Clean Eating Spanakopita Casserole

It has taken me a long time to get used to the traditional Greek flavor profile.  Some things are still growing on me, but in the last couple of years, I've really come around to spinach and feta and red onion, in particular.  I can lay credit at the feet of The Barefoot Contessa, for it was her Spinach Pie in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook that turned me around.  Needless to say, it is also a classic Ina Garten dish and therefore not remotely healthy.

I was ecstatic, then, to find this recipe in the latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine which presents an easy light dish (once you wrestle with the phyllo) that incorporates the tangy cheesy elements of the spinach pie I love along with the healthy light feeling you should get when eating Greek foods. 

The recipe needed very little tweaking to make it a big hit in our house, although I spiced things up a bit because I couldn't leave well enough alone.  I believe it could use at least twice the feta, but my husband reminded me that I love cheesiness and it cuts against the lightness to add more.  The amount referenced below is the original amount, but if you love feta and have room for it in your healthy eating plan, shamelessly add more.  I added garlic, chili flakes and pine nuts because I think if you can, you should.  I did eliminate the sweet red pepper from this recipe which takes it down a notch vegetable-wise, but sweet peppers are one flavor that still falls outside my comfort zone. If you like, add 1 tablespoon or more finely chopped sweet red pepper.

Spanakopita Casserole (adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)

•  1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• 3 large bags (27 ounces or 36 cups, loosely packed) of fresh baby spinach
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• 4 sheets phyllo dough (whole wheat if you can find it), 13x18 inches each
• Additional olive oil in mister or spray

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Heat olive oil in a (very) large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, pine nuts and pepper flakes and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add spinach in batches, letting each cook down slightly before adding more.  Cover tightly and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
2. Drain spinach mixture and remove all excess liquid in a colander.  Set aside and let cool (this took quite awhile for me - if you're in a rush, put it in the fridge). 
3. When mixture has cooled, add dill, mint and egg white.  Mix well.  Fold in feta cheese and set aside.
4. Mist a 9x9inch casserole dish (1 1/2 quart volume) with olive oil.  Cut or gently tear each phyllo strip into 4 sections (approximately 3 inch wide sections).  Place 3-4 strips across casserole, overlapping slightly and letting phyllo hang over both ends of dish.  Place an additional 3-4 strips going in the opposite direction.  Mist strips with olive oil.  Continue layer as such until all strips are used, misting each layer.
5. Spoon spinach mixture into center of dish and gently spread evenly across phyllo.  Fold strips over to cover all spinach.  Mist lighly with olive oil.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing.  This makes about 4 entree portions or 8 side portions.

Reheating: The microwave can make the phyllo mushy, so I recommend using a toaster oven to reheat portions.  Also, the phyllo will continue to brown on re-heating, so keep that in mind.

Southwestern Beef Brisket and Broccoli Slaw

In lieu of resolutions, I've made a list of things I'd like to get done over a longer period of time than just 2010.  It allows me to dream a little bit bigger and think a bit outside of the box.  Two such goals, however, stick pretty close to come.  I'd like to keep trying new recipes to work through the mountain that I amass througout the year and to use the crockpot more since a busy schedule can sometimes thwart the original goal.

Over the New Years weekend, I got a good start on both.  Over at The Smitten Kitchen, I found a recipe for a Southwestern Pulled Beef Brisket which was the perfect creation for a lazy sunday.  I braved the harsh cold on the coldest day of the winter so far to procure 3.5lbs of beef brisket from Trader Joe's.  I'll spare the discourse on where meat comes from, but needless to say, I'm putting mroe faith in TJ's than I normally would for the sake of convenience once again. 

My wise auntie MJ told me that crockpot recipes actually fare best when more prep is done before the meal.  I completely agree.  The fix-it-and-forget-it part of the crockpot really just allows you to timeshift the work, and as with any good meal, a little advance prep can go a long way.  This recipe isn't terribly prep heavy, but the little things that are required make a big difference.

First, I seared the meat for about 5 minutes per side in just a bit of good olive oil.  Then, to the drippings, I added 6 smashed garlic cloves and one onion, sliced thin.  Once this got fragrant, I added a good dose of chili powder, ground coriander and cumin.  The fragrance just gets better! Next, I added the apple cider vinegar.  Smitten Kitchen warns to keep your nose out of the vinegar, but I have this weird vinegar love and so, for me alone, this again took everything a step up.  A little water added makes this concoction ready for pouring over the beef which is nestled in its little pot.

To this, I added about 6 ounces worth of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  Note this amount.  The recipe recommends 1-2 cans of chipotle peppers.  I found in my local grocery store that there are the 12 ounce cans which I buy and then some smaller value.  I believe the estimate in this recipe is thinking about the smaller cans.  6 ounces gave the recipe a lot of kick.  Not too hot and very enjoyable, but not for the faint of heart. We like spice here in Brooklyn.

