A little taste of Italy…in Spain.

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Andrea

In June of 2008 I took my daughter, Julia, on a trip to Costa del Sol, Spain in celebration of her high school graduation.  This was just as much a celebration for me as it was for her.  After all, this milestone marked a pivotal point in my life of successfully raising a beautiful daughter (both inside & out) after becoming a mother at the age of 16.  This was our, “We Did It!” trip.  I picked Spain as our destination because of Julia’s love for the language in addition to the hard fact that I could take advantage of her skills in a number of situations:  ordering at restaurants, giving directions to cab drivers, and not getting ripped off when purchasing souvenirs.  I soon discovered that her Spanish speaking skills impressed me beyond my expectations when she carried on a conversation with a local in an ice cream café as I sat there just smiling and nodding while stuffing my face with a ham sandwich.

The ham sandwich, our savior in a coastal town of fresh fish that goes from the water straight to the frying pan.  I don’t know about you but I don’t eat things that still have their head attached.  I’m sure I’d get a Greek style spanking from my Yia Yia, God rest her soul, for saying so but it’s just one of those things that I wouldn’t do without a dare that had $ riding on it.  I can’t possibly begin to count how many ham sandwiches Julia and I ate during the 8 days we were in Spain but it was a lot.  I can’t say that the food of Spain was the highlight of our trip unless I tell you the story of the little Italian treasure we found in La Carihuela, Torremolinos, just a short walk along the beach from our hotel.

As we walked along the boardwalk lined with cafés, restaurants, and shops between our hotel and the Mediterranean Sea, seeking a reprieve from ham sandwiches, we fell upon the entrance of Il Gusto.  Il Gusto, meaning the taste in Italian, quickly became our little Italian treasure by the sea.  It was as if we stumbled across a secret, not willing to share out of fear that we wouldn’t get a table so easily the next time.  Having never been to Italy, this is the closest I’ve gotten to authentic Italian food.  Perhaps Julia would be able to give you a better review regarding authenticity since she’s been to Italy but I can tell you that she was as thoroughly engaged in her entrée as I was.  Not only was the food delicious but the staff was incredibly hospitable, offering us Limoncello as a complimentary after dinner treat while charming us with conversation.  The entire experience was so seductive that we went back again… and again.  Two-thirds of my vacation spending budget was spent at Il Gusto and I think I can say with 98% certainty that I’m probably still paying it off with interest after almost 3 years.  I’m shamlessly okay with this because it was a beautiful memory and sometimes beautiful memories are expensive but they’re well worth it.  Since our return from Spain, I have not been able to prepare an Italian dish without thinking of my short love affair with Il Gusto and the impression it left on my soul.   

This Manicotti recipe is a fairly new one that I’ve come across, although I have many recipes that are quite similar, calling for spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, and lemon zest.  The one detail in this recipe that makes it unique from the other filled pasta dishes I make is the addition of heavy cream to the sauce.  This adds a sexy richness to the dish, taking it to the next level of sinful pleasure when it comes to pasta.  Fittingly, Manicotti means sleeves in Italian and are traditionally filled with a savory stuffing of cheeses, spinach and/or meat.  Surprisingly, they aren’t that difficult to fill and you don’t need any fancy kitchen gadgets to do the trick.  All you need is a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and a little patience.  Move all filling to one corner of the bag and trim a 3/4 in. opening on the corner to create a make-shift pastry bag.  This is much easier than trying to spoon the filling in, which will actually tear the pasta and result in frustration and yelling.  You want to avoid this…I speak from experience.

Manicotti with Creamy Tomato Sauce: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

No Italian meal would be complete without some version of garlic bread so I’ve included a “quick cooking” bonus recipe in this post for your pleasure and convenience.  Parmesan Knots have become a household favorite and a regular part of our meal planning.  They’re a perfect balance of Parmesan and garlic and make you look like you spent hours in the kitchen because they’re so pretty.  I will caution you though, you may end up eating more than you thought because they’re so little.

Parmesan Knots: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

When I look back on all the planning I did prior to that trip to Spain, the last thing that would have come to mind was Italian food, or ham sandwiches for that matter.  That’s the fun thing about adventures though, you just can’t anticipate all the surprises that await.  Of all the moments Julia and I experienced in Spain, few surpass the little Italian treasure in Costa del Sol that is Il Gusto.

