Spanakopitakia

These have been altered to be Ms. N-friendly...she cannot digest any cow-based dairy products, but is fine with goat's milk.  Frankly, the changes to the traditional mixture make these even better, more savory, lighter and crispier.  The original recipes are from the Grecian Plate, a cookbook put out by the Greek Orthodox church of Durham, NC.  It's an excellent cookbook with detailed instructions on things as esoteric as how to dye a really, really red greek easter egg.

These and the tiropitakia are my favorite make-ahead party foods.  I can make them and freeze them well in advance, and just heat them up straight out of the freezer right before serving.

1 med. onion, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 10-oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1/2 cup chopped dill

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp salt

fresh-ground pepper to taste

1/4 lb sheep's or goat's milk feta cheese (make sure the check the label, most commercial feta in the states is made from cow's milk)

1/2 cup chevre cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 lb phyllo, thawed according to package instructions

8 oz goat's milk butter, melted OR you can use olive oil 

1. Saute onions in hot oil until soft
2. Add spinach and salt; saute a few minutes
3. Cool slightly
4. Stir in cheeses and egg, blending thoroughly
5. Prepare the triangles as directed here, using two sheets of phyllo for each set
6. Brush with a little more butter or oil
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

You can freeze them after baking and cooling.  Reheat at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  I do not recommend freezing unbaked triangles...they tend to stick even if you are careful to layer waxed paper between them.

Meatball soup

The CSA started today!  Hooray!

I've been so excited about getting vegetables from Fred the Farmer again, and went to the Hilltop Farms website just a few days ago to see what was going to be available.  Immediately, I started thinking about a meatball soup I could make with greens, because Hub had picked up some ground beef earlier in the week.

We're trying to eat more vegetables, and also trying to save money, so my plan is to pretty much keep with the CSA vegetables as much as possible this season, supplementing with high-quality proteins and a few carbs.  Hub and Kiddo have promised me an herb garden, but I'm not holding my breath.

Makes six servings as a main course, but see notes below on how to stretch further...

1 lb lean ground beef

3 small young onion bulbs (~ 1 1/2 cups), chopped

2 handfuls dill, chopped

1 cup whole wheat panko

2 large cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 egg

2 lbs kale, tatsoi or other dark greens, torn and with large ribs removed, rinsed

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 cups beef broth

1. Mix the ingredients up to the egg in a bowl
   
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large stockpot
3. Form small meatballs and brown them in the oil (they do not need to be cooked through) in three batches, adding a tablespoon of oil in between each batch.  Drain them on paper towels
4. Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pot, and add the greens
5. Saute briefly until wilted
6. Add the meatballs and the broth, bring to a simmer
7. Cover and simmer for ten minutes
8. Serve with fresh grated parmesan

Hub had two big bowls.  I think even more greens could be added and more broth, because as written it was very, very meatball-centric.  Also, adding orzo pasta or another small pasta would be lovely, we're just limiting our starches.  I almost thought there were too many onions, but in the end the broth tasted like a lovely French onion broth...quite delicious.