Kataïfi (καταϊφι)

The sister dessert to Baklava has to be Kataifi. The more common and popular dessert is baklava but don't let that keep you from trying out this dessert that's easy to assemble, fabulous to look at and ever a delight to eat.

Much like Baklava, Kataifi exists in the dessert repertoire of Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern and some Arabic nations. Kataifi is a pastry that resembles "shredded wheat" but that's where the similarity begins and ends.

Kataifi behaves like phyllo dough in that one has to work quick, be fresh and be kept moist when handling it (like phyllo). Where does one buy Kataifi? That's easy, you'll likely see packages of Kataifi pastry for sale in stores that sell phyllo pastry and quite often, they are beside each other in the freezer!

The most common filling for the Greek Kataifi is chopped walnuts but I don't think the Greek Food Taliban will fault you for making up your own nut mix. One can try pistachios, almonds, pecans or go ultra-rich with pine nuts!

During the Christmas holidays, I was in a mood for a combo of pistachios, almonds and walnuts, do I hear a "Hell Yeah"?

Having some leftover filling from my chocolate baklava, I went & got some Kataifi pastry from my Greek grocer and set out to make some Kataifi!

Sandie, this one's for you!

Kataïfi (καταϊφι)

1 package (1lb) of Kataifi pastry, thawed
1/2 lb. of melted butter

Filling
2/3 cup of walnuts, fine chop
2/3 cup of pistachios, fine chop
2/3 cup of blanched almonds, fine chop
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of ground cloves
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Syrup
3/4 cup of honey
2 cups of sugar
2 1/2 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon

some reserved nuts for topping

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Buy your Kataifi pastry from a store that sells alot of phyllo and kataifi pastry (high turnover). This ensures you're buying a fresh product each time. Thaw in the fridge overnight and take out of the fridge about 15 minutes before working with it to come to room temperature.
2. In a food processor, pulse your nut mixture until you've achieved a crumbly nut mixture. Empty into a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients in the filling list.
3. After you've brought your Kataifi to room temperature, open the pastry. The Kataifi I work with comes rolled up in a package. Carefully unroll it and using some scissors, cut up into 2"X5" strips. Keep your supply of Kataifi pieces covered with a damp towel as you assemble the Kataifi rolls.
4. Drizzle the surface of your Kataifi piece and place 1 Tbsp. of the nut mixture at one end of the Kataifi strip and roll it up tightly into a small cylinder. Place the the assembled rolls of Kataifi on a buttered 11"X 15" pan and sprinkle them with melted butter.
5. Bake in a preheated 350F oven (middle rack) for 1 hour. Allow to cool.
6. Prepare the syrup as follows: add all the syrup ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Keep the syrup hot until your Kataifi has cooled from the oven (Katiafi must be cool - syrup hot).
7. Using a ladle, pour the hot syrup over the entire surface of your Kataifi. You may see pooling of syrup but no worries, the Kataifi will absorb the syrup up. Sprinkle the reserved nuts over the Kataifi pieces.
   
8. Allow to cool before serving. Keep stored in an airtight container (room temperature) for a week.
   

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Leek and Cheese Pie - Prassopita (Πρασόπιτα)

Another year is behind us and I would be lying if I told you it was a great year for most. With these trying economic times, we're seeing the flipside of globalization. Local events can and are being affected by economic factors halfway around the world from where one lives.

We all seem to be in step with trends, fads, news and we're wired closer to each other but we're also tethered by economic forces that affect us all.

It's a time for reflection, a time to again give thanks for what we have and what matters to our lives, our families and our loved ones. As us Greeks say, health above all. If you don't have your good health, you have NOTHING! I'm thankful for what I have, where I am and content that I can direct my future. Not so many are this fortunate. Remember this and live your lives accordingly.

Tonight, New Year's Eve, I will be joining a party of 14 friends for what will be a sumptuous meal at one of my favourite eateries in Toronto and we'll usher in the New Year with bubbly, good wine, hugs, kisses and lots & lots of laughs.

There's no way I'm cooking tonight, even I need a break from the kitchen but tomorrow's another story. We're having folks over for a New Year's Day dinner but the menu is iron-clad, no surprises and it will allow for me to sleep in and practically prepare the meal in my sleep.

I'll be roasting another Prime Rib, whipping up some mashed potatoes, green beans with slivered almonds and crispy bacon, a salad with greens and a Pomegranate vinaigrette, a fine-tuned cream of mushroom and chestnut soup and the return of the Quince Bougatsa with the season's last of the quince.

