Do you have filo phobia? Afraid to touch the delicate sheets of filo for fear that they will tear into a million pieces?

If so, this recipe is for you.

It is called Greek Rag Pie and the recipe actually calls for you to rip the fragile leaves of filo dough into little “rags.” If nothing else, the process is cathartic, making up for the times when you stand over the finicky dough and struggle to make it  lay flat in your pan. Believe me. I’m a dedicated baklava baker. I’ve been there. Filo can be a challenge.

This recipe is a riff on Greek Patsavouropita, a dish cleverly conceived by Greek bakers to use up the leftover scraps of filo dough they accumulated after baking baklava or other filo dough treats. In reality, it is a variant on traditional tyropita.

This is an excellent recipe.  You get crunchy and buttery filo, bursts of briny feta flavor, warm sweet honey– all held together by an egg custard.

Paired with a green salad dressed with a delicate vinaigrette, this is perfect for a light meal. It’s good for breakfast, too. Come to think of it, it would make for an elegant (and unexpected) dessert.

Greek Rag Pie

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Ingredients

• 3 1/2 ounces soft unsalted butter
• 1 box frozen filo pastry (thawed) (You will use about 10 oz. of the filo)
• 9 oz. feta cheese
• 2 t. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 t. fresh thyme leaves (or more)
• 2 large eggs
• 5 ounces full-fat milk
• 1 T. sesame seeds
• Good-quality clear honey (I used strong-flavored avocado honey but Greek thyme honey or orange blossom honey would be wonderful)

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a saucepan and then remove it from the heat. Brush the bottom of an 8 to 9 inch square baking pan with butter.
2. Use several sheets of filo to line the bottom of the baking pan with a layer to filo. Arrange the filo in the pan so that it goes up the sides of the pan and hangs over the edges of the pan.You will fold the filo "overhang" over your pie at the end of your preparation. Brush the filo with butter.
3. Use about 1/3 of the filo sheets to partially fill the lined baking pan with filo. This is where you rip or scrunch the sheets into little "rags." You can just wad them up in your hand and place them in the pan. Once you have placed the filo rags into the pan, sprinkle half of the feta over the filo. Then, sprinkle 1 T. of the Parmesan over the feta. Sprinkle the feta/Parmesan cheeses with some fresh thyme leaves. Pour about 1/3 of the melted butter over the filo/cheese filling.
4. Using another 1/3 of the ripped or scrunched filo sheets, fill the baking pan with another layer of the filo. Add feta, Parmesan and fresh thyme as you did to the last layer. Pour more butter over this layer.
5. Finally, using larger pieces of the remaining filo, make one last layer of the pie adding the remaining feta, Parmesan and fresh thyme.
6. Fold the filo that is overhanging the sides of your pan over themselves around the edge of the pan. Pour the remaining butter over the top. (I used a pastry brush to help me distribute the butter.)
7. Use a sharp knife point to make two cuts down and two cuts across the filo-packed tin. You want to create 9 squares. This can get a bit messy, but the filo pie is very forgiving when baked.
8. Beat eggs and milk together and pour over the contents of the baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining thyme leaves and the sesame seeds on the top of the pie. Let the pie sit on your counter for at least 30 minutes at this point. If you want to wait for a couple of hours to bake this, cover the pie and store it in your refrigerator.
9. Bake the pie for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F in a heated oven. Your pie is done when the pastry is golden-brown and puffed and the inside is set. Let the baked pie sit on your counter for about 10 minutes to cool and solidify. Drizzle a generous amount of honey over the top of the pie, cut into servings using a serrated knife and serve warm with extra honey for your guests to add to their portions if they like. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.

Nutrition

Calories

2590 cal

Fat

190 g

Carbs

118 g

Protein

96 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

187

https://bluecayenne.com/filo-phobia-and-greek-rag-pie

Here is the link to Nigella Lawson’s recipe: Old Rag Pie.

Anyone out there who doesn’t like artichokes? I don’t see any hands.

I think artichokes are a bit like avocados. Even served simply without a whole lot of fuss, both vegetables generate a lot of buzz around the table. Carrots and celery certainly don’t get that kind of respect. Why is that?

I found this recipe for Grilled and Smothered Artichokes in Cara Mangini’s excellent cookbook, The Vegetable Butcher. (Available on Amazon) I loved it! I think I enjoyed it as much for its bounty of artichokes as for the beauty of its presentation–charred artichoke quarters dressed in a tart lemon-garlic vinaigrette and garnished with beautiful caramelized lemon wedges hot off your grill. Your guests will be wowed. I was.

