Tag: EasyRecipePlus

Peach and Berry Crumble with Walnuts

Peach Crumble with ice cream

I bought some peaches that turned out to be not as sweet as I expected. Isn’t that disappointing? What to do with all that fruit? Here is a wonderful solution. Bake a fruit and nut crumble dessert. It’s easy and now all the fruit you purchased won’t go to waste. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream.

Peach and Berry Crumble

You can substitute the peaches and walnuts for plums and almonds if you’d like. Any fruit and nut combination will work.

Peach and Berry Crumble 2

Here’s the printable recipe for you. Enjoy!

Peach and Berry Crumble with Walnuts
 
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Kitoula's recipe for Peach and Berry Crumble with Walnuts adapted from Ina Garten's, Barefoot Contessa.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds peaches, cut in ½, pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • ½ pint frozen mixed berries
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
  • ½ cup quick-cooking oats
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, plus extra for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. For the fruit filling: In a large bowl, combine the sliced peaches, ⅓ cup of the granulated sugar, ¼ cup of the flour, and the orange juice.
  3. Toss well.
  4. Add the berries and toss lightly.
  5. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.
  6. For the crumble topping: Place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining ⅓ cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
  7. Pulse a few times to combine.
  8. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas.
  9. Pour the mixture into a bowl.
  10. Add the oats.
  11. Work it with your hands until it's in large crumbles.
  12. Add ½ cup of chopped walnuts.
  13. Mix well.
  14. Spread the topping evenly over the fruit, making sure the fruit is covered.
  15. Sprinkle with some extra walnuts and sugar.
  16. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
  17. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Savory Kolokythopita – Pumpkin Pita

This is a traditional Greek recipe for a phyllo pie with pumpkin filling instead of spinach. If you like spanakotiropita, try this savory and delicious variation, kolokythopita. I made one today to celebrate the first day of autumn.
Pumpkin pita

A printable recipe is at the bottom of this post. I’ll walk you through it with these photos. First, preheat your oven to 375°F.

You’ll need the entire box of phyllo (fillo). The night before you make your pita take it out of the freezer and thaw it in the fridge.2 Fillo

To start, wash and chop the leeks.1 chop leeks

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the leeks. Saute gently. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.3 saute leeks

You can use crumbled feta or cube a 1/2 lb of a solid block. 4 feta & pumpkin

Mince or rough chop the fresh parsley, it’s a personal preference. I like a rustic rough chop. Combine the pumpkin, feta cheese, parsley, breadcrumbs, milk, dried herbs, pepper and eggs. Mix well.5 chopped parsley

Brush a 13 x 9 inch pan with melted butter. Layer the phyllo pastry in the pan, brushing each layer with butter before adding the next. Use 8 – 10 phyllo sheets for the bottom. Spoon the pumpkin filling into the pan on the layered and buttered phyllo sheets. Distribute the mixture evenly with a spatula.7 spread evenly

Layer the remaining phyllo sheets neatly on top, buttering each. Turn any overhanging phyllo inwards and over the top. Butter the last sheet generously. Don’t worry about the phyllo layers being perfect. Work quickly and don’t let the phyllo dry out.

8 cover

Using a tip of a small, sharp knife, score the pie by cutting gently through the top layers of pastry. Just pierce the top few layers.  Score the pastry by the width too, creating a guide for what will be the pieces when the pie is served.9 remove from oven

Bake for approximately an hour, when it is golden brown, remove the pita from the oven. Cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting all the way through the scored pieces. Pita may be served hot or room temperature. This is a savory pumpkin pita recipe, but there is also a traditional Greek sweet pumpkin kolokythopita. Either can be made with pumpkin, squash or zucchini.

Here’s the printable version of the recipe.

Savory Kolokythopita - Pumpkin Pita
 
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This is a pita recipe using pumpkin as a filling in place of spinach.
Author:
Recipe type: Main dish
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 15
Ingredients
  • 1 large can of pumpkin
  • 3 large leeks
  • ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
  • ½ lb feta cheese, crumbled
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 lb phyllo pastry
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 4 ounces butter, melted (approximately)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the leeks
  3. Saute gently
  4. Remove from heat
  5. Let cool 5 minutes
  6. Combine the pumpkin, feta cheese, parsley, breadcrumbs, milk, dried herbs, pepper and eggs
  7. Mix well
  8. In a 13 X 9 inch pan brush with melted butter.
  9. Layer the phyllo pastry in the pan, brushing each layer with butter before adding the next.
  10. Use 8 - 10 phyllo sheets for the bottom
  11. Spoon the pumpkin filling into the prepared pan
  12. Layer the remaining phyllo sheets neatly on top, buttering each
  13. Turn any overhanging phyllo inwards and over the top
  14. Butter the last sheet generously
  15. Using a tip of a small, sharp knife, score the pie by cutting gently through the top layers of pastry, just pierce the top few layers
  16. Score the pastry by the width too, creating what will be the pieces when the pie is served
  17. Bake pie for approximately 1 hour, until a lovely golden-brown color
  18. Remove from the oven
  19. Cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting all the way through the scored pieces
  20. Pita may be served hot or room temperature
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Kali orexi!