The recipe also calls for whole tomatoes with which I substituted crushed tomatoes in puree. I don't think it made a significant difference and that's what I had lying around the pantry.  Finally, a bit of molasses is thrown in the pot as well.  I don't think it needs to be mixed because the heat and the bubbling make the sauce for you, but I did mix things up a bit just to make sure all of the great flavors got near the beef.

After 9 hours on low heat, the brisket fell apart at the touch of a fork.  The heat was gorgeous with a hint of sweetness and a bit of spice.  I served the sandwiches on whole wheat buns with a side of broccoli slaw (yes, TJ's came through once again with a pre-cut slaw mix jazzed up by me - recipe below).  Delicious and a great way to heat up a very cold night!

Broccoli Slaw

• 2 cups shredded broccoli slaw mix (found at Trader Joe's - made with stems and carrots)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, white and green parts
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine.  Toss.  Taste (the measurements are inexact since I dashed a bit of everything). Adjust. Serve. 

Dinner Improv: Thai-inspired Red Curry Meat Loaf

DSC00954
Originally uploaded by Brooklyn Forager

Can something really be Thai and meat loaf at the same time? I might have argued against this proposition at an earlier time, but with a little creativity and a Tim Gunn "make it work" attitude, anything can be done!

The inspiration for this little adventure came from my husband's response to 75% of the American or Northern European dishes that I make - this is good...but I bet it would be better with Asian flavors. While I don't always agree (just as good maybe...but different), I thought I would indulge him this time around which also gave me a chance to play with food. Always fun.

I combined my traditional turkey meat loaf recipe from the Barefoot Contessa with one I found for mini meat loaves on Cooking Light (check reference). From there, I went wild. Rather than Ina Garten's onions with worcestershire and thyme, I sauteed garlic and onions in olive oil with a dash of fish sauce, oyster sauce and lemongrass.

The next step was how to handle the ketchup. It can't be meat loaf without the ketchup, but how Asian is that? Herein lies the genius of my recipe. I replaced a small portion of the ketchup with Thai red curry paste. Some of the ketchup mixture gets combined with the meat and some is spread on top as in a traditional meatloaf.  I combined the onion mixture, the ketchup mixture and panko breadcrumbs to keep with the theme.  I separated the meatloaf into four mini loaves and baked at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

At the end of the day, this was a great experiment.  The flavors were fabulous and it was a great twist on an old classic.  The downside is that the flavors did overpower the really great grass fed organic beef which we've started using.  I know meat loaf was practically designed to make less lovely ground beef more lovely, but that's something to work with along the way.  I might temper the curry flavors a bit the next time around and would definitely keep the flavor levels for a ground turkey version, but here's the basic recipe:

Thai-inspired Red Curry Mini Meat Loaves

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 pound ground sirloin (preferably grass-fed, organic, local)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup sliced leeks (white and light green parts)
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon lemongrass
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 large egg lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute onions and leeks until soft and fragrant.  Add lemongrass, oyster sauce and fish sauce and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. 
3. Combine ketchup and curry paste, stirring well with a whisk.  Reserve 2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup mixture.
4. Combine remaining ketchup mixture with beef, onion mixture, salt and pepper, bread crumbs and egg. 
5. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions.  Shape each portion into a 4x2 1/2-inch loaf.  Place loaves on a jelly roll pan lighly coated with cooking spray. 
6. Spread reserved ketchup mixture evenly over each loaf.  Bake for 25 minutes or until done.
7. Enjoy!

Meatless Mon(Tues)day: Pecorino Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Sage Brown Butter Sauce, originally uploaded by Brooklyn Forager.

So, I'm a little late with my Meatless Monday post. But it was sooooo good. And such a good base recipe. I made this ravioli based on the Food & Wine recipe which called for marjoram and walnuts. Naturally, I substituted and switched for what I had in the house. So Pecorino Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce and Pignoli was born.

The recipe calls for mixing fresh grated pecorino with heavy cream, salt and pepper (I might add some spice in here next time with a little cayenne). Fill a wonton or dumpling skin. Wet the skin with water and top with another wonton or dumpling skin. Boil for two minutes or so. Voila!

In the meantime, brown butter and add the fresh herbs. Toast your nuts and chop up (or leave as I did with the pignoli). Top with sauce (not quite as much as I used) and nuts. Enjoy immensely with a glass of your favorite wine.

The cheese flavor was very intense and decadent. But for an evening date with yourself, intense and decadent is called for, especially when the recipe is so easy.