From mid-December and up until after the New Year we usually keep on the festive table nuts and dried fruit, plus melomakarona and kourabiedes.  

Wikipedia refers also to the Sephardic Jewish tradition to serve various nuts, candied and dried fruits during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.  Catalans and Armenians share similar traditions.

When I first read a description of this traditional festive bread I was surprised by the amount of olive oil it contains. I looked up many French recipes and they all agreed that for each pound of flour there should be one full cup of olive oil added. There were few minor differences in the aromatics among the recipes, with some suggesting just a few aniseeds, and others a lot more –I chose to follow the latter.Some also had orange blossom water along with orange or lemon zest, which I preferred to leave out. Some recent version substituted butter for the olive oil (!) and also had egg in the dough. The recipe Saveur published in 2007 has no aromatics at all, and significantly more sugar; the headnote describes it as ‘a cross between a brioche and a focaccia.’ There is also a crunchy version of the Pompe a l’ Huile, which is baked in a low oven until completely dry.

Part of the traditional Christmas table in Provence this delicious olive oil bread is supposed to be torn into pieces with the hands and never cut with a knife. Pompe a l’ Huile is served along with twelve more desserts on Christmas Eve on the festive tables all around the Mediterranean coast of France. The thirteen sweetmeats include various dried fruits –figs, different kinds of grapes, plums etc.—candied pears and apples, as well as oranges and other citrus fruits, cookies, and nougat.

It is an old Mediterranean tradition to have different kinds of sweets on display during the end of the year holidays, supposedly to placate kalikantzaroi, the  malevolent goblins. In Greece we also keep on the table nuts and dried fruit, plus melomakarona and kourabiedes from mid-December and up until after the New Year. 

RECIPE: Pompe a l ‘Huile: Festive Bread from Provence

The post The Festive, Fragrant Olive Oil Bread from Provence appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

It is inspired from a dish served by Semsa Denizsel, the celebrated chef and former owner of Kantin Lokanta in Istanbul. She has now moved to the Aegean coast, and teaches cooking in her beautiful home, amidst olive trees.

Serves 4-6

Four 1/2-inch (1.2cm) slices day-old sourdough bread, torn to about 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces–remove only the very hard crusts

2/3 cup olive oil

About 2 1/2 pounds (1 1/4 kilo) butternut squash, kabocha, or any other squash with dense flesh; peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes 

2 teaspoons dry Greek oregano or thyme

Salt to taste

A few pinches Maraş pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Yogurt-tahini sauce

1 1/2 cups (375 g) thick Greek-style yogurt

2/3 -1 cup (160 ml) tahini

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt, to taste

3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

To serve:

A bunch fresh mint, coarsely chopped or a good pinch dried mint (optional)

Fruity olive oil for drizzling

A handful of toasted pine nuts

Finishing salt

Preheat the oven to 400º F (200ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl toss the bread with half of the oil, spread on the baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes or more, until golden brown and dry. Transfer to a tray.

In the same large bowl add the squash and toss with the remaining olive oil, adding oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Spread on the parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or more, until tender. Let cool a little.

Meanwhile make the sauce: In a bowl, stir the yogurt with the tahini, and add the garlic, salt, and lemon. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons water to thin the sauce just to the point that is only just pourable. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

Spread half the yogurt-tahini sauce on a shallow serving dish. Arrange alternating pieces of squash and toasted bread on the sauce, sprinkle with the fresh and dried mint, if using, drizzle with fruity olive oil and sprinkle with the pine nuts and some finishing salt.

Serve warm or at room temperature, passing the rest of the yogurt sauce on the side.

The post Roasted Squash and Bread Salad with Tahini-yogurt Sauce appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Of course, I made quite a few changes, using local green olives instead of the black from Provence, and scallions, instead of the chives that are not available here. As I always do, I substituted olive oil for the butter, and grated aged graviera cheese for the parmesan, I increased the amount of pine nuts and sunflower seeds and added rosemary which gave a lovely aroma to the cake.

I baked it in a pan with a hole in the center, but you can of course use a loaf pan, or a simple round 8-inch pan. This meze cake is best slightly warm, or just cooled.

