Thanksgiving Leftovers Spicy and Flakey Samosa Pie

I saw these samosas being made on a morning show the Friday after Thanksgiving. Little triangles of leftover vegies were wrapped in phyllo dough and baked until crispy. Samosas are an Indian appetizer or street food.A spicy potato and vegetable mixture is wrapped in dough, fried, and served with a fresh chutney. I have made them a number of times before, and I had 1/2 package of phyllo, leftover potatoes and vegetables, so I figured I could come up with something similar.

The phyllo was leftover from making a vegetarian entree of Spanakopita for Thanksgiving, and I knew that it probably wasn't supple enough the second day to do all that folding. Also I was feeling a little flakey from the feasting and wining the night before to do that much work, so a pie was the better way to go. Great, it worked out. The pie looked gorgeous and tasted authentically Indian. It was a little spicy for some, but the heat can be adjusted to suit tastes.

Recipe:

1/2 1b. Phyllo Dough
2 Tbsp. Oil
1 1/2 to 2 cups Mashed Potatoes
2 small Carrots, diced
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 cup cooked Spinach, chopped
8 Cremini Mushrooms, quartered
1 Tbsp. Ginger, minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp. Turmeric
1 tsp. Coriander, ground
1/2 tsp. Cumin, ground
salt 1/2 tsp
1/4 tsp Cayenne or to taste (I used leftover Padron Peppers, pan-broiled)
1/2 cup melted Butter and Olive Oil combined, for assembling pie

Saute onions and carrots in 2 Tbsp. oil until softened. Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes, add garlic and ginger, saute 1 minute, add spinach, garam masala, turmeric, coriander, salt, and cayenne pepper or padrons and saute 2 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes.

Brush a 10" pie pan with oil or butter. Place a phyllo leaf on it and brush again. The edges will drape over the side; that's OK for later. Repeat 3 times until you have 4 layers with oil in between.

Smooth the filling in the phyllo crust. Top with 4 layers of phyllo dough, brushed with oil or butter in between each sheet, and bring up the draped sides to form a rim. Keep the phyllo flexible by covering with a damp towel between uses. Bruth the top and sides with oil.

Phyllo dough is very forgiving. Since we are using leftover dough, it can be a little dry and the leaves tend to stick together. Just do the best you can; it will come out fine.

Bake in a 375 F degree oven for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and crispy.‌

Serve with mint chutney, if possible.





 
 

Diane's Phyllo Rolls with Chicken, Spinach, and Herbed Goat Cheese

Reconnecting with old friends on the Internet is pretty easy these days. One of the benefits is that they remember things you shared together that one has long forgotten. My friend, Diane, who worked with me at the old Ledford House in Little River many, many long years ago, requested a recipe for a dish I served there. I had not thought of this particular recipe for years, but I still think it is a good one, and the ingredients can be updated now.

Back then, I used a good French Goat Cheese, Boucheron, but there are now many California farmhouse goat cheeses which would work as well, if not better. They were not available locally, "whey" back then.
This time, I used a Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery Chevre, a creamy goat cheese from Sonoma County, CA.

Although this is a fairly elaborate dish and worthy of a special occasion, once the ingredients are cooked and prepped, it is fairly easy to assemble. The cheese, spinach, and creme fraiche can all be made ahead of time, and even the Phyllo rolls can be put together and refrigerated to be popped into the oven at the last moment.

Phyllo pastry has gone through some changes also. It is available in the freezer sections of larger grocery stores and some smaller ones now. Whole wheat Phyllo dough is a recent option; it is healthier and sturdier, but is a little chewier. I used a regular Athens Phyllo, but Organic is available, too.

RECIPE:
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:

Chicken:
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Spinach:
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

Herbed Goat Cheese:
4-ounce Boucheron or other creamy goat cheese, softened
2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped (0r 1 tsp. dried)
2 tsp. fresh dill, minced (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 small clove garlic, minced

Phyllo:
16 frozen phyllo pastry sheets, thawed (approx. 8" x 12")
Melted butter or olive oil

Preparation:
Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/8-inch thickness, using a
meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Sauté spinach and onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes or until
onion is tender. Remove from heat. When cooled down, chop roughly.
Blend Boucheron with basil, dill, and garlic with fork, cuisinart, or stand mixer.
Spoon 1/8 spinach mixture and 1/8 cheese mixture on center of each chicken breast half, and roll up,
jellyroll fashion.
Unfold phyllo sheets on a lightly floured surface. Stack 2 phyllo sheets, brush with melted butter,
stack 2 more sheets on top and brush again with melted butter. (Keep remaining phyllo sheets covered
with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.) Place 1 chicken roll on short side of phyllo stack; gently
roll up, folding in long side. Repeat procedure with remaining pastry, melted butter, and chicken.
Place rolls in a shallow pan, and brush with melted butter. Phyllo rolls may be refrigerated at the
point; Allow for an extra 5 minutes cooking time.
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until done. Serve topped with about 3 Tbsp. creme fraiche.

