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Explore Recipes Page 9

Spanakopita “Cigars”

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Packaged spanakopita, often in canape-sized shapes, can taste rather bland. With a package of frozen phyllo (or fresh if you live near a Greek pastry shop!), you can make this wonderful dish with layers of flavor—the sweetness of the caramelized onions, pine nuts, and currants, the freshness of the parsley and dill, and the zest of the cheeses—all enhanced by the richness of fresh-pressed olive oil. If you have the time, you can steam and chop fresh spinach, but you’ll need a very big volume to achieve two pounds. Frozen is easier to work with—allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge along with the phyllo. This recipe also includes bulgur, a tasty whole grain. You can roll the dough and filling into many different shapes. Long logs, or cigars, are easy to roll up and the shape is less likely to tear the delicate phyllo. Enjoy the process of working with phyllo—it’s easy once you get the hang of it…if you allow yourself time to work at a comfortable pace.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds frozen leaf spinach, defrosted
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound sweet onions, preferably Vidalia, coarsely chopped 
  • 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
  • 1 cup very finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup other assorted fresh herbs, like oregano, dill, and spearmint
  • 1/3 cup dried tiny currants, such as Zante, or chopped golden raisins
  • 8-ounce block of fresh feta, preferably from Greece
  • 1/2 cup ricotta
  • Coarse sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3 large eggs
  • 16-ounce package frozen phyllo, defrosted
  • 1 tablespoon each white and black sesame seeds

Directions

Step 1

Use your hands to squeeze and discard as much excess liquid from the spinach as you can, then place it in a large colander lined with paper towels over a bowl to continue draining. 

Step 2

Heat a large frying pan and, when hot, toast the pine nuts for just a minute or two to bring out their flavor; watch carefully because they can easily burn. Transfer the nuts to a small dish and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the hot pan, then the onions, and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are very soft. While they’re cooking, make the bulgur in a small saucepan according to package directions; when done, there should be no water left in the pan.  

Step 3

Squeeze any remaining liquid from the spinach and transfer it to a large bowl. Add the pine nuts, onions, bulgur, chopped herbs, and currants or raisins. Finely crumble the feta and add it in along with the ricotta; mix thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired—it may already taste salty enough from the feta. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, reserving about 1/4 cup. Work the beaten eggs into the spinach mixture. 

Step 4

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and set it to one side. Prep the section of countertop where you’ll work with a sheet of parchment paper (see “Quick Kitchen Nugget” in Newsletter #176 for details). Pour olive oil into a small bowl.

Step 5

Gently open the phyllo package and unroll the dough onto another rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper; immediately cover it with a dry dish towel topped by a damp dish towel. When you’re ready to start, quickly remove one sheet of phyllo and place it on the parchment in front of you. Use the tips of a pastry brush to dab some olive oil across the surface—you don’t need to be too thorough since you’ll be adding more oil with each sheet. Top with another phyllo sheet and dab again, placing the oil on areas where you can see that there’s no oil on the first sheet. Repeat with a third sheet of phyllo. 

Step 6

Scoop out a generous half-cup of filling and use your fingers to spread it out in a line across the long end of the dough closest to you, 1 inch in from the edge and from the two short sides. Roll up the phyllo just enough to cover the filling, fold in the outer ends, dab on more oil, and roll up the rest of the way, adding a final dab of oil before transferring the cigar with a bench scraper or wide offset spatula to the parchment-lined sheet pan; cover it with another clean towel. 

Step 7

Repeat the process with the rest of the filling and phyllo. Once you’ve rolled all the cigars, remove the towel and use the pastry brush to brush them with the reserved egg, then sprinkle on the sesame seeds. 

Step 8

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the phyllo crisps and browns.  

Yields 12 cigars

Brunch Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime-Mint Vinaigrette

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

For a bright brunch dish, serve the dressed fruit salad over thick Greek yogurt or Icelandic skyr.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups mixed fruit, such as chunks of melon and mango, sliced strawberries, red grapes, blueberries, and pineapple cubes
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey, preferably orange blossom
  • Zest and juice of 1 medium lime 
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh spearmint or peppermint leaves
  • 1 tablespoon calamansi or other citrus-based vinegar (optional)

Directions

Place the fruit in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, lime juice and zest, mint, and optional vinegar. Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss gently. Allow to macerate for 30 minutes. Toss again before serving.

Serves 6

Smashed Potato Canapes with Smoked Salmon

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

We’ve all eaten smoked salmon on bagels or toast points, but for something different, try this delicacy on crispy smashed potatoes. In place of smoked salmon, use salmon roe or another domestic caviar. Elegant!

Ingredients

For the potatoes:

  • 12 small Yukon gold potatoes, each about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

  • Sour cream or crème fraiche
  • Thinly sliced cold-smoked salmon
  • Brined capers, drained
  • Fresh dill sprigs

Directions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water and the potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Check tenderness by piercing a potato with a bamboo skewer or the tip of a paring knife.) Drain the potatoes and pat dry. Working on a rimmed sheet pan, coat the potatoes with olive oil.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a potato masher or the bottom of a small cast-iron skillet or large flat-bladed spatula, carefully crush the warm potatoes until each is about 3/4 inch thick but still intact. Drizzle each with a bit more olive oil. Season the tops with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Bake the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. (There’s no need to flip.) Arrange the smashed potatoes in a single layer on a platter alongside the suggested serving ingredients. To eat, fold a piece of salmon on a potato, then top with a spoonful of sour cream. Garnish with capers and dill sprigs.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Bell Pepper “Empanadas”

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This take on empanadas de queso is perfect when you want melted cheesy goodness but would rather skip the dough. Preferred in Chile is the very buttery queso chanco, a cheese that’s close in taste and texture to our Muenster. Though not traditional in empanadas, merquén adds a nice zest (you can substitute pimentón if it’s already on your spice shelf). To make this more of a meal, toss the shredded cheese with 1 cup of cooked brown rice or quinoa before stuffing into the peppers. Eat them with a knife and fork or with your hands, empanada style.

Ingredients

  • 8-ounce block Muenster cheese
  • 4 medium red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, about 5 ounces each
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon merquén, or more to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Shred the cheese on a box grater or with the shredding blade of a food processor. Use a grapefruit or paring knife to carefully cut around and remove the stem of each bell pepper. To avoid cutting into the flesh, use an iced tea or grapefruit spoon to scrape out the ribs and any seeds. Generously drizzle each pepper inside and out with olive oil. Sprinkle a pinch of merquén inside each pepper, then fill with equal amounts of the shredded cheese. Bake upright on a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan or, if they won’t stand upright, in a muffin tin for 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is bubbly. Let cool slightly. Drizzle with olive oil right before eating.

Serves 4