Friday, January 13, 2012

January Is Comfort Food Time

I have not reneged on my commitment to recap the latter half of 2011, but I am waiting, um, on my “photographer” (husband) to provide me with some photos… So, in the mean time, here is what we have been chowing down on during the last weeks of my break from school. Since my commitment to housework and cooking can fluctuate when I am in the thick of classes, I try to step it up a bit during my down time. As usual, I sucked and didn’t take pictures, but… I guess that just isn’t my style. Perhaps that will be one of my goals for 2012: Quit being intimidated by our fancy camera and actually use it.

I mentioned spinach pie during my birthday post last year, but I realize I did not share the recipe. It is so darn tasty, that I must. It is basically a version of spanakopita that I learned during a January Residence Life training at SMU where they had Dining Services come and do a cooking demo for us. Not sure what all my colleagues thought of the experience, but I loved it.

This has become a favorite along with a bread pudding recipe that I should make and share sometime soon! We could not find phyllo dough, so we decided to use puff pasty and make turnovers. I am pretty sure that raises the fat and calorie count quite a bit, but it was definitely easier and quicker than the phyllo. I wouldn’t be surprised if we do it this way again. We also had an unexpected 2 hour power outage during the baking of these. It was horrible timing and we fretted about whether or not they would cook through or be ruined. Luckily, we seemed to have enough residual heat to complete the baking process!

Spinach Pie

(Note: I am providing you the full recipe, but you should know we always cut it in half)

3 cups chopped onion (about 2 onions)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of salt

1 ½ teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

3 (10 oz) packages of frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted (we have used fresh before)

6 large eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons of grated nutmeg

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons of plain dry bread crumbs

½ pound of good feta, crumbled or cut into ½ inch cubes

½ cup of pine nuts, toasted

¼ cup of butter, melted

6 sheets of phyllo dough, defrosted (if you use puff pastry, you don’t need this or the melted butter)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium skillet or sauté pan, on medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until translucent, and slightly brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper and let cool slightly.

Squeeze out and discard liquid from thawed spinach. Put spinach in bowl and gently mix in the onions, eggs, nutmeg, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, feta cheese, and pine nuts.

Grease an ovenproof 8 inch sauté pan (or pie dish) and line it with the 6 stacked sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with melted butter and letting the edges hang over the pan. Place spinach mixture into middle of phyllo and neatly fold the edges up and over the top to seal in the filling. Brush top with melted butter. Bake for an hour until top is golden brown and the filling is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Variation: Cut puff pastry into quarters and place filling in middle. Fold from corner to corner to make a triangle. Brush with beaten egg and use to seal as needed.

We have also made macaroni and cheese several times. I have made two of my favorite variations recently. One is a Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese. R said he couldn’t taste the cheese in the squash version, so perhaps increase the cheese amount a bit if you really want to “hide” the squash flavor. This time around, I used some odds and ends of cheeses that needed to get cleared out of the fridge. I thought it tasted great, personally. It is a great way to sneak in some veggies and lower the fat content. I should note that I didn’t measure out the squash either, though, as I just pulled a bag out of the freezer. Oh, that is a good tip I should share. We got a gigantic butternut squash with our CSA share, and I learned that you can just dice it up and freeze it raw. I pulled some out, threw it in the oven to roast and then pureed it up. Easy peasy!

This Cooking Light Four Cheese version has been my go to recipe for years. It is always loved! I never use the melba toast topping. I am not really a crumb topping person. And… I KNOW, it has Velveeta, but it does add a creaminess that is hard to replicate. If you just can’t do it, then sub in another soft, melty cheese.

I also made this variation on Shepherd’s Pie that is also a Cooking Light recipe. I love the addition of the chipotle and sweet potatoes for the topping. I am pretty sure we have subbed in ground lamb occasionally in the past. This recipe is another one that I cut in half for us and find it still has plenty of leftovers, especially for a family of two!

To continue my Cooking Light favorites themes, I also pulled out this classic recipe for Baked Potato Soup that has also been in my repertoire for ages. Who doesn’t love Baked Potato soup? Again, I appreciate the efforts to lighten up what can be a fat-laden meal. I used plain yogurt instead of sour cream this time, and didn’t notice any major taste difference.

So, hopefully, this provides some winter cooking inspirations that will help you feel warm and cozy!

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