Indian Yum!

We've been eating more and more Indian dishes in our house. The spices are so wonderful; heat, sweetness, savory, spicey, tart, salty.... it just goes on and on with layered flavors.

Layers are a big peice to an indian dish called Biryani.

A biryani is a dish where rice and meat (or veggies) are cooked separately with spices and then brought together in a dish by layering and given one final bake. The final baking gives the rice a rich aroma of flavor, while still maintaining it's consistency and flavor.

I've fallen in love with the below mixtures, especially served with the cooling spinach and yogert or the heat of spicey fried bread. I'm hoping to try this for my family the night before thanksgiving as a really different meal going into a week where there will be tons of gravy, turkey, and potatoes :)

Biryani: Beef, rice, spices (cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin seeds, tumeric, cardamom), golden rasins, cashews

Spinach Yogert: Heat 1 tbsp mustard seeds and 2 thai chillies in olive oil till brown. Mix in 2 cups chopped spinach till wilted. Mix into 1 cup of Greek Yogert and 1 tsp salt. Serve room temp.

Spicey Grilled Bread: Mix together red onions, cilantro, garlic, tumeric, thai chilli peppers, flour, water, salt.

Grill in Olive Oil, butter mixture till fried. Serve warm.

Beef, rice, phyllo covered Biryani w/spinach yogert

The Beginning of the Trend

The CSA season has arrived! I picked up my first CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) box from out farm, Harmony Valley last evening.

The family hosting the pickup site lives just on my way home, so it will be very convenient. We signed up for the ‘every other’ week with another family for veggies and a ‘once a month’ for a cheese share for ourselves. We received a wonderful looking Blue Cheese, a tasty Mozzarella, and a Mild Cheddar this week.


The veggies looked great! Especially the Spinach. So green and leafy looking. There are some varieties of vegetables that I am interested to try out. I’ve never worked with Black Radishes before. It sounds like they have a taste similar to Horseradish. I’m thinking of mixing a sauce up for some of the huge Asparagus that came with.

The packaging is so professional and informative. I was very surprise to see how put-together the boxes were and how smoothly the pick up site was run. Here’s to a great summer CSA start and a new veggie trend on the blog!

What's in the box?

Asparagus

Chives

Spinach

Sunchoke

Ramps

Parsnip

Arugula

Black Radish

Sorrel

Salad Mix

Willow or Dogwood - Decoration

St Patty's Green

Up the airy mountain,

Down the rushy glen,

We daren't go a-hunting

For fear of little men;

Wee folk, good folk,

Trooping all together;

Green jacket, red cap,

And white owl's feather!

My mother used to sign me an Irish song as a child which must have been adapted from "The Leprechaun" by Roger Dwyer Joyce. It was quite a different lullaby then most children might have gotten, but it made me proud to be part Irish and developed my love for everything green.

This year for St.Patty’s well be making soda bread, corned beef, and what else? Potatoes! Another way to incorporate a little Leprechaun green into your meal would be Spinach Pasta. Just add a little to a regular fresh pasta recipe and you’ll be speaking in a Gaelic drawl in no time :)

Spinach Pasta

1/2 lbs spinach, washed
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
3 1/2 cup flour

De-stem spinach and cut into very very small pieces. Sauté ina pan with olive oil and salt. When the leaves have wilted and the water evaporated strain out spinach. You can simmer the strained liquid down until it is thick and add it back in with the spinach to retain the nutrients.

Knead all ingredients together on a flour dusted surface for 5 minutes until they form a ball which is not sticky. Wrap in plastic and let sit in refrigerator for another 1/2 hr. Using a pasta attachment or other tool roll out to 1/4 of an inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into long strips or use fettuccini attachment. Because the spinach is ‘stringy’ you may need to manually pull the noodles apart from each other. Let dry on a rack for 1/2 hr.

Boil in salted water for 1-2 minutes or until the noodles float on the surface.

In a shady nook one moonlit night,
A leprahaun I spied.
In a cap of red and a coat of green,
A cruiskeen by his side,
'Twas tick, tack, tick, his hammer went,
Upon a weeny shoe,
And I laughed to think of his pot of gold,
But the wee man was laughing too.
Didee dee didee dee didee dee didee dum
Didee dee didee dee di day.

With tip-toe step and beating heart,
Quite softly I drew nigh.
There was laughter in his merry face,
A twinkle in his eye;
He hammered and sang with tiny voice,
And drank his mountain dew;
And I laughed to think of his pot of gold,
But the wee man was laughing, too.
Didee dee didee dee didee dee didee dum
Didee dee didee dee di day.

As quick as a wink I caught the old man,
"Your pot of gold," I cried,
"My gold?" said he, "'tis in her hand,
That lady by your side."
I turned to look, the wee man was off,
Awk! what was I to do?
And I laughed to think what a fool I'd been,
But, the wee man was laughing, too.
Didee dee didee dee didee dee didee dum
Didee dee didee dee di day.
Didee dee didee dee didee dee didee dum
Didee dee didee dee di day.

When the moon hits your eye

...like a big pizza pie that's amore...

Did you know that song was played in the credits of the award winning Moonstruck in 1987 staring Cher? Well neither did I until a Trivia night with some great friends in the city of pizza, Chicago.

While I'll never be able to toss a crust or slice a deep dish like those pros, I still love to make homemade pizza. In the winter or summer or anytime of the year they just seem to hit the spot. It's a meal my husband and I can have fun planning and making together. Every pie tastes different and each makes great cold leftovers!