Spinach Manicotti with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 manicotti shells (from an 8-ounce package)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Drain well and arrange in a single layer on an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and lemon zest. Stir in spinach and season filling to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer filling to a large zip-top plastic bag. Twist and squeeze bag so filling is in one corner. With scissors, snip a 3/4-inch opening in corner. Pipe filling into both ends of each pasta shell. Arrange stuffed shells in an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together marinara sauce, oregano, and cream. Pour sauce evenly over stuffed shells and top with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until sauce in center of dish is bubbling and Parmesan is browned in spots, about 30 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
From the December 2010 issue of Everyday Food.

Parmesan Knots
Ingredients
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash pepper
3 tubes (12 ounces each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the oil, cheese, parsley, oregano, garlic powder and pepper; set aside. Cut each biscuit in half. Roll each portion into a 6-in. rope; tie in a loose knot. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 8-11 minutes or until golden brown; immediately brush with the Parmesan mixture. Serve warm or freeze for up to 2 months.
To use frozen knots: Reheat, unthawed, at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Yield: 5 dozen.
From March/April 1999 issue of Taste of Home.

Posted in Appetizers, Bread, Dinner, Entertaining, Italian, Pasta, Savory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bow down to the King and Queen of salads: The Cobb and The Wedge

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Andrea

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a hearty eater.  That’s polite for “this girl can put some serious food away.”  My mother never had to worry about me cleaning my plate at meal time.  She probably could have put it back in the cabinet when I was done because I’m one of those people whose last bite is the piece of bread that I use to mop up every ounce left on my plate.  That’s how they do it in Greece so I’m sure I learned it there from a very young age.  My Greek Theas were food pushers.  Before you were even half way done, they’d ask you if you wanted more.  It makes it difficult to say no when another serving is already hovering over your plate when they ask.  I guess you could say that I’ve become an overeater out of politeness. 

I grew to love second and even third helpings which made it awkward growing up with a best friend who didn’t indulge the way I do.  I was twice the size of my best friend, Judy.  Not just in weight but height as well.  Not knowing us, you would probably look at pictures and think I was her babysitter.  She’s caught up a little in the height department but I’m sure I could still out eat her in pizza slices for sure.  I would frequent her house for dinner growing up and you’d bet I’d be there for sure on “rib night.”  Judy’s dad made the best ribs I’ve had to this day.  She knew how much I loved them and would invite me over as soon as he fired up the grill.  I’d fly over on my bike knowing it was going to be a very satisfying meal except for one thing…I knew that I wouldn’t be able to eat until I passed out.  Judy’s family didn’t eat like mine did.  I’m not saying that I ever left her house hungry, because I didn’t.  I just stopped after one helping unless they needed someone to finish the last few ribs that nobody else wanted.  Somebody taught me, “Be polite if you want to be invited back.” I was sure that eating politely in her family had quite a different meaning than it did in mine and I definitely wanted to be invited back for those ribs, so you better believe I tried not to be a hog. 

Salad hardly ever comes to mind when I think of being a hearty eater unless you’re talking about the King and Queen of salads, The Cobb and The Wedge.  Whoever thought of putting bacon and eggs on a salad is a genius by my standards!  The chunky blue cheese dressing that tops both of these salads is also one of the many reasons why they remain my favorites among the salad category.  The Cobb salad is a meal in itself.  It takes a little time to prepare due to all the chopping but it’s well worth it.  And if you take your time, it’s picture perfect for entertaining.  The Wedge salad, on the other hand, takes almost no time to whip up.  If you buy the precooked bacon, you can have a Wedge Salad on the table in minutes.  I will admit that I didn’t make my own blue cheese dressing for either of these salads and I’ll tell you why.  I believe in the phrase, “if it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it!” and if there’s a product on the market that’s delicious, use it.  For me, that product is Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing.  Trust me, it’s better than any blue cheese dressing I could ever make from scratch.  I rarely think of a salad as a meal but if it’s either one of these, I think they would certainly do the trick of satisfying this serious eater.