I have to confess that Mangini first got my attention with her book title. The concept of a vegetable butcher is a clever turn of a phrase. Mangini defines a vegetable butcher as “a trusted professional who breaks down vegetables with knife lessons, insider tips and approachable preparations.”  Apparently that is exactly what she did when she worked at Mario Batali’s Eataly in Manhattan.  In the introduction to her book she writes: “At Eataly, customers walked right up to me with their produce for purchase and I would clean it, peel it, slice it and prime it. I shredded cabbage, shelled fava beans, shaved celery root and prepped case after case of baby artichokes.”  I think that’s a great concept. Wouldn’t you love to have a vegetable butcher as a lifeline when you shop at Whole Foods, for example? “Excuse me. I’m thinking of acquiring my first kohlrabi….”

No! Wait! I just looked it up. Whole Foods already has a produce butcher at its 43,000 square foot Bryant Park New York City location. For $1 a pound, they will prep your produce and whisper cooking directions in your ear. (Note the kindergarten-esque graphic advertising the various “cuts”  below the lighted Produce Butcher sign shown in the photo below. “Minced” made me laugh out loud. And where is grated and cored? Shredded? Heaven forbid you would want a brunoise or a batonnet.)  I know that, if I ever make it to the toney Bryant Park produce butcher, I’m going to ask her to prep a durian right there in the middle of the store. Maybe that is a bit of schadenfreude on my part, but, like my alter-ego Bart Simpson, I do thrive on chaos. ( Jimmy Kimmel tries durian.)

But, back to the book. Mangini presents more than 150 recipes and discusses the preparation and seasonality of almost 100 vegetables in her book.  To be sure, she discusses mainstream vegetables like carrots and celery and sweet potatoes but she also showcases some not-so-mainstream vegetables like kohlrabi, rutabagas, and fennel. You don’t have to be a food adventurer to enjoy this book but a careful reading will definitely help you broaden your horizons when you shop the vegetable counters at your local market.

So far, I’ve found Mangini’s recipes to be several cuts ( shameless pun. sorry.) above the norm, too. She’ll have your mouth watering with recipes like Cauliflower and Caramelized Fennel Soup, Smashed and Seared Beets with Chimichurri and Goat cheese Crema, and a Late Summer Ratatouille baked under a butter, parmesan and oat crust. Oh my!

Here is my adaptation of her recipe for Grilled and Smothered Artichokes.

Yields 4 Servings

Grilled and Smothered Artichokes

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Ingredients

• 3 medium artichokes (trimmed, peeled, quartered and choke removed)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 large lemons (2 halved and juiced, 1 quartered)
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/2 t. fine sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper (extra to taste)
• 1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (coarsely chopped)
• Coarse or flaked sea salt to taste (to finish)
• Kalamata olives to garnish
• Chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare artichokes.
2. In a large deep pan, put quartered artichoke hearts in a steamer basket over boiling water. Steam until the leaves of the artichoke pull away from the heart and the heart is easily pierced with a knife. This will take 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and drain the artichokes.
3. Whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, pepper and three-quarters of the chopped parsley in a large bowl. Add the steamed artichoke quarters to the bowl of marinade. Let the artichokes sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to absorb the flavors in the marinade.
4. Remove the artichoke quarters from the marinade and, over a hot bbq grill, cook the artichoke quarters until grill marks appear. (Watch the artichokes carefully while grilling. You want them to be charred but not burned to a crisp.) Flip the quarters and grill the other side. This will take 3-5 minutes. You want the artichokes to be completely tender. Transfer the grilled artichokes to a platter. Drizzle with some of the remaining marinade.
5. Grill the lemon quarters flesh side down on your bbq grill until you see grill marks and the sugars from the lemons begin to caramelize.
6. Arrange the grilled lemon quarters on top of the artichokes. Arrange some Kalamata olives artfully on top of the dish. Garnish with remaining parsley and sprinkle salt and pepper on the dish. Serve immediately.

7.8.1.2

75

https://bluecayenne.com/artichokes-grilled-and-smothered-and-delicious

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For me, it’s Snickers bars, refried beans, candied corn, and vanilla ice cream. (No. I don’t eat them together.)

We’re talking about comfort food today, or, as the dictionary defines it:  ” food that is enjoyable to eat and makes the eater feel better emotionally.”

Potato chips are most often identified as  the top comfort food in America, but a comfort food can be any food that relieves stress and makes a person feel safe.  For example, writer Anneli Rufus, in an article titled “How comfort foods work like Prozac”, confides that she finds comfort in small sourdough buns she purchases from a neighborhood shop: “In a certain cheese shop in my town, there is a rack of rolls. Gleaming golden outside and airy, stretchy, satiny inside, they’re sourdough and only vaguely square as if cut by clowns. One fits in my palm, then my sweatshirt pocket, which it must because this is the acid test by which I define comfort food: It’s small. It’s portable. It can be consumed silently. My comfort food must never call attention to itself. It must be dazzlingly bland, like Zen koans. Rolls. Marshmallows. Mochi. One round bowl of rice.” (Rufus is a recovering anorexic who is working to mend her relationship with food.)

