Spanakopita

YIELD

Makes 8 pastries

INGREDIENTS

    • ½ stick (1/4 cup) plus 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 1/2 lb baby spinach
    • 1/4 lb feta, crumbled (scant 2 cups)
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    • 2 tbsp green onion minced and sautéed
    • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
    • 1 tsp dill
    • 1 tsp lemon juice
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 egg beaten
    • 5 (17- by 12-inch) phyllo sheets, thawed if frozen

PREPARATION

    1. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then cook spinach, stirring, until wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, about 10 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl and stir in feta, nutmeg, egg, lemon juice, onion, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper.
    2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
    3. Melt remaining 1/2 stick butter in a small saucepan, then cool.
    4. Cover phyllo stack with plastic wrap and then a dampened kitchen towel.
    5. Take 1 phyllo sheet from stack and arrange on a work surface with a long side nearest you (keeping remaining sheets covered) and brush with some butter.
    6. Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with more butter. Cut buttered phyllo stack crosswise into 6 (roughly 12” long by 2 ¾ inch wide) strips.
    7. Put a heaping teaspoon of filling near 1 corner of a strip on end nearest you, then fold corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle.
    8. Continue folding strip (like a flag), maintaining triangle shape.
    9. Put triangle, seam side down, on a large baking sheet and brush top with butter. Make more triangles in same manner, using all of phyllo.
    10. Bake triangles in middle of oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool slightly.

Roasted Rack of Lamb

4 servings

  • Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Move oven rack to the center position. Watch Now
  2. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil to moisten mixture. Set aside.
  3. Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes. Brush rack of lamb with the mustard. Roll in the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. Cover the ends of the bones with foil to prevent charring.
  4. Arrange the rack bone side down in the skillet. Roast the lamb in preheated oven for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want.
  5. With a meat thermometer, take a reading in the center of the meat after 10 to 12 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer, to your taste. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered, before carving between the ribs.
  6. Allow internal temperature to be 5 to 10 degrees less than you like because the meat will continue to cook while it sits. Bloody rare: 115 to 125 degrees F Rare: 125 to 130 degrees F Medium rare: 130 to 140 degrees F Medium: 140 to 150 degrees F

Note: For chops season with herbs and olive oil/mustard and sous vide at 130 degrees for 45 minutes. Then pan sear in cast iron to desired temp.

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tbsp parsley minced

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the canola oil, melted butter, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet and drizzle any remaining liquid from the bowl over them.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are brown and crispy, about 45 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle with parsley and serve

Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Feta

YIELD Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1 3/4-pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 4 large plum tomatoes, cored, quartered lengthwise
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place eggplant and tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet; toss with oil and vinegar.
  2. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oregano, salt, and pepper.
  3. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
  4. Transfer eggplant and tomatoes to platter.
  5. Sprinkle with feta and 2 teaspoons oregano and serve.

Greek Baklava

9 servings

  • 1/2 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
  • 1/2 pound chopped nuts
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup honey

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 5×7 inch pan.
  2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack to fit pan.
  3. Cover phyllo with plastic wrap then a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work.
  4. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly.
  5. Repeat until you have 4 sheets layered.
  6. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 – 8 sheets deep.
  7. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows then make diagonal cuts.
  8. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
  9. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
  10. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

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