The Cobb Salad: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

The King of Salads:  The Cobb
Ingredients
1 head Iceberg lettuce
1/2 bag fresh baby spinach
6 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
4 slices deli ham, chopped
4 slices deli turkey, chopped
1 grilled chicken breast, chopped (I used pre-packaged)
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 handful petite baby carrots, whole
1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 ripe avocado, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
Instructions
Chop head of lettuce and wash. Run through salad spinner to remove all water.  Add spinach leaves and toss.  Lay in large shallow salad bowl.  Chop all toppings and lay vertically in rows along the top of the salad, alternating colors.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve dressing on the side.

The Wedge Salad: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

The Queen of Salads:  The Wedge
Ingredients
1 head lettuce, quartered into wedges
2 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
Instructions
Place quartered lettuce wedges on salad plates.  Spoon desired amount of dressing over wedge and let it run down the sides.  Add chopped bacon, red onion and tomato.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Salads | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ali Baba…not one of the Forty Thieves!

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Andrea

White-Bean Hummus Dip ~ Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Someone I recently found a new respect for was talking to a group of colleagues last week about diversity.  He described diversity as a symphony, sharing that you can’t have a symphony with only one kind of instrument.  This metaphor really struck me on a deep level.  So deep that I actually wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since and with today being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there’s no better time to write about how diversity has impacted my life.  I just so happen to have a recipe that represents this as well.  It’s funny how things happen to work out perfectly if you let them take a natural course.

I’ve always been drawn to people and their stories.  Asking questions is what I was born to do.  I do it everyday in my job to help people dig to find a deeper meaning and I tend to ask too many questions with everyone I meet just to learn more about them on a personal level.  We’re all guilty of making judgements about others on the surface and more often than not, I’ve found that once I hear someone’s story, the assumptions I’ve made initially are refuted by a deeper truth.

Growing up in a tiny town in rural Southeastern Michigan, I wasn’t exposed to any diversity and first learned of the need to broaden my horizons when my daughter, Julia, was 3 years old.  I remember an evening out for dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant in Ann Arbor, only a 1/2 hr away by car but worlds away in the aspect of diversity.  While we waited for the hostess to call our name for a table, an African-American woman came out of the dining area heading toward us on her way to the door.  “Look, Mommy! There’s Oprah!” my daughter shouts with an outstretched arm and pointed finger.  As you can imagine, this is in my top 3 of life’s most embarrassing moments.  Kindly, the woman approached my daughter, gently grasping her pointed finger, guiding it downward into her lap and with her soft voice said, “Oh Sweetie, I’m not Oprah but boy do I wish I was.  Thank you for the nice compliment.”  With a wink in my direction, I knew that was the cue I needed to provide my daughter more opportunities to meet people who were different from us.  Two years later we moved to Ann Arbor so I could finish my degree.  Julia began Kindergarten with many children that were different from her.  She was immediately drawn to those with rich culture and learned something new everyday not only from the lessons her teacher taught her but also from the other children in her class.  Euh-na, a little girl from Korea, gave Julia her first taste of sushi.  Mei-Mei, her best friend and neighbor from China, taught her how to count to 5 in Chinese and once in a while she still mentions Jihad, the little Iranian boy in her class that she had a crush on.  Just as my daughter was broadening her horizons, my learning and experiences went beyond the classroom as well and have become more valuable to me than any textbook I’ve read.

The spotlight recipe in this post represents the love I have for people who bring culture and new understanding to my life.  The first time I ever tried Hummus was at Ali Baba’s in Ann Arbor.  This Middle Eastern restaurant has the most amazing Hummus and Falafel I’ve had to this day.  Never having read the Arabic folktale, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, I used to be, until today, part of the ignorant popular media that portrays Ali Baba as the leader of The Forty Thieves which the title might imply.  Looking beyond the title and actually reading the story, I’ve learned that Ali Baba was actually NOT the leader of The Forty Thieves but a poor, honest woodcutter who becomes rich by outsmarting all forty thieves and the only one left knowing the secret of the hidden treasure.  Today, I make the commitment to forever remind myself not to judge a book by its cover and make a conscious effort to seek a deeper understanding in the pages beneath.  My life continues to become richer with the people I meet just as the symphony becomes more beautiful with each new instrument that sings.

