Savory “Kitchen Sink” Phyllo Casserole

In Bulgaria the phyllo pie with feta cheese (banitsa) is a classic favorite, however, we also consume variations – e.g. we add spinach, or zucchini, or leeks to the feta, and in some traditional recipes you will even see strange combinations like cabbage, or rice. Of course the whole concept of phyllo sheets with buttery fillings is versatile, so here is the version my family makes. The filling is sauteed onions, mushrooms and sausage or chopped franks, bratwurst, ham (whatever deli meat you’ve got – hence “kitchen sink”), some sharp yellow cheese, and of course — feta. Liberally sprinkled with the herb savory, about 4 tablespoons of this mix are evenly  laid per sheet of phyllo. The sheets are rolled and arranged in concentric circles in a buttered baking dish.  Do not put any butter on top! You bake the casserole for 15 minutes at 350F degrees and then, after the top is crispy and darker, you cover it with a pre-prepared mixture of two beaten eggs, half a cup of milk and 1/4 a cup of mayo (yup) – all of this well-mixed (with no lumps). Make sure the liquid makes its way into the nooks and crannies of the phyllo sheets. Bake for about 15-20  minutes more, until the “custard” is set. You might have to cover with foil so it doesn’t burn (depending on your oven). Play it by ear.

This is the perfect breakfast!

Smore Breakfast Waffles

I am known among my friends as a smores addict, so I jumped on this without hesitation. I saw this recipe as an animated gif somewhere – there are so many sites like that now – but in essence it involves making waffle batter (2 cups of flour, 1 3/4 cups milk, 2 eggs, 3 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, couple of tablespoons oil, lots of chocolate chips and about a cup of crushed honey graham biscuits), and stuffing the waffle with smores material. After the waffle is ready, it is cut in half, loaded with marshmallows and pressed again with your waffle press. I even added more chocolate chips with the marshmallows, but that’s entirely up to you, and the power of your smores addiction 🙂

Grasshopper Tarte

This is my green contribution to St. Patrick’s Day. No, this recipe has nothing Irish about it, but it is green, on account of the minty mousse. The original version calls for creme de menthe, but I didn’t want to make yet another boozy dessert, so I substituted with peppermint syrup, and oh-me-oh-my- the result is fresh-fresh-fresh (almost resembles key lime pie a bit). There are tons in mini chocolate chips in the mousse, trust me, just don’t know why they are hiding. Which makes me wonder – what kind of magic did they perform to get them to show for the book shots?! hm.

Recipe from the book here:

http://imbibemagazine.com/grasshopper-pie-recipe/

Marula Cream-Soaked Tres Leches (Milk Cake)

Tres Leches is a Latin American cake made with at least three types of milk. It is a basic yellow cake soaked with condensed + evaporated milk, and topped with whipped heavy cream. This here version is boozy – it is made with 5 leches actually! Heavy cream, whole milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and the cream liqueur pictured below. Here is what I did – followed this recipe for the cake layer: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/7399/tres-leches-milk-cake/ (Just cut the quantities in half, and it worked out). Then I soaked it in a mixture composed roughly of a can of condensed (sweetened) milk, a cup of Marula liqueur, 1/2 cup of whole milk, and 1 cup of evaporated milk. The topping is whipped cream and cinnamon. It is exponentially better (more aromatic) than regular Tres Leches! And re: the pic below – yes, I share cake with my co-workers, and yes, I brought an empty bottle to work for the picture 🙂

P.S. There are many elaborate recipes out there that involve beating the egg whites separately etc. Since we’re soaking the cake, I am not sure a super fluffy texture won’t be lost when it is drenched with creamy/milky sauce. Some actually use a cake mix, and if it has nice basic ingredients, I’d say why not!

Herb pretzel bites with cheddar Kimchi dip

For pretzel aficionados this would be an unforgivable shortcut – taking ready-made pizza dough (Trade Joe’s herb pizza dough to be exact), chopping it into bits, boiling it in water and baking soda for 20 seconds, and then baking in the oven. It does taste like a pretzel, hallelujah! The only challenge was making sure the chunks preserve some time of shape.

