Spanakopita

I wanted to try my hand at using phyllo in a recipe, which I hadn't done before.  Boxes of phyllo are available in the freezer section of grocery stores, not unlike sheets of pastry, with which I also have been experimenting lately. 

I decided to make spanakopita, or spinach pie, which is a traditional Mediterranean dish of layers of phyllo with a spinach and feta filling.  It's not an uncommon dish and I've eaten it several times, but never cooked it myself.  As with most foods I cook, I didn't use a recipe, and instead winged it with what I thought would be good.  Luckliy it turned out great and I'll definitely make it again. 

The only difficult part of this recipe is actually handling the phyllo.  It's very delicate and must be handled gently.  At the same time, it's important to move quickly as even with a damp towel for the phyllo to rest under, it can still dry out.  So, dealing with the phyllo is a mix of needing to go fast and also needing to go slow.  One way to handle this is to make sure everything else is ready before getting out the phyllo at the very last possible second.

I served these as a main dish with stuffed grape leaves and toasted ciabatta bread on the side.  It made for a great Mediterranean-themed vegetarian dinner.

Lairdriin's Spinach Pie
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained extremely well
6 oz feta, crumbled
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
2 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 tsp each: oregano, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper
8 sheets of phyllo, thawed
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp water
1/4 c chopped pine nuts

In a bowl, mix together spinach, cheeses, yogurt, and seasonings.  Divide the mixture into four equal portions

Ready phyllo sheets by placing them on a sheet tray covered with a barely damp towel.  On a large clean flat surface, brush the top of one sheet of phyllo with a little bit of melted butter and fold the sheet in half along the long edge so that the butter is inside the fold, and also brush the top of the halved phyllo with butter, and set it aside.  Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets, making stacks of 2 folded sheets each, so that each stack has four layers. 

Place a phyllo stack on a flat surface with a long edge towards you.  Spread a porton of the spinach mixture on the phyllo in a rectangle about 1 inch from the nearest edge and 3 inches from the other three edges.  Fold the edge nearest you about an inch over the filling and the sides 3 inches in towards the center.  Roll the phyllo away from you to make a rectangle a little like a burrito.  Move it to an oiled baking sheet with the seam side down.  Repeat with the other phyllo stacks to make a total of 4 pies.

Brush the top of the pies with a little more butter and bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes.  Remove baking sheet from oven and brush top of pies with a little egg wash.  Sprinkle on the pine nuts.  Return to oven for another 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Serve immediately.

Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels

A few days ago I cooked a big pot of stew with black beans, chard, butternut squash, and roasted tomatoes.  To top that pile of health and wellness I made distinctly unhealthy Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels.  The green chile in the pinwheels mirrored the green chile flavor in the stew, and overall they went together quite well.  The pinwheels were great for dipping in the stew instead of having bread or crackers.  I normally might think of topping a stew like that with sour cream or yogurt, and the goat cheese worked great for that hit of creaminess.  However, these pinwheels would also be great for some other type of stew or soup, or just on their own as an appetizer or snack.  They take a bit of effort to put together but all the work can be done well ahead of time.  Plus they are super delicious!

The key to the pinwheels is the sheets of puff pastry you can buy in your grocer's freezer section.  They make all kinds of dishes much easier.  You might immediately think of sweet foods when you think of puff pastry, but it works just as well for savory dishes.  It's important to thaw the puff pastry for enough time before you plan on using it, but at the same time, not to thaw it out too much.  Warm or even room-temp pastry will be very difficult to work with.  Thawing the pastry in the fridge instead of on the counter can help prevent this, but if you find your pastry is getting too warm to work with, just stick it in the freezer for a couple of minutes to firm it up.

Here's what I did.

Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels
4 oz goat cheese (chevre)
1 Tbsp sour cream
2 oz diced green chiles
dash of salt, pepper, and cayenne
1 sheet puff pastry (half a box)
1 egg
2 Tbsp water

Stir together cheese, sour cream, chiles, and seasonings.  In another bowl, whisk together egg and water. 

Lay wax paper out on a flat surface and dust it with about a tsp of flour.  Unfold the pastry on the paper and roll out gently to make a square about 11 inches wide.  Lightly brush the whole square with the egg wash.  Evenly spread cheese mixture over the pastry, leaving about an inch around the edges.  Starting with the side nearest you, roll the pastry away from you, slowly and evenly, using the wax paper to help lift it if necessary.  Pull the far edge up over the roll taught and seal gently.  Wrap the wax paper around the pastry roll and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to a day. 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400.  Slice the chilled pastry roll into about 3/4 inch slices, gently moving the slices to a greased baking sheet.  Leave a little space between each pinwheel.  Lightly brush the tops and sides of the pinwheels with the remaining egg wash.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pinwheels are golden brown.  Serve immediately or at room temp.


