Broccoli Spanakopita

Rule #1 of food blog design: Never launch a new design or features the day before you go on vacation or travel.

I thought I had learned this lesson, oh…..5 WordPress themes ago, but apparently I underwent a momentary lapse of good judgement last Friday. Not only were we going on a family vacation at Disney World, but we were hosting Food Blog Forum in Orlando at Disney World for 100 attendees and their families. (More on those fun times in another post!)

Scott and I started getting emails from readers that, “Your site be broke!” as one so eloquently wrote. But our energy was dedicated to creating magical moments for FBF attendees and our boys, and not for freaking out on a broke site. So we stopped checking emails and just had fun.

It was harder than I’m making it sound. There’s no such thing as “stop checking emails” or “turning off phones” for geeks like us. But we did our best and you know what? Our weekend was one of the best eeeevvveerrrrr!!!

broccoli spanakopita…or broccolikopita

Spanakopita is a Greek pastry, usually filled with spinach and feta cheese folded in layers of filo dough. Most of the time, I see them folded into triangles (kinda like how you fold an American flag), but I decided that rolls were easier to shape, easy enough for my boys to help me in the kitchen.

Instead of spinach, we used fresh broccoli, something we had plenty of in the garden. Crispy, flaky and savory.

The first step is to lightly saute the onions, garlic and broccoli in olive oil. Season with a pinch of ground nutmeg and salt and pepper.

The broccoli should still be a little crunchy and bright green. Let the pan cool a bit and then stir in the raw egg. If the pan is too hot, the egg will cook. Remember, this all goes in the oven later for 20 minutes, so everything will be perfectly cooked.

Lay out a sheet of filo, brush with melted butter, then add another sheet. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the broccoli filling in the middle, near the bottom.

Fold over both sides.

Roll up.

Once you’re done with all of the rolls, brush the tops with butter.

Bake for 20 minutes and serve hot!

broccoli spanakopita recipe

Servings: Makes 10 rolls Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 onion, diced1 clove garlic, finely minced1 head broccoli, finely choppedpinch ground nutmegsalt and freshly ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice3/4 cup feta cheese1 egg, whisked20 sheets filo dough (about 1/2 package), covered with barely-damp towel4 tablespoons melted butter

directions:

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Swirl in the olive oil and saute the onions until transluscent. Add in the garlic and the broccoli and saute for 3 minutes, or until the broccoli is just starting to get tender but still bright green. Season with nutmeg, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Remove from heat and let cool until no longer steaming. Stir in the egg.

2. Preheat oven to 400F.

3. Lay 1 filo sheet on clean surface. Brush completely with melted butter. Lay another sheet on top. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the broccoli filling 1" from the bottom edge, in the middle. Fold the left side of the filo sheet over, then fold the right side over. Fold the bottom edge towards to top and roll. Place on baking sheet seam side down. Brush the top with melted butter. Repeat with remaining to make 10 rolls.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and crispy.

Grilled Honey Miso Wings

just when I thought I could devote entire week to writing headnotes for my cookbook, Scott reminded me that corporate taxes were due end of the month. “End of the month!??? That’s like in a few days! Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Of course, he did. Everyday for the past 10 days he’s reminded me, but I’m the mistress of procrastination and born with true talent in only hearing what I choose to (says my mom too)….covering ears…”lalalalalala!”

So this week’s recipe development centered on all things grilled….I make it, Scott grills it, the kids clean up. Our entire family understands the “shared responsibility” rule, but what they don’t know is that my portion only takes 10 minutes. Shhhh…..we won’t tell them, will we?

grilled honey miso wings

Here are the ingredients. The recipe features either using miso paste that you can fine at most grocery stores, Asian markets, Whole Foods or other health food grocery stores…..or Miso & Easy (you can buy it online at Marukai) which is miso paste in a convenient squeeze bottle.

Miso & Easy is a client of mine – I create recipes for them – if you want more miso recipe, all of them are right here!

