Savoury spinach strudel

This week I made fruit strudel and had a few sheets of filo pastry left over. They needed to be used up, and I wanted to prepare something different for our Saturday brunch with the kids and grandchildren. So I took my Indian spinach dish and used that as the filling.

Filling Ingredients >  350 – 400 gm (half a packet) of frozen spinach >  3 Tbsp olive oil  >  ½ tsp black mustard seeds >  1 large onion, thinly sliced >  4 cloves garlic, crushed >  1 cm ginger, finely chopped >  ½ tsp turmeric >  ½ tsp ground cumin >  1/3 tsp chilli powder or Togarashi seasoning >  1 tsp ground coriander >  3 sheets of filo pastry, defrosted >  Oil or melted butter for the pastry >  1 egg, beaten Gives 5-6 slices.

Steps  1.Defrost the spinach. This can be done in the microwave. Put into a fine sieve and let it drain. 2. Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a large frying pan.  3. Add the mustard seeds to the pan and cook until they start to pop. 4. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry until golden. 6. Add the turmeric, cumin, chilli powder and coriander, and stir fry for one minute. 7. Add the spinach stir well and fry for another 2 minutes. 8. Cover the pan, and let it cook for a further 10 minutes, on a slightly lower flame. 9. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool. 10.Heat the oven to 200C 11.I have a silicone sheet, and this helped me with the pastry, but if you don't use a wet tea towel. 12.Open the filo pastry packet and carefully remove one sheet and place it on the silicone sheet or tea towel, long side facing you. Filo pastry dries out very quickly, so cover the remaining sheets with a wet tea towel. 13.Brush the sheet with melted butter (or oil). 14.Repeat the procedure for another 2 sheets. 15.Place half the filling on the bottom half of the sheet as it faces you. 16.Turn over both of the short sides of the pastry, and then carefully fold the pastry from you towards the top. This is where the tea towel comes in handy. 17.Line a baking tin with silicone paper and carefully place the strudel on it.  18.Brush the top and sides of the strudel with the beaten egg. 19.Cut diagonal slices into the top level of the pastry, until you reach the filling. 20.Cover the strudel with another sheet of silicone paper. 21.Put into the oven for 30-40 minutes. The pastry should be brown and crispy.

Vegetable Curry in Coconut Milk

This is a dish I love that I don't make so often anymore (I am not supposed to eat vegetables from the nightshade family, such as potatoes, tomatoes and peppers). But I had sweet potatoes, so I decided to make it, and gave Shaul the peppers that made their way on to my plate (I scoffed the tomatoes!).

Ingredients >   2 Tbls olive oil  >   1 packet of firm tofu, cubed >   1 tsp black mustard seeds >   1/2 Tbls medium curry powder  >   6 curry leaves (If you can't get them, add a bit more curry powder) >   1 tsp turmeric >   1/4 tsp chilli powder or Togarashi seasoning >   1 large onion, sliced >   2 garlic cloves, chopped >   1 Tbls finely chopped ginger >   2 Ripe tomatoes >   1 small red pepper, finely sliced >   1 sweet potato, cubed (You can also use regular potatoes) >   100 gm roasted cashew nuts >   400 ml tin of coconut milk Serves 4. Can be served over rice, as the sauce is delicious. Because it already has carbohydrates, I tend to just eat it with a salad.

Steps 1.  Before you start to cook, heat the oven to 180C and place the cashew nuts in the oven for 12 minutes. They should be light brown. I make a large portion and then store them, and either use them in cooking or as a nosh in the evening. 2.  Cube the sweet potato. I do this up-front because it takes a bit of time. 3.  Cube the tofu and chop the garlic and ginger. 4.  Thinly slice the onion and then cut the slices in half. 5.  Put the oil in a large frying pan (I use a wok) and when hot add the black mustard seeds. 6.  Cook the mustard seeds until they start to pop. 7.  Add the turmeric, chilli, and curry powder and cook together for a minute. 8.  Add the cubed tofu and stir well so that they are well coated with the spices. 9.  Fry them for a few minutes until they are light brown in colour. 10. If necessary, add a bit more oil, then add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pan; stir well and turn down the heat a bit. Cook for around 5 minutes. 11. In the meantime, cut each tomato in half, then each half in 4 segments, and then halve each segment (16 pcs in all for each tomato). 12. Thinly slice the pepper and then halve the slices. 13. Add the pepper, tomatoes and sweet potato to the pan and stir well.  14. Add the coconut milk, heat until it starts to boil, then turn down the heat, partially cover the pan and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked. 15. Sprinkle the cashews on top and serve with rice.

