even more.

I happened to have extra pie dough leftover in my freezer from (eek) Thanksgiving. Sure, I probably should not have kept it in the freezer that long, but it was there, I used it, and it tasted superb. I stuck it it the fridge to defrost overnight and Bam! I had everything I needed to make a comforting quiche for a cozy Saturday morning  afternoon meal. I’m totally into the studs of broccoli and the browned cheesy bits. And you simply cannot go wrong with buttery crust and black coffee.

Broccoli Quiche

filling adapted from JoytheBaker’s website and the JoytheBaker cookbook

pie dough for a single crust 9-inch pie, I used the pate brisee from Sherry Yard’s book

Dough: *You can use any dough you want, you could even use puff pastry for a quick fix

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and placed in the freezer for about 15 minutes

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

about 1/4 cup ice water

1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar) *see note below

Filling:

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1 bunch of scallions, sliced into thin rounds

6 large eggs

1 cup milk (I used 1%)

1/2 cup heavy cream

pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup grated white cheddar or Gruyere cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

To make the dough:

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the partially frozen butter cubes and, with your fingers, rub and press the butter and flour between your thumbs and first two fingers to create flattened broken walnut sized pieces. Combine the ice water and vinegar and add the liquid all at once; mix lightly with a fork until the dough just comes together.

Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling it out (the well-wrapped dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks). I had my dough already made and frozen. I transferred it from the freezer to the refrigerator 2 days before I wanted to make the quiche so that I could just pull the dough out on Saturday morning and get going.

*Note: the amount of water can be variable. It is better to have a slightly wet/tacky dough than one that is too dry; add a little water if your dough seems dry.

When you are ready to roll out the crust, on a well-floured work surface, gently roll out the pie crust into about an 11-inch circle.  Press together any spots that might tear.  Carefully lift down and place into the 9-inch pie plate.  Use a pairing knife to trim the edges of pie dough, leaving about 1/2 inch extra dough overhang.  Fold the excess dough under and crimp with fingers.

Place your rolled out crust in the fridge or freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the broccoli and scallions and saute for about 4 minutes, until bright green and slightly tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, and salt and pepper. Whisk until blended.

Add the cooked vegetables to the unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle with half of the cheeses (1/4 cup each of cheddar and Parm.). Pour the egg mixture over everything. Top with remaining cheese.

Place a baking sheet in the oven. Carefully place the pie plate of quiche on top of the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 45-55 minutes, until quiche puffs up and is set.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes to an hour before cutting it.

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Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole

30 Jan

Gruyere cheese and mushrooms were made to go together. With onions and garlic and a small dash of whole grain mustard, your nose would have flipped out last night as I was making this casserole. You’ve got your grain, protein, and vegetable all in one with this dish.

Browsing through Heidi’s book, I saw a photo of this casserole and my mouth immediately started watering. Her photo is to die for and the chopped fresh tarragon makes all the difference. I was too cheap to go buy tarragon, one day I will have a giant herb garden and I can just tear off a tiny sprig to garnish my dishes. Until then, I’m ok neglecting the herb.

Also, my casserole turned purple from the wild rice. No big deal, it still tasted fantastic. I have not had that much experience cooking wild rice, and I can’t wait to experiment more.

Two of us ate half of the casserole in one sitting, it was that good. Tonight’s dinner will be leftovers with some oven roasted broccoli. Cheers to healthy comfort foods!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole

adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday 

Heidi says that you can prepare the casserole a day or two ahead and bake off when needed…

2 large eggs

1 cup/ 8oz/ 225g cottage cheese (I used 1%)

1/2 cup/ 4oz/ 115g sour cream (I used regular)

1 teaspoon Dijon-style or whole grain mustard

Kosher salt or sea salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or unsalted butter)

8 ounces/ 225g cremini mushrooms, chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups cooked wild and/or brown rice, at room temperature **see note

1/3 cup/ .5 oz/ 15g freshly grated Gruyere cheese

optional: 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or thyme

**NOTE: First, make sure that you have your rice cooked and ready before starting on the casserole. I used a combo of brown and wild rice, as Heidi recommends, to get “the creaminess of the brown rice playing off the individual wild rice grains.” Out of laziness efficiency, I threw 1/2 cup dry brown rice and 1/2 cup wild rice with roughly 2 1/2 cups water into my rice cooker. After an hour, both rices were ready. Granted my brown rice turned purple because of the wild rice bleeding its color, but it all got cooked and I was ready to begin the casserole. Make sure to take the top off of your rice cooker so that the rice has time to come to room temperature. Also, just for reference, brown rice is typically 1 part dry rice to just shy of 2 parts water. Wild rice is typically 1 part dry rice to 3 parts water. 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub a medium-large baking dish with a bit of butter or olive oil. I used a 9-inch pie pan and it worked great.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, mustard, and a scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet over high heat, combine the olive oil with a couple pinches of salt. Stir in the mushrooms. After the initial stirring, leave the mushrooms alone until they release their water and the water evaporates, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir every couple minutes until the mushrooms are browned. Add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent, another 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute, and remove from the heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.

4. Add the rice mixture to the cottage cheese mixture, stir until well combined, and turn into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with two-thirds of the grated cheese and cover with aluminum foil, or in my case if you do not have aluminum foil, just place a baking sheet on top of your casserole dish.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil/baking sheet and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the casserole takes on a lot of color. The finished casserole should be hot throughout and golden along the edges. Let it stand for a few minutes and then serve sprinkled with the chopped tarragon (if using) and the remaining grated cheese.

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Kitchen Madness: Maple Bourbon Cider, Beef Stroganoff made Healthy, Pumpkin Millet Bread, and Sausage Pesto Ravioli

13 Dec

I’ve been feeling the back-and-forth bounce. I’ve been trying to cook comfort foods but with a healthy twist. Sometimes it totally works (millet pumpkin bread=phenomenal), sometimes it totally flops (made a coconut kale salad but added way to much large flake unsweetened coconut). And sometimes it just makes you crave a cocktail.

Maple Bourbon Cider. Got this recipe from Shutterbean and it is absolutely perfect. She also has a recipe for homemade amaretto which I look forward to making soon!

There’s apple cider, maple syrup, lemon juice, and bourbon. Lately I’ve been diggin’ Bulleit Bourbon. Good stuff. Oh, and I do not have a cocktail shaker, so I used my water bottle. Worked like a gem AND its portable 😉

This was a pre- (and post!) dinner cocktail. Yes, I made it twice in the same night, but don’t worry, I shared. Dinner was Mustard Green Beans with Beef Stroganoff made with 0% Greek yogurt instead of 21302983% sour cream. Definitely not as rich and creamy as the traditional, but still tasted great and saved on calories and fat (I needed the cals for my second cocktail). Thanks, Ellie!

And the smell of simmering mushrooms and onions with wine and beef broth is so Cozy. Winter. Night.

As if all of this cooking and eating wasn’t enough, I made Pumpkin Bread with millet, whole wheat pastry flour, coconut oil (no saturated fat), and honey instead of sugar. A moist cake with some crunch from the millet (adds fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium). I got the recipe from Cookie+Kate. Y to the UM. With an extra drizzle of honey on top.

It has been fun trying out your recipes, Tracy, Ellie, and Kate.

All of this experimenting in the kitchen makes a girl want to kick off her shoes and wake up with someone else cooking a meal for her. And this girl got exactly that. Ravioli, spinach, sausage, pesto, cream, black pepper. Ah, now this is bliss.

Happy Eating, everyone!

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