The Greek savoury pastry snack of Spanakopita can be found in any bakery around Melbourne where I’m from. Although as I discovered when I had a yearning for them not so long ago in London, they’re not so common in these parts. So I decided to make them myself.
Here is the recipe that I have so far. It’s still a work in progress, so I’ll update it when I’ve made breakthroughs:
250g spinach
1 bunch spring onions
50g fresh mint
2tsp dried dill, or 50g fresh
4 eggs
500g feta cheese
250g packet of filo pastry
full fat Greek yoghurt for serving
Pre-heat the oven to 175c
For the mixture:
Microwave the spinach for 3 minutes. Drain as much water from it as posible, chop it up and put it in a large bowl.
Finely chop the spring onions mint and dill, and add to the bowl.
Break up the feta cheese into the bowl.
Add the eggs, and mix thouroughly.
For the parcel:
Lay out the filo pastry, and put around 4 tablespoons of the spinach mixture in the middle. Fold the pastry over in your own preferred manner. Stick the ends together with milk, and brush the top of the parcel with milk as well.
Place the parcels on a tray, and bake for around 40 minutes, or until the pastry is brown.
Serve with greek yoghurt.
The view from the street
I first found out about Maison Bertaux from word of mouth, with more than a few people telling me it has the best croissants in London.
Of course I needed to check this out for myself, so off I went on the directions given to me ‘the place with the blue front on the other end of Dean St’.
What I found out from my first visit, and subsequent visits since, is yes – they do have the best croissants in London.
Their almond croissants are particularly good. And the plain croissants. Oh, and their pain au chocolate. Well, they seem to excel in all pastries they bake.
And the best time of day to grab the pastries is first thing in the morning, when it is hot out of the oven and also warms your hands whilst eating.
Pastries just out of the oven
The establishment itself has an eclectic, theatrical charm to it, with various decor filling the shelves. The service is also warm and welcoming, which in my case adds around 2-4 extra croissants to the basket.
How to get there:
http://www.maisonbertaux.com/
28 Greek Street, London W1D 5DQ
Ph: 020 7437 6007
Always a winner when bought out to the table. Great with coffee or tea, and can be kept for up to a week
Ingredients
175g caster sugar
350g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3eggs
2 lemons
250ml milk
1tsp vanilla essence
125g butter
Flaked almonds for the topping (optional)
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 170c.
In one bowl add the caster sugar, eggs and lemon zest. Mix well together.
In a separate bowl, add sifted self raising flour and baking powder. And in another bowl mix the milk and vanilla essence. So by now you should have 3 bowls filled with separate ingredients (in case you’ve lost count).
Mix 1/3 of the flour in with the sugar and egg mixture, then 1/3 of the milk mix. Repeat until all mixes are one.
Beat in the melted butter.
Place the mixture into a greased cake tin and bake in the oven for 110 minutes. It will be ready when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
When the cake is out of the oven, squeeze lemon juice from one of the lemons over the top.
Leave to cool.
I’m not sure how much of the effect of a hot toddy is placebo, and how much is real, but for me this drink certainly sooths the symptoms of a cold.
I use Glenmorangie for the whisky, although I’m sure you’ll have your favourite tipple.
Here’s the ingredients I use, and the method:
a measure of whiskey
1 tsp honey
lemon slice and juice to taste
half a cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
a splash of hot water
Put the whiskey and honey in the glass or mug, and add the hot water. Add the lemon slice and if you like the juice of half a lemon, and stir. Add the cloves and cinnamon stick, stir some more and enjoy.
Having read Niahm’s Eat Like a Girl blog for a few years now, I am now a very happy owner of her first cookbook ‘Comfort and Spice’
Flicking through it a few times, I cannot find a recipe I don’t want to cook.
I’ve decided to tackle the blaas recipe first, shortly followed by the lamb and smoky aubergine rolls….or maybe the chorizo and chickpea stew….
Oh, and order it on Amazon here…
I also cannot wait to see if there’s a follow up, where hopefully her recipe for bacon jam would make an appearance.
The night's menu
I’m always a sucker for a food-based theme night, so of course I was quick to sign up when The Drapers Arms in north London put the word out there that they were going to host a night entitled ‘Pigfest – A Tribute to the Pig’.
The menu proved to serve a vista of the pig. Starting of with thinly-sliced jamon, which was perfect when combined with their sourdough bread.
quail scotch eggs
I loved the quail scotch eggs that were the second course. They managed to keep the yolk runny, and the sausage meat coating was perfectly seasoned.
brawn, toast and pickles
The brawn served was quite meaty, which I prefer as I do not like it over-jellied or fatty head cheese.
slow roast 'old spot' belly
My favourite cut of the pig is the belly. The crackling was crisp, and being in a room full of foodies, no chance of seconds. The rhubarb chutney was a perfect accomponyment.
