tiropitas

It's a cooking marathon here. High tea is coming, everybody get ready! You're about to get a lot more food pictures and recipes. Don't think you'll mind though. These Greek wonders are a cinch to put together, and crazy delicious. I made about forty last night and they're hanging out in the freezer, waiting to be baked up tomorrow( if you do prepare them ahead like this, freeze in a single layer first, then once they're nice and solid feel free to stack them/pile them in a bowl/toss them in a bag. With this method, they don't need any special treatment when you're ready to bake, just a few minutes more in the oven). And the story of how I first tasted them and got the recipe is pretty good. My first semester of college I took a religious studies class. As part of the curriculum, we were charged with experiencing a religious service that was foreign to us. Being the budding anthropologist/sociologist I was, I attended several. The most impressive to me was a Greek orthodox Holy Thursday service. The ritual of everything was overwhelming, as was the feast that was laid out afterwards. It included these little heavenly triangles, and the woman who made them must have noticed me coming back for more and more, because we ended up talking, and she told me the recipe. It was a cinch to commit to memory, and though I haven't made these but twice in the 7 years since, it all came back to me with no hesitation last night. There are no measurements in the recipe since it really is foolproof, and everything is meted out depending on how many you're making. I have faith that you can figure it out for yourself.


To make your own, you'll need:
phyllo dough, fresh or thawed
butter, melted
cottage cheese
feta
eggs

-In a 50/50 ratio, mix together the cottage cheese and feta. Crack an an egg (or two, or even three in my case), and stir to combine. You want a thick, but slightly runny mixture with just a tint of yellow from the yolks
-Working with one at a time, lay a sheet of phyllo horizontally on a large cutting board/work surface. Brush the dough all over with melted butter. Using a sharp knife, make vertical cuts in the dough about every two inches, making about four long strips of dough per sheet
-Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture at the end of each strip, and fold one bottom corner up to make a triangle. Keep folding/flipping as you would a flag. Fondly recall your days in the scouts, or on flag duty at school
-When the triangle is all rolled up, gently place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush with just a bit more butter
-Bake at 325 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden on top
-απολαμβάν !!!!

Tiropita station ready to go. A fine glass of red wine sure helps everything along

Phyllo all buttered up

Roll, roll, roll

One last fatty, decadent touch

honey beer bread

Oh my stars. Sarah's birthday is coming up, and we're planning a grand high tea. While flipping through the little recipe book I brought with me, I came across this one. It's so simple, so delicious, and I had completely forgotten about it. I was super stoked to find it again. Started making the dough at about 10 o'clock last night because I just couldn't contain my excitement. About five minutes later there were some delectable muffins baking away (we don't have a loaf pan, and it was a happy experiment to see them turn out so well this way), and I had a silent kitchen to do a little reading in. Great end to the night, and the muffins were a great start to the next day. I had one with my afternoon tea, cut in two, toasted, with some local honey drizzled on top. Divine. Do yourself a favor and make this soon. In a loaf pan, it bakes up to be the best toast you'll ever make yourself, and in muffin form? Maybe even better. Also, I used a pilsner, but any beer works. I've done it before with everything from a hefeweizen, to a really dark stout. Whatever you have on hand, go for it!

You'll need:

3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey, warmed
1 can of beer, 12 ounces (if you're using a bottle with more beer than the recipe calls for-lucky you, finish it off)
.25 cups of unsalted butter, melted


-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
-Grease a loaf pan, or line a muffin tin (mine has six large cups) with parchment paper
-Stir together all ingredients except the butter
-Pour half the butter into the bottom of the loaf pan/muffin cups, then add the batter (which is exceedingly fun to work with-spongy, clingy, moist, stretchy, just you wait), and top with the remaining butter
-Pop in the oven to bake, about 50 minutes, stay in the kitchen and enjoy the heavenly aroma
-Let cool for a few minutes before tearing in if you'd like to avoid burns on your hands/mouth. If not, dive right in!

P.S. Timothy, who is wary of any food not obviously Italian, just shouted at me that these muffins were "The shit! Yeah!". And Elisa asked for the recipe. Everybody wins.

Late night baking might be my favorite thing to do

Yummmmm

zanahorias en escabeche

Or, pickled carrots. Mexican style. We had a ton of carrots in the fridge, plenty of chilies, and the kids love burritos and tacos like you wouldn't believe. Constantly watching them eat a somewhat compromised version of Mexican food makes me want the real little things like this all that much more to go along. So now we'll have spicy pickled carrots in addition to Cholula (muchos gracias padre!) to put on top of our burritos and such. Thinking a real Mexican feast might be coming up (maybe for Benito Juárez's birthday?), I'm craving an excuse to make a huge pot of frijoles refritos!
And the recipe I use for these follows because, well, you need it in your life to be frankly honest!

Gather your ingredients. A bunch of carrots, some chili peppers, vinegar and sugar.

Peel, then slice the carrots into thin coins. Slice the chilies, too.

