Eggopita - scrambled eggs and ham in phyllo

I have finally been introduced to the fantastic thing that is phyllo dough. My first exposure was through baklava, then spanakopita, and both things certainly have captured my heart.

One day, I tried a little piece of raw phyllo sheet, and it tasted surprisingly a lot like a flour tortilla. One of my favorite things to eat with flour tortilla is scrambled eggs. So, light bulb! Why not make a phyllo pastry filled with scrambled eggs and ham? Why not indeed!

Behold:

Quite awesome!

Eggopita
Servings: 12
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min

12 sheets of phyllo dough
5 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 medium onion, minced
1/2 beefsteak tomato, in small cubes
2 slices of ham, minced
6 eggs
2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Make sure the phyllo dough is properly thawed (according to package instructions).

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan to medium-high heat. Add the onions and tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes. Next, add the ham and cook until thoroughly warmed. Finally, add the eggs and scrambled to preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the egg mixture from heat and place in a colander. The excess liquid has to drain in order to fill the pastry without ripping the phyllo. Mix in the crumbled goat cheese.

Unroll the phyllo dough and place on a flat surface. Using a brush, butter the first sheet (about 6 stripes). Next, fold in thirds and move to the side. Brush butter along the top and then all the way down, like a T. Place about 2 tbsp of the egg mixture about 2/3 of the way down.



Fold the bottom half over the eggs, then proceed to roll upward in a triangle shape by taking the bottom right corner to the top left, and continuing up.

Place with the last fold face down on a greased baking sheet and repeat for the remaining phyllo sheets. Before baking, brush butter liberally over the top of each pastry.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until light gold. Remove from the oven and let cool. I actually found these to be more delicious at room temperature than warm!

And the verdict is:

8.7 / 10

Egg-in-avocado breakfast sandwich

Parents always tell us to not play around with our food. But why not I say? Cool things can come out of it!

Like this:

The idea for this was inspired by a show on the Food Network, where one of the chefs placed a raw egg in the avocado hole. I went ahead and cooked mine, especially because I love cooking avocado too.

So here are the steps, but be creative! It's a sandwich, you can make it any way you want :)

Egg-in-avocado breakfast sandwich
Servings: 1
Prep time: 0 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min

1 slice country or sourdough bread
1 slice fat free ham
1 slice swiss cheese
1 tbsp curry yogurt dressing
1 slice (vertical) avocado
1 egg
salt and lemon pepper to taste

Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the avocado slice on the heat until just browned, about 1 minute. Add the egg carefully to the center hole, letting the white spread to the outside. When the whites have set, flip over carefully. Cook as long as you'd like. I like my yolk runny, so I only left it about 30 seconds on the other side.

Toast the bread in the toaster or griddle if desired. Spread the curry yogurt dressing on it. Alternatively, you can mix about 1 tsp of yellow curry to 1 tbsp mayo and use this as a spread. Layer the ham and cheese, and top with the avocado and egg. Sprinkle salt and lemon pepper on top to taste.

If you have a small oven, you can place it in for a couple of minutes for the cheese to melt too!

This sandwich was cool and very good! I think I'm going through an avocado phase...

Barbacoa de borrego (Lamb tacos in broth)

It was Bruno's birthday last night. So naturally, a big birthday dinner was in order.

When I asked him what he wanted he said "barbacoa". Now, to those of you that have never had this dish in Mexico, you might immediately associate it with barbecue. Not even close! What he was asking for is a traditional Mexican dish that features the whole lamb, including its innards wrapped in the stomach and the head. To add to the complication, it's traditionally cooked with cactus stalks, avocado leaves, who-knows-which spices, and oh yeah, in a hole underground.

Is he kidding me? No. So I rose to the challenge. Slowcookers really are miraculous things.

Here it is, the lamb broth and tender tacos:

So, considering I could not dig a hole in my kitchen nor use cactus stalks, the slowcooker would have to do.

Lamb tacos in broth
Servings: 2
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 hours (in slowcooker)
Total time: 5 h 5 min

1 lb butterflied lamb leg (try to get one with a little more fat)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp adobo (all purpose seasoning)
1/2 lb uncooked garbazo beans
1/2 medium onion
1 garlic clove, whole
3 sprigs cilantro
1 dried chipotle chile
1 dried guajillo chile
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp parsley
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cumin
1/2 Knorr beef broth cube
water

To serve:
4 corn tortillas, warm
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1 lime, in quarters
salt

Coat the lamb with salt, pepper and adobo. Place in the slowcooker. Add all the other ingredients to the pot and fill with water until about 2 inches from the top. Turn on the slowcooker to high and cook for 5 hours. Check the water level periodically, it can reduce but should still be brothy at the end.

