Barley, Feta and Pear Salad

Welcome to day five of Greek week. That's right, Greek week isn't a work week, it's a full seven days and still going strong.  So break out the ouzo and make yourself comfortable.

I don't think my husband will mind if I say I fell in love with this salad (he's not the jealous type). I just loved the warm and cold combination. And all those distinct flavors that work so well together: the tangy feta with the sweet pear and slightly bitter radicchio. Plus the variety of textures: the crunchy nuts, chewy barley and soft pear.  All with just the right amount of light dressing to let all those flavors shine through. I wish I knew how to say delicious in Greek (I looked it up, but that didn't really help me).

 

BARLEY, FETA, AND PEAR SALAD

Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup walnuts

3/4 cup crumbled feta

1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, roughly chopped

1 large (or 2 small) celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 small head radicchio, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 firm, ripe pear, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.      Cook barley in boiling water until tender, about 30 minutes.

2.      Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375° F.  Toast walnuts on a sheet pan until golden, about 7 minutes.

3.      Drain barley and transfer to a bowl. Add feta, walnuts, parsley, celery, radicchio, pear, lemon juice, and oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste (it may not need much salt if the feta is very salty). Toss until combined.

adapted from Gourmet, November 1998

radicchio

chopped radicchio

fresh parsley

cooked pearl barley

mixing the salad

Spanakopita

Spanakopita (pronounced span-a-kō-pee-ta) is commonly referred to as "spinach pie" (at least by us tongue tied Americans). It's usually spinach with feta, eggs and other herbs/spices baked in layers of filo dough. Yum. 

It can be made in either individually wrapped triangles (great for serving as hors d'oeuvres) or as one large "pie" (good for serving as a main course or side dish).

My daughter loved the triangles, so I thought "great, I'll make a pie for dinner."  Turns out to a 5-year-old's taste buds, a rectangle just doesn't taste the same as a triangle. Live and learn. 

SPANAKOPITA

Yield: about 40 triangles

filling:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 lb. fresh baby spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 eggs, lightly beaten

12 oz. crumbled feta

3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

assembly:

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

1 lb. filo sheets, defrosted

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup finely chopped chives

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1.      Heat olive oil in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes until soft. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and continue to saute until the spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, remove from heat and place in a colander, and squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside to cool. The filling needs to be cool and dry to prevent the filo from becoming soggy. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with feta, dill, coriander, and nutmeg. Season, then fold in the cooled spinach mixture until well blended.

2.      Preheat oven to 350º F.  Brush 2 baking sheets with melted butter. Unroll the filo dough and lay a sheet flat on a work surface. Take care to keep the filo covered with a damp, not wet, towel as you work to prevent drying out and becoming brittle. Brush the sheet with melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with some oregano and chives. Repeat with 2 more sheets of filo, stacking on top of each other. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the sheets lengthwise into thirds to form 2 1/2-inch strips. Do this with remaining dough.

3.      Place a heaping teaspoon of filling near 1 corner of the layered filo strip. Fold the end at an angle over the filling to form a triangle. Continue to fold the triangle along the strip until you reach the end, like folding up a flag. Brush the top with butter and dust with Parmesan, place on prepared baking sheet, and cover while preparing the remaining pastries. Repeat until all the filling and filo strips are used up. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the triangles are crisp and golden. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Note:  Triangles can be formed, but not baked, 3 days ahead. Arrange in 1 layer in heavy-duty sealed plastic bags, then freeze. Bake frozen pastries in same manner as above (do not thaw).

adapted from Tyler Florence, Food Network

raw spinach
If it doesn't all fit, that's okay. It cooks down quickly
and then you can add more until it's all cooked.

see

toasting coriander seeds (just dry toast them until they become fragrant)

ground coriander seeds

filling all mixed

filo sheets brushed with butter and sprinkled with herbs

cut into strips

spinach near the corner

first fold

second fold (just keep doing that until you reach the end)

wrapped and sprinkled, but not baked yet

baked

If you want to make a spinach pie instead of triangles:

•  Butter a 9" x 13" baking pan (I used a smaller one in the photos because I made some filling into triangles and some into a pie).  Cut filo sheets to fit your pan, if necessary.

•  Layer 5-6 sheets of filo (brushing each sheet with butter). Sprinkle herbs between every 2-3 layers.

•  Add half the spinach filling; spread evenly.

•  Repeat 5-6 more filo/herb layers.

•  Add remaining spinach filling; spread evenly.

•  Top with 5-6 more layers of filo/herb layers (brush the top layer with butter, but don't sprinkle the top layer with herbs (they'll burn).

•  Cooking time will be longer, bake until heated through and filo is golden brown (about 40 minutes).

filo/herb layers (I was very generous with the herbs)

spinach filling

top layer

baked

served

Greek Salad

It wouldn't be Greek week without your typical Greek salad (or at least the American version of a Greek salad). I'm sure most of us have enjoyed one of these before, or something very similar. I think the most important thing you can do to make your salad taste great is buy a good quality feta cheese. If your feta is outstanding, your salad will be too.

 

GREEK SALAD

Makes 8 servings

1 head green leaf or romaine lettuce, torn or chopped in bite-size pieces

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, seeded and chopped in half (or quarters if large)

1/2 seedless English cucumber, peeled, sliced and cut in halves or quarters

1 small red, yellow or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)

1/2 cup sliced red onion

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 small clove garlic, pressed

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1.      Combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, and onion in a large bowl.

2.      Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Add garlic and oregano (crush oregano with your fingers as you add it). Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

3.      Toss in feta cheese and olives and serve.

green leaf lettuce

feta cheese

here's the wrapper from a brand I like

I added everything, except the bell pepper (I didn't have any).