Baklava and Spanakopita

[Guest guest]

This recipe isn't very quick, but is easy and tastes very good. A bit

fattening, but everything that tastes good is. one question. I have a

vegan friend and wanted to make a vegan spanikopita. I used olive oil,

silken tofu, dill, thyme, and fresh spinach.

 

What else could I have done/used to spice it up? I don't know much about

vegan cooking.

 

--jon

 

 

 

 

Recipe: Baklava

Here's a Baklava recipe that uses standard measurements. The trickiest part

is coping with the filo dough, which can be bought frozen in many markets.

A decent substitute would be frozen strudel dough. I really don't recommend

making your own.

 

1 pound unsalted (sweet) butter, melted (It really has to be butter,

not a

substitute)

1 pound filo dough sheets

1.5 pounds (24 ounces) chopped blanched almonds

1 pound shelled walnuts

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves

 

Thaw the filo before starting. Melt the butter.

 

Grind or chop together the walnuts and almonds, and mix together with the

cinnamon, allspice or cloves, and sugar. Using a rectangular pan,

preferably a 9x13x2, brush the pan with the melted butter. Separate a sheet

of the thawed filo. Handling it as little as possible, lay a sheet in the

bottom of the pan. Brush it with butter. Fold it over if necessary to fit in

the pan.

 

Do this until you have about 10-12 layers. Then put a layer of the nuts and

spices mixture on top of the sheet of filo, cover with a other sheet of

filo, paint that with butter, and continue in this manner until you've used

all of your filling. Top with about an equal amount of the filo sheets as

you used for the bottom. If you're a little short or a little over, don't

worry about it. Too many layers can get a bit gummy, however. Be sure each

sheet is brushed with butter.

 

Cut across the completed baklava with a sharp knife, into triangles or

diamonds. Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until evenly browned on top -

think a nice golden color like some of the sunsets you saw in Greece.

 

Pour the cooled syrup (recipe below) over it and let it sit before serving.

If you can bear to. If you are like me, by the end of this I have filo dough

in my hair and nuts stuck to me with honey syrup.

 

Syrup

2 cups honey (did you bring back any from Greece? shame on you if you

didn't!)

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

1 teaspoon grated orange peel (or to taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or to taste) (Optional)

Simmer together the syrup ingredients for ten minutes and strain. Set

aside.

A good time to make this is just after you've put the baklava into the

oven.

 

 

--------------------------------

 

Spanakopita

from _The Electric Vegetarian_

 

Serves 8

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Unsupervised Cooking: 25-35 minutes

Prepare the filling and refrigerate before proceeding with the dough. We use

Danish Feta because it is less salty. If you use Bulgarian or Greek Feta,

add a bit more ricotta cheese to reduce the salty taste.

 

2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach or 2 lb fresh spinach leaves, cooked

and

squeezed dry

1 large onion

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb Danish Feta cheese

16 ounces ricotta cheese or well-drained dry cottage cheese

4 eggs

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp dry dill weed

3/4 cup butter or margarine

1 pound purchased filo dough

additional butter if using purchased dough

 

Metal blade: Add onion, cut into 1-inch pieces, to work bowl. Pulse on/off

until finely chopped.

 

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until limp

and transparent. Do not let the onions brown. Remove from heat and set

aside. Rinse Feta cheese under cold water to remove some of the salt. Pat

dry with paper towel.

 

Metal blade: Add Feta, broken into 2-inch pieces, to work bowl and process

with ricotta cheese to break Feta into small chunks. Add eggs, pepper and

dill. Process until blended. Remove to a large bowl. Add spinach to work

bowl. Pulse on/off until finely chopped, but not purZed. Add spinach and

onions to cheese mixture. Stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate while

making filo dough. (Good to refrigerate for awhile even if you are using

purchased dough - lm)

Preheat oven to 375. In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Butter an 9

x 13-inch pyrex baking dish. Layer one half of the filo sheets on the

bottom of the dish, brushing the top of each sheet with butter. Since the

sheets donOt fit the size of the pan, overlap and alternate as necessary.

Spoon on all the spinach mixture and continue layering until all the sheets

are used. (Lou uses about 8 layers on each of top and bottom.) Generously

butter the top filo layer.

Bake, uncovered, 25-35 minutes or until golden.

[Guest guest]

I have just joined this group - WOW!! I love this sort of recipe

with nuts in and all that. YUMMY YUMMY, YUMMY - thanks ever so much

for sharing it here.

 

I think I am going to really like being in this group with these

lovely recipes.

 

Thanks. Chatty :-)

 

, " Jon Stockdill " <jstockdill@s...> wrote:

> This recipe isn't very quick, but is easy and tastes very good. A

bit

> fattening, but everything that tastes good is. one question. I

have a

> vegan friend and wanted to make a vegan spanikopita. I used olive

oil,

> silken tofu, dill, thyme, and fresh spinach.

