Spanakopita

We all have that one certain meal that makes us shuffle our feet and bob our heads in utter happiness. We instantly feel safe and comforted -- no matter what might be going on in our grown-up lives. For me, it's Spinach Pie, or Spanakopita, if you happen to find yourself in Greece. I would eat dozens of "pitas" every summer at my grandparents' home on Long Island. In their tiny kitchen, we would set up a factory line-like production. One of us would man the phyllo dough, both keeping it from drying and ever-so gently handing over one sheet at a time to the next person in the assembly line. That person, would be in charge of painting melted butter across sheet after sheet like an abstract painter,(a kid's job, no doubt!). Then came the job of spooning out the filling, (usually my grandmother), and carefully rolling the dough into tight bite-sized triangles. It's because of this hands-on family tradition that I am not only well-trained at making my own, but it also has a special place in my heart, a rare moment with generations of women in one kitchen at the same time. (Grandma is still with us, at 94 years young!)

This is a fairly labor-intensive project, so when the mood strikes me, I go for it. I'll make about a dozen and a half, so I will freeze what I don't immediately eat for a later time. If you have never worked with phyllo dough before, it's a fantastic vessel for both savory and sweet recipes. It is, however, a pain to work with, so be prepared to loose a few sheets from either drying out, or tearing. The best way to keep phyllo as your friend, is to roll it out and keep it covered with a barely damp tea towel. (If you towel is too wet, it will ruin the very thin sheets of dough and make them gooey and un-usable). Phyllo dough must be layered sheet upon sheet, (about 5 sheets), in order to be strong enough to hold up to whatever you might be filling inside. Between each layer, paint with a pastry brush, either melted butter or olive oil. You don't have to saturate each layer, but do get all the sides and a majority of each sheet should be moist.

Spanakopita

Makes about one and a half dozen pitas

2 lbs spinach, washed

1 yellow onion, diced

drizzle of olive oil

about 3/4 lbs feta cheese

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

juice from 1 lemon

1 package of PHYLLO DOUGH, thawed. (usually in frozen dessert section)
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted. (or about 1/2 cup of olive oil)

Preheat oven to 375

In a large pot, saute spinach and the drain very well, pressing out any extra liquid.

In a medium saute pan, heat oil and saute diced onion until transparent.

Once spinach and onions are cool, combine in a large bowl, along with parsley, feta, pine nuts, nutmeg, salt and pepper and lemon juice. Taste this and alter any seasonings.

To Assemble:

Make sure phyllo has completely thawed out if frozen.

Unwrap phyllo and lay out flat. Cover with a barely damp tea towel, keep covered through out this process.

Find a clean working space (I use a large cutting board). Start with one layer at a time. Lay first layer down and working with a pastry brush, paint butter over sheet, not soaking, but relatively coated.

Place second sheet on top of buttered sheet and repeat 5 times, keeping the last layer dry -

NO BUTTER.

If you find that your phyllo is tearing, you can patch it by over-lapping each little torn piece and using the melted butter or oil to seal the places where you have improvised.

Cut 3 even strips down the sheets, about 2.5 inches apart. You will have 4 columns.

At the top of each column, drop about 2 tbls spinach mixture and begin to roll each column into a triangle (see below). Paint a little extra butter over the triangle and seal up any unsealed edges.

Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Note: These can be made vegan by replacing butter with olive oil and firm tofu replaces feta.

A GOURMET EULOGY

I, like many of you, was shocked when I heard that Gourmet magazine was going out of print after nearly 70 years of publication. It's always been such a source of inspiration for me and it's a tragic end to such a beautiful homage of food and photography alike. I will be holding on to whatever issues I still have - tucked away in various places - and return to them often when I feel a sudden strike of culinary whim.
Please take a few minutes to hear Pulitzer Prize winner and LA Weekly food writer, Jonathon Gold's eulogy of Gourmet. It also offers other insights to the ever-changing food publishing forum, even the diminishing trend of food blogging. Very interesting!