To serve, pull out the lamb and cut roughly. Use a ladle to scoop broth and garbanzos into a bowl. Add about 2 tbsp of lamb to the broth and use the remaining meat to form tacos.



Add chopped onion and cilantro to broth and tacos and squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Add salt to taste as required and enjoy!!!!!

Bruno had this with a Mexican Coke in a glass bottle to keep the meal genuine.

And the score?

9.0 / 10

Certainly birthday worthy!

3 C's (chocolate coffee chipotle) cookie

Finally!!

These cookies are exactly how I imagined they could be, and I'm ready to share :) The inspiration for this cookie came from a little booth at State College's Farmers' Market. I had something between a biscotti and brownie made of dark chocolate and chipotle. I instantly fell in love with the sweetness of the chocolate and the chipotle after-kick - gosh what goodness!

And so, this cookie goodness is born:

3 C's cookie
Servings: 8 big cookies / 12 medium cookies
Prep time: 30 min + 30 min wait
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min

(This recipe is based on this one here with a few modifications.)

1 cup white flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 tsp pureed chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (buy a whole can)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee
5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown Splenda (for baking)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Add 1/8 cup of the chocolate chunks and mix well.

Place the chopped chocolate and 1/8 cup of the chocolate chunks in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes. Stir well, and microwave on 50% for another minute, until liquid. Puree the can of chipotles in adobo sauce in a blender, and combine 1 tbsp of the puree with the melted chocolate.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract lightly with a fork. Add the instant coffee and stir to dissolve.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add the sugars and mix until well blended - it will look clumpy and granular. Finally, turn the mixer to low and slowly add the egg mixture until well blended.

Continue beating and add the chocolate in a steady stream until completely combined. Add the dry ingredients to the mix and continue mixing until uniform. Do not over beat!

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F and scoop mixture onto baking sheet (parchment paper helps with cleanup!). Make sure there is plenty of space around each ball, as the cookie will spread quite a bit.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, rotating if necessary. When done, pull them out and let them cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk, the layers of flavor in this cookie are so awesome!

Reina pepiada - the pimped queen of arepas

Arepas. I have introduced you all to this wonderful Venezuelan treat before, in my arepas asadas post.

Now, the wonderful thing about these babies is that you can pretty much fill them up with anything. There are, however, "standard" fillings, like cheese, ham and cheese, shredded beef, black beans, etc. The one I am presenting today is called reina pepiada, which in a rough translation means "the pimped queen". You can imagine why. It's the mother of all arepas, and here she is:

Thinking about it now, I can imagine this dish with fried super sweet plantain slices in with the filling, man! Next time :)

Reina pepiada
Servings: 2
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min

1 cup cornmeal (preferably the Venezuelan brand Harina P.A.N.)
1 1/4 cup water
salt to taste
1-2 tbsp butter

4 sweet peppers, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups shredded chicken
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp sour cream
1/4 tsp adobo (all purpose seasoning)
1/3 cup peas
1/2 ripe avocado, in small cubes
1/4 tsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating up the griddle to medium-low heat. Make the arepas by following the steps here. These will take about 20 minutes, so start with this first! You should get about 4 arepas.

Next, heat a skillet to medium high heat and add the oil, peppers and garlic. Saute until tender and let cool. In a medium bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients and add the sauteed peppers. Mix well to form a uniform salad.

When the arepas are ready, cut them in half and spread butter on both halves. Fill with the chicken salad and enjoy warm. That's it! Enjoy this typical Venezuelan dish :)

Bruno gave these a high rating!

8.8 / 10

Pesto farfalle with a touch of lime

Pesto!

One of those dishes I always thought was super fancy and so unattainable. For some reason, in my family we are red sauce people. Whenever there's pasta, there is bolognese. There is the occasional carbonara, and when we get fancy we venture into the broccoli and cheese realm, but never a green sauce.

My first experience with pesto was not a good one. It was store-bought and incredibly overwhelming (probably put too much on the plate.. over serving as usual). So I stayed away for many years. Until today.

I've eaten at the Enchanted Kitchen in State College many times (could eat there daily, no joke) and they had a special with pesto in a melt. What? Not on pasta?! No way! So I wanted to make my own to experiment with and perhaps fall in love.

I don't think it's love yet, but I am definitely infatuated.