As is customary for Greeks, a Vassilopita is also usually presented after dinner to be blessed and then cut into pieces and divided amongst the guests. Like many other cultures, celebrating New Year's "properly" is to assure one of entering the NewYear with some good fortune, and good health.

The Vassilopita's recipe varies from home to home but you can have a look our family's take here. The Vassilopita contains a coin hidden in it and whoever gets the piece with the coin is annointed "the one" with the good luck in the coming year.

This year, our family's decided to take the Vassilopita tradition back to my early days as a boy where my mom would hide the coin in one of her Spanakopitas or Tyropitas.

Recently, my mom and I managed to share and cook in the same kitchen without starting a Third World War and banging out some pretty awesome food. I continue my apprenticeship of making homemade phyllo and beyond watching or reading the instructions from a recipe, the key here is practice, practice, practice.

Another family favourite in the repotoire of savory phyllo pies is the Leek and Cheese Pie or, Prassopita. If you have friends from the northern province of Macedonia, you might be lucky enough to try a piece of this savory pie, generous with a filling of sauteed leeks, zucchini, Feta and fresh Myzithra (ricotta) cheese.

My mom & made the homemade phyllo, just like we did when we made Spanakopita and just ued the filling for the Prassopita (Leek and Cheese Pie). Once again, homemade phyllo requires practice but if you're adept at handling store-bought phyllo, that would work great here too!

I would to wish all of you a Happy New Year, continued prosperity and good health to all. See you next year!

Prassopita (Πρασόπιτα)

Filling
500gr. fresh Myzithra (ricotta) cheese
500gr. crumbled Feta cheese
1 bunch of leeks (3-4), cleaned, chopped & sauteed in olive oil
2 zucchinis, peeled and grated
3 eggs
1/2 bunch of chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the green parts off the leeks and save for a soup or stock. Cut down the length of the leeks, almost to the root and open the layers of leeks with your fingers and run through cold water.
   
2. Finely chop your leeks and place in a large skillet with a few turns of olive oil and saute until softened and translucent. You may now quickly peel your zucchinis and grate them and add them to the already sauteeing leeks. Add some salt to help draw out the moisture and saute on medium-low heat (covered for about 30 minutes).
3. Allow the leek mixture to come to room temperature and then add the remaining ingredients (eggs, cheeses, salt and pepper, chopped dill).
4. Prepare the dough and phyllo as per the Spanakopita recipe and add leek and cheese filling. Bake as per instructions.
   

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2008 Peter Minakis

Chocolate Baklava (Μπακλαβάς Σοκολάτας)

Perhaps one of the best known and popular Greek desserts is Baklava. Greeks have made & enjoyed Baklava for ages and it's popularity is further evidenced by versions of Baklava appearing in Turkish, Middle-Eastern and Persian cuisines.

Baklava is essentially made of layers of phyllo sandwiching a nut and spice mixture in the middle. A syrup is then poured over the baked Baklava to offer up a glossy texture on the palate and contrasted by the crunch of the phyllo and nut mixture.

The most common Baklava made by Greeks contains walnuts but pistachios and almonds can make an appearance and here I use all three in the nut and spice mixture.

For as long as I can remember the special occasion Greek table, Baklava usually made it's appearance on the dessert table.

A Greek bakery could not survive without an offering of Baklava in their patisserie offerings. Some versions of Greek Baklava are drowned (in my opinion) with the finishing syrup and I prefer the " not too much, not too little but juuuust the right amount" of syrup.

Chocolate Baklava is offered up by better Greek bakeries. One of Greece's pre-eminent bakeries, Xatzi (Hatzi) produces a wonderful Chocolate Baklava but I've trimmed the size to a smaller, bite-sized triangle that will allow your appetite to explore the other treats on offer at the Greek dessert table.

Before I get to the recipe, a quick reminder for those sheepish on handling phyllo pastry:

• Buy frozen phyllo from a store that has a high turnover of phyllo (equals fresh) from a Greek or Middle-eastern store.
• Thaw your phyllo overnight in the fridge prior to use and allow it to come to room temperature (for 15 minutes) before using.
• Place a damp towel over the phyllo while assembling your dish and be organized, work quick.
• Melted clarified butter is my preferred treatment for brushing phyllo.