Note: This Jonathon Gold piece begins about 4 minutes into this podcast.

A Rhode Island Fall Wedding - Sara and Kyle

We were lucky enough to be guests at our friends, Sara and Kyle's, wedding last weekend in Little Compton, RI. (A place very dear to me, I was also married in RI!) I have been going to LC for almost 25 years with my family. I used to visit in the heat of summer, but after experiencing two Octobers in RI now, Fall has emerged as my favorite time to be in New England. Not to be disappointed, this trip offered cool, crisp Fall weather, including the beginning of the leaves turning all those amazing colors. A torrential downpour threatened their wedding day, but miraculously, the rain stopped about an hour before the ceremony and it turned into a beautiful evening. Needless to say, with the crazy weather, it was a very New England day, and the made-to-order lobster rolls served during the cocktail hour were the definitive New England appetizer - and I thought I had to share this with you. I have never seen lobsters this freakin' big - they were wicked good!

Our best to Sara and Kyle! We love you!

The wedding was catered by SMOKE AND PICKLES, out of Westport, Mass. Chef Dan George has collaborated with grill masters Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby on the cookbook Quick Pickles - Easy Recipes with Big Flavor.

Ginger - Vodka Spritzer

Well, another weekend gone by and another cocktail has been tried, tested and filed under, AWESOME. I came up with this on a whim and was pleasantly surprised with the end result. The goal, other than the obvious, was to make use of the all the ginger in our fridge (left over from my homemade ginger ale experiment) - and what better way than to turn it into some sort of alcoholic elixir? Since I am in a simple-syrup craze recently, I am discovering that by taking the time, (all of 5 minutes, plus cooling time), to make a flavored syrup opens the door to stand out, unique cocktails. The only problem that I ran into was that I didn't have enough ginger to yield the amount of syrup I had hoped for. (Meaning, we only had enough for a few drinks, *sniff, sniff*). The 3 oz that I had only amounted to about 1/2 cup of syrup. It's best to use about 12 oz and you will yield about a cup and a half to have on hand. It will last a few weeks, covered tightly in the fridge.

Ginger Syrup

Yields about 1 1/2 cup of syrup

12 oz. fresh ginger, sliced thinly

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

In a small sauce pan, bring water, sugar and ginger to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine mesh stainer, discard ginger. Cool syrup completely before using.

Ginger - Vodka Spritzer

Makes about 2 cocktails

8-12 fresh mint leaves, plus a few for garnish

4 oz. ginger simple syrup

4 oz vodka

juice of 1-2 limes (1 - 2 oz)

4 oz of club soda

In a shaker, muddle mint and add vodka, lime juice and ginger syrup. Add a few ice cubes and shake vigorously. Pour over 2 cups with ice, or martini glasses, without ice and finish off with club soda.

*Note - I'm thinking that candied ginger would be a fun garnish, as well. Try it!

$1.98

I have never bought chicken wings, breasts and thighs, yes. But, wings? Ick, Never! All of this changed the other day, when at the market, I noticed a pack of Organic chicken wings, (2 lbs), for $1.98... Stunned at the low price, and thinking, "is that even possible??", I grabbed them, brought them home and began my recipe research. I honed in on this outright amazing recipe from Bon Appetit, it appealed to me because it's not the typical hot and spicy song and dance. These wings marinate in yogurt and curry spices over night and then bake for an hour. And although I was still skeptical of these underrated chicken parts, I was extremely determined. After-all, I'm only in for 2 bucks!

The end result is superb, tender, juicy, infused meat. Absolutely delicious. And very messy. Not recommended for a romantic, first-date kind of scenario. In fact, my husband and I ate them over the kitchen sink, without talking, completely immersed in our own chicken-winged world. It was great!

Chicken Wings with Yogurt Curry Glaze

Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2000.