I hope you give these a try.  Happy eating!

Black Bean and Chard Stew

I get annoyed when Rachael Ray says things like "stewp."  She makes up all these silly words and slang phrases that tend to annoy me.  Stewp is what she calls something that is thicker than a soup, but not quite as thick as a stew.  The first time I heard that I rolled my eyes.  There is not so much space between a soup and a stew, thought I, that there needs to be a third, middle term. 

And yet, here I am, post-dinner, staring down at my giant pot of leftovers and realizing, gosh darn it, it's a stewp.  But I still refuse to say the word.

The brothy, vegetabley pot of goodness which led me to my unpleasant revelation is the result of a) wanting to cook (and eat) swiss chard for the very first time, and b) the food-creativity wheels in my head going into overdrive.  I've been wanting to try chard for a while now.  I'm not well versed in greens in general, being very familiar with spinach but not at all familiar with most everything else.  My idea for my foray into the land of chard was to make a stew, and then I got to thinking what sort of stew, and it grew from there. 

My Black Bean and Chard Stew, as I'm calling it, is chock-full of flavors and colors.  I roasted fresh tomatoes and left them in large chunks so you really notice their sweet taste.  I also added butternut squash which adds lovely color and texture.  Being full up on nutrient-dense veggies and healthy black beans, this stew is extremely healthy, which means I had to balance that by topping it with something much less healthy: I made goat cheese and green chile pinwheels, which absolutely made the nummy quotient of this meal explode right off the top of the chart.  I have to say, I am extremely proud of myself for this one.

The chard I used in this recipe was a striking bunch of Rainbow Chard, but any chard will do.

Black Bean and Chard Stew
veggie oil
3 smallish tomatoes (such as roma)
1 small bunch chard (8-10 stalks)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, 1/2 inch dice (about two cups)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp each: garlic powder, oregano, cumin, black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
4 oz (1 can) diced green chiles
2 cans black beans (or equivalent amount dried beans, soaked overnight, boiled until tender)
4 c veggie stock
2 c water
2 tsp corn starch

Score the skin of the tomatoes at the base and toss them in a tsp of veggie oil and a dash of salt and pepper.  Roast in a 375 oven for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, and peel skins.  Roughly chop tomatoes, reserving juice.

Prep chard with a thorough washing and completely separating stems from the leaves.  Remove any tough bases and dice the stems.  Chop the leaves into 1/2 inch ribbons.

Heat 2T veg oil in a large pot on low.  Add chard stems and cook 10 minutes.  Stir in onions and cook another 5 minutes.  Stir in squash and cook another 5 minutes.  Finally, add chard leaves and cook 1 minute or until chard is just wilted.  Stir in tomato paste, seasonings, chiles, beans, tomatoes and juice, stock, and water.  Whisk a few spoonfuls of water with the corn starch and stir into the pot.

Simmer the stew for 15-20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.  Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, or with Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels.

I'll share the recipe for the pinwheels in my next post, coming soon.  Happy eating!

Ginger-Tahini Noodles

I'm sure most of you know that tahini is sesame paste, not unlike peanut or almond butter.  I usually use tahini as an ingredient in just two things: hummus, and tahini sauce (for falafel).  Unfortunately, those two recipes just don't use that much of it, and I end up with a mostly-full tub of tahini wasting away in the fridge.  I need something else in which to use it.  I experimented with an idea for a tahini noodle recipe, and enjoyed the results. 

This simple noodle recipe uses vermicelli, but you can use soba noodles, rice noodles, some other regular pasta, or whatever you like.  Limit the ginger and chiles for a milder kick.  As a bonus, it's a one-pot dish.

Ginger-Tahini Noodles
1/2 1b (dry) vermicelli noodles
2 Tbsp veg oil
1 tsp crushed dried red chile
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
1 green onion, sliced thin
1 Tbsp frozen green peas
1/4 c tahini
1 tsp lime juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

Cook vermicelli in salted water until about a minute underdone.  Reserve about a cup of the pasta water; drain pasta but do not rinse and leave in the colander.

In the pasta pot, heat veg oil on low heat and add dried chile, ginger, garlic, and a dash each of salt and pepper, cooking for one minute.  Do not let veggies burn.  Stir in onion and peas and cook another minute.  Stir in remaining ingredients and 1/4 c reserved pasta water. 

Add pasta back into pot and toss with tongs to coat.  Add more pasta water if necessary to make a thin sauce.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through and serve.

Happy eating!