C10 - Sunday, July 29, 1984 -

North Shore News

TRACING-PAPER PASTRY

me off home-made ravioli and other mysterious pastries for years to come.

I had a whole kitchenfull of counter-space in those days, but every surface was covered with flour and dough and stuffing and perspiration for hours. I decided I was too far past my carefree youth to tackle something as perishable and unstable as filo.

the kitchen ranger

=

by Eleanor Godley

Filo, phyllo, strudel, leaf pastry — whatever you call it, the books are full of foreboding about using it. “*Don’t let it dry out, above all’’; ‘*Placing the sheets is pretty tricky’’; “‘Don’t un- wrap it until it is completely defrosted or you'll be sorry’’.

Good Grief.

But I love that Greek spinach pie, so, ignoring my heeby-jeebies, | bought a package from the frozen case. It had some 16 large sheets in it, rolled up ught like a newspaper, and sealed in plastic. 1 gave it four hours sitting on the counter, — surely that would thaw i but made sure I knew how to proceed before | ever opened ut

None of my cookery books had much of a story about filo pastry, and the Library ytelded only onc recape that helped mc, but piecing that information here and there persuaded me to the rather dramatix course of making two pics, not just one

The reasoning behind this advice seemcd to be that because the stuff freezes amiably, and tec heats

without suffering, why not make two batches, or a batch of two different stuffings, and have pie safely in the freezer against a sudden at- tack of ‘‘spinakoptika fever’’?

It was surprisingly easy. | was afraid it would be lke tissue-paper, but it’s more like tracing-paper, for one thing. If you cut the large leaves in half — use the scissors — you’ve got enough for eight sheets layered, top and bottom, for a spinach pie and a vegetable pie. While you use one stack of leaves, keep a towel always over the top of the pile, to keep it from drying, and be sure the other pile is safely rolled and back in the plastic.

Each pie needs an oven- pan 9x13 inches, which will yield six generous servings for lunch or dinner, or lots of smaller portions for hors d’oeuvres: Have your fillings completed and = standing ready before you unwrap the dough.

Spinach Filling: 10 oz. of spinach, cooked and chopped (1 used frozen) and.drained 6 oz. of feta cheese, crumbled 1 cup of smali-curd cottage cheese 1 small onion, chopped 2 Tospns. of fresh chopped parsicy 2 tspns. of dill weed 3 eggs, beaten 1 Tospn. of soft butter for greasing the pan “ cup of butter, melted “% package of filo pastry

Barely cook the = spinach, drain and chop it, and mix it with the feta, cottage cheese, omon, parsicy and dill and stir all this into the beaten cee.

Lay 1 sheet of pastry in the greased pan and, using a brush, paint wt quickly with melted butter.

Repeat, until you've used eight buttering cach one Spoon the filliang on to the pastry, and begin laycring and buttering for the top eight sheets Tuck the cdges in as you go

Cut into sax, then bake alt ¥SOF for 25 minutes If atoos colouring past golden, reduce the heat for 10 more minutes and remove Let at stand for 10 minutes before serving

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Solving the mysteries o

RANKLY, filo frightened me. Years ago, | spent a day wrassling with noodle-dough, a tiresome experience which was enough to put

Vegetable Filling: Have % cup of melted butter ready. .

2 Tbspns. of flour

2 Tbospns. of dry sherry Mix and cook another 5 In a large skillet, saute minutes and set aside. Beat

1 cup of minced onion in together

2 Tbspns. of butter 1 egg ae When soft, add 6 Tbspns. of sour cream or

1 large carrot, chopped fine

yogurt 1 cup of broccoli, chopped Mix into the sauteed (peel the stems) vegetables along with “% cup of mushrooms, ‘4 cup of minced fresh chopped parsley 4% tspn. of dill week (or Y cup of wheat germ.

more)

Mix and cook for 10 minutes,

Same time, same then sprinkle with

temperature, same pleasure.

RYVITA

Snackbread

KELLOGG'S

Corn Fiakes

NESCAFE

Instant Coffee

NESTLE’'S

a Quik STEINFELD'S

Baby Dill Pickles

FRENCH'S

Prepared Mustard

MAZOLA

Corn Oil

WINSTON HOUSE

White Vinegar

TIO SANCHO

Taco Shells

LIBBY S

Red Kidney Beans

CLOVERLE AF e Pink Salmon

GOLD CUP

Mandarin Oranges

LIBBY S

Unsw. Orange Juice

WYLERS

Light Drink Crystals ........

SOCIETY

Liver Chunks Dog Food

CASCADE

Detergent Bonus

VORY

Liquid Detergent

vO

Shampoo or Conditioner

Ha ORT

Table Napkins

VIVA

Paper Towels

200 g 675g G6*2 283 g 78 750 g 2

4t 2*8

133.9 vem “A BS roy 28 ram — BS abt | hoe ong BD any 96% fans De

7 2/8 Ab) eral 1°? PPOs 1°%2 4272

2 roll

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