At least 8 generous appetizer pieces

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup olive oil

5 eggs, lightly beaten to mix

1/3 cup white wine

150 grams grated parmesan, or aged graviera or cheddar

About 1 cup (180 grams) pitted, sliced green olives –you can use black, if you like

5 scallions, white plus most of the green, finely chopped

1 small red pickled pepper chopped (optional)

About 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves, or more, to taste

1/3 cup (about 50 grams) toasted pine nuts

½ cup sunflower seeds

Line the pan you intend to use with parchment paper. And preheat the oven to 375 F (200 C).

In a bowl toss the flour with the baking powder. Add the olive oil, the eggs and the wine and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, just to incorporate.

Add the cheese, the olives, the scallions, and the pepper, if using, along with the rosemary. Keep some pine nuts to top the cake and add rest to the mix, along with the sunflower seeds. Stir a few times to mix all the ingredients together, and transfer to the prepared pan.

Even the top with a spatula, sprinkle with the reserved pine nuts, and bake for about 35 minutes or more, testing with a knife to see if it is done, as you do with the sweet cakes.

Let cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes, before unmolding and cutting to serve. This meze cake is best slightly warm, or just cooled. But you can wrap the leftover in plastic wrap and refrigerate, then warm a bit in a low oven covered with parchment paper.

The post Savory Cake (or quick bread) with Olives, Cheese, and Pine Nuts appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Soups, salads, and frittata get even better with crunchy, toasted bread cubes. We especially love the flavor and slight crunch the croutons from heavy, unshifted flour bread adds to any vegetable in the frittata. 

I slice and cube the leftovers of the mixed-grain, heavy, old-fashioned, wood-fired loaves that we get each week from our village bakery,  toss with olive oil and roast in the oven, until completely dry. When cool I keep in jars. 

It is wonderful added in any bean or vegetable soup, while on the islands of the Cyclades twice-baked bread often adorned the simple fish soups.

In our winter frittatas I often make with our neighbor’s incredible eggs, these delicious mixed-grain croutons complement beautifully the roasted squash omelet/strata that I make.

No recipe needed: for each 3 cups of roasted squash, or any combination of sautéed vegetables, I usually add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of croutons.

I arrange them on a well-oiled skillet that goes to the oven and holds them in one, snuggly layer. 

I then mix 4-6 eggs, depending on their size, with 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, instead of milk. The tanginess of the yogurt complements the bread and vegetables beautifully. Briefly mix, adding salt and Aleppo pepper flakes and pour it over the vegetables. If I have nice parsley leaves from the garden, I roughly chop them and add to the mix.

I start by frying on the stove, in medium-high, and when it starts to vividly sizzle and brown at the bottom I transfer to the upper part of the oven, heat the broiler, and finish cooking until lightly crisped and golden on the top, about 2-3 minutes

I do not add cheese in the frittata but serve diced feta or goat’s cheese on the side.

Accompanied by a simple salad it is a wonderful lunch or dinner, while any leftovers reheated in a low oven is equally, if not more delicious the nest day…

The post Frittata-Strata with Squash appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

You can probably make this spanakopita-bread  with store-bought, whole-wheat pizza dough, if you are not up to making you own bread dough from scratch. 

For a 9-inch round bread, or 2 stuffed loaves 

3 cups chopped scallions –white plus most of the green part

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the pan or skillet

2/3 pound (350 grams) spinach leaves and most stems, or a combination of various greens (chard, beet greens, arugula, some bitter chicory etc.)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup chopped dill

1 tablespoon dry mint

2 tablespoons dry coriander

1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups grated, aged graviera or pecorino, more to sprinkle the bread

1/2 cup aged smoked cheddar

Salt to taste

¼ of the bread or laganes dough or the dough for Ka’ak Savory Cookies that have doubled and are ready to be shaped

2-3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Make the filling: In a heavy, deep skillet add the olive oil and sauté the scallions for 2-3 minutes in medium high, and as they start to sizzle reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan and cook the onions until soft, about 8-10 minutes, stirring every now and then. 