1 1/2 cups plain full fat yogurt

1 cup finely diced onion

4 tsp cumin

4 tsp curry powder

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 large garlic cloves, crushed

4 TBLS finely chopped fresh ginger

2 lbs Organic chicken wings

In a large bowl, mix first 7 ingredients. Set aside about 1/2 of marinade for dipping sauce. Add chicken and thoroughly combine. Allow to marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with tin foil, season wings with salt and bake for about an hour, turning once. Serve with reserved yogurt curry sauce.

MMMojito

Many parts of the country are bidding farewell to summer as it becomes a fading memory. In Southern California, however, Santa Ana winds are driving through the canyons and temperatures will still be blazing for a few more weeks. Making this Indian Summer all the more manageable, are the ample mint and limes in my fridge and the alluring bottle of rum in my liquor cabinet. I have to thank my lovely friend, Sara, who helped me kick off a weekend bender of mojito magic - I can now say that this has emerged as my fave drink for the summer, crisp, refreshing and slightly sweet. Take time to juice your limes in advance and make a simple syrup, (equal parts water and sugar, simmer until dissolved, cool).

Classic Mojito

Makes 1 cocktail

8 mint leaves, plus a few sprigs for garnish

1 TBLS simple syrup

1 -2 oz light rum

2 oz fresh lime juice

club soda

powdered sugar

Place mint in the bottom of a tall glass, with a wooden spoon, muddle the mint gently. Add ice cubes and simple syrup, lime juice and rum. Stir well.

Top each drink with a little club soda and garnish with a sprig of mint and dust top of glass with powdered sugar.

Wild Rice and Apple Salad

One of my all time favorite salads! It usually begins with left over rice from the night before, (If I'm being smart, I will make extra rice for this very reason.). Since I always have apples in the fridge and an assortment of raw nuts in the pantry, this salad comes together easily. Throw whatever happens to be in the fridge, (parsley, dried cranberries, pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese this time), and you'll have a healthy and filling meal in mere minutes.

I have found that making wild rice with chicken or vegetable stock and a pat or two of butter really makes a world of difference. This salad can be made with any grain, try it with quinoa, brown rice, farro, etc. There are no rules for this salad - here's your chance to get creative and clean out that fridge all at the same time. Enjoy!

Wild Rice and Apple Salad

2 cups cooked rice

1 apple - I like Gala or Fuji

1/2 cup nuts, I like pine nuts or walnuts

1 TBLS (or more) chopped fresh herb such as parsley, mint, basil.

Handful of dried cranberries

Crumbled goat cheese, or feta - to you liking

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Combine everything in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil (or walnut oil) and fresh lemon juice - adjust to your liking. Serve over a bed of mixed baby greens.

Home Made Pizza Dough

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my love for making pizza at home, and in that posting, I shamefully admitted to being a lazy-cheating-good-for-nothing pizza dough buyer. Just writing that down made me feel kind of dirty. It's that low down feeling that prompted me to buy some yeast and make my own damn dough. I can now say that I am no longer a pizza dough buyer, but rather, a pizza-dough-maker. A notable distinction - mind you! Being the type of cook who likes simple recipes with big pay-off, I must say, this is exactly what making pizza dough is: simple yet totally rewarding. All you need to do is plan a few hours in advance to allow the dough to rise and then just a little more time to let it rest. From this moment on, you will never see me with store-bought dough again! After all, to admit you have a problem is always half of the battle!

Easy Pizza Dough

from smittenkitchen

1 1/2 cup flour (you can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (you may need 1 to 2 TBLS more)
1 TBLS olive oil

Stir dry ingredients together, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil. Stir mixture into as close as a ball as you can. Dump everything onto a floured surface and knead until you have a homogeneous ball. If this is difficult, take the now empty bowl and place over ball and step away for a few minutes.

Knead for a minute or two and place it into a lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough over so that all sides are lightly coated with oil and cover with plastic wrap for and hour or two. It should double in size.

