Saturday, May 14
Guests of Honor: Alejandra, Natasha, and Samantha
The food from this dinner was all of Greek origin, and the main dish was Spanakopita. Needless to say, lots of feta and dill were involved.
Spanakopita
Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Greek, plus more for brushing
* 6 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped and well rinsed
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 1/2 pounds fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups crumbled firm feta cheese, preferably Greek
* 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
* 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
* 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 2 frozen country-style filo sheets or puff pastry sheets, thawed but kept chilled
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hazy, add the leeks and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant and very soft, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach in handfuls, folding the leaves under with a spoon as you add each batch. Let the spinach wilt and cook down before adding more. Once all the spinach is in the pan, season with the pepper.
3. Remove from the heat and transfer the spinach mixture to a colander over the sink. Using the back of a spoon, gently press out all of the excess liquid. Set aside to cool; the filling needs to cool down a bit to prevent the dough from becoming soggy. Once the mixture is cool, add the feta, dill, mint, and eggs. Fold the ingredients together until well combined.
4. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. Working with 1 sheet at a time, lay the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out slightly to fit the pan. Line the bottom of the dish with the first piece of dough, pressing into the corners. Trim off any excess with a paring knife. Spread the spinach filling evenly over the dough. Cover with the second sheet of dough, trimming around the edges of the dish. Brush the top with oil.
5. Bake until the top is puffed and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Reflections
I liked this recipe, and would make it again. It was the most complicated recipe of the evening, but, even so, it wasn’t all that difficult (especially compared to Eggplant Parmesan).
It was shocking to see how much the spinach wilted and shrunk after it was cooked. I wasn’t sure whether my two large bags of spinach could fit in the skillet, but it all worked out.
As I was halfway through cutting the leeks by hand, I realized I could have used a food processor, and felt foolish for not using it earlier.
Instead of using “country style” (i.e. thicker) filo dough, I used a couple of layers of “standard” filo dough. Next time, I would take care to remove the excess dough from the edges.
I added bay leaves to the top for an extra bit of decorative flair.
Orzo with Feta, Tomatoes, and Dill
Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 cup chopped dill
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1 cup orzo
* 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta (6 ounces)
Directions
1. Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Let stand at least ten minutes
2. Meanwhile, cook orzo in a pasta pott of boiling salted water (1 1/2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water) until al dente
3. Drain orzo and toss with tomato mixture. Add feta and toss again.
Reflections
I liked this recipe a lot, and it was not too hard to put together. I would definitely be willing to serve it again.
Herb Salad with Feta, Roasted Red Peppers, and Toasted Nuts
Ingredients
* 1 5-ounce container herb salad mix
* 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted red peppers from jar
* 1/2 cup walnut halves or pecan halves, toasted
* 1 10.5-ounce jar feta cheese in oil with herbs and spices
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Directions
1. Combine herb salad mix, chopped roasted red peppers, and toasted walnuts in large bowl.
2. Drain feta cheese, reserving oil-and-spice mixture from jar. Sprinkle feta cheese over salad.
3. Whisk 3 tablespoons reserved oil-and- spice mixture with red wine vinegar in small bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat thoroughly.
4. Season salad to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide salad among plates and serve.
Reflections
This recipe is really simple. I wasn’t able to find a jar of feta cheese in oil, so I just bought a package of spiced feta, and substituted olive oil and spices for the “oil-and-spice mixture.” The peppers were a nice touch, but I think this recipe paled in comparison to the other ones.
Vasilopita
Ingredients
* 3/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds
* 1/3 cup light brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon mahlab or 1 tablespoon anise seed
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 6 eggs
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup milk
* A coin or hard candy
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and a 4-inch round cake pan.
2. Combine the almonds, brown sugar, and honey in a small bowl, and set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and mahlab in a medium bowl, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, and mix well.
5. Divide one-third of the nut mixture between the two prepared pans, scattering it in an even layer over their bottoms. Fill the smaller (4-inch) pan two-thirds full of batter, then pour half of the remaining batter into the larger (9-inch) pan. Bake both layers for 20 minutes, until the cakes become a bit firm.
6. Sprinkle half of the remaining almond mixture in an even layer over both cakes, and lay the coin on top of one of the partly baked cakes. Pour the remaining batter on top of each cake. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the cakes from their pans, and place the smaller one on top of the larger. Top with the remaining almond mixture, and serve warm.
Reflections
This dessert is pretty tasty. I ended up using anise seed rather than mahlab, and I think it was a good choice.
In order to keep things simple (and because I currently don’t have round cake pans), I just put the batter into a single pan, sprinkled the almond mixture on top, and baked it. If I did it again, I would wait until the cake had been baked for 20 minutes before sprinkling the almond mixture on top, to prevent the almonds from sinking towards the middle.
No comments:
Post a Comment