>

> What else could I have done/used to spice it up? I don't know much

about

> vegan cooking.

>

> --jon

>

>

>

>

> Recipe: Baklava

> Here's a Baklava recipe that uses standard measurements. The

trickiest part

> is coping with the filo dough, which can be bought frozen in many

markets.

> A decent substitute would be frozen strudel dough. I really don't

recommend

> making your own.

>

> 1 pound unsalted (sweet) butter, melted (It really has to be butter,

> not a

> substitute)

> 1 pound filo dough sheets

> 1.5 pounds (24 ounces) chopped blanched almonds

> 1 pound shelled walnuts

> 2/3 cup granulated sugar

> 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

> 1 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves

>

> Thaw the filo before starting. Melt the butter.

>

> Grind or chop together the walnuts and almonds, and mix together

with the

> cinnamon, allspice or cloves, and sugar. Using a rectangular pan,

> preferably a 9x13x2, brush the pan with the melted butter. Separate

a sheet

> of the thawed filo. Handling it as little as possible, lay a sheet

in the

> bottom of the pan. Brush it with butter. Fold it over if necessary

to fit in

> the pan.

>

> Do this until you have about 10-12 layers. Then put a layer of the

nuts and

> spices mixture on top of the sheet of filo, cover with a other

sheet of

> filo, paint that with butter, and continue in this manner until

you've used

> all of your filling. Top with about an equal amount of the filo

sheets as

> you used for the bottom. If you're a little short or a little

over, don't

> worry about it. Too many layers can get a bit gummy, however. Be

sure each

> sheet is brushed with butter.

>

> Cut across the completed baklava with a sharp knife, into triangles

or

> diamonds. Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until evenly browned on

top -

> think a nice golden color like some of the sunsets you saw in

Greece.

>

> Pour the cooled syrup (recipe below) over it and let it sit before

serving.

> If you can bear to. If you are like me, by the end of this I have

filo dough

> in my hair and nuts stuck to me with honey syrup.

>

> Syrup

> 2 cups honey (did you bring back any from Greece? shame on you if

you

> didn't!)

> 2 cups water

> 2 cups sugar

> 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

> 1 teaspoon grated orange peel (or to taste)

> 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or to taste) (Optional)

> Simmer together the syrup ingredients for ten minutes and strain.

Set

> aside.

> A good time to make this is just after you've put the baklava into

the

> oven.

>

>

> --------------------------------

>

> Spanakopita

> from _The Electric Vegetarian_

>

> Serves 8

> Preparation Time: 1 hour

> Unsupervised Cooking: 25-35 minutes

> Prepare the filling and refrigerate before proceeding with the

dough. We use

> Danish Feta because it is less salty. If you use Bulgarian or

Greek Feta,

> add a bit more ricotta cheese to reduce the salty taste.

>

> 2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach or 2 lb fresh spinach leaves,

cooked

> and

> squeezed dry

> 1 large onion

> 3 tablespoons olive oil

> 1 lb Danish Feta cheese

> 16 ounces ricotta cheese or well-drained dry cottage cheese

> 4 eggs

> 1/8 tsp pepper

> 1 tsp dry dill weed

> 3/4 cup butter or margarine

> 1 pound purchased filo dough

> additional butter if using purchased dough

>

> Metal blade: Add onion, cut into 1-inch pieces, to work bowl. Pulse

on/off

> until finely chopped.

>

> In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute

until limp

> and transparent. Do not let the onions brown. Remove from heat and

set

> aside. Rinse Feta cheese under cold water to remove some of the

salt. Pat

> dry with paper towel.

>

> Metal blade: Add Feta, broken into 2-inch pieces, to work bowl and

process

> with ricotta cheese to break Feta into small chunks. Add eggs,

pepper and

> dill. Process until blended. Remove to a large bowl. Add spinach to

work

> bowl. Pulse on/off until finely chopped, but not purZed. Add

spinach and

> onions to cheese mixture. Stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate

while

> making filo dough. (Good to refrigerate for awhile even if you are

using

> purchased dough - lm)

> Preheat oven to 375. In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat.

Butter an 9

> x 13-inch pyrex baking dish. Layer one half of the filo sheets on

the

> bottom of the dish, brushing the top of each sheet with butter.

Since the

> sheets donOt fit the size of the pan, overlap and alternate as

necessary.

> Spoon on all the spinach mixture and continue layering until all

the sheets

> are used. (Lou uses about 8 layers on each of top and bottom.)

Generously

> butter the top filo layer.

> Bake, uncovered, 25-35 minutes or until golden.