Dump it back onto a floured surface and gently press air out of the dough with the palm of your hand. Fold it back into a ball and place it under plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet, with corm meal and set oven to its highest temp.
Roll out dough and place toppings on, erring on the side of skimpy, so not to weigh down pizza.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until just blistered.

Home Made Ginger Ale

The New York Times published this article a few months ago about a new trend of artisanal ginger ales gaining popularity around the country. Intrigued, I tore it out and saved it - forgot about it - then found it once again. And today, I made it, and.... it was great! Ginger ale has been around for ages, as a home remedy for aching stomachs and nausea. It's zippy bite can quench almost any degree of thirst.

To make one 16 oz drink for myself, I ventured down two different gingery paths - first by hand grating ginger root against a micro-plane and then squeezed the juice from the pulp. The flavor, once everything was added, stirred and poured, was weak. (Not to mention it's kind of a royal pain!).

My second attempt, suggested by the article, was to make a ginger syrup. (I have recently discovered the beauty of making different syrups and keeping them on hand for quick and easy use. See my post on making rose water syrup for other types of delicious drinks).

I found that this way makes a better, more authentic ginger ale. The gentle heating of sugar and ginger juice deepens the flavors, the end result being zingy, spicy and slightly syrupy. Keep ginger syrup in fridge and it's ready for your next craving of that certain zippy fizz we all have every now and then.

Note: You will need a juicer in order to extract large amounts of juice from the ginger root. If you don't have one, a health food store with a juice bar can sell you fresh squeezed ginger juice. Be sure to ask them to run water through the juicer before starting on your order, otherwise you will get muddled ginger juice.

Ginger Ale

Adapted from The New York Times.

Makes 1 (16 oz.) drink

4 tsp fresh ginger juice (see note)

1-2 TBLS sugar

2 TBLS fresh lime juice

1 1/4 cup club soda

Stir ginger juice, sugar and lime juice until sugar dissolves. Add ice and club soda.

Make a ginger syrup by dissolving 3/4 cup sugar into 1 cup ginger juice. I did this combining the two ingredients and heating just until a simmer, then shut off the heat, and stir often, until sugar is dissolved, cool completely. Add ice, lime juice and club soda to 2 TBLS syrup just before serving. Bottoms up!

Hail to the Farmer!

It's something - going to the Farmer's market. The seasons predict the bounty, and the farmers bring us the fruits, (literally), of all their labor. The beauty is that it's offerings are fleeting, there a few weeks, then gone for a year. It's kind of romantic, like a love lost, found again.

As I walked through yesterday, I had an idea of what I wanted, (usually I blank out completely, due to sensory over-load), but it is deathly hot right now and I knew that a salad was in our future. Passing by an organic heirloom tomato stand helped steer me in the right direction. As it happened, the next stand over had beautiful ears of corn which also caught my attention and then it was all over, a light bulb moment, I was finished. I picked up an herbed salad mix and basil from my favorite lettuce stand, Maggie's Farms, (out of Agoura Hills, CA. The "stellar mix", a combination of every possible herb, wild flowers and baby lettuces is so good, I eat it straight from the bag).

I have a particular fondness for the combination of fresh corn, summer tomatoes, goat cheese and basil - hopefully you will share my affection...

Farmer's Market Greens with Tomato-Corn Relish, topped with Goat Cheese Medallion

Serves 4

Bag of herbed mixed greens (the herbs really make this salad, so if you can't find an herb mix, buy some baby greens or arugula and add a variety of herbs - trust me, the more herbs, the better).

2 ears of corn, roasted and kernels removed

1-2 tomatoes, I used the Brandywine heirloom variety, chopped

Basil, chopped thinly

Scallions, chopped thinly

8 oz. goat cheese

1 1/2 cup panko-style Japanese bread crumbs

1 egg

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Goat Cheese Medallions

Prepping the medallions:

(Can be done up to one day in advance, covered and refrigerated)

Leave goat cheese out to room temp. Form 4 round and flat medallions, think hockey puck. Place on a plate and put in the refrigerator for at least a half hour, to harden.