Rustic Sausage and Red Onion Pizza

Herb Crust – prep time: 1 hr
1 packet (2 1/4 tbsp) yeast
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp diced sage

Combine yeast, sugar, and water in a large bowl and let sit until the mixture has turned foamy, about 8-10 minutes. Add olive oil, salt, and herbs. Slowly mix in flour until it forms a ball, you may not need to use all of it. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes on a floured surface or until it is no longer sticky. Place in an olive oil lined bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm location and let rise for at least 20 minutes.

On a floured surface roll out or hand toss the dough to a large pizza sized circle. When hand tossing it is easier to work slow and work from the inside out to stretch the dough. Place on a pizza stone or tray and fold edges over to create the crust. Let rise another 20-30 minutes.

Pizza
1 lbs ground sausage or other meat
1 red bell pepper
1/2 red onion
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 lbs spinach, washed and de-stemmed
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup provolone cheese (about 4 slices)

In a pan cook sausage until done, set aside in a large bowl. Slice red onion thinly and place in pan heating till soft with olive oil.

Cut pepper into bite sized squares and heat with onions. Once veggies are slightly soft remove and let sit with sausage.

Cut the spinach up and heat till wilted with a little salt.

Heat tomato sauce till warm in a small pot. Spread the sauce around the pizza crust. Layer sausage, peppers, onions, mozzarella, spinach, and provolone.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is melted. Let sit 5 minutes and slice.

Thanksgiving Take Two

Now that we've wrapped up our Thanksgiving traveling I can spend time to post about the fantastic foods we were served in Chicago. The Thursday meal was a classic delishous serving complete with turkey, chestnut sausage stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It was a wonderful trip and a great chance to spend time with family and friends.

A classic favorite my in-laws introduced me to was Spinach Turkey Pie made from the leftovers. The rich flavors mix into the perfect texture and it's a complete change from the standard turkey leftovers that you are most likey to have.

It was an instant hit with me and every Thanksgiving we are there I look forward to scarfing down at least half a pie pan of it. My father inlaw makes it with great care and presicion, usually letting me eat all I want...

Tart Shell

2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into pats
1 large egg yolk
3 tbsp water

Place the flour, salt, butter and egg yolk in a food processor with a blade and pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles corn meal.
Add the water and pulse just until the dough begins to form a ball, about 8 times. Do not overprocess.
Form mixture into a ball. Divide dough in half and shape each into 5-inch discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Turkey, Spinach and Ricotta Tourte

1/2 c. parsley leaves
2 oz Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, quartered
1 large clove garlic
1 lb spinach
1/4 c. water
10 oz Turkey meat
salt and pepper
2 tblsp butter
4 oz bacon, cut into 1/4 inch peices
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. ricotta cheese - about 12 oz
1/4 c. heavy cream
Tart Shell
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water for glaze

Mix parsley and cheese in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Chop garlic in processor. Add onion and pulse with garlic until finely chopped. Reserve.

Cook spinach in the water until just wilted. Drain and squeeze dry. Coarsely chop the spinach and reserve.
Heat turkey meat in a pan and season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add bacon and cook till brown. Remove bacon draining off any fat. Add to parsley-parm mixture.
In the same pan cook the onion-garlic mixture until soft and slightly brown. Stir in the remaining butter and spinach. Cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Add to parsley-parm mixture.

Process the eggs, ricotta and cream. Add to the above mixture. Fold in the diced turkey. Taste seasonings and adjust.

On a lightly floured surface roll half the Tart Shell dough into a 13-inch circle or until it fits your tart pan size. Place in tart pan and press against the sides. Spoon in the turkey mixutre. Roll out the remaining dough and place over the mixture. Moisten the edges of the top and bottom crusts and gently press together. Crimp the edges over forming a seal. Lightly brush the top with egg-water glaze. Cut a 1/2 inch circle in the center of the top crust.

Bake the tourte on a baking sheet in a 425 degree pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for 1 hour. Cover tart loosely with foil if it starts to brown too much. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Serve in wedges.

Spanakopita - The Greek Pie

I come from a German/Irish background, growing up on dishes like Pork Hocks and Sauerkraut or Beef Pie.

Marrying into a Greek/French Canadian family has given me the opportunity to experience a wide range of new flavors and recipes. While butter seems common to both our backgrounds, the end results are very different yet wonderful in their own ways.

My personal greek favorite is Spanakopita, a spinach pie wrapped in buttery flakey phyllo dough and oh so delish!

Spanakopita

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs (or one bag) fresh spinach, washed, roughly chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs, beaten
12 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
8 tbsp (one stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 roll phyllo dough, defrosted
1/4 cup chopped oregano

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute both kinds of onions and garlic until soft and white. Remove from heat into a large bowl. In the same large skillet add spinach, salt and pepper. Saute the spinach until it is wilted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. In either cheese cloth or a kitchen towl, squeeze all liquid out from the spinach. Add to onion mixture with lemon juice, coriander, and nutmeg. After the mixture is cooled mix in the eggs and fold in the feta.

Unroll the phyllo dough onto a clean surface, with a damp towl covering the sheets so they do not dry out.

Take one sheet of phyllo and lay out on a dry surface. Brush the long sides with the melted butter. Place a large teaspoon of the filling at the end of the sheet in the middle. Fold the sides over and brush entire strip with more butter.

Sprinkle with oregano. Fold the end with the filling at an angle into a triangle as you would a flag.

Brush the top with butter and place on a nonstick baking tray. Repeat until all the filling is used up. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until the triangles are golden and crispy. Can be served hot, warm, or cold.

Note: This dish can be put together like a lasagna and served in squares also.

The triangles can be frozen on the trays and then placed in a freezer bag and stored for up to 6 months. Do not defrost frozen Spanakopita, but cook for 30-40 minutes.