Spanakopita

This is the recipe from The Grecian Plate, a fantastic cookbook produced by the Greek Orthodox Church in Durham, NC. I've made a few annotations in italics, because I do it slightly differently

• 3 (10-oz) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed (or lots of fresh spinach or dark leafy greens, kale is great!)
• 4 medium onions, chopped (I only use one large or two medium onions, usually)
• 6 whole green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (I use fresh ground, and probably more like 1/2 tsp)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill (optional)
• 1 tsp cream of wheat
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup cottage cheese (can be replaced by chevre for the lactose intolerant)
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1 pound phyllo
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups butter, melted and warm (I don't usually use this much butter. I start with one stick and add a bit of olive oil, that's usually enough for the whole pie)

1. (If using frozen spinach) Drain spinach thoroughly in colander, squeezing out excess moisture.
2. In a large skillet (if using frozen spinach, or a large non-reactive pot if using fresh greens), saute onions in olive oil over medium heat until tender, stirring constantly.
3. Add spinach, water, seasonings and herbs; cook until liquid is absorbed.
4. Sprinkle cream of wheat over top; cool.
5. In a large bowl, combine eggs and cheeses; stir in spinach mixture, blending well.
6. Set aside.
7. Assemble pita (following directions are mine, the cookbook has a slightly different detailed set plus diagrams)
1. Phyllo should be defrosted
2. Set out two large cutting boards, and a large, wide baking pan. Have the melted butter and a pastry brush ready.
3. Carefully unfold the phyllo on the first board, cover with waxed paper and a very slightly damp towel (not too wet) -- this might not be required at all if you can work quickly enough so that the phyllo doesn't dry out.
4. Working as quickly as you can, transfer a sheet to the second board, brush it lightly with the pastry brush and place the phyllo into the pan. Overlap each sheet, allowing overhang on all sides. Use about 2/3 of the phyllo in this manner.
5. Pour the filling in, then fold the overhang over the top of it.
6. Add the remaining phyllo sheets on top, this time not overhanging.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown (or you can freeze it, bake it later.

Vanilla Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Yesterday, Mr. D brought over beautiful fresh peaches, cream and milk and an ice cream maker and we all made ice cream. Kiddo was so enamored of the process (but not so crazy about the peach flavoring) that he decided we should make ice cream again today, but this time with mint and chocolate. "Dark chocolate, Mom." He helped with all the steps, encouraged me to make up the recipe and write it down. Smart kid!

This makes 3 quarts.

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bar (minus a few pieces to snack on) of Escazu 70% dark chocolate with sea salt, chopped finely
• 1 large bunch fresh mint, washed and spun dry, chopped finely
• 1 Tbs green creme de menthe

1. Add cream and milk to a large heavy saucepan
2. Add the split vanilla bean and seeds
3. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat, cover and set for 20 minutes
4. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together
5. When the milk mixture has steeped for 20 minutes, add a few ladles of the milk to the eggs and whisk, then add the eggs back into the saucepan with the milk. Remove the vanilla bean
6. Bring the custard to a low simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 165 degrees
7. Refrigerate the custard in a clean bowl until chilled
8. Add the mint, chocolate and creme de menthe to the custard
   
9. Follow the directions on your ice cream maker
   

Shrimp and Mushroom Phyllo Triangles

On July 11th, I was feeling pretty sad and missing Ms. N tremendously. So I did what I often do as therapy...I cooked. Something she would have been able to eat and would have enjoyed, something new. Bonus: I froze the triangles and will use them at a dinner party I'm having tomorrow night.

The mix for these turned out a bit too soupy, so next time I'll strain the juices from the pan or add more feta.

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 lemon, zest and juice

8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

1 lb shrimp, shelled

1/2 lb goat milk butter

Big bunch mint, chopped

1 tsp crushed red peppers

salt & pepper

1 Tbs olive oil

3 eggs

1/2 lb goat or sheep milk feta

1 lb phyllo

1. Heat the olive oil, add the mushrooms and shallots and saute until the mushrooms start expressing their liquid
2. Add the shrimp and lemon juice, salt, pepper and crushed red peppers. Saute until the shrimp are done
3. Take the mixture off the heat and toss in the mint, let it cool
4. Beat the eggs, mix in the feta. Add the shrimp and mushroom mixture
5. Make triangles as detailed here.

In Progress: Custard, Mango and Strawberry Tarts

Yesterday, Kiddo and I went to Farmer Fred's for pic-yer-own strawberries. I got a basket's worth, some a bit overripe (on purpose). There's a charity sale at work next week, and I intend to go all out on some pies.

Yesterday, I hulled and separated -- about 2 cups were very ripe or overripe, and I set those into a dish in the fridge. The rest I put in a freezer bag and froze.

Today, I used Jaime Oliver's recipe for Short Crust Sweet Pastry to make enough pastry for 4 tarts. This is a rich, eggy pastry, it should go well with the custard. I got to the point where the pastry is in the fridge resting. I'll bake the crusts blind tomorrow or the next day, then freeze them. This is definitely a multi-day project! The plan is to make a vanilla-bean custard, spread it in the baked pie shells, top with the sauce and then layer slices of mangoes and strawberries on top. Then freeze the whole thing.

Then I combined the two cups of strawberries with two tablespoons of sugar and simmered and squished them into a sauce...I suppose I might run it through a blender and strain into a coulis, but I haven't decided yet.

Oh, by the way, the custard and the pie crust both call for lots and lots of egg yolks. I'm keeping the whites and will make meringue cookies with hazelnuts and dark chocolate, they are stunning.

Pasta with Tuna, Spinach and Chickpeas

Have I mentioned how much I like being on my own? And that I love to cook for myself?

I had an extremely busy weekend, and was truly excited to have a Monday night all to myself. I didn't feel like shopping, so threw this together out of my pantry. Seriously delicious.

Ingredients

• 12 oz Tomato Basil Garlic Fettuccini (Rossi Pasta)
  
• 16 oz Organic Frozen Chopped Spinach
• 15 oz Garbanzo Beans
• 5 clove Garlic*
• 2 tbsp Sage, Fresh
• 1 tbsp Lemon Peel
• 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp Coarse Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper, Black
• 3 tomato Tomatoes
• 3 serving Bonito Del Norte In Olive Oil (Ortiz)
  

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and put a large frying pan on to heat.

Chop the sage and garlic together, combine with lemon zest, fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt in a small dish.

Drain the garbanzo beans.

When the water boils, add the frozen chopped spinach. When the water boils again, add the pasta. Boil for about 5 more minutes, then drain. The rest of the steps happen whilst boiling and draining.

In the meantime, add the tuna in it's oil to the pan, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. Add the sage/garlic mixture and saute briefly. Add the garbanzo beans and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Chop the tomatoes and juice the lemon, add them to the tuna mixture and saute -- basically you want to soften the beans a bit, warm the sauce and incorporate the flavors.

After draining the spinach and pasta, and when the "sauce" is ready (taste!) toss them together.