White-Bean Hummus Dip
Ingredients
1/4  cup  chopped green onions
2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
2  tablespoons  tahini (sesame-seed paste)
1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
1/4  teaspoon  ground cumin
1/8  teaspoon  salt
1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
1  (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1  garlic clove, peeled
Preparation
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth.  Serve with pita bread, crackers, or fresh vegetables.
Nutritional Information
Calories:  108 (30% from fat)
Fat:  3.6g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 1.6g)
Protein:  5g
Carbohydrate:  15g
Fiber:  2.2g
Cholesterol:  0.0mg
Iron:  2mg
Sodium:  144mg
Calcium:  48mg
**recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine – May 2000 issue

Posted in Appetizers, Entertaining, Savory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Warming up…with a spicy bowl of Chicken Chili!

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Andrea

It’s snowing here in Colorado today and there’s nothing that sounds better than a big bowl of spicy chili to warm me through after hours of sledding down my favorite sledding hill.  No, I haven’t been sledding today but it is my favorite winter activity and on the rare occasion that I do venture out in weather like this, it’s what I’d choose to do.  My favorite sledding hill is known only to the locals of the small midwestern town I grew up in and has provided countless sledding runs for generations.  Wegner Field, Clinton High School’s football field, was named after former District Superintendent of Schools and a distant cousin on my maternal side, Richard Wegner.  In addition to hosting over 25 years of Friday night high school football games under the lights, Wegner Field hosts all ages for sledding during the cold and snowy winter months.  We had one trusty sled in our household and I’ve never been able to find another one quite like it.  I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase, “They don’t make ’em like they used to.”  That yellow sled was around for years.  My mom would take me on long walks in the winter and pull me around town on it while I layed on my stomach, holding on to the handles that stuck out at the top.  Maybe it was the loyality I had to it for being my way around when we had a big snow, but to me it always seemed to be the fastest ride down the hill, either sitting up or on my belly.  Getting ready to go sledding required at least 2 layers of socks, a layer of plastic to keep the socks dry, which more often than not was a bread sack, then the boots.  Admit it, you wrapped your feet in bread sacks before you put your boots on too!  It was over a mile walk from my house to the high school so by the time I got there, I was already cold from the walk but after an afternoon of sledding, it was well worth it.  Heading home cold and tired brought as much anticipation for me as getting ready to head out because warming up by the wood burning stove in our family room was just as satisfying.  The warmth of this chili makes me think of the many hours I spent in my family room warming up next to our wood burning stove.  On some of the really cold nights, I’d even pull out my sleeping bag and camp out there.  Even remembering the chore of handing in wood through the window to fill the woodbox is heartwarming though I hated it then and would do anything to avoid it. 
I love hot and spicy food and have always loved chili.  It’s one of the quickest and easiest meals to prepare and doesn’t require a side dish other than a bag of tortilla chips and a few toppings.  This recipe was given to me by an old friend, Nikki Hammel, who was a dear friend to me for many of the first few years that I lived in Colorado.  We’re not in touch any longer since she moved to Tennessee but I do miss her sometimes.  I was always impressed that she actually made her own chicken stock for this recipe.  I just use the store bought kind.  The one special trick in this recipe is to add the spices to the sautéed onions and peppers before you add the other ingredients.  The spices will stick to the vegetables instead of just floating around in the broth, giving the chili really great depth and flavor.  The spice comes from a full Tablespoon each of the 3 Cs:  Cumin, Chili Powder, and Cayenne Pepper.  If you don’t like all the heat, you can modify the amount of Cayenne Pepper although I don’t recommend it. 
Try this recipe on the next snowy day where you are and tell me, where’s your favorite sledding hill?

Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili
2 large bone-in chicken breasts (cooked, skin removed and shredded)
4 cans Great Northern Beans
2 cans Rotel* tomatoes (traditional flavor)
2 cans chicken broth
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 med green pepper (chopped)
1 med yellow onion (chopped)
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
1 cup water
Toppings:  tortilla chips, chopped red onion, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot, add chopped onion and green pepper.  Sautée until vegetables are softened.  Add spices.  Drain all 4 cans of beans then add to pot.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth and water then simmer.  Once the chicken is shredded, add it to the pot.  Cover and simmer until ready to eat.  Add desired toppings.

Posted in Dinner, Savory, Soups & Stews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

To love, honor and cherish.

