To Moderators: Please feel free to pin this, especially if it attracts many inputs.
To fellow Board Members: I am starting this topic to pass on some recipes for your consideration. I have made the topic broad enough to cover traditionally Orthodox fasting and feasting foods.
Here is the first one:
Carl's Banitsa, where I combined Greek and Bulgarian versions for making traditional spinach and Feta (white cheese) pie.
Ingredients
• 1 lb Phylo dough
• ½ lb Feta cheese, preferably Bulgarian (Vigo sells it packed in brine) cut into ¼” cubes (don’t have to be perfect)
• 4-6 large eggs (depends on how “eggy” you want this to be), setting aside one egg for the topping.
• ½ cup thick plain yogurt
• ½ cup softened cream cheese or additional thick plain yogurt
• ½ cup soda water (unflavored)
• ½ cup finely chopped parsley
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh (baby) dill
• 1 large onion--finely chopped
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed and all moisture squeezed out)
• 4 pats of butter or extra virgin olive oil
Tools
• pastry brush
• 9"x13" pan (should be 2" deep)
• sauté pan, mixing bowls (large one for the filling and small one for the melted butter)
1. Defrost Phylo dough. Put in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in room temperature for 5-6 hours.
2. Make filling.
• Lightly fry finely chopped onion in one tablespoon of good olive oil until it is translucent. You can fry longer if it is done at a very slow temperature (to caramelize the onion) but do not burn it.
• Squeeze dry the defrosted spinach; add 3-5 eggs, parsley, dill, yogurt, cream cheese, feta cheese, and fried onion; mix thoroughly but gently (you want chunks of feta in the mixture).
3. Put it together and bake.
• Lightly melt the butter and put into small bowl. You can use olive oil instead (room temperature)
• Open up the Phylo dough package. If it is the widely available Athena brand, the package will contain two individually wrapped 9”x 13” sheet packages—each 20 sheets for a total of 40 sheets.
• Work with one pile of sheets at a time.
• Using the pastry brush, butter bottom & sides of the baking pan. Lay the Phylo sheets into the pan, TWO AT A TIME, folding sides as needed. Dab (not brush) each one lightly with butter/oil. Don't worry if sometimes two sheets stick together or some sheets tear up.
• After you've used ten sheets, evenly distribute one third of the filling. Lay a second pile of ten sheets, two at a time, over the filling. Again, dab each sheet with butter/oil. Use another third of filling. Continue until you have exhausted the pastry sheets and the filling. (four pastry layers and three filling layers)
• Cover and chill for 30 minutes to set.
• Cut the banitsa into serving portions. (I make 3 vertical and 5 horizontal cuts in a 9x13 pan).
• Whisk together the remaining egg and the soda water. Pour over the cut pieces, making sure that all of the squares are covered.
• Place in a 350-degree oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Test by inserting a table knife to the center. If it comes out relatively clean, your banitsa is done. Don't let this go beyond golden brown.
• Let cool for 5 to10-minutes to set. The flavor of banitsa is enhanced when served warm; it's even better at room temperature and eaten with cool, plain yogurt.
To fellow Board Members: I am starting this topic to pass on some recipes for your consideration. I have made the topic broad enough to cover traditionally Orthodox fasting and feasting foods.
Here is the first one:
Carl's Banitsa, where I combined Greek and Bulgarian versions for making traditional spinach and Feta (white cheese) pie.
Ingredients
• 1 lb Phylo dough
• ½ lb Feta cheese, preferably Bulgarian (Vigo sells it packed in brine) cut into ¼” cubes (don’t have to be perfect)
• 4-6 large eggs (depends on how “eggy” you want this to be), setting aside one egg for the topping.
• ½ cup thick plain yogurt
• ½ cup softened cream cheese or additional thick plain yogurt
• ½ cup soda water (unflavored)
• ½ cup finely chopped parsley
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh (baby) dill
• 1 large onion--finely chopped
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed and all moisture squeezed out)
• 4 pats of butter or extra virgin olive oil
Tools
• pastry brush
• 9"x13" pan (should be 2" deep)
• sauté pan, mixing bowls (large one for the filling and small one for the melted butter)
1. Defrost Phylo dough. Put in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in room temperature for 5-6 hours.
2. Make filling.
• Lightly fry finely chopped onion in one tablespoon of good olive oil until it is translucent. You can fry longer if it is done at a very slow temperature (to caramelize the onion) but do not burn it.
• Squeeze dry the defrosted spinach; add 3-5 eggs, parsley, dill, yogurt, cream cheese, feta cheese, and fried onion; mix thoroughly but gently (you want chunks of feta in the mixture).
3. Put it together and bake.
• Lightly melt the butter and put into small bowl. You can use olive oil instead (room temperature)
• Open up the Phylo dough package. If it is the widely available Athena brand, the package will contain two individually wrapped 9”x 13” sheet packages—each 20 sheets for a total of 40 sheets.
• Work with one pile of sheets at a time.
• Using the pastry brush, butter bottom & sides of the baking pan. Lay the Phylo sheets into the pan, TWO AT A TIME, folding sides as needed. Dab (not brush) each one lightly with butter/oil. Don't worry if sometimes two sheets stick together or some sheets tear up.
• After you've used ten sheets, evenly distribute one third of the filling. Lay a second pile of ten sheets, two at a time, over the filling. Again, dab each sheet with butter/oil. Use another third of filling. Continue until you have exhausted the pastry sheets and the filling. (four pastry layers and three filling layers)
• Cover and chill for 30 minutes to set.
• Cut the banitsa into serving portions. (I make 3 vertical and 5 horizontal cuts in a 9x13 pan).
• Whisk together the remaining egg and the soda water. Pour over the cut pieces, making sure that all of the squares are covered.
• Place in a 350-degree oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Test by inserting a table knife to the center. If it comes out relatively clean, your banitsa is done. Don't let this go beyond golden brown.
• Let cool for 5 to10-minutes to set. The flavor of banitsa is enhanced when served warm; it's even better at room temperature and eaten with cool, plain yogurt.
