Banitsa is the traditional Bulgarian pastry.... filo dough filled with spinach, cheese, apple, pumpkin, peppery ground beef.....but my favorite has always been leek and cheese. I decided to put the filling in a tart shell ( I'm not the best at working with filo dough, although I can do it). A store bought pie dough will absolutely work with this.
For the tart shell:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 8 ounce stick of cold butter cut into small pieces
1/4 tsp salt
3 - 4 Tbl half and half
Mix the flour and salt together and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse about 8 times. Add the half and half, one Tbl at a time and pulse until you can form a ball for rolling. Roll the dough into a round large enough for a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Lightly spray the pan with cooking oil and press the rolled round in. Bake the tart shell for 10 minutes at 400F. Remove from the oven and set aside while preparing the filling.
Leek filling:
3 1/2 cups leeks ( white and light green part) which have been quartered lengthwise and then thinly sliced into quarter moons.
4 Tbl butter
2 cups cottage cheese set in a colander and thoroughly drained of all liquid
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese ( preferably Bulgarian)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
Saute the leeks in the butter until soft and fragrant, remove to a medium mixing bowl and let cool.
Stir the remaining ingredients into the cooled leeks and thoroughly combine.
Pour the mixture into the tart shell and bake 40 to 50 minutes at 325F.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
This is my answer to old fashioned stewed greens...you know...the ones that cook for hours and hours...collards, kale, mustard greens. I use spinach and make a quick side that's flavorful and kind of good for you . I'm presenting 2 variations of this. Pictured is the first version.
1 tsp olive oil
2 strips bacon, diced
2 green onions, sliced
1 pound baby spinach (thawed frozen works)
salt and pepper to taste
splash or two of red wine vinegar
Saute the bacon in the oil until almost crispy. Add the green onions and cook a minute longer. Start adding the spinach and cook until it wilts (you may need to add a little water). Season with the salt and pepper. Throw a few splashes of the vinegar in just before turning the heat off.
2nd version:
2 Tbl olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound baby spinach (thawed frozen works again)
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 or 1 whole lemon, depending on how tart you like
Saute the garlic in the olive oil for a minute or two. Add the spinach and salt and pepper. Cook until wilted. Stir in the lemon juice.
This is an Italian peasant soup traditionally made with only vegetables and leftover stale bread. I added ground turkey to mine but probably didn't need to. The saying is that if a wooden spoon can stand straight up in the pot, the soup is done....mine did! It gets better after a day or two, so makes for great lunches.
2 Tbl olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, cut in thirds
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley
6 -8 garlic cloves
2 strips bacon, cut in thirds
1 14.5 ounce can tomatoes
1 12 ounce can tomato or V8 juice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
10 cups chicken broth
1 14 -15 ounce can chick peas
1 or 2 14-15 ounce cans white beans
5 cups chopped cabbage
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup small, dry pasta
4 slices stale white bread, crusts removed
In a LARGE soup pot, brown the ground turkey in the olive oil. Remove from pot and set aside.
Place the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley and bacon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is a little finer than a dice. Put the mixture in the soup pot and saute until the mixture softens a bit. Add the meat, salt, black pepper, red pepper and Italian seasoning to the pot. Stir and add the tomatoes and juice. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil and then simmer for about ten minutes. Add the cabbage, chick peas and white beans and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer for about 15 minutes. Tear the bread in pieces and add along with the spinach leaves. Simmer until the spinach wilts.
This "cake" is dense and not real sweet. It needs a day to "age" in the fridge. The honeyed syrup needs time to soak into the cake.
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups grated carrots
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbl brandy
1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (for the syrup)
3 inch piece of orange rind
1/2 cup honey
Beat the eggs, oil and sugar until light and thick.
Stir in the carrots, salt, baking soda, orange zest, and brandy. Combine well.
Add the flour, a little at a time, combining well.
Stir in the ground almonds.
Pour the mixture in a 10" round baking pan lined with parchment. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes at 350F.
Meanwhile, make the syrup by combining the water, sugar and orange rind in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the honey and let the mixture cool.
When the cake is done, let cool for about 10 minutes and the poke holes in the cake with a wooden skewer. Spread the syrup over the cake and cool completely.
Remove the cake from the pan, cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream.
I know I've told you that we grill all winter, but when I made these little lamb rolls it was soooo cold that I had to half grill them and then finish them in the oven. Normally though, just grill them like you would a burger to your liking . I cut the yogurt in the sauce recipe and replaced some of it with sour cream, but you can certainly do all yogurt if you prefer.
For the tzatziki:
4 ounces plain yogurt
4 ounces sour cream
1/2 of an English cucumber, shredded and blotted with paper towels to dry
1 clove garlic, mashed in a garlic press
1 Tbl dried dillweed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Combine all ingredients and chill for a few hours
For the lamb:
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 medium onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, mashed in a garlic press
1 slice white bread, soaked in water and then squeezed "dry"
1 Tbl ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and chill for about an hour. Shape the meat into 3 inch logs about an inch and a half in diameter. Grill on a gas or charcoal grill until done.
Serve with pita,tomato, red onion, feta, kalamata olives, and cucumber
Here's a spin on the wilted cucumber salad that I posted a while back...I had ( and still have) a lot of carrots in the house, so we're using them up.
1 pound carrots cut into 2 -3 inch match stick size pieces
1 Tbl kosher salt
3 Tbl seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
Sprinkle the cut carrots with the kosher salt. Toss and place in a colander set over a bowl for about 2 hours. The carrots will exude some juice and wilt slightly. After 2 hours, thoroughly rinse and drain the carrots. Combine the carrots with the vinegar, sugar, dill and red onion. Chill in a covered container for a few hours, stirring now and then.
Here's a light starter soup or maybe one to accompany a sandwich. The carrots, leek and mushrooms give it an earthy quality.
3 Tbl butter
2 cups finely chopped leek (white part only)
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (or mushrooms of your choice)
4 cups sliced carrots
8 cups unsalted beef stock
1/4 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
In a dutch oven, melt the butter and add the leek and mushrooms. Saute on medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add the carrots, beef stock and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and sherry. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 more minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