Fruit Strudel

I needed a cake for last night and this evening, and the shops are shut. I am not a cake person, so it had to be something I could handle. I looked in the kitchen and found I had apples, plums and frozen filo pastry. So I decided to make a sort of strudel (stuffed dishes are popular on Sukkot - the Feast of the Tabernacles). I took the base recipe from a print-out I had for some years (I don't know from where, but it bears the name Lily Vieyra), adapted it and then looked up instructions for the Filo pastry part in my Evelyn Rose Jewish Cookbook. I removed most of the sugar, and I had to make it without any milk products, but it still worked, and turned out delicious.

Ingredients >  25 gm butter or margarine  >  1 large or 2 medium green apples >  Optional. 5 plums or apricots >  1/2 cup of sultanas (white raisins) >  1/2 cup chopped walnuts >  Light brown sugar to taste. I used 1 Tbsp, but the original recipe states 1/4 cup >  1/2 tsp ground cinnamon >  1/4 tsp nutmeg >  6 sheets of filo pastry, defrosted >  Oil or melted butter for the pastry >  1 egg, beaten Makes two strudels, each enough for 5 people. Serve with whatever you are allowed, such as cream or ice cream.

Steps 1.  Thaw the pastry. Note that this takes a few hours, so plan ahead. 2.  Peel the apples, core them and then chop them. 3. Remove the pits from any other fruit you are using, and chop these. 4.  Melt the butter (or marge) in a large frying pan, and add the chopped fruit and sultanas. 5.  Mix well and saute for a few minutes. 6.  Add the water, sugar, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. 7.  Mix well, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the apples are tender but not overcooked. 8.  If there is too much liquid, cook for a few minutes more without the lid. 9.  Let the mixture cool. 10. Heat the oven to 200C 11. I have a silicone sheet, and this helped me with the pastry, but if you don't use a wet tea towel. 12. Open the filo pastry packet and carefully remove one sheet and place it on the silicone sheet or tea towel, long side facing you. Filo pastry dries out very quickly, so cover the remaining sheets with a wet tea towel. 13.Brush the sheet with melted butter (or oil). 14. Repeat the procedure for another 2 sheets. 15. Place half the filling on the bottom half of the sheet as it faces you. 16. Turn over both of the short sides of the pastry, and then carefully fold the pastry from you towards the top. This is where the tea towel comes in handy. 17. Line a baking tin with silicone paper and carefully place the strudel on it. Cover with a wet tea towel. 18. Repeat steps 11 to 16 for the other 3 sheets. 19. Brush the top and sides of each strudel with the beaten egg. 20. Cut diagonal slices into the top level of the pastry, until you reach the fruit. 21. Cover the 2 strudels with another sheet of silicone paper. 22. Put into the oven for 30-40 minutes. The pastry should be brown, and a knife inserted into one of the cuts should have no resistance from the fruit.

Brown Rice Milk

I am lactose intolerant. I have been drinking soy milk, but want to cut down on this as I eat a lot of tofu. So I decided to make my own rice milk. This recipe is from the Internet (happyyolks.com) and it works, making about 1 litre of rice milk. For me, the only messy bit is the straining, pouring it in batches through the sieve.

Ingredients >  3/4 cup brown rice, rinsed >  3 cups of water >  1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract >  Further 4 1/2 cups of water >  Optional 1 Tbsp honey

Steps 1.  In a large saucepan, bring rice and 3 cups of water to a boil.  2.  Cover the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. 3.  When the rice is soft, remove it from the heat and add 4 1/2 more cups of water, the vanilla essence, and optionally the honey. 4.  Stir, then let sit for an additional 45 minutes. 5.  Transfer the soaking rice and water to a blender or food processor to mix for 3-4 minutes. 6.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth into a jar. I am clumsy, so I sieve the liquid twice. Keeps for about 5 days.

Cabbage and Peas Indian Style (Bund gobi aur mater)

I didn't have anything in the fridge, but needed something to eat for lunch. I found half a cabbage, so that was the basis for this meal.

Ingredients >  2-3 Tbsp olive oil >  2 bay leaves >  3/4 tsp whole cumin seeds >  700 gm cabbage, finely shredded >  1 tsp ground turmeric >  1/2 tsp chilli powder; OR 1/4 tsp Togarashi seasoning >  1 1/2 tsp ground cumin >  1 tsp ground coriander >  2 ripe tomatoes, chopped >  3/4 tsp salt >  1/2 tsp sugar >  100 gm peas (can be frozen)

Steps 1.  Heat the oil in a large wok or karai over a med-high heat. 2.  Add the bay leaves and whole cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. 3. Add the cabbage and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. 4.  Add the tomatoes, all the other spices, salt and sugar, and mix well with the cabbage. 5. Lower the heat, cover the the pan, and cook for 15 minutes. 6. Add the peas and cover again.      *If fresh peas are used, cook for another 15 minutes;      *If you use frozen peas, cook for another 5 minutes. 7. Remove the cover from the pan,   turn the heat up to medium-high, and while continuously stirring, cook until the dish is dry.  Serves 4