There are gender differences in identifying comfort foods. According to research conducted at Cornell, women find comfort in snack-related foods like candy and chocolate while men prefer more meal-related comfort foods such as pasta and casseroles.

But why do we equate foods with well-being?

Studies show that the foods we enjoy are often tied in our minds to the positive memories and associations they evoke. Those foods make us feel safe, calm and cared for. It could be Mom’s minestrone or the chocolate cake we were always served on birthdays or the Snickers bars we hoarded every Halloween.

Foods also affect brain chemistry. State University of New York (Buffalo) psychology professor Shira Gabriel quotes studies that have shown that sugars and starches cause our brains to release seratonin, a neurotransmitter that triggers a sense of well-being. Salty foods, on the other hand, cause the release of oxytocins, the so-called “cuddle” chemicals that give us the same comfort that we get when we get a hug from a friend. So, a sociable person who feels isolated might reach out for a culinary hug with a salty snack like a bowl of pretzels while a piece of Amedei Chaou chocolate might calm someone down when the oven breaks down just as the first guests arrive for an  important party. (Considered by some to be the best chocolate in the world, you can buy a 50 gram bar of Amedei Limited Edition Chaou chocolate on Amazon for $21.15. That’s about $191 a pound–a guilt-inducing indulgence that might trigger its own crisis eating binge.)

Not everyone agrees, though. The University of Minnesota did a NASA-funded study where 100 subjects were shown 18 minutes of clips of sad/upsetting movies (Sophie’s Choice, Armageddon and The Hurt Locker) after which they were fed various foods–some comfort, some not. All their subjects reported feeling “awful” immediately after the movie clips. What surprised the researchers, though, was that all the study’s subjects, regardless of what they ate, felt better after the passage of a short amount of time. Their conclusion? People are remarkably resilient and the effect of comfort foods on moods is transitory at best. (Interestingly, some of the subjects quit the study after watching the three movie clips, so remember to paste a reminder on your TV not to queue up those three films to binge watch on Netflix.)

This broccoli and cheddar cheese soup seems to push some definite comfort buttons for me. I’ve never had an especially close connection to broccoli but cheese and I have a long and happy relationship.

Serves 4 Servings

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

20 minPrep Time

45 minCook Time

1 hr, 5 Total Time

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Ingredients

• 1 T. plus 4 T. unsalted butter (divided)
• 1 medium sweet yellow onion (cut in small dice)
• 1 garlic clove (minced finely)
• 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
• 2 C. vegetable stock
• 2 C. half and half
• 3 C. broccoli florets (diced into bite-size pieces)
• 2 large carrots (peeled and sliced into thin rounds)
• 3/4 t. salt (or to taste)
• 3/4 t. freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 t. smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
• 1/2 t. dry mustard powder (optional or to taste)
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 6 ounces grated high quality extra-sharp cheddar cheese (reserve some for the garnish)
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Melt 1 T. butter in a saucepan and sauté onion over medium heat for about 4 minutes. You want the onion to be lightly browned and translucent. Stir this mixture while the onion sautés to prevent the onion from burning.
2. Add the minced garlic and cook briefly (about 30 seconds). Stir while you cook the garlic to be sure that it doesn't burn. Burned garlic will give your soup an unpleasant bitter taste. Set the onion/garlic mixture aside while you prepare the rest of the soup.
3. Melt 4 T. of butter in a large soup pot. When the butter is bubbling, whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk the flour until the mixture is thickened. The flour/butter mixture will brown a bit but you don't want it to overcook and take a really brown color. (This flour and butter mixture is a thickening roux.)
4. Whisk the vegetable stock into the flour roux, whisking constantly. Whisk in the half and half. Simmer this mixture for 15-20 minutes. You want the roux to cook down a bit and to thicken.
5. While your roux mixture is cooking, chop your vegetables. Then, when the roux has cooked for 15-20 minutes, add the broccoli, carrots, and the onion/garlic mixture.
6. Add the seasonings: salt, pepper, paprika, optional dry mustard powder and the optional cayenne. Stir to combine.
7. Continue to simmer your soup for 20 to 25 minutes, whisking occasionally to incorporate the "skin" that will form on the surface.
8. Grate cheese and stir it into the soup, reserving some of the cheese to garnish the individual bowls of soup when you serve it to your guests. Sprinkle some chopped parsley over the finished dish. (If your soup is too thick, thin it with a bit more half and half or broth.)

7.8.1.2

72

https://bluecayenne.com/give-yourself-a-hug-broccoli-cheddar-soup

This recipe is adapted from one that appears here: Averie Cooks’ Recipe for Cheddar and Broccoli Soup

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