Whisk together the marinade ingredients:

 

Everything goes into a bag to marinate for an hour or overnight:

Throw ‘em on the grill:

Tasty!

grilled honey miso wings recipe

Servings: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour marinating Cook Time: 25 minutes

You can use either Miso & Easy (see product above) or regular miso paste (any kind)

ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, finely minced1 tablespoon soy sauce1/4 cup honey2 tablespoons Miso & Easy (or 1 tablespoon regular miso paste)1 tablespoon water1 1/2 pounds chicken wings, separated

directions:

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the chicken wings. Pour the marinade in a zip-lock bag and add in the wings. Seal and toss to coat the wings evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

2. Preheat grill to high heat. Add the wings and grill for 5 minutes, flip and turn the heat to low. Cover the grill and let cook for 20 minutes. If using oven, preheat oven to 425F. Cover baking sheet with foil or parchment. Lay the wings on the foil or parchment and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Easter Ham with Grilled Peaches

Easter Ham with Grilled Peaches Don't be intimidated by a big ol' Easter ham. Here is a recipe for Easter Ham with Grilled Peaches. Don’t be intimidated by a big ol’ Easter ham. First of all, it’s fully cooked already (unless you’re buying country ham, which is an entirely different thing altogether) and all you’re doing is warming it back up, slowly. Seriously! You can do it! The recipes I create for ham are soooo simple, fruit + sugar makes a fab glaze. With this recipe, I added grilled peaches to serve alongside the ham. It’s a light, simple and happy plate. Grilling the peaches makes ‘em sweet, warm and juicy. Here’s the key to buying ham: check out the label and make sure it says, “Ham with Natural Juices.” If your label says “Ham with Juices and Water” – don’t get it. The best ham is the one with the least amount of additives and water. I’m going to give you step by step photos on how to make this recipe, but I’m cheatin’ – the step by step recipes are borrowed from my Ham with Mango Ginger Glaze since it’s almost the exact same procedure. I hope you don’t mind! easter ham with grilled peaches Here’s the ham. See on the label “Semi-Boneless Ham with Natural Juices” – that’s good. Open it up. Use a sharp knife to score the ham, criss-cross. Just go in one direction diagonally, then the other way so you get “diamonds.” The scoring is totally not necessary, but it looks really pretty and also will help the glaze really stick onto the ham in a later step. Place your ham in a oven-safe vessel not too much larger than the ham itself. Either a roasting pan, or large saute pan will do. Here’s my beloved cast iron. See how there’s only a couple inches of space around the ham? Pour the peach nectar in the pan until it reaches about 1/2 inch up the sides. The juice helps with keeping the ham moist. Cover with foil…which in the oven will help create steam with the mango juice. So, instead of just warming your ham in the hot, dry oven – you’re creating a moist, flavorful (peachy!) environment. You’re gonna do 15 minutes per pound. Stick it in the oven 275F. We’re gonna warm this baby up low ‘n slow…. In the meantime, let’s make the glaze: brown sugar, peach jam, ground cloves and ground ginger. Just heat it up and let it get all sticky and glaze-y. Hey, remember that ham!? Well after the 15 minutes per pound is up (for me it was about 1 1/2 hours) it will look like this: Glorious. Now’s the time to crank your oven to 425F while the oven is coming up to temp, brush with some of the Peach Glaze. (You’ll only use some of the glaze, reserve the rest): Alllll over the ham. Stick it back in the oven to let the glaze get caramelized. 15 minutes later…..it’s DONE. Remove the ham to a cutting board and let rest. In meantime, let’s finish the glaze for serving. There’s  a lot of pan juice left: Pour some of that into the Peach Glaze that’s left over — just to thin it out a bit and add more depth of flavor: Hello….well rested ham! Here’s how to slice the ham. See that bone in the middle? That gets in the way – so we’re going to take a knife and cut horizontally right above the bone: And then go the other way: Now, we’re ready to slice: How beautiful is that?! Grill the peaches and serve alongside with the Ham topped with Peachy Glaze. Yum. easter ham with grilled peaches recipe Servings: 10-12 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes per pound If you can't find peach nectar, substitute with mango or orange juice. ingredients: 6-7 pound fully cooked ham (preferably "ham with natural juices")1-2 cups peach nectar or juice1 1/2 cups peach jam or preserves3/4 cup light brown sugar1/2 teaspoon ground cloves1/2 teaspoon ground ginger6 ripe peaches directions: 1. Let the ham stand at room temperature for 90 minutes. 2. Preheat oven to 275F and set the rack at the lowest position. Rinse and pat dry the ham. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the ham in a criss-cross pattern. Place ham on oven-safe skillet with high sides or a large pot. Pour the juice into the pan, and add additional water if necessary to bring the liquid level to 1/2 inch. Cover the pan tightly with tin foil. Roast in oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (about 15 minutes per pound) or until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 100F. 3. While the ham is cooking, prepare the glaze. Combine the peach jam, brown sugar, ground ginger and cloves in a small sauce pot and cook over low heat until the glaze is thick and sticky. Turn off heat and set aside. 4. When the ham has finished cooking (step 2), take the ham out of the oven. Turn the oven to 425F. Brush the ham with about 1/4 of the glaze all over. You should have some juice in the pan, if not, add additional juice or water to reach 1/4". Once the oven comes to temperature, return the ham, uncovered to oven. Bake for 15 minutes until the liquid is bubbly and the ham has turned to a nice, deep golden brown. The internal temperature of the ham should be 120F. Remove ham to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. 5. Return the remaining glaze to the stove on medium-low heat. Your roasting pan should have some juice left - carefully pour about 1/2 cup of the pan juice into the glaze. Whisk and adjust with either more juice or peach jam to create a beautiful, slightly thick glaze for serving. 6. Cut each peach in half, twist and remove pit (you can also use a teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop out the pit. Grill the peaches, cut side down for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat (either on bbq grill or grill pan) Alternatively, you can place the peaches on a baking sheet, cut side up. Place rack 6" below heating surface and broil for 5 minutes or until peaches begin to caramalize. 7. Carve the ham and serve with the Peach Glaze and Grilled Peaches.

