This whole blogging excitement has lead down a slippery slope of many many new things software wise in my life. Since the first MsAnthropologist entry I have made the 75% jump to Ubuntu as an operating system on my computer. It is kind of scary for me because all I have ever known is Windows, and maybe a little Mac, enough to play The Incredible Machine on the library computers in High School at least. For those of you who are even less familiar with different operating systems, the long and the short of it is, Ubuntu and most of what is included when talking about "linux" type things, is an open source(read: optionally free) answer to common software that requires payment to use.
'But I did not pay for windows, it came installed on the machine I purchased.' You might say, well, you didn't pay specifically for a copy of windows off the shelf, but the cost of that software is absorbed into the cost of that machine, unless ye be of the pirrraaaatin' types, Microsoft will get you in the end no matter which way you look at it. (Yes...that is an Xbox 360 on my desk. What's your point?) I digress, my point here is, I want to learn how to use Ubuntu, so that I can make choices on the software I use, who I support, and where my money goes. So, I made the partitioned plunge.
It has been 2 days and there are already a few programs on my list of "soon to be officially supported"; First being Flickr Uploader, Flickr users out there, this program allows for a much easier, and more efficient way to upload and add initial details to your files.
Another program I have wasted a few sunny spring hours exploring is GIMP. Now, I have had some experience on the windows side with Photoshop, my forehead and the top of my desk still have the scars to prove it. But after looking at some of the fantastically photographed images on my favorite foodporn site www.foodgawker.com I really felt incensed in my quest to learn the "photo-enhancing" powers in that program. Not only for the sake of my readers but also to maybe land myself in the line up at foodgawkers.
I am really lucky, something that will become more apparent as this blog goes on. I have a great family, and really great friends as well, spread out all over the world. Recently the father of one of my great friends happened to just have an extra kodak easy share digital camera that he gave me for helping to paint his new house. It is not as fancy as some of the food bloggers cameras out there, but it is the best I have had, with buttons and settings I don't know much about. So I set in for a few hours yesterday and today fooling around with GIMP and the pictures I have collected since getting this new camera, but I felt that I needed something new to work with, some new pretty, tasty things to take pictures of. What a coincidence! I just so happen to have a package of Phyllo dough in my fridge. >_> I love it when a plan comes together.
This humble three dollar purchase had big things planned for it when i bought it at a great Mediterranean deli in my city. "When I get this Phyllo home, I am going to make Spinakopita (I really cant find a for sure spelling of this, but if you know what I am talking about maybe you can help me out?) and Baklava, and all sorts of flaky amazing goodness!" Off I scurried home to start on my project with a little on-line research on my subject. I like to learn from other peoples mistakes as often as I can, saves me from making them myself. The Internet and fellow foodie blogs are a great resource for kitchen testing, trouble shooting, and also, grave warnings. Grave warnings were exactly what I got when it came to working with this fragile dough. Don't let it dry out! Don't be rough at all! Too much butter between the layers and your dough will be soggy, too little, and it will be dry! Beware! Turn Back! Abandon all hope...and all that jazz. Needless to say, the frightening little tube of dough stayed in the back of my freezer for a month at least. Now seemed like a great time to bust it out, its been a week of new things, challenges, and changes. If I could master a new operating system on my computer, then I could handle a little flimsy dough, right?
I didn't have ALL the necessary ingredients for proper spinach dip like water chestnuts, or cups of mayo so "spinach dip" is kind of a loose interpretation of the term (no less tasty though).
Half a box of Phyllo dough
4 large white mushrooms
1 large sized Shallot
2 cloves of garlic
2 frozen bricks of Spinach
1/4 cup sourcream (full fat in this recipe)
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup diced Feta cheese
1/4 cup salted butter, melted. (marg is not a good substitute in this case)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4-6 leaves of Mint (1 Tbsp dried flakes)
First, dice up your garlic, shallot and mushrooms, I used my processor, cause I was feeling a little rushed, but just a hand chop would work too. Fry them up in a little olive oil with the smoked paprika and once it starts to smell nice and fragrant, drop in your spinach bricks (mine just happen to be still frozen, forethought can reduce your cooking time here) and add a little water to help produce some steam, which is much hotter than just boiling water, and will help to thaw your frozen spinach bricks if you happen to be in the same boat as I was.
Once the spinach has separated, boiled down, and there isn't much moisture left in your mixture now is the time to add your sour cream and cream cheese. I found I had a little too much moisture in mine, so I tossed in a few tablespoons of plain whole wheat breadcrumbs which fixed the problem. Once all the new ingredients are melted and incorporated, put the pot in the fridge to wait. For now it is time to Phace your Phinal destiny...Phyllo!
Don't try to do this task first and do try and plan ahead, because some of the hype IS true, and phyllo does dry out fairly easy. Once your pot is in the fridge, now is the time to clear some working space and get to it.
The best advice I can give were given by Douglas Adams, "Don't Panic" and also, "Don't forget to bring a towel" or two. Grab a couple clean teatowels, or even a clean hand towel and get it damp with luke warm water. Run the tap over the dry surface a little, and rub the wetness around with your hands. You really don't want it to be very wet at all, but enough to give the dough some moisture to take. Lay down one wet tea towel, or the bigger hand towel and lay the dough flat out on it, folding or laying the second towel over it. Set a cutting board next to the towel covered dough, get your melted butter, and brush in a handy spot near the cutting board as well. Lift the top towel off and grab your first Phyllo sheet, try not to pull to fast or too hard because it is a fragile dough, but its forgivable too. You can just take the torn part, lay it over the rest of the dough and keep going, this dough is layered in nature, so it is easy to cover up mistakes. once you have a sheet on your cutting board, brush it gingerly with butter. I alternated focus on the middle of the dough, then on the next sheet I buttered the edges. This thin dough soaks up a lot of butter through the layers, so be thorough, but do not over do it. Repeat this for 5-6 layers then cut the dough into squares about the size of a wonton wrapper (or your palm).
I used this size so that they would fit into the cups on my mini cupcake pan. If you want to make bigger ones, by all means, just cut your dough squares bigger.
At this point, set your oven to 350 degrees F and fetch your spinach out of the fridge. To this slightly chilled mixture, add your diced feta, and the chopped up mint, and give it a quick stir to distribute. The reason you want to do this after it has been in the fridge for a little while, is so that the cubes of feta will melt together and form pockets of warm feta goodness rather then melting into the whole hot mixture to give you an all around feta flavor through the whole mixture. With a teaspoon, start to drop a healthy sized heap into the middle of the dough resting in the cupcake hole and then pinch the dough around it closed. Do this till the tray is full and put it into the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are nice and golden brown.
I thought these turned out really fantastic. they were crunchy, creamy and just a little smoky thanks to the Hungarian paprika.
and I must say, they are terribly photogenic.
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