In the meantime cut the spinach or the various greens and their stems to about 1/2 inch pieces, transfer to a bowl and knead with your hands to wilt a bit.  Add them to the skillet with the onions and toss with 2 spatulas to half-cook and reduce. 

Remove from the heat and add the parsley, mint, coriander, the egg, if using, and pepper. Toss well and stir in the cheeses and mix. You can taste the stuffing and add a bit of salt if you think it needs it –I don’t, as the cheeses are quite salty.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (180 C) 

To make the round, pizza-like spanakopita: Add 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet and add the dough, flattening with your fingers to fill the skillet, lifting it around the sides. Add the stuffing, evening to cover all the surface, leaving a border all around. Sprinkle with cheese.  

Place the skillet over medium-high heat and fry the dough for about 8-10 min, until you see little bubbles all around and carefully lifting the dough with a spatula to see if it has started to brown at the bottom. 

Transfer to the skillet to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or more, until the top is cooked and sizzling. Remove from the oven and from the skillet, with spatulas, and let cool on a rack before cutting to serve.  

VARIATION: beat 1 cup full-fat (preferably sheep’s milk yogurt) with 1 egg, and pour on top of the spinach filling, just before you transfer the skillet to the oven.

Form the stuffed loaves: Briefly knead and the dough and divide in two. On a lightly floured board flatten and roll one piece to make an oval, roughly 16-inch (about 40 cm) long. The dough is very forgiving and elastic so don’t be afraid to stretch  it and make it quite thin, as it will expand quite a bit in the oven.

Add half the stuffing in the center of the oval and with a spoon spread it to make a line, leaving about 2 inches from the two small sides, but at the top and bottom leave about 4-5 inches dough to cover well the stuffing. Turn the dough to cover the stuffing and pinch to seal. 

Spread a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil. Transfer the stuffed log to the baking sheet and continue stuffing the second in the same way.

Brush the breads with olive oil and sprinkle well with water. With scissors mace cuts all along the seam on top of the breads, and sprinkle with some breadcrumbs.

Bake for about 45 min or more, until golden brown on top and bottom. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the breads in another 10 minutes.  

Let cool well before cutting to serve. Actually these breads taste better the next day, either served room temperature, or reheated in a low oven, loosely wrapped in parchment paper. 

The post Spanakopita-like Bread with Greens, Scallions, Herbs, and Cheese appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Instead of baking the bread on the stone, I often heat a cast iron or clay casserole and when the loaf is ready, I carefully transfer it inside the heated casserole, close the lid and let it bake inside for about 30 minutes then uncover, and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until it is done. Baked inside the casserole the bread gets a more substantial crust. 

I also flatten and roll pieces of the dough stuffing it with greens or broccoli. Lately I invented a pizza-like spanakopita, topping this beautiful dough with the mixture of greens, herbs, feta, and other cheeses –the same one that I use for my winter greens’ pie, where I combine not just spinach but also a variety of wonderful wild, foraged greens. I shaped the round bread-spanakopita in a non-stick skillet, and fried it for about 6-8 minutes, until the bottom started to brown, then continued to bake it in the oven. 

Yields 1 large or 2 medium loaves, or 2-3 flat laganes

2 cups fine semolina (pasta) flour or strong bread flour

3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or 1 ½ cup whole wheat and 1 cup barley flour

1 tablespoon instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 teaspoons mixed ground coriander seeds, anise seeds, caraway, and mahlep (about 2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp ground mahlep, 1 teaspoons anise seeds and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds)

1/2 -1 teaspoon ground pepper (optional)

3 ½ or more cups water 

2 tablespoons milk and 2-3 tablespoons sesame, caraway, nigella, or pumpkin seeds (optional)

For a powerful hand-held mixer: Place flours, yeast and spices in a large bowl and mix well with a spatula. Make a well in the center and add 3 1/2 cups water. Use the spatula to incorporate the liquid. With a hand-held mixer fitted with dough hooks work the mixture for 1-2 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes. Work again with the hand-held mixer for 5 minutes or more, occasionally stopping to turn over the dough with a large spatula.

