recipes, part 1.
A few of you (cpolins, emsariel?) requested recipes awhile back, and I never got around to it... so here are two. I find myself making the spanikopita pretty frequently lately, and the bechamel was a good accident from a few days ago. C loves white sauces, but heavy ones make his tummy sad, so this is a lower-fat, less heavy adaptation of a "contemporary" bechamel from The Joy of Cooking. It worked better than I expected! I'll post the truly awesome recipe that inspired this spanikopita adaptation later on, because it's complicated and I have to locate it. Anyway:
Spanikopita Adaptation
Needed:
- 1 "brick" of frozen spinach, or the equivalent amount fresh.
- 1/2 large onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 eggs (I've been using 1 egg + extra yolk lately... two eggs is just a little too thin.)
- 2/3 cup feta
- 2-3 tbsp. parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tbsp. butter (depending on how much you like)
- 10-12 egg roll wrappers, some puff pastry sheets, or phyllo dough (I prefer egg roll wrappers. So much easier to deal with than puff pastry or phyllo.)
- pinch or two salt
- pinch or two pepper
- pinch or two nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
(Note: Adjust the spices to your preference. I tend to use just a tiny bit of salt, and 1/4 tsp. or so of nutmeg and pepper. But I like nutmeg and pepper.)
Directions:
A. Preheat oven to 375.
B. Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper. Get parchment paper that is safe to 500 degrees.
C. Take the egg roll wrappers or what-have-you out of the freezer to thaw.
1. Cook the spinach; drain it well with paper towel or strainer or whatever.
2. Cook the onions and garlic over medium heat in a little olive oil until clear, but not carmelized.
3. Combine the spinach, onions, and garlic in a mixing bowl with 1 half of the butter. Mix well.
4. Add the feta, parmesan, and spices to the mixture. Mix well some more.
5. Melt the rest of the butter.
6. Place 2-3 tbsp. of the spinach filling into each egg roll wrapper (or what-have-you). Adjust for the size of whatever it is you're working with.
7. Fold up and seal with melted butter.
8. Place seam down on the parchment paper.
9. Bake 40-45 minutes, depending on how big your pockets are. Look for crisp and golden-brown-ness.
10. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating, which helps the filling set.
* * * * * *
Faux Bechamel
Needed:
- 4-5 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups cold milk (whole or lower-fat: I used skim, and it worked well to make a light-ish sauce)
- 1 cup plain yogurt (again, whole milk or lower fat: I used Stonyfield lowfat.)
- *only if using lowfat / skim ingredients* 1 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup or so of grated cheese (Gruyere or similar for something close to bechamel - or so the Joy claims; Parmesan / Romano / Asiago for a more alfredo sauce. I used the latter for a sharp-ish alfredo-y thing, and it came out nicely.)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Over medium heat, whisk the olive oil and flour together until it gets frothy.
2. Keep whisking for about a minute.
3. Take off of the heat, and whisk some more (a few more minutes).
4. Add the milk gradually, whisking continuously.
5. Add the yogurt gradually, whisking continuously. (This recipe is all about the whisking, and it's important. Otherwise, it will burn to the bottom of the pan, which is no fun to clean.)
6. Put back over medium heat. Keep whisking, and bring to a boil to thicken. Don't worry about the mixture looking curdled - it does smooth out.
7. If you have used low-fat ingredients, add the butter. Whisk in.
8. When the mixture has been boiling for a minute or two (you may want to reduce the heat if it gets too crazy-frothy), begin to add in the cheese, again gradually, while whisking. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
9. Let boil until the mixture becomes smooth and even. Make sure to keep whisking, especially at the bottom of the saucepan.
Spanikopita Adaptation
Needed:
- 1 "brick" of frozen spinach, or the equivalent amount fresh.
- 1/2 large onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 eggs (I've been using 1 egg + extra yolk lately... two eggs is just a little too thin.)
- 2/3 cup feta
- 2-3 tbsp. parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tbsp. butter (depending on how much you like)
- 10-12 egg roll wrappers, some puff pastry sheets, or phyllo dough (I prefer egg roll wrappers. So much easier to deal with than puff pastry or phyllo.)
- pinch or two salt
- pinch or two pepper
- pinch or two nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
(Note: Adjust the spices to your preference. I tend to use just a tiny bit of salt, and 1/4 tsp. or so of nutmeg and pepper. But I like nutmeg and pepper.)
Directions:
A. Preheat oven to 375.
B. Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper. Get parchment paper that is safe to 500 degrees.
C. Take the egg roll wrappers or what-have-you out of the freezer to thaw.
1. Cook the spinach; drain it well with paper towel or strainer or whatever.
2. Cook the onions and garlic over medium heat in a little olive oil until clear, but not carmelized.
3. Combine the spinach, onions, and garlic in a mixing bowl with 1 half of the butter. Mix well.
4. Add the feta, parmesan, and spices to the mixture. Mix well some more.
5. Melt the rest of the butter.
6. Place 2-3 tbsp. of the spinach filling into each egg roll wrapper (or what-have-you). Adjust for the size of whatever it is you're working with.
7. Fold up and seal with melted butter.
8. Place seam down on the parchment paper.
9. Bake 40-45 minutes, depending on how big your pockets are. Look for crisp and golden-brown-ness.
10. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating, which helps the filling set.
* * * * * *
Faux Bechamel
Needed:
- 4-5 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups cold milk (whole or lower-fat: I used skim, and it worked well to make a light-ish sauce)
- 1 cup plain yogurt (again, whole milk or lower fat: I used Stonyfield lowfat.)
- *only if using lowfat / skim ingredients* 1 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup or so of grated cheese (Gruyere or similar for something close to bechamel - or so the Joy claims; Parmesan / Romano / Asiago for a more alfredo sauce. I used the latter for a sharp-ish alfredo-y thing, and it came out nicely.)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Over medium heat, whisk the olive oil and flour together until it gets frothy.
2. Keep whisking for about a minute.
3. Take off of the heat, and whisk some more (a few more minutes).
4. Add the milk gradually, whisking continuously.
5. Add the yogurt gradually, whisking continuously. (This recipe is all about the whisking, and it's important. Otherwise, it will burn to the bottom of the pan, which is no fun to clean.)
6. Put back over medium heat. Keep whisking, and bring to a boil to thicken. Don't worry about the mixture looking curdled - it does smooth out.
7. If you have used low-fat ingredients, add the butter. Whisk in.
8. When the mixture has been boiling for a minute or two (you may want to reduce the heat if it gets too crazy-frothy), begin to add in the cheese, again gradually, while whisking. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
9. Let boil until the mixture becomes smooth and even. Make sure to keep whisking, especially at the bottom of the saucepan.