The average Australian will consume 18 beef cattle and 90 sheep in his or her lifetime.
Hello everyone.
Yet another fun fact about Australia and food. I sense a trend…anyone who guesses what sparked my latest obsession with Australia gets a prize. Seriously, I’ll mail you something food related (disclaimer: this doesn’t count for people who already know the answer)!
Tonight, I decided to use the rest of my frozen phyllo dough. It’s been in the freezer since February, and I was afraid it was just going to dry out if I kept it in there longer.
So, after consulting this very good site about the basics of spanakopita, I decided to go my own way about it. For those unfamiliar with Greek cuisine, spanakopita is a spinach pie made with phyllo dough as the crust. I’ve always been too intimidated to make this, but once you get the hang of working with the dough, it’s really easy. Really.
a different sort of spanakopita
Ingredients:
1/2 bag of spinach, chopped
1/2 cup of feta, crumbled
1/3 cup marscapone
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
phyllo dough
other herbs like dill, parsley, or even onions. you can really put what ever *fresh* herbs you want into this, it’s a blank canvas. i just had nothing on hand.
Method:
(preheat oven to 350F)
1. mix the spinach, feta, marscapone, salt and pepper in a bowl. (frustrated because the marscapone is sticking to the spoon you’re haplessly abusing your mix with? well, the only solution is to use your hands. sure, it may be gross or…icky, even. sure, it may make a nasty squishing sound when you dive your hands in. but, it’s the best method.)
2. brush bottom of an 8×8 (or 9×11, whatever you have) pan with olive oil.
3. place a sheet of phyllo in the pan. brush the top of it with olive oil. put another sheet on top of that, and repeat this process until you have 6-8 layers.
4. place the spinach mixture on top of the phyllo dough layers in the pan. spread it around evenly.
5. plae another sheet of phyllo on top of the spinach mixture, and brush with olive oil. place another sheet on top of that, and repeat this process until you have another 6-8 layers.
6. bake until the top is a golden brown, for about 30-50 minutes.
This was so good! Next time, I will definitely add the fresh herbs because it lacked a little bit of flavor. However, the marscapone made the filling pretty creamy, which was very pleasant. Yes, pleasant.
leftover week
Hello everyone.
This week, my goal is to polish off all the leftovers I’ve amassed over the past several weeks. As such, there are no new meals to post here.
There are, however, side dishes. As most of my frozen leftovers are frozen as portioned meals unto themselves, I don’t see a need to make them anew (except with leftover roast chicken and the like…then some creativity comes into play). I do, however, need new sides to go with them.
Tonight, I planned to have some leftover spaghetti. What to have with it, though? What, besides nice crusty bread, goes with pasta? I decided a salad of garlicy wilted spinach, peppers, celery, and capers would go well.
garlic wilted spinach with peppers, celery and capers
Ingredients
2 generous handfuls of washed spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 tbsp capers
freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. chop and mince. go at it. get organized. etc.
2. in a large skillet with sides, heat the oil over medium heat. once the oil is fragrant, put in the garlic and sautee for about 1 minute. add the peppers, celery and spinach. stir occasionally so everything is evenly coated and mixed. add the pepper, and be generous. cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the spinach looks sufficiently wilted.
3. add the capers, and some more pepper. no need for salt, the capers have you covered. remove from heat and serve.
Could not be easier, especially if you’re in one of those I-just-got-home-from-the-gym-and-I’m-starving moods, or you just want something quick and easy.
I’m really interested in getting more creative with my breakfasts and lunches, particularly for the weekends and for days when I have extra time in the mornings. Although I thoroughly enjoy my
english muffin with apple butter
daily English muffin with apple butter for breakfast,
pumpkin and peanut butter sandwich
as well as my grilled pumpkin and peanut butter sandwich for lunch,I’d really love to have a wider variety of recipes to share. I think it would be good for all of us.
Tomorrow night with my leftover thareed, I intend to make Moroccan-inspired glazed carrots. Seems like a fitting fusion.
