Spanakopita -Spinach Pie

 Spanakopita -Greek Spinach Pie

 Decide if you are going to use Fresh or frozen spinach. With Fresh you have to wash your greens and then remove the stems before you fry it up in a pan.  With frozen you have to defrost the spinach the night before.  With both you have to put into a colander and press out ALL the water from the greens before using.  Frozen spinach is easier to work with and I typically use it.

For the filling:

2 lb. spinach, coarsely chopped according to the instructions above.

1/2  cup olive oil

I medium onion

1 bunch scallions (about 3 oz. or 10 small), white and light-green parts only, trimmed and finely chopped

2 cups crumbled feta cheese (10 oz.)

1/2 cup finely grated Greek kefalotyri cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2  cup cottage cheese

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4cup finely chopped fresh dill or two tsp dried dill

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher or fine sea salt

For the assembly:

1/3 cup Melted butter more as needed

10 9x14-inch sheets frozen filo dough (I use whatever Cash and Carry has), thawed and at room temperature

Instructions

Oven to 350 degrees

Make sure that your spinach is drained of water and processed.

Sauté onions in olive oil till translucent.

Add scallions and cook for five more minutes.

In a large pan, add spinach, onion mixture, feta, Parmigiano, cottage cheese and herbs and spices.  Mix well

Add beaten eggs and mix again.

Butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish sufficient to hold the filo sheets.

Work quickly with the filo as it will dry out exposed to the air rather quickly.

Butter five sheets, one at a time and let them cover the bottom and sides of the baking dish.

Add in your spinach mixture.

Butter four sheets, one at a time and let them cover the bottom and sides of the baking dish.

Tuck the sides of the filo towards the center and with the last perfect piece of  filo, place the filo on top.

Score the pie with your design.  Triangles are traditional, but make squares if you want to! 

Sprinkle water on top-okay, I use a spray bottle to prevent the filo from curling up while cooking.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Go over your scored lines again and serve them up!

Opa!

Pastitsio

Pastitsio-adapted from Jeff Smith’s recipe.

Meat Mixture

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large Peeled and finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large can peeled tomatoes, pulsed on processor (or used chopped tomatoes)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves

Macaroni

4 quarts water
salt
1 lb ziti
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Béchamel –white sauce

4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour

¼ tsp nutmeg
2 cups warm milk –pour it in a bowl and use the microwave for this.
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tbsp dry sherry (optional)
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Meat Mixture

Heat olive oil in a LARGE SKILLET. Saute onion till golden. Add beef and cook till it just loses its red color, then add and garlic and brown it for a minute or two then add the remaining meat mixture ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 MINUTES. It should be thick. Set aside.

Macaroni

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a LARGE STOCKPOT. Add salt and ziti and cook, uncovered about 7-8 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add melted butter and beaten eggs and grated cheeses. Put half this mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x9x2 inch baking pan and top with about 2/3 of the meat mixture. (You’ll reserve the rest of the meat mixture, keeping it warm to serve atop the final dish). Cover the meat with the remaining half of the pasta.

Béchamel

Prepare the white sauce by melting butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and cook for a minute. Gradually add the heated milk and the nutmeg, stirring constantly, and cook till thickened and smooth. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then stir in 1/2 cup of the béchamel. Blend and stir the egg/sauce mixture back into the béchamel in the saucepan and CONTINUE to stir over low heat till thickened. Add remaining ingredients to the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the ziti and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is delicately browned. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Serve with a bit of sauce atop each serving.

Baby Food Cake

Baby Food Cake by Nana Lewis

My mom used to make this cake all the time as we were growing up.  I found it again while going through the oldest cookbook I ever bought.  Love you Mom!

Ingredients

2 cups self-rising flour

2 cups sugar

½ tsp each allspice, cinnamon nutmeg

¾ cup oil

3 jars strained baby food (apricot or peaches)

3 eggs

1 cup nuts

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients together.

Beat wet ingredients together including sugar.

Combine the two.

Add nuts.

Oil and flour bundt pan.

Add in batter and bake for 75 minutes at 300 degrees

Cool for ten minutes and turn out onto rack

Cream Scones

Cream Scones

Ingredients

2 cups flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

5 Tbsp frozen butter

½ cup currants or sugared ginger

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp sugar

Directions

Oven to 450 degrees

Cookie sheet covered in parchment paper

Combine flour sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

Grate (use a box grater or a flat grater)  in frozen butter.

