Skip to main content

Octopus and Vegetable Risotto

ingredients for 4 people 400g cooked octopus, cut into chunks. 350g arborio rice. 1 sweet onion. 4 garlic cloves. 2 small green peppers. 2 small red peppers. 1 potato. 1 carrot. 1 small zucchini. 100g green beans. 50g peas. 120ml dry white wine. 1 teaspoon sweet paprika. chopped parsley. salt and black pepper. 4 or 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. 1.5 liters vegetable broth. grated Parmesan cheese. preparation Wash the vegetables and dice them into small cubes. In a small pot with salted boiling water, cook the green beans, potato, and carrot until just tender — they'll finish cooking later with the rice, so don't overdo them. In a deep, wide pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the peppers and zucchini, stirring everything together. Once the sofrito is ready, pour in the wine and let the alcohol cook off for a minute or two. Then add the parboiled vegetables (well-drained), the octopus pieces, paprika, pe...

Spanakopita, Greek Spinach and Feta Pie





Spanakopita is one of those traditional Greek dishes that everyone seems to love. It's a wonderfully crispy pie packed with spinach and feta cheese — perfect as an appetizer or a starter, depending on how you slice it.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 kg fresh spinach.
  • 250g phyllo pastry (store-bought works perfectly).
  • 2 shallots.
  • 200g feta cheese.
  • 2 whole eggs.
  • 2 tablespoons milk.
  • chopped parsley.
  • extra virgin olive oil.
  • salt.

Preparation

  1. Heat your oven to 180°C.
  2. Blanch the spinach quickly, then cool it down right away under cold water. Chop it up quite fine.
  3. In a deep skillet with a drizzle of oil, sauté the shallots until soft. Add the chopped spinach and cook for a few more minutes.
  4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the beaten eggs and feta (cut into small cubes). Set this filling aside.
  5. Brush a baking dish with olive oil. Take five sheets of phyllo, brush both sides with oil, and layer them in the dish one on top of the other. Let the pastry hang over the edges — you'll need this later to seal the pie.
  6. Spoon the spinach filling into the dish, then layer five more sheets of phyllo on top (these don't need to be as large as the bottom ones). Brush them with oil too.
  7. Fold the overhanging pastry from the bottom layers over the top to seal everything in.
  8. Using a sharp knife, score the top into portions — just cut through the top 2 or 3 layers of pastry so you can see where to slice later.
  9. Sprinkle a little water over the pie and bake for 1 hour. If the top starts browning too much, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
  10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Time: 30 minutes plus 1 hour baking

Notes

For those with celiac disease, keep in mind that phyllo pastry contains gluten.

Popular posts from this blog

Cod with Hazelnut Crust and Roasted Vegetables

  ingredients 4 pieces of desalted cod. flour for dusting the cod. 100g roasted hazelnuts, chopped. a small piece of orange peel. 2 sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped. 1 egg. salt. extra virgin olive oil. for the vegetables: 1 small zucchini. 1/2 red bell pepper. two onions. 2 garlic cloves. 5 or 6 pitted prunes, halved. two tablespoons of currants. 100ml white wine. salt. freshly ground black pepper. extra virgin olive oil. preparation First, you'll want to make the coating for the cod. Grind the hazelnuts with the piece of orange peel and chopped parsley, then stir in the beaten egg. Dust the cod pieces lightly with flour, then coat them with the hazelnut mixture. Put the currants and prunes in a small bowl with a bit of water to soak while you prepare the vegetables. Rinse the vegetables well and drain them thoroughly. Slice the onions and zucchini into rounds, dice the bell pepper, and mince the garlic. In a deep skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion, bell peppe...

Beet Salad with Zucchini, Asparagus, and Pear

ingredients for 4 people 1 bunch of green asparagus. 2 medium zucchini. 2 pears, unpeeled. 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes. cooked black beans (or white beans work too). small chunks of cheese (whatever you fancy). toasted sliced almonds. for the dressing: juice of 1/2 lemon. freshly ground black pepper. salt. 1 tsp honey. 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. preparation Start by making your dressing. Whisk together all those ingredients until they're well blended and slightly thickened. Set it aside for now. Get your asparagus ready... and cook them in salted water once it comes to a boil. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, then pull them out and plunge them straight into plenty of cold water to stop the cooking. Set them aside. Now for the zucchini. Give them a good wash, then use a mandoline to slice them into thin ribbons like tagliatelle. If you don't have one, a vegetable peeler does the trick just fine... Drop those zucchini ribbons into boil...

Red Velvet Cream Cake with Currant Flavor

This is a cake that features a brilliant red sponge, and the contrast with the pure white cream makes it absolutely stunning! Ingredients for 8 to 10 servings 4 whole eggs 300g sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 125g butter, at room temperature 280g all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 pinch of salt 2 tablespoons red food coloring 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon currant extract (optional) 240ml buttermilk for the buttermilk 240ml whole milk 1 tablespoon lemon juice to finish the cake 750g heavy cream (35% fat) 220g powdered sugar you'll also need a 22cm diameter cake pan butter for greasing the pan flour for dusting Preparation To make the buttermilk , pour the 240ml of milk into a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil... add the lemon juice, stir well, and remove from the heat. The milk will look curdled — that's exactly what you want. Let it cool for about 5 minutes... mix i...