Baklava

A Greek friend of mine had her sister teach a group of us how to make baklava. It's not too hard a process, just a long one, but the end result is well worth the time!

1 lb. pecans, walnuts, almonds, or pistachios, finely chopped
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 lb. phyllo dough
1 lb. butter, melted

syrup:
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 c. honey

Combine the chopped nuts with the 1/2 c. sugar and the cinnamon; set aside.

Open box of phyllo, placing the thin dough sheets on a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Cover the dough with another sheet of wax paper, and cover that with a damp towel to keep the dough moist.

Line the bottom of a buttered 9x12 pan with 10-12 sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with melted butter as you go.

Sprinkle the top of the 10-12 sheets with a thin layer of the nut mixture.

Cover with 3 more phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with melted butter; sprinkle with more nut mixture. Repeat once more, making a total of 3 nut mixture layers.

Cover with remaining phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter.

Chill for 25 minutes; make syrup: Combine 3 c. sugar, water, and lemon juice in medium saucepan. Boil for 10 minutes. Slowly add honey and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Let cool completely while baklava bakes. (*The syrup must be cool when you pour it over the hot baklava.)

Cut the uncooked pastry into small diamond shapes by cutting lengthwise strips, then diagonal strips. Brush with melted butter.

Bake at 325 degrees for about an hour and a half, or until slightly browned.

Remove from oven, recut along original cut marks, then slowly pour syrup over the hot baklava until it is completely absorbed. You may not need all the syrup.

Cool baklava completely before serving.

Since the baklava is preserved with honey, it will last at room temperature in a tightly closed container for several days, but it's best to refrigerate unused portions. Baklava can be refrigerated for several weeks.

Optional: Whole cloves can be stuck into each diamond shape before baking. Be sure they are removed before serving.

Greek Pita Pizzas

This recipe has been modified from the one found in The Pampered Chef's® Stoneware Inspirations cookbook.

I don't measure my ingredients for this. I just use what I like in whatever amounts I want, based on my family members' preferences.

whole wheat pitas
black or kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
feta cheese, crumbled
Roma tomato, seeded and diced
cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
red onion, chopped
dried basil or PC's Greek Rub*
olive oil
Ranch dressing, sour cream, or tzatziki* (Greek cucumber yogurt sauce)
(*preferred)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place pitas on baking stone and slice into fourths; top with olives and feta. Bake 7-9 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned.

In small bowl, combine tomato, cucumber, onion, and seasoning to your taste. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and mix well. Top pitas with mixture and drizzle with dressing, sour cream, or tzatziki, if desired. Serve immediately.

*Since we all like different ingredients on our pitas, I mix up three small bowls according to our preferences. The boys like everything but the onion, Billy likes everything but the tomato, and I like it all. To make the topping come out evenly, I add extra cucumber to the boys' toppings and extra cucumber and onion to Billy's.

We typically use Ranch dressing on ours. I made tzatziki once, but it was complicated, made more than we wanted, and wasn't that great. Now that we have a nearby Greek restaurant where I can buy good tzatziki, I'll do that next time.

If you have toppings left over, refrigerate them and make another pita pizza the next day. I've been known to eat this 2 or 3 times in one week!

Potatoes with Feta Cheese and Olives

recipe from The Complete Book of Greek Cooking

2 lbs. potatoes
2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil (Next time I'll reduce this to 1/2 c.)
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
10 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (I think I only used 8 oz. I definitely recommend 10.)
1 c. pitted black and green olives (The picture in the cookbook showed the olives halved, but I quartered mine. I think I'd like to use a little more olives next time, maybe an extra half cup.)
1 1/4 c. hot vegetable stock (from boiling the potatoes)
salt and ground black pepper

Scrub potatoes well; cook in large pot of boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Remove and cool slightly, then peel and cut into very thin slices.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of 9x13 baking dish with oil. Layer potato slices in dish with rosemary, cheese, and olives. (I made 3 layers.)

Drizzle with remaining oil and vegetable stock; season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 35 minutes. The recipe recommends covering the potatoes with foil to prevent overbrowning, but mine did just fine uncovered.