Recipe

Ingredients

• Filo dough
• 250g Frozen Creamed Spinach
• 300g Curd
• 200g Feta Cheese
• 50ml Olive Oil
• Salt | Pepper

Instructions

1. Defrost the cream spinach.
2. Put the olive oil in a large pan and cook the creamed spinach for 5-7 minutes or until it is hot.
3. Mix the spinach with the curd and season with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat the oven to 210ºC.
5. Next, lay out the dough and cut out circles using either a sharp knife or scrissors.
6. Put the dough in the holes of a muffin tray.
7. Fill the dough with the spinach-curd mixture.
8. Cut thin slices of feta cheese and place them on top of the pies.
9. Bake the pies for 12-15 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

Variations

You can always add more seasoning to the filling. You can also add diced onions or red bell peppers. If there is a specific type of cheese you prefer to feta or want to add, feel free to.

Figs are commonly known to be of greek origin, however, figs first originated in Asia and only spread through Europe with the Greeks and Romans. Fig trees can live up to 100 years and grow up to fifty feet, although most only grow 10 to 30 feet. Bacon, on the other hand, was used during the 16th century by the English to refer to all pork. The salted pork however, appeared much earlier in China. Both these star ingredients in the following recipe have an old and elaborate history. This recipe is called a cake, not because it is sweet, but because the texture and the batter are that of a cake. It results in an extremely delicious creation. But, don’t take my word for it, try it yourself!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 100ml Sunflower Oil
• 180g Flour
• 1 package Baking Powder
• 20ml Milk
• 100g Greek Yogurt
• 200g fresh Figs
• 100g Bacon
• 100g Emmentaler, grated
• Salt | Pepper | Sugar

Instructions

1. Put baking paper in a long cake tin and preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. Mix the eggs and oil together with an electric mixer until they are fluffy.
3. Slowly sift in the flour, baking powder and sugar.
4. Pour in the milk and mix well with an electric mixer to make sure no clumps are left.
5. Wash the figs and cut them into thin slices.
6. Cut the bacon into thin strips.
7. Mix the bacon, figs and cheese into the batter. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Pour the batter into the cake tin and spread it well.
9. Bake the cake at 160ºC fan for about 45 minutes or until golden-yellow.
10. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 10 Wieners
• 1 small beaten Egg
• Sesame Seeds

For the dough

• 400g Flour
• 220ml Water
• 3Tbsp Sugar
• 2/3 package Fresh Yeast (notes)
• 1tsp Salt
• 3Tbsp Melted Butter
• 1 small Egg

Instructions

1. Warm the water and mix in the Sugar until disolved.
2. Crumble in the yeast and integrate it well
3. Leave the mixture to proof for 10 minutes.
4. Mix the salt into the flour and form a well in the middle.
5. Pour in the yeast mixture, the butter, the egg and a bit of the water.
6. Mix with a fork. Add in the rest of the water.
7. Use your hands to keep mixing the dough.
8. Tilt the dough onto a floured surface and keep kneeding until the dough is smooth.
9. Leave the dough to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
10. Separate the dough into 10 pieces and roll them out into strips 3 times as long as the sausages.
11. Wrap the sausages in the dough and leave them to rest for another 15 minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
13. Brush the eggwash over the hot dog buns and sprinkle with sesame.
14. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are golden on top.
15. Take out of the oven and serve hot.

Notes

Fresh Yeast: When using fresh yeast, the package usually specifies the yeast to flour ratio. It can be different for different brands of yeast. The yeast I usually use comes in packages of 25g and is used for 500g of flour. If you prefer to use active dry yeast, check the back of the package. I usually use two packages of active dry yeast instead of one package of fresh yeast.

Yeast: First of all make sure the water is not too hot. It should not be burning. It should be merely warm not hot. If your yeast mixture is not puffy after you let it proof for five minutes, try leaving it for another five. If it still isn’t puffy, do not continue with that mixture!!! It will take less time to redo the yeast mixture and get it right than it will to remake the entire dough because it didn’t rise. Yeast is a tricky ingredient to work with and much can go wrong. This is a way of catching any mistakes early on and sparing yourself a lot of work.