Chocolate Baklava (Μπακλαβάς Σοκολάτας)
1 package of frozen phyllo (thawed overnight in fridge)
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of blanched almonds
1 cup of blanched pistachios
1 cup of coarse bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. of sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 egg white
2 sticks of melted unsalted butter, clarified
1/4 cup olive oil (reduces the prospect of butter burning)

Syrup
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 whole cloves

Chocolate Coating
100 gr. of semi-sweet chocolate
100 gr. of unsalted room temp. butter

1. In a food processor, pulse your walnuts, almonds, pistachios and bread crumbs into a coarse ground. Empty into a bowl and add your ground cinnamon and clove, sugar and egg white and mix to bind all the ingredients. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt your clarified butter with the olive oil and keep warm.
   
2. Roll out your phyllo on your work surface and vertically dissect in half. Now cut each half into three, leaving you with six long strips of phyllo sheets.
3. Place a strip on phyllo on the board, paint some butter with a brush and lay a second strip of phyllo and again paint in with butter. Place a heaping Tbsp. of the nut filling at the bottom the strip and fold the side in over the filling and then starting from the bottom, fold into a triangle shape as shown (diagram).
4. Place on a baking sheet that's been brushed with butter and continue to form your triangular pockets of Baklava.
5. Pre-heat your oven to 325F (middle rack) and butter the tops of your Baklava triangles. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the tops are golden-brown. Allow to cool.
6. Make your syrup by adding the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and wholes in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then pour over the cooled Baklava triangles. After 60 minutes, carefully flip the Baklava and allow the other half of the triangles to soak up the syrup. Place the Baklava triangles on a wired tray to drain.
7. To make the chocolate coating, set up a double-boiler on your stove top and ensure the water is on a very low simmer. Add your chocolate and butter and gently whisk until incorporated and melted.
   
8. Use some wooden souvlaki skewers to assist in coating your baklava with chocolate. Carefully secure each triangle with a skewer and place the triangle in the melted chocolate and twirl in the chocolate until coated. You may then stick the skewer into a florist's oasis to allow the Chocolate Baklavas to dry.
9. Once cooled, place in a plastic-wrap lined container and store in a cool dry place or even a freezer. Good for a month (if they last that long).

Strifti Tyropita (Cheese Boureki)

Anyone remember my Spanakopita? Today I present to you the cheese version of Greek pita. Once again, with the immense patience of my mom, I was able to pull off making this coiled, cheese pie.

This coiled cheese pie is called Strifti in much of Greece and in northern Greece we call it Boureki. The word boureki is derived from the Turkish word "burek", meaning bread. What the Cretans call Boureki is far different from what I'm about to show you now.

Once again, homemade phyllo is made, rolled and filled to make a coiled cheese pie that's slightly crunchy on the top and bottom and soft and flaky on the sides. The filling is creamy, with feta, eggs and myzithra (ricotta).

I will make the claim that most households enjoy this type of pita from a Tyropitathiko or they buy a frozen, ready to bake version of this from the supermarket.

Sadly, the art of making your phyllo is a dying art. There are many good quality phyllos out there for purchase but none will give you the look, texture or eating satisfaction that you'll have when biting into one of these.

My apprenticeship in phyllo making will continue. The filling possibilities are endless and I haven't even touched upon phyllo use with desserts. Anyone interested in a Baklava with homemade phyllo? Patience please.

Strifti Tyropita (Cheese Boureki)

Phyllo

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups of water
1 heaping Tbsp. salt
1/8 cup of white vinegar
4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
17 inch round baking tray

Cheese Filling
1/2 kg. crumbled feta
800gr. myzithra (ricotta)
4 large eggs
1 tsp. salt

1. In your stand mixer (with the hook), add all of the phyllo ingredients into the bowl and start to mix on low for a couple of minutes or so, until a wet, firm ball forms and it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
2. Take your dough out of the bowl and add some bench flour to your work surface. Start kneading the dough with your palm in a backward/forwards motion. Gradually add 1/2 cup of flour to your dough ball during the kneading.
3. Dissect your dough in half and then divide into ten pieces. Knead each of the ten pieces into small balls, dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap.
4. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
5. Now roll out each dough ball into flat, pancake sizes (sprinkle more flour on work surface).
6. Cover the dough pancakes with plastic wrap and allow to rest for another 30 minutes.
7. Roll out the edges of each dough pancake and then using your knuckles underneath the dough, stretch the dough carefully and with a spreading out motion of your arms.
8. Drizzle with vegetable oil, fold in half and drizzle the ends and the surface area.
9. Spread 3 heaping Tbsp. of cheese filling across the dough length.
10. Roll up the dough (like a cigar) to seal in the filling.
11. Start forming a coil from the inner most part of the pan. Repeat until the round pan is filled with coils.
12. Brush the top with oil and bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.

Spanakopita

Ladies and Gentlemen, I DID IT!

