Recipes, and Pictures, and Reviews, Oh My!

This is the section of the program where we hear from Adam.
How did I do? Were any of these meals worth eating again? Or the first time for that matter.

Pastitsio
My copy of this recipe is handwritten by my mom for the cookbook we put together before I moved into my first apartment, but it comes from a Greek cookbook with a lot of butter stains on it.


1lb. cooked macaroni
2 lbs. lean ground beef (I actually cut this to about 1.25 lbs)
6T butter
1 c. chopped onion
1T  salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t cinnamon
4T tomato paste
2 eggs
1/2 c. parmesan (grated)


Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the onions for about 5 minutes. Add meat to brown. (This grossed me out. I browned and drained my 93% lean meat while the onions were sautéing then combined them. The butter is already ridiculous, I did not need all the other fat too.) Cover and cook 20 minutes. [You should be boiling your macaroni on a neighboring eye right now, but the recipe assumes that this goes without saying.] Add salt, pepper,  cinnamon & tomato paste. Continue cooking 10 minutes. Combine this with coked macaroni. Add parmesan and eggs. Blend well and pour into a lightly greased 9x12 backing dish. Cover with cream sauce. 


Drumroll please. The cream sauce is the reason I make this dish.


8T butter
3/4 c. flour
1 qt. warm milk (I just microwaved it for about 1 min 30 sec)
4 eggs 
1/2 t salt


Melt the butter, add flour. Remove from heat and stir in the warm milk slowly to keep smooth. Beat eggs slightly and add the hot mixture slowly to the eggs to keep from curdling. Add salt and cook until thickened (stirring continuously). Pour evenly over the mixture. 


Bake at 375 30 minutes until set. 


Spanakopita


1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and very dry
1 egg
1/2 - 1 lb. feta crumbles
1 small onion chopped 
salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste


Combine the above ingredients. 


Option 1 "Lazy" & my personal choice for a Monday night meal: Layer 9-10 sheets Filo dough, brushing each with butter, in a 9x13 pan. Spread spinach mixture evenly. Top with remaining Filo, brushing each sheet with butter. Bake at 350 to golden brown (25-35 min).


Option 2 "Ideal" & usually reserved for parties: Fold single sheet of Filo lengthwise, put small amount of spinach mixture at one end. Fold/roll into triangles. Brush with butter. Bake at 350 to golden brown (15-20 min).




The spanakopita was bitter; I liked it better when it was made into triangles rather than like a pan of brownies.  I liked the pastitsio - it had a hint of cinnamon that made it sweet.  It was like a sweet-tasting lasagna.