Today is Cheese Sunday, the last day of the Carnival before Lent, according to the Greek Orthodox Church. Traditionally, masquerade parties take place all over the country, but unfortunately, they will not take place this year due to the coronavirus disease.
Nevertheless, I am giving you several recipes for cheese dishes.
SPINACH AND CHEESE PIE
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| Crispy Spinach and Cheese Pie |
Even if you hate spinach, try this pie!
1¼ kg (2½ lb) spinach, blanched, drained and chopped
1 large onion, grated
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chervil, if available, finely chopped
2 tbsp Mediterranean hartwort, if available, finely chopped
1 tbsp dill
2 cups feta (if salty soaked in water for 10 minutes), cubed
1 cup Graviera from Crete or Naxos or Cheddar, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
10 sheets phyllo pastry
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
120 ml (about ½ cup) butter, melted
2 tbsp olive oil to mix with the butter (optional)
Sauce:
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 bay leaf
1½ cup hot milk
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Little salt
Nutmeg, to taste
Sauté the onions in olive oil until transparent. Add the spinach and herbs, pepper and a little salt and simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time, until the liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Stir the flour in melted butter, add the bay leaf, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the milk and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Season with pepper, a little salt and nutmeg, simmer for 7 minutes more and set aside to cool. Discard the bay leaf.
In a big bowl, combine the eggs and the two kinds of cheese with the sauce and mix well together. Stir into the spinach mixture. Taste and add salt, pepper and nutmeg, if necessary, and set aside to cool.
Line a buttered baking dish with 5 sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet lavishly with melted butter then sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spoon in the filling, level the surface and fold the overhanging pastry over. Place another 5 buttered sheets of pastry over, trim the excess phyllo and tuck it neatly into the sides of the dish. Score the pie into portions, sprinkle with water, and bake in a moderate oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for about 45 minutes 1 hour.
CARROT AND FETA TART
This is a very tasty, savoury tart. It is baked like a tarte Tatin.
For the pastry:
150 g (5 oz) butter, at room temperature
90 g (3 oz) feta, crumbled
60 g (2 oz) San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated
260 g (2 cups) self-raising flour or more if necessary
A little more butter for the dish
Filling:
500 g (1 lb) carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp honey
2 heaped tbsp unsalted butter
400 ml (an ample1½ cup) vegetable stock
300 g (10 oz) hard feta, sliced and soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, if salty.
1 small onion, peeled and grated
2 eggs, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the carrots in a saucepan with the coriander seeds, salt and pepper, ½ tsp thyme, honey, butter and the vegetable stock. Boil briskly, uncovered, until the carrots are tender and the liquid has reduced to about half a cup. Taste for seasoning, remove the carrots and set aside to cool. Strain the reduced liquid and reserve. In the meantime, crumble the feta and combine with the grated onion, eggs and pepper and mix well together.
Line a 30 cm (12 in) round baking dish with baking parchment, arrange the carrots over and drizzle with the reserved carrot juice. Spoon the feta mixture, evenly, on top, and sprinkle with the remaining thyme and freshly ground black pepper.
For the pastry, blend all the ingredients together, until the dough forms a ball around the hook. Roll out the pastry into a circle larger than the baking dish, and drape it over the carrots. Trim the excess pastry, if necessary, pushing it neatly around the sides of the dish to enclose the filling completely.
Bake in a moderate oven preheated to180 C (350 F) for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Overturn onto a platter and serve immediately with a green salad.
Bake in a moderate oven preheated to180 C (350 F) for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Overturn onto a platter and serve immediately with a green salad.
CHEESE PIE
Cheese pies are very popular all over Greece. I very often prepare individual cheese pies with ready-made puff pastry rounds and the same filling.
Pastry:
150 g (5 oz) wholemeal flour
150 g (5 oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp mustard powder
150 g (5 oz) butter cubed
1 egg
Just enough water to form a soft, pliable dough
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs for sprinkling over the pastry before adding the filling
Filling
500 g (1 lb) feta cheese, soaked in water for 5-10 minutes if salty
250 g (½ lb) anthotyro or ricotta cheese
2-3 tbsp kephalotyri or Parmesan or Cheddar, grated
1 large onion, finely grated
4 eggs
200 g (1 small tub) strained Greek yogurt or
1 cup béchamel sauce
Salt if necessary, nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper
First, prepare the pastry. Blend the two flours with the mustard powder and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and very little water and pulse until the dough forms a ball around the hook. Cover and refrigerate for ½ hour at least.
In a large bowl, crumble the feta and anthotyro and stir in the grated cheese and onion. Beat the eggs with the yogurt, nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper, add to the cheese mixture and stir until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper and nutmeg, if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Roll out two thin pastry sheets, one larger than the other. Line a buttered baking tin with the larger sheet and sprinkle evenly with the dried breadcrumbs. Spoon the filling carefully over, cover with the remaining pastry and join the two sheets attractively together. Score the top of the pie, and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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| Young Girl With Harp by George Stathopoulos |