Spinach Gratin with Hard Boiled Eggs

Spinach Gratin with Hard Boiled Eggs My father recently celebrated his 82nd birthday. In our family, we aren't big on presents or cards, instead we honor the occasion with a dinner and family gathering. For dad's birthday, we prepared a wonderful Provencal fish soup (recipe to come later) and this spinach gratin with hard boiled eggs dotting the surface. Certain foods I associate with my dad, beets for example, or sauerkraut, and then of course spinach. When we were kids, we always had cans in the pantry (Popeye!). Later, he turned to fresh spinach from the farmers market. Because of my father, we are a family of spinach lovers. This gratin is a popular side dish served in the south of France. I would never have thought to add hard boiled eggs to spinach, but it's a fabulous combination. The gratin is made with lots of spinach, either fresh and blanched or frozen and drained, mixed in with a simple white béchamel sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper. Halves of hard boiled eggs dot the surface, and the whole thing is sprinkled with grated gruyere cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs. This gratin would make an excellent side for an Easter dinner, and you can easily make it a day ahead and heat before serving. Enjoy! Spinach Gratin with Hard Boiled Eggs Recipe Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour If you want, you can also sauté some chopped onion, and/or a persillade of minced garlic and parsley to mix in with the cooked spinach and béchamel. Either way. Without these aromatics, a cleaner flavor of the spinach comes through. INGREDIENTS 3 pounds of fresh spinach, cleaned (or 24 ounces of frozen spinach, thawed and drained) 2 cups of milk 2 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp flour 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or 3/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg if you aren't starting with a whole nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese (about 1 ounce) 6 hard boiled eggs* 3 to 4 Tbsp seasoned bread crumbs** Olive oil *To hard boil eggs, place eggs in a 2-quart saucepan and cover with at least an inch of cold water. Bring the water to a boil, remove the pan from heat, and cover. Let sit for 10-12 minutes, covered. Then run under cold water to keep from overcooking. Crack the shells while the eggs are still under water and let sit for a while to cool before peeling. **To make your own bread crumbs, take a few slices of day old bread and toast either in a toaster or in the oven until browned, then pulse in a food processor or blender until you have crumbs. Stir in a little herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning and a little salt to taste. METHOD 1 If working with fresh spinach, blanche the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and run cool water over it to cool it down. Press as much water as you can out of the spinach. (A good way to do this is to put the drained spinach in the center of a large, clean tea towel, wrap it with the towel, and wring the moisture out by wringing the towel.) Chop the spinach. Place in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and set aside while you make the béchamel. 2 Heat milk in a medium saucepan until steamy, set aside. In a separate saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking the mixture until smooth, about a minute or two. Remove from heat. Slowly pour in the hot milk, whisking the whole time so that the mixture is not lumpy. Continue to whisk until there are no lumps. Return the pan to heat and let heat to a simmer, continuing to whisk to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The béchamel sauce will thicken as it cooks. Sprinkle in the ground nutmeg and black pepper. 3 Stir the thickened béchamel sauce into the bowl of spinach. 4 Grease the inside of a 2-quart gratin pan or casserole all around with a little butter. Pour the spinach béchamel mixture into a gratin pan, and even out the surface. Sprinkle the surface with the grated Gruyere cheese. Slice the hard boiled eggs in half, and arrange, cut side up, on the surface of the spinach mixture. Press into the spinach mixture so that the cut side of the eggs are level with the spinach. Sprinkle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of seasoned bread crumbs. Drizzle the top with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. At this point you can make the gratin a day ahead and chill until ready to cook to serve. 5 Bake, uncovered, in a 375°F oven for 25-30 minutes, until nicely browned. Yield: Serves 6 to 8.