First dish with my pesto is farfalle pasta. Keeping it traditional. I'll let you know what else I come up with, there is plenty left over :)

Pesto farfalle with a touch of lime
Servings: 2 (with pesto leftovers)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min

2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb farfalle (or any other short pasta)

In a blender or food processor, add the basil leaves and pine nuts. Pulse until evenly ground. Add the garlic and pulse until well mixed. Turn on the blender on low and add the oil in a slow stream, until the mixture is uniform. Continue with the parmesan cheese, pulsing a couple of times to integrate well.

Add the lime juice and pulse to mix. Taste your sauce! Do you like it? If you think it is too thick, add the water. If not, leave it out or add less than the amount I indicate. Also at this point add salt and pepper to taste and blend until everything is well mixed and a beautiful bright green color.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions, it usually takes about 10-13 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Add 1/2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of the pesto. Mix well until the pasta is faintly green. Divide pasta into two plates and top with 2-3 tbsp of pesto and a bit of parmesan (optional). Garnish with tomatoes for freshness.

That's it! A hearty serving of deliciously fresh pasta! Bruno gives it a:

8.5 / 10

And the best thing about this is, you have pesto leftovers to try on sandwiches, pizzas, melts, wraps, etc. Be creative! I will be and of course, I will share here :)

Magic tomato, red pepper and asparagus salad

This salad is magic because: it makes its own dressing!

That's right, you leave it be in a bowl for an hour, and it will dress itself. It is so magical :)

Although this salad is very easy, it is very time consuming. Magic is no easy feat...Here goes!

Tomato, red pepper and asparagus salad
Servings: 1

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 hours

1 medium ripe tomato
1/2 red bell pepper
10 sprigs asparagus
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
1 slice thick black bread (optional)

Place the tomato, red pepper and asparagus on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and turn on to broil. Broil the veggies for about 25 minutes, until the skin on the tomatoes and red peppers is a bit charred and peels off easily. Check the veggies, some might cook faster than others. Remove from the oven if ready. You might have to continue to cook the tomato for an additional 10-15 minutes.

When done, let veggies cool until manageable. Remove the skins from the tomato and red pepper and slice into strips. Cut the asparagus into short cylinders. Mix veggies with cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

When cold, remove plastic wrap and drain any excess liquid (I didn't have much, so I left it in). Serve on a slice of thick black bread and sprinkle goat cheese on top. Magic!

I can imagine this with mozzarella and oregano instead of asparagus, goat cheese and cilantro... so many possibilities!

Go be magicians everybody :)

Pico de piña - pineapple salsa

This chunky fast salsa that goes really well with salty meats (surprise!), inside a chicken wrap, or with tortilla chips.

Today we had it with smoky pork chops and buttery rice. I have some leftover and I think it's going to make an awesome quesadilla topping.

Pineapple salsa
Servings: 4
Total time: 10 min

1 medium-sized tomato, chopped in small chunks
2 pineapple slices, chopped in small chunks
3/4 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 tsp white onion, chopped
1/8 - 1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Add more or less tabasco, salt and pepper to your taste.

Enjoy!

Guava asiago melt with an apple crunch

I swear, I cannot be left alone in the "International" area of the supermarket. More often than not, I end up buying overpriced imported AMAZING things.

On this week's trip, it was guava paste in a big, awkward, flat can. While at was still at the supermarket, I thought, "hmm, the logical most delicious pairing to this is of course cheese." But not just any cheese, I had my eye on this creamy unaged asiago and yep, ended up buying the guava, the cheese and of course, baguette to put it all on :)

So I present my guava asiago melt.

I'm so predictable with my sweet and salty am I not?! I can't get enough!

Anyway, I thought the sandwich needed something crunchy, so I went for apples. I think celery might work pretty well too!

Guava asiago melt
Servings: 1
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min

1/4 baguette, cut in half

1 tbsp natural almond butter (or unsweetened peanut butter)
1 oz guava paste
1 oz asiago cheese (or any salty cheese that will melt well)
1/4 apple (any kind), sliced thin
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

On one half of the baguette, spread the almond butter. On the other half, spread the regular butter. On the almond half, layer the guava, cheese and apple. Cover with the other bread half and squeeze down.

Toast on the griddle over medium low heat until crunchy on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes each side. Be careful not to "over-toast" (read: burn) the baguette like me.

This thing is really delicious! The nuttiness of the butter with the crunch of the apple are amazing, and the sweetness of the guava with the saltiness of the cheese is even better. I love contrasting flavors in food, let me know if you try this :)