In a stand mixer start by tossing the flours, spices and yeast together, then with the dough hook and while the machine runs  in low, pour the water slowly on the side of the bowl and work the dough for about 5-6 minutes.

Either way, the dough should still be wet and somewhat sticky, but should start to come off the sides of the bowl. If too dry, add a little water, if too wet add a few tablespoons all purpose flour.

Flour the working surface and turn out the dough. Dust your hands and the dough with flour and knead –folding, pushing, turning and folding again— for a couple of minutes or more, until you get a dough that is smooth, elastic, but still slightly sticky to the touch.

Lightly oil a large transparent or semi-transparent bowl, as well as a piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to the oiled bowl. Trace a line on the outside of the bowl to monitor the dough’s expansion. Cover with the oiled plastic wrap and let rise until double its original volume: 1 1/2 hours or more.

(When the dough has expanded to about 1 1/2 times its size you may transfer the bowl with the dough to the refrigerator, and leave it overnight and up to 24 hours. It will continue to rise slowly. Before proceeding further, bring dough to room temperature).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into to loaves, an 8-x-11-inch oval or an 8-inch round, or make laganes (flattis, focaccia-like breads) by pushing the dough with wet fingers making dimples all over the surface.

Place in baking dishes lined with parchment paper, cover with the oiled plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30 minutes —it won’t rise much. If you like, brash the surface with milk, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

(At this point you can cut off pieces of dough, flatten them slightly, sprinkle with flour, wrap in parchment paper, seal in zip log bags and freeze. You can defrost and use later)

At least 20 minutes before baking, place a baking sheet or a baking stone in the oven and preheat to 450°F.

Carefully take out the hot baking sheet, and lifting the parchment papers with the breads, slide them on the hot pan. With a wet baker’s razor or with a pair of kitchen scissors make diagonal cuts in the surface of each loaf.

Sprinkle with water from a plant sprinkler and bake for 15 minutes, sprinkling quickly into the oven with water 3 more times. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Do the same (sprinkle 3 times) for flat breads, but reduce the heat immediately after you put them in the oven.

Bake the loaves for 45 minutes more, the flat breads for about 25-30 minutes.

Wearing oven mitts and using a spatula, remove the breads from the pans and place directly on the oven rack. Bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until the bread sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom. An instant thermometer will read 200 or 205 F when breads are done.

Let cool completely on a rack before slicing.

The post My Bread and/or Laganes (flatbreads) appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

They are supposed to bring luck and help start the year with sweetness and strength, something we particularly need these difficult times…

English pudding is one of such festive cakes, but it is somewhat too complicated, with lots of strange ingredients, while the Boozy Fruitcake I propose is quite simple, provided you have help chopping dried fruit, and do not spare the cost of real, aged Cognac, Armagnac, or Grand Marnier needed to douse the cake. 

There is also our morning treat: the somewhat heavy yeasted Seedy, Fruity and Nutty Bread, close to a fruit-nut cake, with complex, bold flavor I always have sliced in the freezer. We toast pieces to enjoy with our coffee.

A variation of this bread can become a vassilopita —the New Year’s cake where the lucky coin is hidden.

I used to make our family’s traditional rich, elaborate cake but recently I prefer the simpler Orange or Tangerine Olive Oil Cake, the one I soak in syrup and I often complement with jam or marmalade as well as with seasonal fruit to create a more elaborate dessert. It is a lighter version of my mother’s vassilopita, which she always baked for the New Year celebrations.

Our neighbor Ela’s New Year cake, is another idea: she bakes it halving her mother’s original recipe that calls for 16 egg whites…

This is a delicious, quite easy treat, especially if you have a surplus of eggs, as Ela does. Fortunately she shares with us some of the delicious eggs her hens lay this time of year!

Use the egg yolks to make Pots de Crème!  

The post Dried Fruit and Nuts for Sweetness and Strength appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

This is a dense fruitcake, full of flavor, that should be thinly sliced and enjoyed in moderation, maybe accompanied by cream, mascarpone, or thick yogurt. 