CREME FRAICHE: In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream to 105 degrees F (40 degrees C). Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk. Transfer the cream to a large bowl and allow this mixture to stand in a warm place, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until thickened but still of pouring consistency. This process takes anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, depending on your room temperature. The creme fraiche is ready when it is thick with a slightly nutty sour taste. Chill cream, in the refrigerator, for several hours before using. Creme fraiche may be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Pumpkin Spice Rolls with Rum Drizzle Icing

Pumpkin Spice Rolls with Rum Drizzle

(Adapted from a recipe by Gabi Moskowitz BrokeAss Gourmet)

There is nothing like a cold rainy day to get me thinking about turning the oven on and baking some goodies. These rolls are quick and easy, only 30 minutes rising time. The rum drizzle is optional, and milk can be substitued for the rum. I do encourage the use of dark Meyer's rum exclusively, though. Like real vanilla, there is really no substitute.

I used my own pumpkin and kabocha squash from the garden, baked and pureed. I found I had to add almost an extra cup of flour* to get the dough to a consistency I could handle, so watch the dough carefully as you mix.

I don't keep pumpkin pie spice mix on hand, but I did have all the ingredients. It's incredibly easy to make your own, and I have included directions at the end of the recipe, as well as for the Rum Drizzle Icing.

Drizzling is really fun; you just take a fork and scoop up some runny icing and, from a distance of about 8", run it back and forth across the tops of the rolls. You can make designs or free-form it, as you wish. You have to wait a little bit for the rolls to cool if you want the icing to hold it's shape. The rolls in the picture were too warm for the icing to hold up, but I didn't think they would last until they cooled way down, so I drizzled anyway.

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast (1 Tbsp.)

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

2-3 cups all-purpose flour*, plus more for rolling

pinch salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 stick butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside. Combine yeast, 1/2 cup warm water and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Stir gently and let sit to activate for 5 minutes.
Stir in canned pumpkin*, flour and salt until a sticky dough forms. Knead dough on a floured surface for 4-5 minutes or until very elastic (this can also be done in a food processor or stand-up mixer).Pour the vegetable oil into a mixing bowl and transfer dough to the bowl. Turn dough over to make sure the oil coats it thoroughly.
Cover bowl with a clean, moist dish towel and place in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
While dough rises, combine the butter, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well until a creamy paste forms.
Once dough has risen, punch dough down and transfer to a lightly floured surface. and roll out into a large rectangle (about 12“x16”).Use a rubber spatula or butter knife to spread the butter-sugar mixture all over the top of the dough. Roll up tightly, pinching to seal, so you have a 10” long cylinder.
Use a sharp knife to carefully cut the cylinder into 8-10 disks. Arrange disks on the floured baking sheet.
Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until edges have turned golden-brown. Remove to a platter and scrape any filling that has leaked out over the tops. Let cool slightly and serve warm.

Makes 8-10 cinnamon rolls.

Rum Drizzle Frosting:

2 Tbsp. Meyer's Dark Rum

1/2 Cup confectioner's sugar drop of vanilla

Mix together to form a smooth paste, and drizzle over the tops of the rolls

Make your own Pumpkin Pie Spice:

1 teaspoon of cinnamon into a small bowl or cup.

1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger.

1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice or ground cloves.

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

Stir to blend.

Makes 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Galore

 Our pumpkins and winter squash are harvested and stored.  We did well with Kabocha, Delicata, and Sugar Pumpkins. We also grew a couple of large Cinderella pumpkins (Rouges Ver d'Etamps variety) this year.  They are wonderful to cook with, but I always have loads of extra puree to freeze and then use.  I made a pumpkin cookbook last year, and this year I have been researching the food blogs for interesting recipes, and I found some goodies.  Broke Ass Gourmet has recipes for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Pizza, and Pumpkin Naan.  Ruth Reichl posts a Pumpkin Pancake recipe which looks as delicious as it is easy to put together in the AM.

Pumpkin Naan Broke Ass Gourmet

http://www.ruthreichl.com/2010/10/pumpkin-pancakes.html


                                                                                                          

                                                              

                     

Fruit Cobblers Plain and Fancy; Plum Good!

This post is in response to a recipe request from a friend.  A fruit cobbler is a dessert that can be made in a flash with almost any fruit or combonation of fruits.  These 2 recipes are especially easy as the topping is dropped on and doesn't have to be rolled out.  It comes out light and fluffy, buttery and mildly sweet.  The marzipan crust has a crisp top and an elegant flavor. 