And then the kimchi dip – cheddar, chopped kimchi and sour cream, topped with green onions.

Here is the recipe for the Kimchi dip/queso:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewilnyckyj/kimchi-slay-my-life#.se72p4B933

and here is one for pretzel bites (followed only the last part with the boiling and baking, didn’t make the dough myself):

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/homemade-soft-pretzel-bites/

Short rib ragu pasta with dark chocolate

Sadly this recipe takes 3 hours. Happily – it is such an upgrade from Bolognese sauce, that it’s all worth it. It’s an old Giada de Laurentis recipe, not much can be done to improve it. Sprinkling with dark chocolate is a wonderful accent, don’t be afraid! Just don’t put the chocolate in the sauce… it makes it bitter (by golly – what kind of person would do that anyway?! ;))

Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/short-ribs-with-tagliatelle-recipe.html

Wheat with Fruit & Nuts

This dish is really the Armenian Anoush abour (translates to “sweet soup”; also called “Armenian Christmas Pudding”). In Bulgaria we eat wheat mostly at events for remembrance (when someone passes away or at an anniversary of their passing). The way we consume it is rather bland usually – just boiled wheat with powdered sugar. Eating it a la Anoushabour is a way better idea! This is like a cold syrupy version of oatmeal, really. And with a splash of rosewater – it gets even tastier.

Here is my recipe:

1 cup pearl wheat

1 cup sugar

3 cups of water

2 cups chopped nuts & dry fruit (used pecans, pistacchio, pine nuts, almonds here, and apricots, raisins and cranberries)

1 cup of applesauce (unsweetened) – this is my addition, not a traditional ingredient

Cinnamon (to taste)

Boil the wheat until the grains split open and are very tender. Add all remaining ingredients (do not remove any of the water from the pot; if the water has evaporated – add some more – about half a cup to a full cup), mix and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for an hour. The consistency should be like less mushy oatmeal. I personally prefer it a lot drier, as you can see from the pic. Also I used spelt, which keeps its shape more than pearl wheat does! If it is too dry for you – add more applesauce or syrup (water boiled with sugar at a 1:1 ratio)

Coconut & White Chocolate Puff Pastry

This super easy assembly-type recipe for Sweet Almond Pastry, became a Coconut pastry, because I had a jar of coconut jam (yes, there is such a thing – > http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-World-Organic-Jam-11-6/dp/B00E65Z1MW). I added white chocolate to the filling, however, I must admit that upon melting, its taste disappears and its presence is not felt at all 😦

The braid is topped with almonds, coconut flakes and sprinkled with coconut sugar. So if you are bored with your almond croissant – this is a worthy alternative!

Original recipe:

http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2016/01/sweet-almond-pastry/?utm_content=bufferaf1e0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Crepes with creme fraiche and wild strawberry preserves

Wild (forest) strawberries are so hard to find here in the States, but back in my hometown in Bulgaria, they are aplenty!  I am quite happy I got some now, and of course the best pairing is with crepes. These crepes are quite ordinary, except that I followed a tip which made them fluffier – I let the egg/milk/flour batter rest overnight. And, indeed, the texture is softer, and the world – a better place 🙂

Chocolate Kadaif

Kadaif is shredded phyllo dough, and is usually consumed with a regular sugar-based syrup spiked with either vanilla, or rosewater or orange blossom essence. It is, quite frankly, my most favorite Turkish dessert EVER. This here is a very unusual way of eating kadaif – crumbled and mixed with chocolate, and then covered with ganache and nuts. It reminds me of a classed-up chocolate rice krispie (of course much crunchier). You can find kadaif in Arabic and Middle Eastern food stores (it is actually quite easy to find).

The recipe is from Lussi’s World of Artcraft: http://lussisworldofartcraft.blogspot.com/2016/02/chocolate-kadaif-cikolatal-kadayf.html.