Alexis's Arabian Spinach

My friend Alexis brought this delicious and simple dish to my Chanukah potluck.

1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
14 oz spinach, washed and shredded
1 tsp cumin seeds
15 oz can chick peas, drained
a knob of butter (1-2 tbsp)
salt and pepper to taste
optional: feta

1. In a large frying pan or wok, fry the onion with the oil for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cumin seeds, then fry another minute.

2. Add the spinach, in stages, stirring it until the leaves begin to wilt. Fresh spinach condenses down dramatically on cooking and it will all fit into the pan.

3. Stir in the chick peas, butter and seasoning. (Optional: add as much feta as you like!) Reheat until just bubbling, then serve hot. Drain off any pan juices if you like, but this dish is rather nice served slightly saucy.

Sudanese Red Lentil Soup

This recipe is adapted from a soup mix made by the First Congregational Church in Williamstown, MA. They sell the mix to raise money to support elementary schools and other programs for internally displaced persons in Sudan (through the ecumenical Williamstown Sudan Relief Task Force). The soup is very easy and will warm you up on a cold day.

2 cups red lentils
1 1/2 t ground coriander
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t salt
1 t dried mint (optional - I don't use it)
4 1/2 cups veggie broth, chicken broth, or water (I use veggie broth)
1 onion, chopped
1 T butter
2 T olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz feta cheese
1 lime

1. Soak lentils in cold water. Stir. Remove anything that floats up. Drain. Repeat. Discard water.
2. Put lentils in a large heavy pot. Add spices, 3 1/2 cups broth or water, onion, and 1 T each of butter and olive oil. Be sure the mixture is well covered with liquid. Bring to a gentle boil and stir often so the bottom doesn't burn. After 10 minutes, add one more cup of broth or water. Boil gently, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Soup will become yellow, creamy and thick.
3. In a separate pan, saute 1 T garlic in 1 T olive oil until fragrant. Add to the soup. Cut the feta into chuncks and add to the soup. Gently boil for 5-8 minutes, stirring to break up the feta.
4. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings. Squeeze the lime in and stir its juice into the soup. Serve!

Spanikopita with Fresh Greens

This recipe comes from Ina Garten and was a great way to use up various greens from my CSA.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
8 or more cups spinach or other hearty greens (chard, beet greens, escarole, etc.), rinsed and chopped roughly
3 eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
40 sheets (1 box) frozen phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat until soft. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the greens and place it in a bowl. When the onion is done, add it to the greens. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the feta.

Keep the phyllo dough sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel. Unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough. Brush the sheet with melted butter. Repeat the process by laying a second sheet of phyllo dough over the first sheet, and brush it with melted butter. Pile four layers total on top of each other this way. Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. Spoon 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture into the corner of piece of phyllo dough.

Roll the phyllo up diagonally as if folding a flag. Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally and then diagonally again. Continue until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling shold be totally enclosed. Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all the filling is used. Place on a sheet, seam sides down. Brush the top with butter and place it on a baking sheet.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve warm.