This is not news to those in agriculture, but California has multiple growing seasons.
The fact is that my wonderful apple tree is starting to bloom for it’s ‘second’ season and it looks like a wonderful harvest. With my first ‘batch’ , we produced 12 wonderful apple pies and apple sauce by the ton. Laura made some delicious cinnamon flavored dried apple slices that were surprisingly good! It is surprising to me as I don’t usually like dried fruit.
One thing woke me up this year when I wanted to fill in with some ‘store bought’ apples…. hmmm … same variety, fresh and grown locally , but they were much less tasty.
In any event, it looks like a lot more fun is coming to us down the road!
I am sure this question has come into your mind at one time or another: “can Baklava really have too many nuts?” Some people tackle simpler questions – such as the theory of relativity – but the leading thinkers of our time ponder the subtle universal question of nuts and Baklava! 40 sheets of filo dough with a layer of nuts every 4 sheets make this interesting if not unique.
My daughters – three of the leading thinkers of our time – wondered aloud about how many nuts could be placed into a standard pan size Baklava? Although the math is quite complicated… the answer was 4 cups ground.
In a single blind taste test that is ongoing, this Baklava has proven to be a cure for culinary unhappiness… and another step toward our ‘Greek Night”.
Little did I know that in my own garden was something that I thought little about… grape leaves! Kristin, Karen and Laura brought back a few recipe ideas that I had tried before, but -frankly- I don’t think were made very well. As Laura commented after sampling a few of this creation… “I could enjoy these every day!”
So, one more item explored for our future Greek Night!
There is a beauty in learning how to cook and mastering those foods that are so special to you and those you care about.
The problem today is three-fold: first, very many people know very little about nutrition; secondly, basic meal preparation for a lot of folks comes out of a box or a can and ;lastly, they are stumped at where to go to learn. The folks on TV are entertaining, but they spend far too much time trying to be easy or different…. they don’t teach the basics of bread or cake making or what constitutes a well rounded dinner.
I even read in a current recipe book that one never uses any cake in a bread pudding! Funny, the old kitchens of the 1800’s to early 1900’s would throw in everything from bread to croissants and from cake to muffins! They really knew how to cook in those days… and they didn’t waste anything.
Here’s a tough question I asked a few people: how many minutes does it take to cook a 3 minute egg? It was surprising to find that a lot didn’t know how to begin to answer that question. I know it sounds a little mean … but it does show the state of affairs in many kitchens today.
I love my bread puddingwith a wonderful brandy sauce!
The key to starting out is to start with the basics, master that and then move up. Children love to learn how to make desserts: cookies, pies and cakes. It’s great to see a child pull out their first set of Tollhouse (Chocolate Chip) Cookies… and dig in when they are still warm and gooey!
Teach someone to cook and you open a world to them that they never knew existed!
Another culinary masterpiece from Greece is the seemingly simple cheese turnover called the ‘Tiropites’. Although something similar is made in other parts of the world, what makes it uniquely Greek is the use of Filo (Phyllo, Filo or Fillo) dough. To me Filo dough is one of Greece’s wonderful and unique cultural contributions to the culinary world. I have always enjoyed this very yummy appetizer.
My daughters on returning to Greece had a number of requests and this was one of them. Although it appeared that what they enjoyed in Athens was made with Pastry dough rather than Filo, I am sure it was very nice, although it sounded much more Turkish than Greek.
Here’s how I made it:
Mix in a bowl:
7 oz. Feta Cheese
1/2 cup cottage ( or Ricotta) cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
sea salt ( although there is a lot of salt in the cheese, I tend to add a bit more)
garlic powder ( ah, who can blame me?)
ground black pepper ( it’s what they do over there)
2 eggs
Filo Dough
Take 3 or four sheets of Filo dough and slice in half length wise. ( some recipes call for using only one sheet… but this makes the turnover too fragile). I would suggest using a broad knife to turn the dough.
Brush the dough with olive oil – or butter- if you like that sort of thing 😉 …. place a spoonful of batter on a corner of the filo dough and fold over as if folding a flag. The first fold makes a triangle and this is done over and over until it is completely wrapped!
When completed, place on a greased cookie sheet, brush the top of the filo dough and sprinkle with a small amount of salt, pepper and garlic powder
Bake
Bake at around 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
enjoy!
Roger Freberg
PS. Feta Cheese can be rather strong and rugged for many tastes and mixing in another milder cheese gives this dish a broader appeal.
