Posted on 12/31/2015 9:11:25 AM PST by Jamestown1630
Every Holiday season, I find something that would be great for a party, or for a gift - but I find it too late, and have to save the idea for next year. The day before Christmas I found this beautiful 'Sunflower Spinach Pie':
There are many recipes for this on the web; I thought it could probably be done with prepared puff pastry, and people have done it that way, as well as with prepared bread roll dough. Here's a picture of the process, and then a link to a recipe:
http://www.stylishboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/one.jpg
http://www.italianchips.com/spinach-pie/
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While shopping at Aldi's I found bags of milk chocolates wrapped in patterned foil, and with golden strings so that the little baubles can be hung on the tree. This picture doesn't do them justice but they're beautiful and the chocolate is excellent, especially considering the price. Look for them next year:
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My folks brought from Virginia the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, and while I'm not sure why black-eyed peas are considered lucky, we've always continued the tradition. Here is a link to my favorite recipe for these little guys, from Sara Moulton (and if anyone wants to tell us that black-eyed peas 'taste like dirt', well: You don't have to eat them! and that's just more for the rest of us ;-):
http://saramoulton.com/2013/12/black-eyed-pea-cakes-with-salsa-mayonnaise/
I wish everyone a peaceful, prosperous - and Triumphant! - New Year.
-JT
Love the spinach pie. I have seen this and wanted to try it with the spinach stuffing I used to eat in Argentina.
Equal parts cooked spinach (drained) chopped cooked pole beans and chopped cooked artichoke bottoms. Mix in enough white sauce to bind it together. Make the sauce with cream, parm cheese and some white wine. When I ate this it was put in a pie crust and baked. It was yumm!
Happy New Year to you as well.
I’ll let you know about the pie. I started part of it tonight. I can’t help but think it’s basically a pumpkin pie with sweet potatoes.
I hated this holiday starting when I was single and had to go out on a frigid night in stiletto heels and a short dress looking for enforced fun.
Most of the Black folks I’ve known have done Sweet Potato pie, instead of Pumpkin. I think it’s an old Southern thing.
I love both :-)
(Thank God the days of stiletto heels are behind me! But the most comfortable pairs of shoes I’ve worn were platforms with thick heels, or wedges, in the ‘70s...)
-JT
Um.....
LOL!
I was so hungry for a pot roast and got a nice cut of top round on sale, have been eating it for three days and still one more to go. I screwed up the gravy by adding boullion cubes because I wanted a lot. I do the equivalent of a crockpot in a slow oven this time in a little oval covered enamel roasting pan, have one small dutch oven, and 2 large, the original crock pot which still works but is too small for most things and harder to wash. That cut of meat was on sale and would have made great Italian or French dip sandwiches with the right stuff added to the juice to make more au jus.
I am getting my pie dough working and made a very rich custard pie, just have to get a little more water as it soaks in and makes cracks when chilled.
Now I got some fine semolina from amazon; it's a small package so will get some more but it's expensive, don't know where I can find it around here, maybe across the river where the Africans and Middle Easterners have settled.
First I have everything converted to make a simple fine semolina pudding with carmelized sugar on the bottom of the molds which ends up on top if I'm lucky; I think I prefer caramel syrup but better aim for a light carmelized sugar. It's cooked on top of the stove and doesn't need to be baked, just chilled for a long time with plastic wrap pressed in the top so it won't get a film.
Photo is too big; the site automatically sizes them down on the blog but not for me so I will post a link:
Then when I can get some Phyllo (tried it once for something, maybe baklava, with no luck but after watching a couple youtube videos it doesn't seem so formidable, and they didn't bother to keep covered with a damp cloth, just work fast).
It is called Galaktoboureko or Creamy Greek Custard Pie. A lady on amazon told me about it when I asked a question about the fineness of the semolina. Ours is coarser maybe the texture of regular corn meal.
This photo has the last layer for the top kind of scrunched up which is rather pretty, but I'm not sure how you get from damp phyllo sheets to that.
Happy New Year, everybody!
Puffy tacos are on my list of to do’s, and one of two recipes I’ve saved comes from San Antonio.
Happy New Year, Aliska!
The gateau looks scrumptious; will have to brush up on my Francais ;-)
I’ve had luck with Phyllo if I keep it covered with a *slightly* damp cloth - not wet at all, just covered and damp; perhaps a linen cup towel lightly sprayed. Have made Baklava and Spanakopita, and a mushroom strudel
http://www.food.com/recipe/mushroom-strudel-21852
with no problem; the phyllo is just very fragile, and you have to plan ahead, in terms of thawing and prep, and work fast and carefully.
