Phillo, Phyllo, Pho Phum, I Smell Something Yum: Spanikopita

I grew up in a section of a city where the majority of the residents were either Irish or Italian.  I was surrounded by good Italian markets and restaurants.  The various foods did not seem terribly exotic, and as my grandparents spoke Italian around the house, the sound of the language was very familiar to me.  Fast forward to my young adulthood, and my first encounter with someone who pronounced ricotta cheese 'ri-COT-ta. Italians pronounce it re-GAWT-ta, so I was startled at this much more harsh sounding pronunciation of the word.  Similarly, to hear people talk about making something like my beloved lasagne with cottage cheese just about appals me.  I say this in the knowledge that any Greek person who sees the way I make the following dish will be similarly appalled.  And I apologize in advance; this is the best I could do.  I will say that although it is not in the least authentic, it is pretty darn good, and as long as you don't have any Greek people over for dinner,  it will totally satisfy.

Spanikopita (Spinach and Feta Pie)

1/2 package frozen Phyllo dough (usually there are 2 plastic wrapped packages in each box.  Use 1 of the plastic packages per recipe)

4 tbsp melted butter

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 packages frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
10 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp red pepper flake

1 tsp lemon zest

3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

Mix the spinach and all the following ingredients well in a large bowl.  Unwrap the phyllo dough, and lay it out, covered with a damp kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out.  Mix the melted butter and the olive oil in a bowl.  Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of a 9 X 13 baking dish with the butter and oil mixture.  Lay 2 sheets of phyllo dough at a time at the bottom of the baking dish.  After each 2 sheets, drizzle and brush the butter and oil mixture.  Add 2 more sheets of phyllo dough, and repeat the process until you have used half of the sheets.  Place the spinach and cheese mixture evenly across the phyllo dough, and the add more phyllo sheets, 2 at a time, drizzling the oil and butter mixture between sheets, as before.  Repeat until you have used all the phyllo sheets, and then coat the top sheet liberally with the oil and butter mixture.  This can be done a day ahead, amking it a great weeknight dinner option.  Bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour, or until the phyllo dough is golden brown and crispy.  Slice and enjoy.

A Wing and a Prayer - Gringo Tamales

My husband and I have a tradition that many may think odd. On our anniversary each year, we make a top-ten list of our favorite meals together over the twenty years we have known each other. Strange, I know. I can’t even remember how we started this tradition, though it has always been our chiefest pastime to cook, eat, and share with friends. It goes without saying that the food needs to be good in order for a meal to make it into a top ten list that spans twenty years, but more often than not, the meals also involve a memory that is unique and special, a moment in time that speaks to warmth, love, and togetherness. I have found in my life that the most memorable meals I have ever had are accompanied by an ambiance, a mood, a sharing of something. Often it involves family, great friends; sometimes, it is just the two of us or the four of us. This tradition of ours, obsessive (about food) though it may be, enables us to revisit these strong associations regularly, and keeps those feelings and memories alive for many years.

And it is a good thing we have good memories, because while I like to take a recipe, try it our, tweak it, change it, add or subtract what I like, dislike or want more of, Michael totally wings it, makes it up as he goes, and flies by the seat of his pants. As a result, we never have exactly the same meal twice, at least not if he is cooking. As we sit down to his dinners, created lovingly, I may compliment the chef. Often, Michael will say, “Like it? Too bad you’ll never have it again.” It has become the running kitchen joke of our marriage (that, along with the thing about going to the bathroom after eating asparagus).

So this past weekend, he made what I am referring to as “Gringo Tamales.” I begged him to write down what he was doing as he was doing it, but as much as he claims to love me, he did not. As a result, I was forced to take copious notes, retry, and recreate these tamales. In no way are these authentic, so feel free to add or subtract ingredients, change up the stuffing, whatever. Note that nobody who lives in or hails from a place where tamales are a traditional food would ever propose using tin foil sheets as a tamale vehicle either. They would be totally offended by the mere suggestion, no doubt. We are suggesting it anyway.

For the tamale dough:

3 15-oz.cans hominy (drained and rinsed)
1 clove garlic
1 tb. Onion powder
1 tb. Paprika
1 cup fine masa harina
5 tb. Shortening (I know, but it is not like you are going to make this stuff every day)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ cup warm chicken stock

To make the tamale dough:

Put the hominy in the food processor and process until smooth. Add all other ingredients and process for about a minute until all ingredients are well combined.  It should be the consistency of frosting and should be spreadable.

For the filling:

2 split chicken breasts, bone-in
2 tb. Recaito (found in the latino food section of the grocery store)
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
2 chipotle peppers, packed in adobo (buy them in a can, and save the rest for another purpose)
1 tb. prepared green salsa
2 tb. fresh pico de gallo
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tb. olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 cups of chicken stock

To cook the chicken:

Put all ingredients except the olive oil, onion, chicken stock, and chicken in the food processor, and puree. Put chicken (seasoned with salt and pepper) in a hot cast iron skillet with the olive oil, and brown on all sides. Add onions and sauté a minute or two more, then pour 2 cups of chicken stock into the pan. Pour the sauce made in the food processor directly on top of the chicken. Bring up to temperature, then cover and place in an oven, preheated to 350 degrees. Cook for 90 minutes, until chicken falls off the bone. Take chicken out of pan, reduce remaining liquid until it is very thick. Remove skin and bones from chicken, and mix filling ingredients thoroughly.

Additional ingredients:

Queso fresco or feta cheese
Sautéed spinach with garlic


To assemble tamales:

We used sheets of tin foil, which worked really well. Into each one, place about 3-4 tablespoons of the masa harina mixture, and spread evenly across the foil sheets, while leaving the edges empty. In the center, place 1 ½ tablespoons of the shredded chicken, topped by sautéed spinach and some of the queso fresco. Close the tin foil sheet almost like a burrito, working to enclose the meat, spinach and cheese within the masa harina. Repeat until finished (we made about 12 tamales) - this part is a very inexact science.

Put a steamer basket in the bottom of a large stockpot, with about an inch of water in the bottom of the pot. Stand the tamales on end inside. Place a cover on the pot, and if necessary, put something heavy on top of the lid. Steam the tamales for an hour, making sure that water remains in the bottom of the pot (we did not have a problem at all…not enough steam escaped.

Unwrap the tamales carefully to try to keep them intact. I think they would be great served with a little of the fresh pico de gallo and some sour cream, but I was too lazy to get up off the couch to get some. You can let me know!

Note:  This recipe is not nearly as complicated as it may seem when you read through it.  It involves several steps, but was really quite easy, and even our kids got in on the tamale building action.