Easy as ABC Monday: F is for Feta
Feta cheese, a Greek cheese usually made from goat’s milk, is sharp and salty. The consistency varies, but most feta available in regular supermarkets has a dry, crumbly consistency. Some feta cheeses are now made of cow’s milk and others are creamy rather than crumbly, but feta can be addictive in all of its forms.
Feta is a great cheese crumbled on salads. Bob loves traditional Greek salads made with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives and feta. Here’s a recipe from the Boston Globe. I like feta on baby spinach with cranberries, grapes, nuts and a balsamic vinaigrette. The feta adds a punchy, salty counterpart to the tart, sweet fruits, the nuts (I like walnuts or pecans) add protein, and the baby spinach base has more nutrients and a stronger flavor than lettuce but the baby leaves are still tender.
But my favorite way to use feta is in another traditional Greek dish- Spanakopita. Spanakopita is a pie made with spinach and feta layered in crispy phyllo (sometimes spelled filo) dough. You can usually find prepared spanakopita in the freezer case at your local supermarket but it’s a fun, though labor-intensive dish to make yourself. You can make it as one large pie or if you’re throwing a party you can make individual spanakopita triangles that are light, crispy, slightly healthy finger foods. I say slightly healthy because the spinach, cheese and egg may add protein, calcium and nutrients, but the butter needed for the phyllo may just cancel it out. Here’s a recipe for the triangle sized version from the Food Network. When I make spanakopita I use the recipe from the Moosewood cookbook. (The original version seems to be out of print. I don’t know if the updated version has the recipe.)
Spanakopita
2 cups crumbled feta cheese
5 eggs
2 Tbs flour
3 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. basil (more if fresh)
salt, pepper
2 cups (1 lb.) cottage or pot cheese
1/2 tsp oregano (more if fresh)
2 lbs fresh spinach
Clean, stem and chop the spinach. Salt it lightly, and cook, adding no water, for five minutes or until slightly wilted.
Cook the onions in butter, salting lightly. When soft, combine with remaining ingredients and spinach.
To Assemble:
Have on hand:
a 1 lb package defrosted filo dough
1/2 lb melted unsalted butter
Spread melted butter on a 9 x 13 baking pan. Place strudel leaf in the pan (it will outsize the pan. Let the edges climb the sides.)
and brush generously with butter. Keep layers of dough coming one on top of another, brushing each with butter. When you have a pile of 8 leaves, spread on half the filling. Continue with another stack of 8 or so leaves (don’t skimp on the butter), then apply the remaining filling, spreading it to the edges. Fold the excess filo down the edges, making little tidy corners.
Pile as many more layers of filo and butter as your baking pan will accomodate. Butter the top most leaf and sprinkle with a tablespoon of whole anise or fennel seeds, if you have some on hand.
Bake uncovered, about 45 minutes–till golden.
Phyllo dough is notoriously tricky to work with until you get the hang of it. I like making one large pie because it requires less fiddling with the delicate layers of pastry. To keep the phyllo from crumbling, lay it out on the countertop and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel. You’ll have to remove the cover to get a new sheet which requires some finagling, but it will keep the feta from drying out and help it stay in one piece. It’s not a big deal if the sheets rip. Just lay the ripped portion over the other piece so it overlaps.
This is also a great recipe to get your kids involved in the cooking process. They can stir the spinach mixture and be in charge of brushing the phyllo with butter. Having the kids “paint” the butter on the pastry will make it easier for you to transfer each phyllo sheet into the pan.
(Easy as ABC Monday’s last F post was F is for fish)
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December 10th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Yummy!