Spinach-Feta Phyllo Pies

If you're like me and you love to sample all types of cuisine - from Italian to Mexican to Indian - then you have probably dabbled in Mediterranean cuisine once or twice, or probably more often than that. And if you're like me, you probably enjoyed every last crumb.

Now I won't lie to you, feta cheese is an acquired taste. If you've never had it before, you probably won't like it. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. This recipe is one of the best ways to introduce feta into your ever-growing repertoire of palatable tastes. The spinach and phyllo help to balance out the sharp flavor of the cheese, while the feta lends it's creamy texture to contrast the crispness of the phyllo. Oh, and the other thing? It's super easy to make! It does take a little time to get the layers of dough put together, but really... it's almost a no-recipe recipe. Try it, you won't be disappointed (make sure to read my list of tips underneath the instructions).

Ingredients

• 2 packages of frozen chopped spinach
• 1 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
• 1 package of phyllo (filo) dough
• olive oil for brushing
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt, pepper
• sesame seeds or italian seasoning for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thaw spinach and remove excess liquid by squeezing.
2. In a saucepan, saute garlic until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the thawed, squeezed spinach and saute until it is heated through and more moisture has evaporated. Allow to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, crumble the feta into small chunks. Add the cooled spinach and mix to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. On a cookie sheet or other flat pan, place one sheet of phyllo dough. Carefully brush a small amount of olive oil all over the sheet using a pastry brush or silicone brush. (Be very light, try not to soak the sheet with oil). Carefully place another sheet right over this one and brush again. Continue until you have about 10 sheets stacked.
5. Spread half of your feta-spinach mixture onto the phyllo dough, making sure the layer is even and reaches all the way to the edges. Cover with another sheet, brush with oil, and repeat until you have another 10 layers.
6. In a small bowl, beat the egg. (You can add some milk or water to thin it out a bit). Brush a very light coating on the top layer of your phyllo dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (I didn't have sesame seeds available, so I just sprinkled italian seasoning. It was aromatic and delicious!)
7. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut through the layers to create rectangles or squares, depending on your size preference. 
8. Repeat steps 4-7 with the remaining dough and spinach mixture.
9. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the dough has crisped into flaky layers.
10. Serve warm and enjoy! (see my tips below)

Tips

• Phyllo usually comes in a box with two sealed packages inside. Use one whole package per cookie sheet, half for the top layers and half for the bottom layers.
• This dough is of a paper-like consistency. It's not at all sticky like 'regular dough'. However, because it is so thin, it can dry out easily and crumble. Work with one package at a time, do not open the second package until you are ready to start assembling your second pie.
• You can fill the pie with almost any ingredient. If you don't like feta, substitute for shredded cheddar or parmesan. Be creative, but remember that the filling should not be too wet, or you will end up with a soggy mess.
• The 'pie' could also be assembled as a 'log' instead. Click here to see how Martha Stewart did it. You would end up cutting the log into small rolls, which are also nice to serve as appetizers.
• I recommend cutting (or at least scoring) the pie before baking because once the top layers crisp up, they can crack or crumble easily when cutting.
• You can store leftovers in an airtight container or in aluminum foil in the fride. The dough will become soft and limp - just warm up in a toaster oven or regular oven and it will crisp up nicely. (Be careful not to let it burn though!)

Flan (Custard topped with caramel sauce)

I was feeling a bit nostalgic when I prepared this recipe. It took me back to the years when I was teaching at Villanova Academy, a small private school on the outskirts of Philadelphia. I loved teaching in a small classroom and having the freedom of creating my own curriculum. I loved the camaraderie that came from working with wonderful teachers, parents, and volunteers. Occasionally  we would have little office parties to celebrate each others' accomplishments, lifetime milestones, or just religious holidays. These gatherings were usually pot-luck in style, and we would end up with an international smorgasbord of a buffet!

This flan recipe is my version of what I sampled on such an occasion. One of my dear colleagues and mentors in the classroom was also a phenomenal cook, and everyone wanted to taste her food first! My mom has been asking me to make flan for her ever since she tasted Sr. Gehan's delicious custard.

When I searched for flan recipes, a lot of them seemed very complicated or had way too many steps. The one I have below was so simple and delicious. I recommend that you try it! Bon appetite!

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a round glass or ceramic baking dish by placing it in a roasting pan and pouring warm water around it, coming halfway up to the side of the baking dish. This is called a 'water bath' and will help the custard to cook evenly when placed in the oven.
2. Using a heavy bottom saucepan, melt the white sugar over medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR with any utensil. Just swirl constantly and very gently until all the sugar has liquefied, formed a deep amber-colored syrup. Be careful as it can burn easily.
3. Once the syrup has formed, immedietly remove from heat and pour into your baking dish. Lift and turn the baking dish so that the syrup evenly coats the bottom. Place it back into the water bath while you prepare the custard.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Beat until fully incorporated.
5. Gently pour the custard mixture into the baking dish (right over the syrup base).
6. Cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake for about 60 minutes or until custard has set.
7. Allow it to cool for an hour on the countertop, then place in the fridge for 2-4 hours or overnight.
8. To serve, warm the bottom of the baking dish by placing in warm water for 2-3 minutes. Carefully invert onto serving dish. (Make sure your dish has some depth to it so that the syrup does not ooze out onto your countertop.)
9. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Mango Pound Cake

My mom's birthday is the day after Valentine's Day. I wanted to do something different than the traditional chocolates, cake, flower routine. Ever since I made that Mango Cheesecake a couple months back, my mom has been asking me to make it again - especially since it combined two of her favorite things, mango and cheesecake.

So I was planning to make that for her birthday, but as you know... a cheesecake takes more than an hour to bake and it needs to cool for at least 8 hours (overnight). Even though I had all the ingredients and I was planning to make it, I did run out of time. It's been a hectic few weeks! So I woke up early on Sunday to bake this delicious, moist Mango Pound Cake. 

I adapted the recipe I found to add more mango puree... I wanted a more intense mango flavor. And although my mother loved it, I felt that the mango was still too understated. The next time I make it, I'm going to have to try adjusting some more.

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
• 1-1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup mango puree (I used canned, but you can use fresh)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a bundt pan or decorative cake ring pan.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating after each addition. Add the mango puree and vanilla, beat until incorporated.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Gently pour batter into the cake pan (it will be very thick). Tap the cake pan lightly on the countertop to even out the batter. 
6. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely after removing from the pan. 
7. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Original recipe by:

Prathibha Garre

(You can find it here.)

Stuffed Meatballs with Pasta

I know what you're thinking - another meatball post? Ok, you're right... this recipe is very similar to my mini chicken meatballs, but you can't really complain - especially if you've tasted those! They were delicious, moist, and full of flavor. I need to remember to pick up some more ground chicken so I can make them again soon.

Since I had ground beef on hand, and I was itching to try this new imported pasta (it looks so pretty!), I just knew it was time for some more meatballs. With some slight adjustments to the original recipe, they turned out different but still quite tasty. As for the stuffing, I had bought some string cheese a little while back. I love string cheese - I love all kind of cheese, really. But this one was a mozzarella with a smoked flavor. I thought that sounded interesting, but the flavor was a bit too pronounced for me to eat on it's own, and so they just sat in the fridge. I decided to find a way to use them when I was cooking, because I figured the smoky flavor could compliment other ingredients like meat. I'm glad I did so! It really upped the ante on the flavor scale here. If you want to use plain mozzarella, that is fine... but I would really suggest trying the smoked one.

On a side note: this recipe makes a lot of meatballs! You can cut it in half if you like, or you can just freeze some for later! :)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 5-6 sticks of string cheese (smoked flavor)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh, chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 2-3 Tbsp. milk
• 1 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. hot sauce (I used sriracha)
• 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for cooking

Directions

1. In a small bowl, beat eggs together and set aside. In another small bowl, soak breadcrumbs in milk until all liquid is absorbed. Drain/squeeze liquid from the beef and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, onion, and garlic. Lightly toss together. Add in the wet ingredients: soaked breadcrumbs, eggs, ketchup, hotsauce, and mustard. Mix again, making sure everything is incorporated. Add beef, salt and pepper, and mix with your hands. Make sure all ingredients are combined well, but do not overmix! You will end up with tough meatballs. (Note: if your Parmesan cheese is not finely grated, just quickly run it through a chopper or food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs.)

3. Using a scoop, measure out your meatballs so that they are all evenly sized. Cut the string cheese into pieces about an inch long. You should end up with 8 or 9 pieces. Gently push one piece into the center of each meatball, making sure it is covered on all sides.

4. In a large skillet, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and brown for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the meatballs, but keep the drippings and browned bits in the skillet for your sauce!

5. In the same skillet, add your favorite canned sauce or add crushed tomatoes. Season with fresh basil and dried oregano. Bring it to a simmer and then add all the meatballs. Cover and lower the heat. Allow them to cook for 10 minutes.

6. In the meantime, boil your favorite pasta according to package directions. Drain well, and then add to the skillet/pot. Serve warm, while the cheese is still melted. Enjoy!