-JT
Check out the book “The New Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. There isn’t a specific sour dough recipe, but they have a recipe for what they call a “master batch” that you cook a little of every day over 2 weeks. At the end of the 2 weeks your dough has started to ferment and picks up that sourdough flavor. They recommend if you want to increase the sourdough flavor to leave some of the dough in the dough bucket and mix it in to the new batch that is made at the end of the first two weeks, and to keep doing that to really develop the sourdough flavor.
Also, I haven’t tried it, but the website CulturesForHealth.com has sourdough starter. I use their yogurt starter and make yogurt every week.
Anyone that thinks that black eyed peas taste like dirt doesn’t know how to cook em right! They are SOOOO easy to make delicious with a little bit of bacon and a little bit of salt. Got my peas to soaking this afternoon so I can cook em up tomorrow. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, from one black-eyed pea lover to another!
-JT
Ham, blackeyed peas, collards, and cornbread for dinner and Scottish shortbread with a cuppa tea for afters (dessert).
In looking for info about my projects, I saw pictures of the Spanakopita, not the strudel.
I think I'll dispense with the pastry and perhaps try this Alton Brown Recipe I saved this week. The croutons looked so delish, not sure what they are made from. Bagels? Courgette bread? I baked the latter but had it too high in my oven. Some stuff it's just better to buy like pita bread for my hummus.
Anyway here is the Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip:
Alton Brown food network - Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
I like plain spinach with vinegar and wanted to try some verion of creamed spinach and garlic. But this looks intriguing.
Those croutons or dippers would be easy enough, brush with a little olive oil with garlic and broiled or baked in hot oven.
I can't easily get to Aldi's any more which is just as well because the more stores I shop, the more unplanned purchases. Aldi's gets imported specialty candy and cookies that are high quality, European I think, but you can't count on them to have it again.
I lost my recipe for hot chipped beef dip.
This is what I ended up eating on Christmas Eve. It is an appetizer but very filling. A girl at work made it years ago. Put an 8 oz block of cream cheese on a serving plate, open and drain a can of good quality crab (I found some Reese's but no blue crab), put that on top of the cream cheese, then make a topping of Heinz chili sauce, a little lemon juice and horseradish to taste. Then eat on those Keebler Waverly I think butter crackers, the rectangular kind.
It took me two nights to get rid of it and wish had the stuff for more. I could also put some little shrimp in with it and some cut up fake crab. Chef John says fake crab is fine for his wontons.
It's really nice to see FReepers getting into more gourmet types of cooking. The internet has inspired me and youtube is a big plus for ideas and how-to's.
I think I'll be ok with the phyllo, 8 on top and 8 on bottom or divide it up with a little more on top depending on the count. I've seen photos of the strudel rolls with phyllo; that's another way to make the Greek custard. I'm crazy about mushrooms, too. I have to learn not to buy too much ahead unless it will keep awhile.
I love sourdough pancakes! I need to get a starter again.
Someone on FR told me that the best old bread to use for homemade croutons would be purchased hamburger or hot dog rolls. Haven’t tried it yet, but the texture seems like it would be ideal for that purpose.
-JT
I am just learning how to make sauerkraut and am amazed at how easy it is and cheap.
Great. Thank you.
Those I spread real softened butter, sprinkle with grated Parmsaan-Reggiano in the round cardboard shaker (I have now) also a chunk I'm saving, and broil until to your liking, nice for something quick if you don't mind waiting for butter to soften.
Those dippers are called crostini and are made from baguettes, sliced on the diagonal or any which way, brushed with oil, salt and pepper according to Martha Stewart, I would rub with a cut piece of garlic.
I think corguettes are squash. I'm so lucky our supermarket carried fresh-baked specialty breads like that but they only keep about 3 days at the most. Then i have to pop them in the freezer so they don't get moldy.
The other bread is treated with something new to inhibit mold. I wonder if it is good for us and hope it isn't GMO wheat.
I buy a loaf each of white and whole wheat and dry it on my cookie racks for a couple days. Have to make some fresh and put it in something better. There was a fly poking around near the bags I had it tied in. Ick. I'll put it out for the birds. Good to have on hand for stuffing and I break up a piece and fry it with cottage fries and onions.
Yes, it is a southern tradition. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’m putting in a gingersnap crust ‘cause I don’t feel like making a pastry dough.
Report on my first Sweet Potato Pie:
Got off to a bad start. The recipe, which was for a dough-based pie, required cooking at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Played havoc with my gingersnap crust. After pushing off some of the burnt crumbs, I returned it to the oven at 350. After a half hour, I removed it. The crumb crust was very dark and the sweet potato mixture was cooked through. I cut into it and put it on the plate and it was quite delicious. There was no taste of burned cookie crumb at all. As with all of these custardy-type desserts, it was too sweet for my palate and so will probably reduce the sugar next time.
So, all in all, despite a moment of panic, the pie turned out quite well. My husband is enjoying his as we speak. Needs a bit of unsweetened whip cream, I think!
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