Makes 2 Fruitcakes

Butter or olive oil for pans

2 pounds mixed fried fruit (pitted Medjool dates, prunes –preferably from Agen, candied pineapple, candied cherries and or cranberries, dried apricots etc)

2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ cups mashed, baked butternut squash

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons double acting baking powder

½-1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½ pounds mixed nuts (shelled pistachios, shelled almonds, shelled walnuts and/or pecans)

Maple syrup or warm honey to brush the cake

1/2 cup Armagnac, Grand Marnier or Brandy

Line two 9-inch pans with parchment paper, or one 9-inch square and one long cake pan and brush with butter or oil. Heat the oven to 275 F (140 C).

Combine the dried fruit in a bowl with cherries and orange jest. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift this over fruit. With your hands, toss to coat.

In medium bowl, preferably on a standing mixer, beat eggs with sugar until frothy. Add the squash and the vanilla extract and mix. Pour over the fruit.

With wooden spoon, mix very well. Fold in the pistachios, almonds, pecans and walnuts, and mix until coated with batter.

Divide the mixture between the pans. Using your hands, press to pack the batter very firmly and fill in open spaces.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, until the tops of cakes look dry but not brown. When the cakes are done, transfer to cooling racks. Let stand for 5 minutes, then release springform and peel off parchment paper on sides.

While cakes are still hot, brush lightly with syrup or honey. Let cool 30 minutes, then prick with a toothpick all over and spoon the Liqueur or Armagnac on top.

When completely cool, remove the cakes from pan base and peel off parchment paper on bottom.

It is advised not to eat right away but wrap the fruitcakes in plastic wrap and try them the next day.

They will keep for two months in refrigerator, their flavors getting even better.

Sprinkle with more Armagnac or liqueur before serving.

The post Boozy, Delicious Fruitcake appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

I have only medium-small eggs –from our neighbors’ hens– so I increased the milk to 2\3 cup, and used the goat’s milk we drink with our coffee. Also, forgot to get parsley from the garden, so I omitted it –will add it next time. 

Rosemary and thyme, as well as the tangerine zest give it great aroma and complement beautifully the sweetness of the figs. “If you’d like, use olives or dried tomatoes instead of figs, basil instead of parsley, lemon instead of orange,”  Greenspan suggests;

she also notes that one can “experiment with other cheeses,” and this is exactly what I did.

“The loaf is pleasantly crumbly, and best enjoyed cut into thick slices,” she concludes.

Serves 8

4 moist, plump dried figs (such as Kalamata), cut into 1/4-inch bits

⅓ cup/20 grams finely chopped fresh parsley (optional –forgot to add it and didn’t miss it)

1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 ¾ cups/225 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ -1  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 medium eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup/80 milliliters whole milk, lukewarm (I used goat’s milk)

⅓ cup/80 milliliters olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

4 ounces/115 grams feta cheese cut in small dice

Zest of 1 clementine or 1/2 tangerine, or small orange

Center a rack in the oven and heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line with parchment paper an 8- to 9-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, toss together the figs, parsley, if using, rosemary and thyme; keep at hand.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Working in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until blended, then whisk in the milk, oil and honey.

Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture, and, using a sturdy spatula, stir until the dough is almost blended. You’ll still see streaks of flour, and that’s fine. Scatter the fig mixture over the dough, along with the feta cheese. Grate the zest of the clementine or tangerine over the cheese. Using as few strokes as possible, stir everything together. Once again, it might not be perfect, and, once again, that’s fine.

Scrape the dough into the pan, and use the spatula to poke the dough into the corners and to even the bumpy top. Bake for 34 to 38 minutes or until the top is golden, the cake has started to pull away from the sides of the pan, and, most important, a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Unmold the cake onto a rack, turn it right side up and let it cool. You can serve the cake when it’s slightly warm (it’s not so easy to cut then, but it’s delicious) or when it is at room temperature. Cut into thick slices. Wrapped well, the cake keeps well for 3-4 days, if you can stop eating it…

The post Feta, Fig, and Herb Savory Cake, or Quick Bread appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Instead of broccoli you can use spinach or any chopped greens adding lots of scallions –previously wilted in olive oil– and dill or other herbs. Scroll down to see the Variation.

