Cousins Club Meets Baked Spinach Samosas

   It seems as though the Par-Tay-ing has been non stop this holiday season. Between going out and eating, going to friends' houses and eating, entertaining out of town visitors/family and eating, there's only been one constant. Eating. We've certainly been doing a lot of that. One of the most anticipated events of the last few weeks was the Cousins Party we had at the house a couple of days before Christmas. Patsy had been freshly groomed and bathed and was waiting by the tree.

   My cousins came down from Eugene and Portlandia while on the way to visit more cousins in San Francisco, who were unable to come up to Sonoma because of entertaining in-laws from England. The bunch of us that did get together had a great time. I'd almost have to call us the Facebook Cousins because that's generally how we communicate, via FB and Twitter and IM'ing, we stay in touch. Actual RL visiting, not so much. So it was time overdue for a reunion. Especially since there was one new cousin added to the mix, my cousin Derek's little boy Isaac who just turned 8 months old. Isaac's mom was catching a later flight that day because of work.  Of course the littlest cousin had to greet my mom.

  
 And was a big hit with my dad.

Cousin Pat and her grandson.

Cousin Al and my mom. And Patsy and Isaac got acquainted.

So what do you feed a bunch of cousins of varying ages? Cheeses and crackers and homemade fig preserves, wines and sodas, lemon olive oil tart and apple caramel tart with whipped cream. Apple sauce made with ground organic Gravensteins and well water. And of course Easy Baked Spinach Samosas.

   I love these because they whip up fast in a pinch, the filling can be made ahead of time and they can even be baked, refrigerated and reheated. You gotta love that. Another fast step, frozen spinach can be used. This is the basic 'go to' in a hurry appetizer, party finger food. As long as you have a few basics in the house (frozen spinach, and frozen fillo dough) this is doable like almost instantly.

Baked Spinach Samosas

Here's What You Need:

 1 package of Fillo Factory frozen fillo dough
 3 packs of frozen chopped spinach
 1 finely chopped onion
 2 fionely chopped shallots
 2 pinches of nutmeg or to taste
 1/2 cup crumbled roictotta salata cheese
 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
 the grated zest of 1 lemon
 2 Tbs of olive oil

 Here's What To Do:

 Defrost the fillo dough (follow package instructions)
 Defrost the frozen spinach
 Preheat oven to 500 degrees

In a large skillet or kadhai heat 2 Tbs of olive oil
When the oil is hot toss in the finely chopped onion and the finely chopped shallots
When the onion and shallot are translucent add in the defrosted chopped spinach and stir it around until it's warmed through and cooked
Add in the crumbled ricotta salata, parmesasn, lemon zest and nutmeg until everything is combined well and the parmesan is melted.
The ricotta salata will not melt in the skillet , it melts in the baking just make sure it's mixed in evenly.

 Note: 
 Another way I dress these up is by adding 1/2 cup of sultana raisins and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts while cooking the spinach. These were eliminated from this recipe since my mother hates raisins and all nuts.

As to how to turn these into samosas, follow the directions  for this recipe right here (with pictures)
Bake them in  the 500 degree oven for about 8 minutes, then turn them and bake for an additional  6  minutes or so until they're crispy.

   How did they work out? They're Cousin approved! Even my mother who is notoriously suspicious of everything I cook and is the pickiest of eaters, loved them and asked for the recipe.
Here's photographic proof.

 Note the shock on my face. The only one who didn't sample the samosas (aside from Isaac who's just getting teeth) was Patsy who had found another source of treats.

Amazing what a husky will put up with to get food.  We had a great afternoon of reminiscing and the sort of catching up one can't do on FB or Twitter.

And so the Holiday fun continues. One fun thing is I'm giving away a great Hand Beater courtesy of the good people at OXO.

If you'd like to win this beater here's what to do:

Leave a comment at the bottom of this post and let me know what you'll whip up with this cool OXO Beater
For an extra entry :
Follow @OXO on Twitter
Follow @kathygori on Twitter
And let me know that you have.

   I'll be choosing the winner on Dec 30th at 12:00 noon.PST via random.org  Because of shipping rules, winner must  be resident in the US.

   So what else is happening?  Our Christmas house guest has gone back to LA, and the prep now begins for Alan's  annual New Year's Eve Birthday feast. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori
 

When Eggplant Met Walnuts

   It's been a bit nuts around here lately. We're "in the chute" as I like to say, just about wheels down on our latest project and headed for the barn. Boy howdy that's a lot of metaphors. What the deal is, is we've been working our asses off and it's just about done. Finally.
  The last couple of weeks at our house before turning a script in are usually not weeks when I want to do a lot of fancy cooking. It's generally a time for simple things, family favorites that can be up on their feet and on the table without too much trouble and too much clean up. To add to all that, I'm doing some extra cooking for a couple of very close friends who are dealing with a whole lot of medical issues right now. These medical issues have very specific dietary requirements. Luckily, most of them fit in perfectly with the Indian recipes I cook.
   But the most important thing that I'm looking for are dishes that are easy, fast, and since I'm cooking for a few more people than usual, inexpensive. And another thing is variety and spice. Since my friend is on a strict vegan diet which also temporarily excludes soy, I've been trying to make things "interesting."
   One of the cheapest and tastiest things around right about now is eggplant. Eggplant is filling, meaty and can go a long way when stretched. So, when I saw it on sale at market, I snatched it right up. I've always got to have an eggplant in my fridge. It's a basic.
  Yesterday I was preparing Punjabi turnips with tomatoes and I wanted a dish to balance things out. Eggplant was the answer. But it had to be fast... and easy. An eggplant, main or side dish that could be ready in under an hour with a minimum of fuss. I needed a dish where I didn't have to be at the stove constantly. I needed a dish which would allow me to run down the hall to the office and work for a bit. I didn't want to hold some vegetables' hand all afternoon. I didn't want any needy vegetables. Eggplant with walnuts and sesame seemed to be the answer.

Eggplant With Walnuts

Here's what to do:
 Wash 1 globe shed eggplant. Cut it in half length ways and then in half again and again until the eggplant is in wedges.

 Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle it with 4 Tsp of kosher salt.

 Rub the salt into the eggplant well.

Then leave it to set for about 10 minutes.
 When the time has passed, rinse the eggplant in cold running water, removing all the salt.

You can even see Alan and me in the reflection of the faucet . Hi there!
 Dry off the eggplant.
 In a large skillet heat 4 Tbs of sesame oil.
 When the oil is hot, place the eggplant wedges in the pan, put the lid on and let them roast for about 3 or 4 minutes. Then turn them over and cook them for another 3 or 4 minutes.

You may have to cook the wedges in several rounds.
Place the eggplant on a platter sprinkle them with:
  2 Tbs of chopped walnuts

 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds
 2 tsps of lemon juice
 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri chili or 1/4 tsp of cayenne mixed with 1/4 tsp of paprika
 1/4 tsp of sugar

 Mix everything together well until all the spices are blended in. Scatter 3 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro over everything and it's done.

   There it is. Simple, fast and easy to put together on a hot, Sonoma, September day. I served this with Turnips with tomato and green beans with peanut. Coming up next, a dal and potato mixture which adds a hit of protein to a vegan diet. And I went hunting for more vegan dessert suggestions from my fellow food writer friends and was not disappointed.
   I'm also putting out there that I am in the market for any sort of vegan or vegan/gluten free dessert for my friend and his wife. I'm strong on the savories but a bit on the weak side when it comes to the sweet stuff. Any suggestions are welcomed. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori