Baklava

 This week, we're going to use the rest of that box of phyllo dough we bought for spinach pie, both to get it out of the freezer and to use it while it's fresher.  That means, we're making baklava, one of my favorite desserts.  I will say again that working with phyllo dough is a tedious task and best suited for two people, the more patient of the two layering the sheets of phyllo dough.

You will need:                                                        Syrup:

4 c. chopped walnuts                                             3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar                                     1/4 c. water
1 tsp. ground cinnamon                                          1/4 c. honey
1 c. butter, melted (2 sticks)                                    1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg 16 oz, 14' x 9" sheet size, frozen phyllo dough, thawed

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Butter the bottom of a 14" x 9" glass pan.

3.  Mix walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon in a large bole and set aside.

4.  Begin layering phyllo dough in the glass pan, brushing each layer with melted butter.  Do this until there are eight layers in the pan.

5.  Spread 1/3 of the nut mixture evenly over the layers of phyllo dough.

6.  Layer four sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each layer with melted butter.

7.  Repeat steps 5 and 6.

8.  Spread last 1/3 of the nut mixture over the phyllo dough.

9.  Layer last eight sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each.

10.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

11.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the sugar, water and honey.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for ten minutes.  Add vanilla.

12.  Pour syrup over the warm pie and allow to cool.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Notes:

*  The package of chopped walnuts available in our grocery store was 3 1/2 cups and cost something like $7.59.  I didn't buy any additional to make up for the missing 1/2 cup of nuts and didn't notice it.

*  The package of phyllo dough we purchased had two rolls of 20 sheets of phyllo dough.  We adapted the recipe above by shaving one sheet from each layer.

*  We did not use a full two sticks of butter, instead only requiring one and 1/5 sticks.   It appeared to be swimming in butter, too.

*  When you pour the syrup over the pie, it will appear to be swimming in it.  Do not worry.  It will be absorbed by the pie and will caramelize in the bottom of the pan.

*  We ate them warm, and quickly figured out why that isn't the norm.  It was messy and the syrup hadn't hardened.  I wouldn't do it again.

Rating:

Sandy 4.5

I think after refrigeration, it will be perfect.  Eating them warm, they crumbled and collapsed. and streams of syrup ran down to my elbows.  The flavor was good, but not as set as it normally is.  Still, all-in-all it was very satisfying treat.

Tony 4.0

Great way to use up the rest of the phyllo dough.  Sweet and crispy and light and flaky.  The honey doesn't make it too sweet, it makes it just right.  I love it.  In fact, I'm going to get another piece right now.

Cost:
butter - is a staple and we had it, but typically a four pack is about 4 bucks
walnuts - about $7.59 for 3 1/2 cups
brown sugar - a staple, of which we are now out, but I still do not know the cost
phyllo dough - I don't remember, we bought the box for spinach pie
honey - about 8 bucks, it's a staple and we did not have enough.
sugar - we had plenty on hand so I don't know the cost.
cinnamon - again, a staple

This is not a cheap dish, but it will satisfy a sweet tooth.  I mostly make it around the holidays, since walnuts are on sale a lot then.

Spinach Pie

Hey Guys! Tony here. You can not get a good spinach pie in the state of Florida. And, it's not on the menu at Chik-Fil-A. So, if you want something done right, you have to do it your self. Behold, this week's Food Adventure:  the sinfully good Spinach pie.

 Time to break out ye olde cookbook. Betty Crocker is my Bible. She doesn't fail to deliver.  For starters, let's go ahead and fire up that oven to 375 degrees.  You can do your prep while the oven heats up.  Things you will need:

Feta make it mo better.

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion (1/2 cup)
1 package of cream cheese (8oz)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of dill weed
2 packages of frozen chopped spinach (9 oz each)
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 stick of unsalted butter (melted)
1/2 cup of feta cheese
20 sheets of frozen phyllo dough (thawed)  

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet on medium heat. So, get your big pan and start cooking. Add your olive oil and start sauteeing those onions and garlic. Once they are just starting to brown, add your spinach. Stir it up good.  Next, add the cream cheese, feta and your eggs and pretty much everything but the dough and the butter. Mix that stuff up good, and it's showtime.

I like pie.

This is the fun part. Layering the phyllo dough one sheet at a time into a glass pan, the bottom generously smeared with butter, and the brushing-on of generous amount of melted, unsalted butter.
We did six layers of dough before adding our first layer of the spinach mixture. Then, we repeated the process of laying down another six layers of dough, one sheet at a time and buttering each sheet before laying down the next, and adding a second layer of the spinach mixture.  Place the remaining sheets of the phyllo dough on top of the second layer of spinach, brushing each sheet with butter, and you're good to go.

Your oven should be good and hot by now. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. We checked it at 25 and let it bake the full 35 minutes.  Let it cool for ten minutes. By this time, I'm ready to drink some wine and eat some pie. Let's eat!

Tony's Rating : 5.0
Flawless victory! So good. I felt like I was a kid again eating at Olga's Kitchen. Fan-freaking-tastic! Satisfying on so many levels. Comfort food like this gives me a warm sense of well being. We ate it all. We are piggy-doggies. =)

Total cost to make around 15 bucks.

Sandy's Rating:  5.0
This was a home run.  The phyllo was flaky and crunchy.  The spinach filling was perfectly creamy and cheesy.  And, immensely satisfying after a long day of yard work.  It takes a lot of patience to make this dish, but it is so very worth it.


Until the next Food Adventure.
~All men must dine.

Chiles Rellenos

For this week's food adventure, I thought I'd try something from this cookbook we've had for a long time and never done more than look through:  Mexico The Beautiful Cookbook.  I like chiles rellenos, so why not?

Ingredients:
6 poblano chiles
1 Tbsp. oil
10 oz. tomatillos, husks removed and quartered
1/2 large onion, cut into chunks  
2 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
1 tsp. salt
1 c. thick cream (creme fraiche)
1 1/2 cups grated queso manchego (or Monterey Jack or medium-sharp cheddar cheese)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, separated
oil for frying

1.  Roast the chiles over medium heat until the entire skins are "charred."  They will blister and turnbrown.  You don't want to char the pepper under the skin, so turn them as needed.  When they are fully roasted, remove to a dish and cover with a warm, damp towel for 10-15 minutes.  This will make them sweat and will make the skins easier to remove.  Peel the chiles, cut a slit in the side and remove the seeds and membranes.  Set aside.

2.  Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large skillet.  Add tomatillos and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Add onion, cook for 3 minutes, then add tomatoes and cook another 3 minutes.  Stir in the cream and salt, cover and cook over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3.  Stuff chiles with cheese.  Spread the flour on a plate.

4.  Beat egg whites until the form stiff peaks, then stir in the yolks one at a time.  Turn the chiles in the flour, shaking off the excess.  Dip each chile in the beaten eggs, so that it is well coated.

5.  Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet.  When hot, add the chiles one or two at a time.   Fry on each side until lightly browned.  Drain in a colander.

6.  Before serving, heat the sauce.  Add the chiles to it, cover and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, just until the chiles are hot. Serve immediately.

Notes:

1.  I modified the recipe from the start by not using the dried peppers it suggests using.

2.  As you can see, I poured the sauce over the chiles.  I expected the tomatillos to cook down more than they did, and I cooked them for longer than it says to in an effort to get them to do so.

3.  Manchego cheese is expensive.  We used muenster, like Tony's grandma used to.  It melts well and has a good flavor.

4.  Be careful not to let the oil get to hot.  Mine got a little hotter than I wanted for the last batch of peppers and not sure I cooked them well enough to melt the cheese very good.

5.  This was a lot of food.  One pepper was plenty, and would be good with beans and rice but not sauce.

6.  I didn't find creme fraiche in the store.  I looked it up and wasn't going to buy  buttermilk for just a few tablespoons, so I mixed heavy cream with some sour cream.

Ratings:

Sandy:  2.5

It wasn't such a good week for the Food Adventure.  The stuffed peppers had a good flavor with a subtle hint of heat to them.  And, the cheese melted smoothly and had good flavor.  But, the sauce was horrible and ruined the whole dish.  The large chunks of veggies it suggests did not cook down enough in the time periods listed in the recipe, or the additional time that I cooked it, and tomatillos are quite sour in large chunks.  I don't like to waste food and wasn't going to just dip the peppers and throw out those veggies.  I didn't particularly care for the cream on it, and I don't think it is solely because I substituted sour cream for buttermilk.  I would not make the sauce again.  I would top these with a little warmed salsa or pico de gallo instead.

Tony:  1.5

I feel bad that she worked so hard on it and it turned out so bad.  The peppers and cheese were okay, but the sauce was horrible.  My first bite was a large chunk of tomatillo and it was very sour.

Cost:
poblanos - $2.57
tomatillos - $0.84
tomatoes - $0.89
onion - $0.30
heavy cream - $2.29
muenster - $6.39

Total:  $13.28
*eggs, oil and flour are staples, the cost is not factored in the total

Shrimp Etouffee

Hey Foodies! Tony here. Saturday night and it's my turn to cook.
I am dying for some seafood. We have this Cajun Etouffee base packet, some rice and a pound of fresh uncooked shrimp. We are ready to get started.

Begin by melting 5 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan. Once all the butter is melted, pour the contents of the packet into the skillet and stir constantly to make a roux.  Add 2 cups of water. Stir until it is a medium brown. It's the easiest thing in the world. Lucky for me it only takes a few minutes, because I am hungry as hell and it's damned good to eat. So, stir it up nice. Once you achieve the gravy-like consistency, add a pound of uncooked shrimp. Bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, cover and reduce heat to a low simmer for 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally to prevent the gravy from sticking to the bottom of the pan. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 15 more minutes. This gives the etouffee base time to thicken and work its magic.  I like to serve it over white rice. They suggest that it's good over pasta, but I don't know about that. OK. Time to eat.

Review :

The shrimp was very tender. It's a little on the salty side but the rice is perfect. What I like about this dish is it is quick, easy and exotic. Might not be for everybody. It's really good and about 6 hours faster than the Paul Prudomme's recipe. Just like being back in good, old New Orleans.

Tony's Rating 4.0

The shrimp was cooked perfectly.  It is a premixed base, so it's salty compared to what we usually make, but not bad.  It is a good substitute from the long version in the cookbook and makes up a lot quicker. Cheap dish. Under 15 bucks.

Sandy's rating 4.0


Until next time. All men must dine.