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Andrea

Bacon-wrapped Chicken Tenders: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

As a child, I spent many weekends with my grandparents in the Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan.  Famous for its attractions such as Stagecoach Stop, USA and Prehistoric Forest, the Irish Hills hold many of my dear memories.  My grandparents owned a beautiful home on Twin Lakes that provided a perfect environment welcoming adventure and imagination for myself and my chosen weekend sleepover guest.  The property itself was a desirable location not only for hide and seek, snowball fights, and sledding hills, but also for private chats in the wooden swing overlooking the water and really bad, loud serenading to the occassional boats that passed by on the lake.  Inside, my grandma catered to our every whim, painting our fingernails bright red so we could hold them up against the light walls and pretend we were fancy ladies, putting our hair in rollers (the kind you have to sleep in) so we’d wake up with beautiful curls and a lot of volume, and allowing us to listen to my Aunt Ellen’s ABBA albums on the stereo console while we sang along to Knowing me Knowing you.  The late nights of whispering and giggles are timeless but waking up to the smell of my grandma’s weekend breakfasts will forever be my favorite part of those weekends.  The smell of bacon as we came down the stairs in our pajamas was enough for me to know that I had found a love that would last forever.  Breakfast always started with a grapefruit half, sectioned and sprinkled with sugar and as the crispy strips of bacon laid glistening on a papertowel-covered plate, my grandma was frying eggs in the same pan she fried the bacon while poaching the yolks with spoonfuls of the bacon grease.  If you’ve never eaten fried eggs this way, you’ve truly been deprived! My love affair with bacon began at a very early age and my Grandma Wegner was the one that introduced us. 

I hear a lot of people say, “everything’s better with bacon” and I will admit that I’m a dedicated supporter of this philosophy.  Who doesn’t love bacon?  There’s even a day devoted to the celebration of bacon.  This year it will be on September 3rd and I plan to celebrate, Grandma Wegner style.  Although 70% of all bacon in the US is eaten at breakfast time, I have a lot of favorite appetizer and dinner recipes that feature bacon.  This recipe, taken from the December 2010 issue of Everyday Food, can be made as an appetizer (featured photo) as well as paired with a salad or side dish and served for dinner.  The flavors of the bacon and sage really bring the chicken to life.

Although Prehistoric Forest and Stagecoach Stop will never be as they once were, my love for bacon will live on forever and I’m sure you’ll see many more posts in the future that include my one true food love.  To bacon, I will be forever faithful…’til death do us part.

Bacon-wrapped Chicken Tenders
8 fresh sage leaves
8 chicken tenders (about 1 1/4 lbs)
8 slices bacon
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Place a sage leaf on each chicken tender, then wrap each with a bacon slice.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  Add tenders, sage side down, and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is browned, about 6 minutes.  Flip and cook until tenders are cooked through, 6 minutes.  With tongs, transfer to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet to drain.

Posted in Appetizers, Savory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Crabs CAN Move Forward!

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Andrea
Crab Cakes with Spicy Rémoulade: Photograph by Andrea Karapas

If there’s one thing I don’t do…it’s live in the past.  Being a “glass half full” kind of girl, I reflect on the past only to identify the lesson to be learned and then move on.  2010 was a pretty tough year for a lot of people, myself included.  As I reflect on this past year, there are a few new lessons as well as some that have resurfaced from previous years.  Among all that I’ve learned in 2010,  the overarching theme is that I must keep moving forward in order to discover new opportunities.  Moving forward does require a little more effort than just putting one foot in front of the other though.  First, it requires letting go of the things that are not within your control.  Spending time on things you can’t change will certainly keep you tied down.  You also need courage.  Doing something different and new is scary sometimes and means that you have to be willing to take a risk even though you can’t see what’s on the other side.  It’s so easy to get sucked into old feelings and patters that are familiar.  We all do it!  Keeping a positive attitude through all of this is the most important and probably the most difficult part for some.  For me, it’s the easiest.  Now, I can’t say that I’m positive every second of every day but I do tend to always look on the brighter side, not just trying to make the best of something but looking at ways to improve things.  I guess I’m resourceful and it’s easy to have hope and be positive when you have resources.