READ more about the stuffed bread.

Makes 8 individual pies

2 ½ cups broccoli stems and florets, blanched or steamed until tender

1 ½ cups crumbled feta cheese

1 cup coarsely grated Metsovone or smoked Cheddar cheese

1-2 teaspoons Maras or Aleppo pepper flakes, to taste

3  eggs

¼ of my bread or laganes dough, or the dough for Ka’ak Savory Cookies that has doubled and is ready to be shaped

(use the rest to make breadsticks)

About 3 tablespoons nigella seeds, or sunflower seeds, sesame, poppy seeds or a combination

In a bowl mix the broccoli, the cheeses, the pepper and 2 of the eggs.

In a cup beat lightly the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (200C).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten one piece on a lightly floured board, making a disk about a 5-6 inch. (15 cm.). Divide the broccoli mixture into 8, and add one part in the center of the disk. Brush the board with the egg mixture and lift the dough to cover the stuffing and create an oval bread, brushing with the egg mixture as you press the dough to seal on top.

Continue stuffing the rest of the dough. Alternatively, you can stick together two pieces of dough and flatten them to get roughly a 11 X 5 inch. rectangle. Make a line with two parts of the staffing in the middle, then lift the sides and ends to make a baguette-like bread, brushing with the egg mixture as you seal the dough on top.

Cover loosely with an oiled plastic film and let rest for 20-30 minutes.

Add the seeds to the remaining egg and stir. With the brush divide the seed-egg mixture among the breads. With scissors make small cuts along the seal, on top of each bread.

Bake for 25 minutes or more, until deep golden brown on top and bottom. Let cool and serve.

VARIATION: 

Spanakopita-like Bread: Stuffed with Spinach, Scallion, Herbs and Cheese 

For 2 loaves

3 cups chopped scallions –white plus most of the green part

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the pan

2/3 pound (350 grams) spinach leaves and most stems

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup chopped dill

1 tablespoon dry mint

2 tablespoons dry coriander

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups grated, aged graviera or pecorino 

1/2 cup aged smoked cheddar

Salt to taste

¼ of the dough for Ka’ak Savory Cookies that has doubled and is ready to be shaped

2-3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Make the filling: In a heavy, deep skillet add the olive oil and sauté the scallions for 2-3 minutes in medium high, and as they start to sizzle reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan and cook the onions until soft, about 8-10 minutes, stiring avery now and then. 

In the meantime cut the spinach and their stems to about 1/2 inch pieces, transfer to a bowl and knead with your hands to  wilt a bit.  Add them to the skillet with the onions and toss with 2 spatulas to half-cook and reduce. 

Remove from the heat and add the parsley, mint, coriander, and pepper. Toss well and stir in the cheeses and mix. You can taste the stuffing and add a bit of salt if you think it needs it –I don’t, as the cheeses are quite salty.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (180 C) 

Form the stuffed breads: Briefly knead and the dough and divide in two. On a lightly floured board flatten and roll one piece to make an oval, roughly 16-inch (about 40 cm) long. The dough is very forgiving and elastic so don’t be afraid to stretch  it and make it quite thin, as it will expand quite a bit in the oven.

Add half the stuffing in the center of the oval and with a spoon spread it to make a line, leaving about 2 inches from the two small sides, but at the top and bottom leave about 4-5 inches dough to cover well the stuffing. Turn the dough to cover the stuffing and pinch to seal. 

Spread a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil. Transfer the stuffed log to the baking sheet and continue stuffing the second in the same way.

Brush the breads with olive oil and sprinkle well with water. With scissors mace cuts all along the seam on top of the breads, and sprinkle with some breadcrumbs.

Bake for about 45 min or more, until golden brown on top and bottom. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the breads in another 10 minutes.  

Let cool well before cutting to serve. Actually these breads taste better the next day, either served room temperature, or reheated in a low oven, loosely wrapped in parchment paper. 

The post Spicy, Stuffed Bread with Broccoli or Spinach and Cheese appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.