h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's time to pull out that favorite curry recipe or Thai chicken stew recipe...

Okay, this could be in the casserole section as well, but since it's Greek to me...

Spanakopita

1 package phyllo dough
1 bunch fresh spinach, woody stems removed and chopped
1 ½ lbs. feta cheese
1 bunch scallions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 16 oz. container cottage cheese
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
2 t. dried basil
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. dried dill
1 c. olive oil
1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan on the stove on very low heat, melt the butter. In a big bowl, mix the feta, cottage cheese, scallions, garlic and herbs. Set aside. Keep chopped spinach in a seperate bowl. Add the olive oil to the melted butter and set aside. Grease a big roasting pan or baking dish, unwrap and spread out the defrosted phyllo dough. Make sure you keep the phyllo under a damp towel the whole time you are working with it.

Begin assembly. Place 6 sheets of phyllo in the pan, brushing the butter/olive oil mixture on each piece. Pour a layer of the cheese mixture on the dough and sprinkle a third of the spinach on top. Then again place 3 layers of phyllo, each buttered/oiled on top and repeat with another third of the cheese and spinach. Repeat again for another layer and then top with the remaining phyllo. Make sure each piece of phyllo is buttered and oiled. Pour any remaining butter over the top and sprinkle some herbs--oregano, basil and dill--on top for decoration. Bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Palak Paneer

Cheese:
2 qts milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Spinach:
2 tsp oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 10 oz. pkg. spinach, drained
1 cup chicken broth

To prepare the cheese: Heat 2 qts milk to boiling, remove from heat and add 1/2 cup lemon juice. When curds and whey have separated, strain the curds from the whey using a strainer and two sheets of cheesecloth. An old pillowcase will do, if you're out of cheesecloth. Allow the whey to drain, and help it along with a squeeze or two. When it's relatively solid, tie the cheesecloth together, place a weight on it, and put it in the fridge. It'll be ready in two hours.

To prepare the spinach: Heat 2 tsp oil in medium saucepan, and add onion and garlic. Let it soften, then add spices and stir. Finally, add the chicken broth and spinach. Simmer for about five minutes, until the ingredients have integrated.

After your cheese has solidified, take it out of the fridge. Place it on a cutting board and shape it into a rectangle, making sure the top and sides are relatively smooth. The texture should be similar to cream cheese. Cut the rectangle into equal-sized cubes. Fry the cheese in two tsp of oil in a hot pan, turning the cubes until they're browned on all sides. Some cheese will crumble away - just add it to the spinach as you're heating the cheese. When it's done, toss it in the pan with the spinach, and mix gently. Serve.

I didn't have any chicken broth in the house when I made this recipe last weekend. I had a pan of overdone chicken soup, all stringy and mushy. I took the chicken soup, pureed it with a bit of hot water, and added that to the paneer. The paneer ended up being a bit dry. I added a cup of water and some more chicken bouillion, and then the consistency was perfect.

Luscious Bulgogi (Korean Marinated Beef)

This oddly named item is, according to my sources, the national dish of Korea. It makes a wonderful, tender, juicy, sweet beef dish that is a great dinner for four--perhaps you, your sweetie and his or her parents whom you need to impress? You will need:

1 head red leaf lettuce
1 cup uncooked sticky white rice
1 1-lb. steak, sliced thinly
1 kiwi
1 onion
sugar
soy sauce
sesame oil
red wine
black pepper
rice vinegar
4 - 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
5 scallions, chopped into 1-inch lengths

The beef is most easily cut when it is frozen and thawed just a bit in the microwave. Make sure the slices are very thin, and set them aside in a bowl. Sprinkle some sugar on them and let the beef sit for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, liquify the onion and the kiwi. After that, in a measuring cup, combine 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of red wine, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, a dash of black pepper, a dash of the rice vinegar and 3 tablespoons of sugar. This sauce should be a little more sweet than salty, so you might need to add more sugar. Combine the onion, the kiwi, and the soy sauce mixture all together in the bowl with the beef and add the scallions and the garlic. Mix well and allow to marinate for anywhere from three hours to overnight.

Prepare the rice in whatever way works best for you. I usually have one cup of rice to two cups of water, which I have brought to a boil with a pat of butter, and simmered for 20 minutes. In the meantime, in a large pan or wok on high heat, cook the beef in its sauce, until the beef is done and the marinade is reduced down to a glossy paste. To assemble, take a leaf of the red lettuce, place a good dollop of rice in its middle, top with a bit of the Luscious Bulgogi and roll up. Mmm-mmm!

Tex-Mex:

My recipe for quesadillas, approved by local Hispanic friends:

one onion and 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
3 roma tomatoes, also diced fairly fine
3 rashers of bacon, sliced into little bits
1 breast of chicken, sliced even finer than you would for the wok
1 can of green chillies
grated cheese (queso quesadilla)
flour tortillas, 12-inch size. Chapatis work.

fry the garlic and onion slowly in some olive oil until transparent, then add roma tomatoes and as much of the chillies as you think you can handle, plus herbs like oregano and basil, and some paprika. Carry on frying, stirring occasionally. I also add salt, but that's optional.

Fry the bacon in a separate pan, then decant onto paper towel to drain, and pour off most of the bacon fat. Fry the chicken in what's left. Add the bacon and chicken to the first pan, mix it all together, fry a little longer, then decant into a bowl you can cover tightly in case you don't use it all.

The easy part comes now:
If you have a griddle, get it ready at whatever heat you use for grilled cheese sandwiches. Otherwise, have a large frying pan at the ready. Use butter, marg or olive oil to VERY lightly coat the outside of each tortilla. Sprinkle lots of grated cheese, then a thin layer of the filling you just made, then more cheese onto one of the tortillas, cover it with a second tortilla (coated side out) then put it on the griddle. Turn after a couple of minutes. Serve when all the cheese is melted.

Quarter with a sharp knife and serve with sour cream and salsa. I like them with guacamole.

There are other ingredients you can use, such as refried beans or green/red peppers, but the peppers should be used in moderation, if at all. I personally think the green chillies add all the peppers you need.

You can also substitute other meats, or leave out the meat entirely.