The spotlight of this post was inspired by the New Year, of course.  With a new year comes a willingness to try something new and the courage to make it happen.  I love crab but have always been a little intimidated by cooking seafood so never mustered up the courage to try it.  This was a perfect opportunity.  While doing some research on foods that bring luck in the New Year prior to this post, I discovered that lobster and crab are believed to bring bad luck if eaten on New Year’s Day.  The fact that lobsters and crab walk backwards is believed to represent “setbacks” for the individual who indulges in their succulent meat.  I decided on Crab Cakes anyway and proceeded to build my grocery list.  What a surprise it was to see a huge display of crab legs and lobster tail at the entrance of the grocery store on New Year’s Eve after my discovery….and there were people lined up for them!  I kept my new found knowledge to myself and just figured they were being courageous like me.

Contrary to my previous belief that making Crab Cakes would be difficult, they were one of the easiest things I’ve ever made.  The most difficult part was keeping them together while turning them in the pan.  This is a great recipe and comes from the MAY 2010 issue of Cooking Light magazine.  I will definitely make these again and may even be tempted to stay in rather than going out to order them at one of the local restaurants with excellent Crab Cakes on their menu.  The Spicy Rémoulade is amazing as well!

I have never made a New Year Resolution because I don’t believe in them.  Moving forward isn’t just for the new year…it’s for all year, every year.  Growth is a part of life but cannot happen without forward movement.  Working with a new food ingredient is one small, courageous step in the right direction.  I encourage you all to try something new…not just in the New Year.  Interestingly enough, additional digging turned up some intriguing findings…crabs can indeed move forward.

Crab Cakes with Spicy Rémoulade
Crab Cakes
2  Tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1  Tablespoon  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2  Tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
1  Tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
1  large egg
1/3  cup  panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1  pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
1  tablespoon  olive oil, divided
Rémoulade
1/4  cup light mayonnaise
1  Tablespoon  chopped shallots
1 1/2  Tablespoons  capers, drained and chopped
2  teaspoons  Creole mustard
1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
1/8  teaspoon  kosher salt
To prepare crab cakes, combine first 8 ingredients. Add panko and crab, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Fill a 1/3-cup dry measuring cup with crab mixture. Invert onto work surface; gently pat into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Repeat procedure with remaining crab mixture, forming 8 cakes.
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Carefully turn cakes; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden and crab cakes are thoroughly heated. Remove cakes from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 crab cakes.
To prepare rémoulade, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Serve with crab cakes.

Posted in Savory, Seafood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

spä’nə-kō’pē-tə

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Andrea

I can’t imagine a family gathering (at least among the Greek side of my family) without Spanakopita, or Spinach Pie as it’s more commonly referred to among Americans.  A savory Greek pastry made with spinach, feta, phyllo, and a few other delicious things, this traditional staple among those with any Greek heritage can be found on every menu containing mediterranean cuisine.  As a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, I remember regular cravings for a piece of Spanakopita on many cold winter days.  On occasion, I would treat myself to a break from my cheap and fast Taco Bell routine and wander into Rendez Vous Cafe on South University.  They make a fantastic Spanakopita and also have the best Lentil soup I’ve ever tasted in my life.  It warmed me up for the long trek across the U of M campus in the cold and at the same time, gave me a little taste of home.

As a child, I would never eat Spanakopita.  What kid voluntarily eats spinach?  It was one of those foods that I always wanted to like though.  I don’t think I’m alone when I say that there were certain foods that I wanted to like either because people I admired ate them all the time or because no one else liked them and I wanted to be original.  I bet if you think about it long enough, you could think of an example.  My fiancé, Kevin, feels this way about coffee.  He loves the smell of it but no matter how many times I make him try mine, he just can’t come to like it.  Spanakopita and green beans were those things for me when I was a kid but as I’ve grown older, I have come to love both of them.

I first learned how to make Spanakopita from watching my sister, Angela, in her kitchen.  She would whip it up with ease as if she was on autopilot.  I would take mental notes of her ingredients and eventually began to make it on my own.  Over the years, I have developed my own recipe; taking bits and pieces from different recipes I’ve tried in the past.  The phyllo dough in this recipe is prepared similarly to that of Baklava except that instead of alternating the phyllo dough and filling like you do in Baklava, you place all the spinach filling in the center between a bottom layer of 1/2 lb of phyllo (approximately 8 sheets) and a top layer of 1/2 lb of phyllo (approximately 8 sheets), buttering between each layer.  This process is slightly less labor intensive than Baklava unless you decide to make individual Spanakopita Triangles.  These are fun to make but take a little more time and effort.  This involves cutting your phyllo dough into strips, placing a small portion of the filling at one end and folding your dough up into a triangle shape, back and forth while buttering each folded layer.  The triangles are easy to freeze and can be thawed quickly for individual servings.  Spanakopita can be eaten warm, cold or at room temperature but I think it’s best at room temperature.  If you love spinach and feta, I encourage you to give Spanakopita a try.

