Prasopita Terre & Mer

I'm in a leek phase.

I love the look of them.. like rebel vegetables sporting the unkept hairdo.

I love them in soups, the way they deepen the flavor.. I love them on pizza, with mussels, scallops, chicken.

I love the way they smell raw, and how the aroma is enhanced as they are cooking.

It's not a surprise that Prasopita, a dish made almost entirely of leeks, has found its way several times into my humble home.

This time, though, I only had 1 1/2 leek, and some leftover sautéed mushrooms, so I altered it a bit.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 leeks, sliced into rounds and thoroughly washed

3 Tbsp EVOO

3 Tbsp tarragon

4 cubes frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms (optional)

2 filets code, cubed

1/2 cup mix of quinoa and bulgur, soaked for at least 30 minutes

3 eggs, beaten

1cup (100g) grated Gruyere/Swiss or Kasseri cheese

3 Tbsp breadcrumbs

7 oz (200g) cubed feta

Salt/pepper

Directions:

1.  In a wok, heat the oil and fry the leeks for approximately 5 minutes.

2.  Add the tarragon and spinach.  Stir and cook for another 10 minites or until almost tender.

3.  Add the quinoa and bulgur and incorporate.  Add some salt and fresh pepper.

4.  Turn off heat and stir in the grated cheese, most of the feta, fish, and beaten eggs

5.  Preheat oven to 425°F-220°C.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs into a baking dish and transfer the leek mixture into the dish.

6.  Arrange some feta cubes over the surface of the dish.  Cook for 30 minutes, then let cool for at least 10 minute before eating.

Prasopita Kozanis (Leek Pie)

I was recently flipping through the book I usually use as a weight while making paneer and found a bunch of Turkish and Greek recipes I had never paid attention to before.  It's strange how I can flip through a cookbook a million times but at different times of day or year and I will always discover something as if it was the first time.

Hmm interesting.  I've heard that before in a slightly different context..
It's a miracle its still in good shape after this afternoon's baking shenannigans of flour and sugar all over myself and the floor while listening to A Day at the Races.  I have cinnamon and coconut stuck between my toes!
Again, I digress.  This Prasopita was perfect for my "enterrement de vie de jeune fille."
Goodbye adventurous 20's and welcome glorious 30's!
I've seen many Prasopita recipes using phyllo pastry, but this one uses semolina instead.  I like it better this way.  I would never have thought to use semolina this way before.

Serves 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

3 leeks, sliced into rounds and thoroughly washed

3 Tbsp EVOO

1 bunch dill (I used tarragon)

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup coarse semolina (50g)

3 eggs, beaten

1cup (100g) grated Gruyere/Swiss or Kasseri cheese

3 Tbsp breadcrumbs

7 oz (200g) cubed feta

Salt/pepper

Directions:

1.  In a wok, heat the oil and fry the leeks for approximately 5 minutes.
2.  Add the dill and bay leaves.  Stir and cook for another 10 minutes or until almost tender.
3.  Remove the bay leaves, add the semolina and incorporate.  Add some salt and fresh pepper.
4.  Lower heat and stir in the beaten eggs and grated cheese.
5.  Preheat oven to 425°F-220°C.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs into a baking dish and transfer the leek mixture into the dish.
6.  Arrange the feta cubes over the surface of the dish.  Cook for 30 minutes.
haha they look like paneer!

Serve hot or warm.
I'm really appreciating the warm these days... For certain things only.

 

That hummus is the best I've made so far.

Greek Pasta

Greek Pasta

Well, this isn't my proudest recipe. But, i owe you a few, so this will have to suffice. =)

Cook Bowtie Pasta

While bowling, cook sausage

Drain pasta, return to bowl

Add sausage (diced), chopped tomato; cucumbers, olives (i only had spanish); and feta cheese

Add Greek Dressing

Boom. My Big Fat Greek Pasta.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Shrimp & Chickpeas

I was really craving a nice crispy salad, and found this one in Real Simple. I decided to give it a whirl...very refreshing!

Ingredients

1/2 head of Romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into thin strips (8 cups)
1 pound cooked peeled and deveined medium shrimp, cut in half crosswise
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, or a heaping 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked
1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
3/4 cup crumbled Feta (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 cups pita chips, broken into pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, shrimp, cucumber, chickpeas, onion, feta, olives, and pita chips with oil, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and paper.

Greek Stuffed Peppers

This is really fun to make. It is Giada's Greek Stuffed Peppers recipe. It is timely, so make sure to give yourself at least a couple hours to work on this... or else you will be eating at 10:30pm (i learned the hard way). You can prep the stuffing the night before if necessary too!

Ingredients:
1 (28 oz) can of Italian tomatoes (Giada likes to break up canned tomatoes with fork and knife. I just used diced tomatoes.)
2 zucchinis grated (with cheese grater) (funny story... i swear to God that i bought zucchinis in the zucchini section, but when i got home- they were actually cucumbers. I had 1 zucchini on hand, so i used 1 zucchini and 1 cucumber (grated both). I think it was actually a very refreshing summer twist to this recipe.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves Giada says that mint leaves to the Greek are like basil leaves to the Italians. That said, Basil would be a great substitution. I, however, only had Cilantro... so I used that. I thought it would add to my Summer Bell Pepper Twist.
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (Parmesan would be a good substitution if need be.)
1/4 cup EVOO
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth (or vege broth for vegetarians)
1 1/2 cup Orzo (I had only 1 cup Orzo, so i combined that with 1 cup Rice Pilaf, which was a great combination) You can use Cous Cous too! (I am the substitution queen)
6 bell peppers

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (please do this now - or else after the 1hr+ preparation, you will have to wait for the oven to heat)

2.Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl. Add the zucchini (and cucumber), mint (cilantro), cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

3.Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. (2 separate pans of broth if you are combining two+ rice/pasta) Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. (I also half cooked the rice pilaf in a separate pan for about 9 minutes). The orzo (and rice) should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo (and rice) to the large bowl with the other vegetables (leaving the leftover broth in the pot). Stir the orzo (and rice) into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.

4. Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a Very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

5.Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes.
Viola!


**The remaining orzo mixture that goes un-used is awesome for lunch the next day!! The peppers themselves also make for good leftovers.