All was finished up with a pallette-cleansing apple sorbet, which one ate before thinking of taking a picture.
mixed selection of mains
After being spoilt for choice coming from Melbourne, where the other half of the Greek population live, I find Greek restaurants in London seem to more a miss than a hit. They don’t seem to get the balance right between authenticity and quality, and having just spent some time in Greece, my expectations were high when it came to a repeat visit to Lemonia Greek restaurant.
I had been before to Lemonia, although not for a few years. So I had forgotten just how great it was, and how it can also rank up with the local restaurants in Athens and Paros.
Lemonia’s nestled in Primrose Hill, where it’s been part of the scene for as long as people remember. Booking in advance is the way to go as it’s always filled to capacity, which is something that service does not suffer for as it’s always attentive and quick. The waiters who have been there for as long as the restaurant itself keep things moving at a nice pace, and are always up for a banter as well, which adds to the atmosphere.
spanacopita
The mixed meze is great to start with. Tziki, aubergine puree, and hummous are great to have with the flat bread. The tabbouleh freshens up the palette, and of course you have to order the greek salad for the side. The prawn dish is a nice addition to order as well if you want a seafood dish to balance it out.
souvlaki
For mains I recommend also ordering a selection for the table. The lamb chops are a nice little bite, with the chicken and lamb souvlaki cooked tender. Spanakopita I can eat any time of day, and the ham, halloumi and greek sausage dish was probably a highlight.
turkish delight
End the night fighting over the turkish delights, or order in the baklava with the turkish coffee. Reading your coffee grains is apparently a past time of some people. I won’t tell you what mine said.
Lemonia
89 Regents Park Road,
London, NW1 8UY
Well worth the effort in preparation:
– Peel the tough, inedible leaves one by one by bending them back until they snap off. Leaving the edible paler bottom end of the leaf.
– Squeeze some lemon over the artichoke to prevent discolouring.
– Cut around 2cm of the tip, and open up the artichoke.
– Discard any inner leaves.
– Scrape out the bristles, being careful not to damage the tender bottom.
– Rub with lemon, season the inner section and pour in some olive oil and lemon.
– Place the artichoke stem up in a heavy-based pan, and cover until the water covers the artichoke, but not the stem.
– Place on a medium heat for 35 minutes, or until you can easily pierce it with a fork.
– Serve with extra olive oil and lemon. Or dip in a hollandaise sauce.
You can’t go very wrong with this recipe. It’s always been something I fall back on if I want something that’s straightforward, hassle free, quick, and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
1.5kg whole chicken
fresh thyme
1 lemon
garlic
4 shallots
oil
salt and pepper
For the gravy:
1 tbsp cornflour
1 cup boiling water
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200c.
Place the chicken on a roasting tray. Cut the lemon in half, and place it in the chicken’s cavity. Peel and cut in half the shallots and garlic, and also place in the chicken.
Cover the chicken with the oil and thyme (or any other mixed herbs). Place any other vegetables you would like to serve with the chicken in the roasting tray.
Cook until the juices run clear, or 20 minutes per 450 grams + 20 minutes.
Half way through cooking, or at more regular intervals, spoon some of the juices over the chicken to keep it moist and enables the spread of more flavourings around the chicken meat.
To make the gravy:
You would find that this is also a great way to clean the baking tray…
Place the chicken on a separate tray, and cover with foil to keep it warm. Add a tablespoon of cornflour to the juices in the baking tray, with the cup of boiling water. Place over a low heat and stir with either a fork or wooden spoon, making sure there are no lumps. Keep stirring until you get the consistency you desire.
Baking eggs is my favourite cooking method. It not only retains more of the egg flavour, but seems to open up more possibilities on what to have with them.
I use a small oven-proof fry pan to bake my eggs in. Ramekins are also a great to use, but just as long as the container is oven-proof and can contain an egg, then the possibilities are endless.
The main method is to turn your oven up to 200 degrees celsius, and cook the vegetables you will have with the eggs for the desired amount of time.
10 minutes before the end of cooking time, make a well in the middle, crack the eggs into the well, and pop back in the oven.
With shallots, tomatoes, asparagus
With tomatoes, and a field mushroom. The addition of a field mushroom enables you to be more clever with presentation by cracking open the eggs on top of the mushroom itself.
With slow cooked tomatoes. Click here for my recipe.