I present to you today, a very special treat - a window in on the Greek kitchen, to peer in and rediscover a vanishing art in Greek cuisine.

I'm of course speaking of making your own phyllo dough. I promised to only show hoe to make a "pita" and homemade phyllo only when I can truly say that it was made with my own hands.

The ensuing Spanakopita was made under a very watchful eye of my mother but I'm very proud to present this to you, personally from me.

Follow the instructions carefully. One step's successful execution will make or break if the next step turns out. After watching my mom and trying to making it myself in previous attempts, each step will determine the success of the next step.

Another as aspect of a pita is a good filling. I think the biggest mistake made by Greeks and non-Greeks alike is no balance in the filling: too much spinach, too much feta, not enough of one ingredient or the lack of other ingredients. A filling of simply spinach and feta is too bold, a sledgehammer to the palete - all other flavour is lost, like tasting the delicate phyllo, the mellow Myzithra (ricotta), the essence of the spinach.

Don't expect to get this right the first time. You'll need to get a feel for the dough and they make or break step of actually pinching out the dough with your fingers...that talent will come with time.

I love my mom's pita and I challenge any Greek (or non-Greek) to make a better one. My mom used to be the crew-boss for the Ladies' Auxilliary of our church and they would all participate n making trays upon trays of "pitas" for the annual St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church's summer Greek festival.

I have serious offers to commercially sell these but for years my mom's been shutting down my requests to take her"pitas" to the next level.

Armed with her kitchen wisdom, I may just do it myself!

Spanakopita
(makes 1 round tray, large sized pizza)

2 cups of warm water 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. fine salt
1/8 cup vegetable oil
Min. 4 cups of all-purpose white flour
(may need 5 cups of flour depending on the day)
a mixture of 1/2 cup clarified butter and 1/2 cup olive oil

Spinach Filling

500gr. Myzithra (ricotta cheese)
3 large eggs
500 gr. feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh dil
2 bunches of scallions, sauteed in oil (softened)
3 bunches of spinach, washed, blanced, drained (or 3 boxes of from frozen spinach)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all of the above ingredients and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, reserve.

Making the Phyllo

1. In a large bowl, add 2 cups of warm water, your sugar and yeast. Allow the yeast to activate in the time of approx. 5 minutes (it should foam).
2. Add the salt and vegetable oil.
3. Using your hands, gradually add the flour while kneading. depending on the day, temperature, humidity, you'll need anywhere from 4 to 5 cups of flour. It should be firm, but still a little sticky
4. Spread a handful of flour on your surface. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. Add small amounts of flour as your kneading until the dough ball no longer sticks to your hands. The dough should still be soft, firm yet a little sticky.
5. Cut the dough into little meatball sizes (about 21 to 22 little pieces) and cover them with flour to prevent them from sticking.
6. Divide your dough balls into two groups: 12 dough balls are for your bottom portion of the pita and 10 (or 11) balls or for the top portion of the pita (middle being the filling).
7. Throw some flour on your work surface and roll out your dough balls into flat rounds the size of a large pancake. Brush each round with the butter/oil mix and create a two stacks (one for bottom, one for top).
8. Brush the baking tray with ONLY vegetable oil...butter or olive oil will burn.
9. This step is VERY IMPORTANT...Take a pancake of dough from the bottom stack, hold the top part of the round with both hands and use one hand to to move the dough (clockwise or counterclockwise) and use the other hand with your index and thumb pinching the dough upwards and outwards. This motion plus gravity is stretching out your elastic dough to a paper thin consistency. See it getting thin? Some holes may develop, it's okay, your other layers will cover for you.
10. Place your thin layer of what is now a phyllo sheet onto your baking tray and gently stretch it out to the rim of the tray.
11. Repeats steps 8 and 9 until all of the pancakes from your "bottom pile" have been been laid out on the surface. Transfer to the baking tray and stretch out your bottom phyllo layers to the entire rim circumference.
12. Drizzle the bottom layers of your pita with the butter/oil mixture and brush the entire surface. Poke some holes in the phyllo with a fork.
13. Add your spanakopita filling to the tray and spread it out so that's even.
14. Repeat steps 8 and 9 to complete the top part of your phyllo component.
15. Drizzle the top layers of your pita with the butter/oil mixture and brush the entire surface.
16. Using a fork, poke any air bubbles that make have formed in the "pita' and brush the top of your "pita" with the oil/butter mixture.
17. Pre-heat your oven to 375F, middle rack and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the top is golden-brown.
18. When your Spanakopita is done, place the tray on the stove or counter-top and allow to rest for 20 minutes before cutting.