Add in other contents such as currants, ginger and or pecans. *

Mix together.

Add in heavy cream and till dough just starts to come together.

Turn out onto a floured surface and pat dough together to form either a circle or a rectangle.  If you are going to make blueberry scones, add berries to rectangle shape and fold it over on itself a few times to integrate without breaking up the berries.

Cut rectangle into wedge shapes and circle into pie wedges.

Dab on butter to wedges and then sprinkle on the sugar.

Separate on cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown.  Rotate cookie sheet halfway through baking if you do not have a convection oven.

Place on a wire rack and cool for ten minutes before enjoying.

*It is fun to come up with your own combinations.  Some of our favorites are ginger pecan, lemon zest and blueberries, orange pecan and sometimes just straight up raisins or currants.    Add them all before you add the cream!

Have a light hand and a lot of fun!

French Silk Pie

French Silk Pie-the pie that nobody wanted but Bryce

Crust

1/3 cup lard/shortening/butter or some combination of the three (COLD)

1 cup flour

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup ice water (or less if you can)

Filling

1 cup butter

1 ½ cup sugar

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate melted

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

Topping

2 cups heavy whipping cream

4 tsp powdered sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

Chocolate shavings for garnish

Directions

Prepare crust

          Cut lard into flour mixed with salt

          Gradually add water until moist

          Roll out dough and place in a ten inch pie plate

          Blind bake the crust and then let cool

Prepare filling

          Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy

          Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla

          Add eggs one at a time, beating for five minutes for each egg.  Do it, it is worth it!

          Pour into cooled pie shell and chill for four long hungry hours

Prepare topping

          Whip cream and sugar and vanilla until thick,

          Spread over cooled pie

          Garnish and Voila!   

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Cake (Cook’s magazine)

Okay. Some weird looking ingredients but this combination really works well.

Ingredients

Cake

2.5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

16 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp pepper

4 large eggs (Room Temperature)

1 ½ cups sugar

4 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger

¾ cup dark molasses

¾ cup stout beer (Guinness)

Glaze

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp ginger ale

1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

Oven to 375 degrees, use the middle rack.

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

Whisk together Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until bubbling.

Add ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, pepper to butter for about 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Whisk eggs, fresh ginger and sugar in a bowl.

Stir in butter mixture and beat until frothy.

Add molasses and beer and beat mixture until no lumps remain.

Combine flour and butter mixture and whisk together.

Pour into prepared Bundt pan.  Tap sides of pan to get out air bubbles.

Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out of the center of the cake free of batter.

Let cool at least twenty minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Let cake cool completely before adding glaze.

Whisk together all glaze ingredients and pour over cooled cake. 

Let glazed cake stand for 15 minutes to set up before cutting.

Mashed Potato Casserole

Easy to prepare, easy to store and a snap to shove in the oven the day of the event.  I got this from Cook's magazine and made just one small improvement to it by adding Vegetable stock instead of Chicken stock for the vegetarian in my family.

Ingredients

4 Pounds Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch cubes
1/2 cup Half and half
1/2 cup vegetable stock
12 tablespoons of unsalted butter cut up into pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Process

Oven rack to upper middle position.  Oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare 13 by 9 baking dish with a little bit of cooking spray.  Okay, sometimes I sprinkle the sprayed on butter with Parmesan cheese.

Put peeled potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let sit for about 20 minutes.

Heat half and half, stock, butter, salt, mustard and garlic in a separate pan over medium-low heat until smooth-about five minutes, then just keep warm.

Drain potatoes and with a hand mixer, start the whipping process.  Add milk mixture and beat until most of the lumps are out.  Scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at a time and beat until just incorporated.  Do all four eggs.  Fold in Chives.

Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.  Whip up the tops with a fork if you want it to look pretty.

Bake for 35 minutes.  Let it cool for 10 minutes and then serve.

The mixture above will be runny.  Don't worry about that.  It will be perfect.  Relax and enjoy!

Note:
The beauty of this recipe is that it can be assembled ahead of time (up to 24 hours).  If you do that, follow the instructions, let it cool down in the pan and then cover tightly with plastic wrap and then refrigerate.  When you are ready to cook it, let it come to room temperature (about an hour on the counter) and then bake uncovered for the regular cooking time plus ten minutes.