If you have OCD tendencies like yours truly, pile them together and determine whether or not you like the ratio of carrot to chili. I added one more chili at this point.

Put a pot on the stove. Admire the view. 

Put some white vinegar and sugar in your pot. You want slightly less liquid than you have vegetables. I had about 4.5 cups of carrots, so used approximately 3 cups of vinegar and a half cup of sugar. 

Bring the vinegar and sugar to a gentle simmer, making sure the sugar fully dissolves. Turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the hot burner. Toss in your vegetables and give them a good stir. 

When the mixture is cool, decant into an airtight container. Make sure the vegetables are fully submerged/covered by the brine. This ensures that they remain fresh for a long time. 

Pick up on your cat's subtle hint that he needs some food. Go feed him, you're done anyway! All that's left to do is put your jar of freshly pickled carrots in the fridge and try to wait a decent amount of time before helping yourself to them.

As a side note, I took a trip down dance floor lane while making these, listening to what Allison and I call "prom music". Basically soul and funk classics and 80s guilty pleasures.  Give it a listen!


                                                


Update: Just went to the kitchen to try one (that was the intention at least), and they were good. Really good. Addictive. So, guess I'm just telling you that I fully endorse my own recipe, which should be inherent, but oh well! 

last night

As I said yesterday, I've been sick again. Just can't seem to shake it off. But last night was a high point, with the warm day giving way to the chilly autumn winds I love so much. Started out enjoying that on our veranda, then spontaneously decided to go have a peek at the sunset from the botanical gardens. One thing led to another, I was feeling better than I had in days, and I ended up racing up the tower in the gardens to get the ultimate view. Felt so good. And though I'm paying for it today, it was still worth it. I've expressed my love for the sky before on here, and it bears repeating. If you just take the time to stop for a second or two and look up, there's always something grand to see.

queste cose

Loving these teeny flowers that are popping up in the botanical gardens

And equal love goes to all the giant trees. Paradise. 

Our friend's sweet little baby girl dozed off in Pasca's lap the other day

Pasca came home from a market with a rose and mustache painted on her face. So distinguished! 

Felt magical walking into the sunset last night 

Did a little more evening window shopping in town. This shop, with it's ever evolving Marimekko stock, is my favorite. 

Shadow has been extra lazy lately, and particularly fond of the veranda. Can't say I blame her!

Been sick yet again, and Oscar and I had a little bit of quiet time in front of the fire one evening. Purr-fect 

Was admiring the sunset and this spider tonight and was suddenly, vividly reminded of a night last August when Brittanie and I went to La Jolla and watched another gorgeous sunset, played in some fun sculptures, met an amazing man and his adorable dog, and admired a huge spider making it's web. Such fun. 

festa

Timothy and Elisa have been non-stop cooking lately. It's such a welcome change in pace. Feel like a pampered fifties husband, coming home and knowing that a delicious dinner will be waiting for me. They started with melanzane alla parmigiana, and just kept on going with tiramisu, salame di cioccolato, gattò di patate, and some crazy rich, almost overly sweet nut cookie. My mind is telling me there are other things I can't recall at the moment, but I'm not worried about missing anything. Instead, I'm optimistic as to what is coming next! They've definitely set the bar pretty darn high for themselves.

Timothy is a very patient sous chef

Melanzane in the making

Of course dusting your nose with flour is vital!

Don't mind Benson's creepy face, the food was a triumph!

The salame di cioccolate, a perfect after dinner treat with coffee for our movie night last Sunday

The gattò, fairly unassuming from the outside...

...but filled with molten cheese and/or tomato sauce. Molto bene!

And a little dinner theater last night, Justin Bieber and Hannah Montana stopped by!

quantock

The man himself, putting his mark on the theater

A few nights ago Sarah, Rina and I went down to the little theater in town to see the comedian Rod Quantock. And it was great. I like my comedy to be smart and sharp, and he was exactly that. Commenting on the state of politics, the environment, and society. No punchlines, no mocking tone, just a wonderful running banter of the kind you wish existed between you and your best friends. And seeing an act like that is a great way of getting to know Australia even better. A country's sense of humor is very telling, and even though Quantock's is definitely directed at a specific audience, it was still enlightening. Look him up and give him a listen if you can, he's well worth it.

arty didactic

Self-Portrait at the Clavichord with a Servant, 1577

Lavinia Fontana, 1552-1614. An amazing woman, often said to the first female artist, working on her own, not a part of a convent or other organization, earning her commissions solely on her own merit (and even counting the pope as a patron). You could possibly even call her an early feminist, though it seems she was only doing what was natural to her, continuing the family business which just happened to let her pursue her art. She did marry and produce many children as was the custom of the day, but it was her husband who took the supportive role in the relationship, acting as assistant and head of the household. Imagine that circa 1600!

Assumption of the Virgin, 1583

Judith With the Head of Holofernes, 1600

Minerva Dressing, 1612-13

Portrait of A Lady, 1590s

Portrait of Antonietta Gonzalez, 1595

Portrait of Ginerva Aldrovandi Hercolani, 1595