A Very Beige (but not blah) Plate
Looking over the last week’s posts, it occurred to me that everything I have written about has had something to do with color: a color-coordinated salad on Monday, purple pasta on Tuesday, the green stuff on Wednesday, and yesterday’s white pizza. Anyone who knows me would tell you that bright colors are sort of an obsession. I hate to move, but when we bought our house here, one of the most exciting things was planning what colors to paint all the rooms. Yes, we (really I should say David here; all I did was pick out the colors) painted every room a different color. While I was defending my thesis in Jackson, David camped out in our empty house here in Baton Rouge and painted for four days straight, bless his heart. But it makes me so very happy to come into a brightly colored space. No offense to anyone who loves beige, but I think I might be severely depressed if all of my walls were a pallid shade of dust. So what is with the photo above then, you ask? Well, I don’t know. I should have sprinkled some paprika on the hummus, at least, to spice things up a little bit.
But don’t let the blah appearance fool you; this Greek fare is very flavorful. The spinach pie was originally meant to use up leftover spinach, but it turns out I didn’t have enough and had to cook more anyway. The onions for this recipe really need to be cooked before they go into the filling, so cooking the spinach too is no big deal. The filling comes together pretty quickly, but I will warn you, working with phyllo dough is a little bit tricky. I tend to tear it easily, but it still tastes good, so I’m not extra careful. The trick is to use it immediately, or else it starts to dry out and break. So don’t take it out of it’s wrapper until you’re ready to put it in the dish. As for the hummus, it’s one of our favorite snacks, and I like it simple. Beans, garlic, olive oil, and a little bit of lemon is all I put in mine, but it takes many flavors well, so feel free to experiment. I make it ahead of time so I can have a snack while I’m cooking. Be careful, though, it’s very filling!
Very Simple Hummus
2-4 cloves garlic, depending on how garlicky you like your hummus
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 a lemon
Kosher salt
Process the garlic cloves until they’re finely chopped in a food processor. Add the beans, olive oil, juice from the lemon, and about a half a teaspoon salt. Blend until the consistency is just a little bit chunky (check out the photo for how I like mine). Add more olive oil if you want it to be smoother. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve with soft pita bread.
Spinach Pie with Pine Nuts and Feta Cheese
1 yellow onion, diced
Olive oil
Any leftover Lemony Spinach
2-3 cups fresh spinach leaves (or 1 pkg. frozen spinach)
1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 egg, beaten
2 ounces feta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Phyllo dough, about 10-12 sheets total
1/2 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cook the onion in olive oil (about a tablespoon) until very soft. Add the uncooked spinach, chopping it with kitchen scissors as you add it to the skillet. Turn and wilt, adding more spinach as you go. Add any leftover spinach you have (you should end up with 2-3 cups of cooked spinach when all is said and done, but there’s no magic amount). Remove the spinach-onion mixture to a large bowl and add the artichoke hearts and pine nuts. Mix thoroughly and whisk in the egg.
Get out the phyllo dough and butter, along with a square or round casserole dish. Brush individual sheets with butter on both sides, and lay them in the dish. Let some hang over the edge on all sides (so you have to do some overlapping). Do this with about 6 sheets of dough. Quickly pour the filling on top of the dough. Butter 4-6 more layers for the top, and roll the sides together to seal. Brush the top with more butter so it will brown nicely. Bake for about 30 minutes.