Fruit Cobbler

4 1/2 Cups Flour (1 1/2)
1 1/2 Cups Sugar (1/2)
6 Tsp. Baking Powder (2)
3/4 Tsp. Salt (1/4)
1/2 Almond Extract (1/4)
1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter, cold, cut into cubes (1/2)
3 Eggs (1)
1 1/2 Cup Milk (1/2)

Use numbers in parentheses for 8" x 8" pan or 9" pie plate. Full recipe fills 9" x 13" or 12"x 16" pan.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add almond extract. In bowl of Cuisinart or with 2 knives, cut in butter until it is the size of peas.

Beat eggs and milk together. Mix with dry ingredients until wet. Do not overmix.

Fill 12" x 16" pan or 9" pie plate with sliced fruit. Add 3/4-cup sugar (1/4 cup), 3/4-cup flour (1/4 cup), mix all together and dot with 1/4 (2 Tbsp.) butter.
Pour topping over fruit mix. Sprinkle with almond slices.

Bake at 350 degrees until crust is done. It will take at least an hour, maybe 1 1/2 hours or 2 for the large pan. The smaller cobbler should take 50-55 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or Vanilla ice cream.

Plum Cobbler with Marzipan-Biscuit Topping

The marzipan topping adds a dimension of richness and flavor.Yield: 8 servings

For the Filling:

6 cups pitted sliced plums, cut in pieces (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

For the Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup marzipan or almond paste, broken into pieces
1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup chilled whipping cream
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

FOR THE FILLING:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter 8-inch square baking dish. Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to baking dish. Dot fruit with butter pieces. Bake until fruit mixture bubbles in center, about 1 hour. Cool while preparing topping.

FOR THE TOPPING:

Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt in processor. Pulse to blend. Add marzipan and process until marzipan is incorporated into flour. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream and process just until combined. Drop cobbler dough by teaspoonfuls over surface of fruit. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over dough.

Bake until topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Olive Oil Cake experiments

I haven't made this, but it got 5 star reviews.  I would use a compote of whatever fruit is in season and not the citrus at this time of year.  I like the inclusion of almonds; almonds always make desserts extra yummy.


Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

 Cook Time:35 min or 50-55 if using bundt pan

Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, coarsely crumbled
Powdered sugar, for sifting

Citrus Compote:
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
3 oranges, segmented
2 pink grapefruits, segmented

Directions

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan or a Bundt pan (alot of recommendations for this). Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the almonds. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place cake pan on baking pan to collect any possible spills. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes (50-55 for Bundt). Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake and place on serving platter, top side up. Sift powdered sugar over the cake.


To make the citrus compote: Stir the orange peel, blossom water, and 2 tablespoons of accumulated juices from the segmented fruit in a small bowl to blend. Arrange the orange and grapefruit segments decoratively in a wide shallow bowl. Pour the blossom water mixture over. Cover and let stand 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Cut the cake into wedges and spoon the citrus compote alongside.

Crumble of Zucchini and Mushrooms (Crumble de Courgette aux Champignons)

Now is the time zucchini is in abundance, in home gardens and at the farmer's market. I used a large one
that almost got away in this recipe.

This came out great, and it was even better reheated lightly for breakfast the next AM. Despite all the
chopping and sauteeing, it was quite easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time. It is an adaptation
of a recipe from the food blog, Chocolate and Zucchini. There are recipes that use them both. I have made chocolate zucchini cupcakes, and they were fabulous.

Sorry there is no picture. We ate it all before the camera came out; it was that good.

Crumble of Zucchini and Mushrooms

 6 medium zucchinis
1 lb. mixed mushrooms
1/2 of an onion
1 tsp flour
olive oil
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
1/4 c. butter, diced
1/4 cup grated cheese, I think I put in a bit more (parmesan, comté...)
thyme and dried basil, or other herbs of your choice
salt, pepper
chopped fresh parsley

Wash the mushrooms under clear water, dry on a towel, and cut the large ones in smaller pieces. Dice up
the onion quarter finely. In a large skillet, heat up some olive oil, and put the onion in to cook for a
few minutes over medium heat, until it starts to get translucent. Add the mushrooms, season with dried herbs, and cook for about ten minutes, until the mushrooms have shrunk and they have released their water.

Add the flour and stir to thicken the mixture a little.

Cut the zucchinis in small pieces or batons, about the size of your pinky finger. In a large skillet, heat
up a little olive oil over high heat, put the zucchinis in, toss to coat, season with thyme, salt and
pepper, and lower the heat. Cover and cook for about twenty minutes, until the zucchinis are tender, but
not limp.

Prepare the crumble : put the oatmeal, breadcrumbs, butter and cheese in a medium bowl. Blend this all
together using the tips of your fingers, until it resembles coarse sand. Season with salt, pepper and
herbs.

The vegetables and the crumble can be prepared the day before.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a 9" 13" pan, spread out a layer of zucchinis, then a layer of mushrooms.
Distribute the crumble mixture evenly on top. Put in the oven to bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the
crumble is golden. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.