It's been far to long!

Hope everyone is enjoying the New Year. Now that we are two months in all seems to be settling into place. Do to my very long absence I thought I would share with you some tasty recipes. I had the pleasure this evening to share some recipes, techniques and stories with some lovely ladies and a very kind husband. A long over due cooking class from a silent auction.
Well working through the recipes this evening some changes occured and questions came up. I have made these changes to the recipes and included some more helpful tips. Enjoy...

Spinach Spanakopita Triangles

24 small triangles - or - 8 large triangles

Depending on the size made these can be an appetizer or a dinner. Make them weeks ahead and freeze. For a dinner serve with soup and salad and they also taste great with lamb. In the morning marinate a boned leg of lamb, when you get home grill for a tasty dinner.

1 (10oz) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

6 oz. cup crumbled feta cheese

3 scallions, chopped

1 large egg

1 ½ tablespoons fresh dill, minced

8 (12 x 17 inch) sheets phyllo dough, room temperature (found in freezer section, defrost over-night in fridge)

Pepper, to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil



1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place a sheet of parchment on baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, mash the cheese with a fork. Add the spinach, scallions, egg, dill and pepper, stir until combined.

3. Lay phyllo on the counter and keep covered with damp towel while working. Lay one sheet on large cutting board (or counter top) and brush with olive oil. Place another on top and brush with oil. Cut sheets into 6 even strips. Place a scant tablespoon at the end of the strip and triangle flag fold the strip. Place on sheet pan and work the rest.

4. Brush tops with oil and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. If preparing ahead of time place in freezer, once frozen transfer to freezer bag and store for up to a month. Increase baking time for frozen triangles (2-5 minutes.)

Other great Phyllo fillings:

• Brie or any favorite cheese with your favorite jam/preserves or chutney

• Bananas/Strawberries/Raspberry with chocolate chips or Nutella

• Crab Salad

• Chicken Salad

• Seafood Salad

Chickpea Soup

4 - 8 servings (side or dinner)

This hearty, but light soup is full of protein for the non meat lovers! If you are not a fan of chickpeas you can use cannellini beans or navy beans. I would say any favorite white bean would work great for this soup.

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion, small diced

2 carrots, peeled and small diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (1 inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, minced

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

24 oz jarred Roasted Peppers, drained and diced (not packed in oil)

28 oz canned Tomatoes, diced (I prefer the fire roasted Muir Glen tomatoes.)

2, 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained (I prefer Eden organic canned beans.)

4 cups Vegetable broth

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in small stockpot, add the onion and carrots. Sauté until onions are translucent, add garlic, ginger and cumin. Cook until aromatic.

2. Add remaining ingredients and heat to a low simmer. Taste for salt and peppers and serve.

Lamb, Chicken and Tofu

If making tofu in addition to the lamb and/or chicken make a double batch of marinade.

Rack of Lamb

If you buy a rack cut them a part and marinate as suggested below. These are VERY quick and easy. Broil in oven for about 2-3 minutes a side. In summer you can do these on a preheated grill (at least 450˚F.) I plan on about ½ pound pre- cooked weight per adult dinner size portion. This sounds like a large portion, but keep in mind the weight of bones.

Marinade:

Lemons, juice and zest 2 each

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4 tablespoons

Honey 2 tablespoons

Mint, dried 3 teaspoons -or- Mint, fresh ¼ cup fresh, then minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients together and reserve 2 tablespoons for the dressing.

2. Marinate the lamb for 15-30 minutes at room temperature or at least 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

This marinade also works well for butter-flied leg of lamb (3#) served as a grilled steak or festive kebabs. Marinate, grill and slice thin for dinner or cut into bite size pieces and thread onto a skewer for a quick appetizer. Grill the butter-flied leg of lamb on preheated grill (at least 450˚F,) 20-25 minutes per side (medium-rare, internal temperature should be 145˚F as stated by ServSafe.) If it's the middle of winter and worst yet the middle of a snow strom, you can cook inside. Using a well seasoned cast iron pan sear lamb fat side down until well browned then flip and put into a preheated 450˚F oven for about 20 minutes. Allow meat to rest for 20 minutes, slice and serve. For an easy dipping sauce serve with plain yogurt or you favorite jarred chutney. Mango chutney is one of my favorites, I prefer Tree of Life brand (one leg boned should serve about 4 dinner size portions.)

Spiced Marinated Chicken Strips

8 chicken breasts

4 each chicken breast, boneless and skinless

Marinade:

White Wine Vinegar ½ cup

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tablespoons

Coriander, ground 2 teaspoons

Ginger, ground 1 teaspoon

Kosher Salt ½ teaspoon

Cinnamon, ground ¼ teaspoon

Yogurt, plain 4 ounces

1. Mix all ingredients together and cut the chicken breasts into strips.

2. Marinate the chicken for 15-30 minutes at room temperature or at least 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

3. Broil marinated chicken for about 15 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature should be 160˚F as stated by ServSafe) turning pieces as needed for even browning.

Roasted Tofu

2 blocks firm tofu, always organic!!!

½ cup of either marinade

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Press tofu for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Prepare a nonreactive baking dish (Pyrex works great) with a very light coating of oil.

3. Cut each block into 3 slices and then on the diagonal, 6 pieces per block.

4. In the baking dish, gently toss them with the marinade.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, turning gently during baking.

For a quick dinner party serve the spinach spanakopita as an appetizer. The soup and a simple salad with crusty bread and the lamb/chicken/tofu of your choice with steamed broccoli and orange scented Israeli couscous. Follow this up with a quick and tasty dessert. Apple Strudel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Orange Scented Israeli Couscous

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small onion, small diced

2 cups Israeli couscous

2 oranges, juice and zest

4 cups total liquid (add water or chicken stock to make up the difference)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in a pan that has a tight fitting lid. Sauté onion and couscous until couscous is slightly toasted.

2. Add liquid and zest to the couscous and onions. Season with salt and peppers and bring to a simmer.

3. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let sit until dinner is ready to be served.

Apple and Apricot Strudel

6 - 12 servings

( How much room did you save for dessert?)

A quick and easy dessert using up the leftover phyllo!

3 apples, peeled, cored and diced (Granny Smiths are my favorite.)

18 slices dried apricot, coarsely chopped

¼ cup and 2 tablespoon golden raisins

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon ginger, ground

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup walnuts

8 gingersnap cookies (I used the Nabisco Ginger Snap.)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Remaining phyllo dough, at room temperature

1. To prepare the filling, in a large skillet combine the apples, dried apple, raisins, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and water. Cook covered stirring occasionally, until the apples are very tender and mixture thickens. Stir in vanilla: cool completely. This step can be done the day before or the morning of dinner party.

2. In food processor, combine the walnuts and gingersnaps, pulse to make crumbs.

3. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place parchment on baking sheet. Place phyllo dough on counter covered with damp cloth. Place phyllo sheet on clean dry dish towel and brush with butter, top with second sheet brush with butter and sprinkle some of the crumb mixture on sheet. Repeat these steps using one sheet between layers until all phyllo sheets are used, ending with the phyllo. (If using a new package of phyllo use a total of 6 layers, this includes the bottom layer.)

4. Spoon the apple filling over the phyllo, leaving a 2 inch border. Using the towel to lift the edges and starting at the wide end, roll the strudel, jelly roll style. Place seam side down on the pan and brush the top with butter. Make 5- 11 shallow cuts (these cuts determine how many servings per strudel) through the top layers of phyllo, take care not to cut all the way through to the filling. Bake until golden, 40-45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then cut at scored sections for serving.