Recipe

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 lightly beaten Egg
• 160g Butter
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 180g Flour
• 1/2tsp Salt

Filling

• 900g Potatoes
• 450g Salmon
• 120ml Water
• 100g Onions
• 30g Butter
• Salt | Pepper

Sauce

• 3Tbsp Butter
• 3Tbsp Flour
• 240ml Milk
• 2Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1tsp dried Dill
• Salt | Pepper

Instructions

1. Mix the salt into the flour.
2. Cut the butter into little pieces and rub it into the flour.
3. Add the egg and water and knead the dough well until achieving a smooth dough.
4. Chill the dough while preparing the filling.
5. Peel and dice the potatoes.
6. Boil the potatoes until they are tender. (About 12-15 minutes)
7. Mash the potatoes until there are little to no clumps left.
8. Place the onions in a skillet with the butter and sauté for a few minutes.
9. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
10. Pour the water into the skillet and place the salmon in it with the skin down.
11. Cook until the salom is opaque before breaking it into pieces.
12. Mix the salmon with the sauce and onions into the mashed potatoes.
13. Next, take the dough out of the fridge and seperate it into two pieces.

Assembling Pie in a pie pan

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Roll out one of the piece until it is big enough to fit your pie pan.
3. Put the filling on the crust and spred it well.
4. Roll out the second piece of dough and place it on top of the filling.
5. Pinch the top layer and the dough on the sides closed. You can use a fork.
6. Use a knife to cut the vents.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.

Assembling Pie in a cake pan

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC
2. Roll out half the dough and place your cake pan face down on the dough.
3. Cut out the circle and roll up the rest.
4. Place the circle in the bottom of the pan.
5. Roll out the rest and about a third of the second piece.
6. Cut thin, equal sized strips from the dough for the sides. (About 3-4 cm wide.)
7. Place the strips into the sides of the pan overlapping them a bit with the bottom.
8. Fill the crust with the filling and spread it well.
9. Roll out the second piece of dough and cut out a circle.
10. Place the dough on the filling and use a knife to fold the sides onto the top.
11. Use a knife to cut the vents.
12. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sauce

1. Melt the butter and add in the flour mixing thoroughly with a fork.
2. Stir and add in the milk gradually.
3. When the sauce starts to thicken, mix in the dill, lemon juice, some salt and pepper.
4. Let it simmer for about two minutes.
5. Keep warm until serving.

Variations

If you have leftover dough, you can cut out shapes to place on the top as decorations.

You can make some salad to go with this pie.

The sauce is optional. The pie will taste good without it as well.

Heading to Italy

Overview

Focaccia is a typical Italian recipe believed to have originated before the Roman Empire was formed. Some historians also hold the believe it originated in Ancient Greece. It is important to acknowledge that unrisen flat bread has also long been made throughout the Middle East. However, it can be confirmed that recipes similar to this one can be found in Turkey, France, Spain and Greece. It is also speculated to be the origin of pizza dough. Despite its rich history, it is an easily approachable recipe. It can be varied by adding toppings before baking or filling the finished bread with cheese or ham.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 500g Flour
• 300ml Water
• 60ml Olive Oil (extra for greasing the pan and for the top)
• 2tsp Sugar
• 2tsp Salt
• 1package(25g) Fresh Yeast
• Sea Salt and Rosemary

Instructions

1. In a metal bowl, warm the water until lukewarm and add the sugar. Take the water off the heat. Crumble the yeast into the water and mix well. Let the mixture set for 5-10 minutes to proof the yeast.
2. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the salt on one side. Pour the yeast mixture on the other side. Try to make sure that yeast and salt don’t touch directly until it is totally unavoidable! Salt turns yeast off. Add the oil.
3. Use a fork to mix the mixture until you can knead it by hand. Knead until obtaining a smooth dough.
4. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it to rise for 45 to 60 minutes.
5. When the dough has risen, oil a baking pan and tilt the dough into it. Spread the dough until it is about 2cm thick.
6. Make deep holes in the dough and fill them with a bit of rosemary. Sprinkle the focaccia with salt and cover it with a tea towel. Leave to rise for another 20 minutes.
7. When the dough has finished rising, sprinkle a bit of oil over it.
8. Bake the focaccia on 200ºC for 20 minutes or until golden.
9. Cut and serve warm with a bit of olive oil and salt.

Variations

Focaccia, being bread, can be eaten in a thousand and one ways. With ham and cheese filling or with tomatoes and olives intead of rosemary and salt on top. Anything you like can be added to it. It has a lot of room for your creativity and prefferences.

You can also vary the choice of flour. For example, you can use 250g of spelt flour and 250g of plain flour. That combination is nice with a cheese and onion topping or cherry tomatoes and black olives.