Spanakopita: Photographs by Andrea Karapas

Andrea’s Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)
15 oz fresh baby spinach (chopped)
1 lb Feta cheese (crumbled)
1/4 c freshly grated Romano cheese
5 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 med yellow onion (chopped and sauted in olive oil)
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c parsley (finely chopped)
dash nutmeg
3 cloves garlic (minced or finely chopped)
1 lb Phyllo dough
1/2 lb unsalted butter
Combine first 11 ingredients in large mixing bowl. Melt butter in medium sauce pan over low heat.  Brush bottom of 14″x20″ pan with melted butter.  Lay 1 sheet of Phyllo dough in bottom of pan and brush with melted butter.  Repeat this process until you use 1/2 lb of Phyllo dough (approximately 8 sheets) buttering generously between each layer.  Spread spinach filling over Phyllo dough.  Top filling with 1 sheet of Phyllo dough and brush with melted butter.  Repeat this process until you use the remaining sheets of Phyllo dough (approximately 8 sheets).  Cut into squares using sharp knife.  Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45-50 minutes.  Serve warm or cool to room temperature before serving.

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I’m no Buckeye!

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Andrea

Being from Michigan and a very proud Wolverine alum, it’s a little difficult to call these little balls of heaven by their name.  No offense to any OSU fans out there and I know there are a few of you reading this post.  There’s only one reason that I’d become a Buckeye and his name is Kirk Herbstreit. 

Despite their evil name, they’re sure to bring sweet satisfaction, along with a closed-eye, slow savoring expression to anyone presented with this rich dessert.  Take the tiniest of bites making it last as long as you can or pop the whole thing in your mouth at once for a slow melt.  Whichever you choose, it still leaves you wanting another.  Buckeye Balls have been a holiday tradition in the Karapas house for as long as I can remember.  They were always my brother’s favorite and I swear he ate 75% of them the week before Christmas, leaving few for the dessert tray on Christmas Day.  During the holidays, our screened-in front porch served as storage for all my mother’s holiday baking.  Michigan winters are very cold and our front porch was as cold as a walk-in freezer.  Every Tupperware container we owned was filled with all kinds of cookies, Buckeye Balls, and peanut brittle (my Grandpa’s favorite).  In my opinion, Buckeye Balls taste the best straight out of the freezer.  Maybe it’s because it reminds me of being on Burton Street or because each one would last that much longer if it was frozen.  Or perhaps it’s both!  Either way, trust me…they’re just better cold.

Buckey Balls get their name from the Buckeye Tree that bears a nut contained in a spiny hull.  The nuts are a chestnut brown color with a lighter circular shape in the center.  They were given their name by Native Americans who thought the light part of the nut looked like the “eye” of a male deer or “buck”.  They are considered to be a good luck charm and are also thought to bring relief of rheumatism pain if carried in the pocket.  There were several of these trees outside my church on Church Street in Clinton, MI growing up.  I loved opening the hulls and taking out the smooth buckeye from the center.  I’d take them home and line them up on my dresser.  I see this same excitement in my daughter, Sydney.  That’s why I take her to the college campus every September to pick up fallen buckeyes from the trees outside of Morgan Library.  It’s something I look forward to every fall.

This is an easy one!  4 ingredients rolled into little balls, then dip in chocolate.  There are a few tricks which will enhance the successful outcome of this treat.  The recipe calls for Paraffin Wax to give Buckeye Balls their glossy finish as well as help them remain solid at room temperature.  There is some controversy over whether Paraffin Wax is edible.  Don’t worry about it…it’s fine!  You can find Gulf Wax in the grocery store with all your canning supplies.  You’ll be melting 1/4 block of it along with your chocolate in a double boiler.  It will melt much more quickly if you cut it into small pieces.  Don’t just throw the whole block in there or it will take forever to melt.  Don’t have a double boiler?  Use two sauce pans.  Fill the bottom with water (just enough that it barely touches the bottom of the other pan when you set it on top).  As the water boils in the bottom pan, your chocolate and wax will melt slowly in your top pan. 

While you’re melting your chocolate, your peanut butter balls should be chilling on waxed paper in your freezer.  This will reduce the liklihood that your balls will fall off the toothpick as you are dipping them in the chocolate.  If they are too soft, you’ll end up fishing every one of them out of the pan and they won’t look like Buckeyes, they’ll just look like chocolate balls.  Enjoy your Buckeyes but always Hail to the Victors!  Go Blue!

Buckeye Balls: Photographs by Julia K Photography

Buckeye Balls
1 1/2 lbs confectioner’s sugar (1 1/2 boxes)
1 c butter (2 sticks)
1 c peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs vanilla
1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 block paraffin wax

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (you’ll need to use your hands).  Roll into balls 1/2 in – 1 in.  Place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet and place in freezer to chill.  Meanwhile, melt 1 12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/4 block of paraffin wax (cut into small pieces) over double boiler.  Using a toothpick, dip balls in chocolate and place on waxed paper.  Return to refrigerator or freezer to harden.

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An old world delight.

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Andrea

There’d be no bigger or bolder way to launch this blog than with the most famous of the Greek desserts, Baklava!  Not only does it exist in the title of this blog, but my love for this dessert penetrates much deeper than its sweet goodness.  This is a dessert that defines my culture.  I learned how to make Baklava before I was 10 years old.  Modeling the enormous trays of homemade Baklava that my Thea Marigo created in the village of Aliveri, Greece, my mother would make this traditional dessert often during the Christmas season.  My favorite part would be watching my mother carefully cut the buttered phyllo layers into diamonds and then having the honor of personally tucking a whole clove into each individual piece before it went into the oven.  I eventually developed the courage to make it on my own from start to finish at some point.  I can’t remember exactly how old I was, but I’ve been making it for many years…following the exact same recipe my mom used.  I’ve sampled Baklava made by others and it’s never quite like the one that comes out of your own oven.  This philosophy has grown out of the blood, sweat, and tears…not to mention the love, that goes into making a batch of Baklava.  I do admit that I’ve never made my own phyllo dough.  Who does that?  I have a lot of patience, but not quite enough to get me through that age-old process.  I think I remember my mother telling me that my Greek Theas did make their own phyllo dough.  Props to them!  It’s a very difficult dough to work with because it’s tissue-paper thin.  There is a trick to it though, one I learned from my mother who learned it from whomever handed it down to her.  Place the unrolled phyllo dough between two damp towels while you’re working with it to keep it from drying out and flaking.  Another tip for working with phyllo…work quickly! 

Chopping the walnuts for this dessert when I was younger is also a favorite memory.  My mother had a nut chopper that was so fun to use.  Similar to a Pampered Chef Food Chopper, but attached to a jar to hold the nuts.  I’d pound that thing and make all kinds of noise until my hand hurt.  Getting through 2 lbs. of walnuts took a little while back then but my Kitchenaid food processor makes it much quicker nowadays.  Don’t let this dessert intimidate you.  There are several steps to the process but it’s not all that difficult if you have an expert walk you through it the first time.  Below is the recipe that has been passed down to me.  Enjoy!

Greek Baklava: Photographs by Julia K Photography

Greek Baklava
1 1/2 lbs unsalted butter
2 lbs chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
2 lbs phyllo pastry sheets
Combine walnuts and spices in large mixing bowl.  Melt butter.  Brush bottom of pan 14×20″ with melted butter and place one pastry sheet in bottom of pan.  Brush with melted butter, repeating this process until four pastry sheets line the bottom of the baking pan.  Brush fourth layer with melted butter and sprinkle with nut mixture.  Add another pastry sheet, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with nut mixture, repeating this process until all ingredients are used, ending with four top layers.  Brush top with butter and cut into diamond shapes.  Insert whole clove in each diamond.  Bake for 1 hour at 300° until golden brown.  While pastry is baking, prepare syrup.

Greek Baklava Syrup
4 c sugar
2 c water
1 slice lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 c honey
While pastry is baking, boil water and sugar with a slice of lemon and a cinnamon stick to form a thin syrup.  Stir in honey and cool.  Spoon cool syrup over hot pastry.

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