Once hardened, whisk one egg in a bowl and place panko crumbs in a separate bowl.

Working gently, one at a time, roll medallions first in egg, then coat with panko crumbs. Once all 4 are coated, return to refrigerator until ready to prepare.

Cooking Instructions:

(This should be done just before service, with the rest of the salad components prepared).

Heat a heavy pan, (I use a cast iron), add olive oil, enough to fry in, about 1/8 cup), add medallions and cook for about 2-3 minutes, the crumbs should look nice and golden. Gently flip with a spatula, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Carefully remove from heat, again with a spatula, and let rest on a paper bag or paper towel to drain excess oil.

Step 2:

Tomato - Corn Relish

Heat cast iron skillet to med - high and place corn in it. Rotate every few minutes, it will char and cook nicely this way. You can also grill it.

Chop tomatoes, scallions and basil and combine in a bowl.

Add corn kernels and drizzle juice of one lemon and olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Toss gently and set aside.

Step 3:

Assembly

Place salad greens on a plate, with your hands, gently place tomato and corn relish over greens. Add hot goat cheese medallion to the top of relish, season freshly ground pepper.

Serve with a crisp white wine.

I heart pizza

One of our favorite things to do around here is to make our own pizza. It's kind of messy, but so much fun. No arguing over toppings, everyone can customize their own, (and you don't have to do ALL of that nights' cooking...), it's a DIY pizza party. With a scorching hot oven, (500), and 2 pizza stones awaiting, the production line moves along quite nicely, 2 at a time, which keeps hungry pizza eaters constantly fed.

Truth be told, most of the time I buy pizza dough from Trader Joe's. It's good, but fickle. It resists being manipulated and we often find ourselves with small, stubbornly thick pizzas. ( I have discovered that if you remove the dough from it's package and leave it out at room temp in a covered bowl for a few hours, it becomes much more cooperative.). For your toppings, the thinner, the better, so as to not weigh down the pizza dough. Also, I like to drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil before adding toppings and gently rub over dough.

If you are interested in making your own dough, a much more rewarding endeavor, here's is a fool-proof, easy recipe which will yield a small, thin crusted pizza - my favorite!

Easy Pizza Dough
from smittenkitchen

1 1/2 cup flour (you can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (you may need 1 to 2 TBLS more)
1 TBLS olive oil

Stir dry ingredients together, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil. Stir mixture into as close as a ball as you can. Dump everything onto a floured surface and knead until you have a homogenous ball. If this is difficult, take the now empty bowl and place over ball and step away for a few minutes.

Knead for a minute or two and place it into a lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough over so that all sides are lightly coated with oil and cover with plastic wrap for and hour or two. It should double in size.

Dump it back onto a floured surface and gently press air out of the dough with the palm of your hand. Fold it back into a ball and place it under plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet, with corm meal and set oven to its highest temp.
Roll out dough and place toppings on, erring on the side of skimpy, so not to weigh down pizza.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until just blistered.

Inspiration board

I thought I'd share this rather ingenious idea of mine with you - you know how you flip through magazines or newspapers and find a recipe that peeks your interest and you tear it out, fold it up and then forget about it until days, months, (years), later when one day you happen to rediscover it, now wrinkled, faded and torn? I have lost countless recipes and ideas because I am not exactly what you might call organized. But when I saw this magnetic strip bulletin thingy, I knew exactly what to do with it and exactly where to put it. So now, in my beloved pantry, I have my idea board filled with tear-outs just waiting for me to get inspired and tackle them. There is something to be said for organization! Go get yourself one and start saving those priceless recipes!

Click here for self-sticking strip.