Nikas Culinaria

I apologize for not posting much this last week. Its been rather hectic!

To broaden my photographic learning experience, I am the second shooter in a few weddings this summer with this fantastic guy Rob Brown, his site is Rob Brown Photography in case you need the friendliest wedding photographer in New England. I am learning massive amounts from my mistakes and I am really appreciating this opportunity.

For me on a personal note, it means I have been doing more image processing in this past week than I usually do. Even though I have shot several recipes and I have an awesome upcoming post on this fantastic experience I had last week, I have been blog-blocked big time!

I can foreshadow at least three upcoming posts for you (tease you):

• Photos from my dreamy evening with the Les Dames d’Escoffier and Michel and Marc Escoffier at Sandrine’s in Cambridge, MA.
• Photos from an amazing trip I am taking this next week to chronicle the making of Italian Porchetta (in contrast to the Colombian Lechona) one day and then the feast of it the next.
• A post on the upcoming Feast in the Field fundraiser by Les Dames for a Culinary Scholarship at the Allendale Farm, site of last year’s Feast in the Field (as seen on PBS). (I will be shooting and eating at this event)

Whew, see, its tiring just contemplating some of this!

Here at home, we are planning and about to build the raised beds for our garden and the first aquaculture tank (with help, mind you. My husband and I have found out we do not do construction well together).

Ok, no more delays! Lets get to today’s recipe. While this is not low glycemic because of the puff pastry, the stuffing is and its good for you as well as being delicious. This is good hot out of the oven or cooled off later on.

Puffy Spinach Ricotta Triangles

Ingredients:

• 1 small package frozen spinach (just spinach, no extra sauces and such fripperies that you find in the stores now)
• 3/4 C low fat or no-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice
• 4 large basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons fine ground parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil with fragnant aroma
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (more or less, up to you)
• pinch sea salt
• 1 teaspoon beaten egg (use the rest as the glaze on the outside of the pastry)
• 1 sheet of store bought puff pastry, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put frozen block of spinach in colander and allow to thaw. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, saving expressed liquid. Use this spinach water later to thin the filling, if needed.

In a food processor, mix until incorporated and smooth - spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, basil leaves, salt, olive oil, parmesan, and garlic. Set aside until puff pastry is ready.

Roll out thawed puff pastry on a floured board and then cut into 9 equal squares. Roll each square until rather thin.

Put about one tablespoon of the filling (try to pre-portion it into 9 portions to best use the filling) in the middle of the square and then brush two sides with the remaining beaten egg. Bring the other edges of the dough over to work a triangular pie. Pinch edges, wash with some more egg, fold edge over and then crimp again.

Put pies on a cooking sheet with parchment on it (I spray it with cooking spray, up to you).

Brush whole pie with egg wash.

Bake until golden brown.

I served it with some limes and ginger ale (we are on a diet ginger ale binge here, cant really say why)

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• Electronic Gluttony: A pig roast by any measure

Technorati Tags: wedding, Rob Brown, Rob Brown Photography, wedding photographer, New England, Les Dames d’Escoffier, Escoffier, Sandrine’s, Cambridge, MA, Italian Porchetta, Colombian Lechona, Allendale Farm, Feast in the Field, PBS, raised bed, garden, aquaculture, low glycemic, puff pastry, Puffy Spinach Ricotta Triangles, spinach, ricotta, basil, parmesan, cheese, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, egg, puff pastry