Annual Holiday Koulouria

Every year I make Christmas Koulouria with my grandsons, Maxwell and Benjamin, just like I did with my son, Robert when he was growing up. It’s our holiday tradition. The only thing different with this year’s recipe [or I should say, last year’s] is that we used unbleached flour, experimented with a chocolate ganache filling and some sugar sprinkles. Here’s a video of the fun and festivities. [We used our 15 year old Canon DV camcorder, so you might see a quick battery icon, time stamp and ‘play’ flash by… try to ignore it. It’s vintage technology but it still works!]

Yes, there really is a Hammond’s Candies, but no relation. If you haven’t had one, you must try one of their marshmallow and caramel Mitchell sweets. They’re chewy, gooey and delicious.

Koulouria 12/2012
Christmas Koulouria – printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

Hammond Xmas 2012
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Hammond Family!
May we all have love, peace and prosperity in 2013!

Annual Holiday Koulouria
 
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Every year I make Christmas cookies with my grandsons, Maxwell and Benjamin, just like I did with my son, Robert, when he was a boy. This is my Mom's recipe for Greek butter cookies.
Author:
Recipe type: sweet / baking
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
  • 1 pound unsalted butter
  • 1½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup whipping cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • Zest of one orange or 2 tsp. orange extract
  • 4 to 5 cups of all purpose flour
  • Small can of sesame seeds
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar.
  2. Add eggs.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Add in cream, vanilla, oil and zest.
  5. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients.
  6. Slowly add dry ingredients to form a firm but pliable dough.
  7. Using about a tsp of dough, roll with hands on counter surface in long ropes, then fold in half and twist into a braid like cookie.
  8. Place on cookie sheet.
  9. Brush tops of cookies with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  10. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
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Catalan Roasted Chicken with Cinnamon Thyme & Pears

Roasted Chicken w Cinnamon Thyme Pears plated with QuinoaWe’re not cooking Greek. This time it’s Spanish. Here’s my recipe for Catalan Roasted Chicken with onions, carrots, cinnamon, thyme, pears, orange juice and zest, raisins and dried cranberries. I adapted this recipe from one in Sur La Table’s** cooking class, “Date Night: Tapas Party. I served it with quinoa. There’s a printable recipe at the end of this post. Be sure to check it for coupons.

1 IngredientsIngredients: Chicken thighs, salt and pepper, olive oil, onion, carrots, cinnamon stick, thyme, chicken stock, garlic, pears, raisins, dried cranberries, orange juice & zest.

2 Searing the chicken

Chicken thighs seared until golden brown in olive oil and a little butter.

3 Chicken in oven dish

Golden brown chicken in ovenproof dish set aside. 1/4 cup of pan liquid reserved.

4 Onions carrots cook until soft

Onions, garlic and carrots cooked until soft.

5 Stock mixture over chicken

Stock added and mixture poured over chicken – ready for the oven.

6 Pears browning cut side down

Pears frying cut side down, until just slightly brown. Combined fruit mixture.

7 raisins cranberries zest juice & reserve liquid

Fruit mixture with juice, zest and reserved pan liquid and browned pears.
I used orange zest strips for a more rustic look or you can zest with a microplane.

8 Baked chicken after 20 minutes

Chicken after 20 minutes in 350° oven

9 Adding fruit to baked chicken

Pears and fruit mixture added

Roasted Chicken w Cinnamon Thyme Pears

Finished after baking another 15 minutes in 350° oven.

Catalan Roasted Chicken with Cinnamon Thyme & Pears
 
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This Roasted Chicken with cinnamon, thyme & pears recipe is a Catalan specialty of poultry and fruit, traditionally served with duck.
Author:
Recipe type: Savory
Cuisine: Spanish / Catalan
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • 4 TBLS olive oil
  • 3 TSP butter
  • 1 medium onion, cut into fine slices
  • 2 mediums carrots, cut into ½ inch long slices or 2 cups mini carrots
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 TSP thyme
  • 1½ cups of chicken stock
  • 4 whole garlic cloves
  • 2 firm ripe pears, cored and quartered
  • ⅓ cup raisins
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 TBLS orange zest
  • 4 TBLS orange juice
Instructions
  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper then set aside
  2. Place large heavy bottom saucepan over medium high heat
  3. Add olive oil to coat bottom of pan
  4. Add 2 TSP butter
  5. Sear chicken until golden brown about 5 minutes per side
  6. Place chicken in ovenproof dish and set aside
  7. Remove drippings/fat/oil from pan and reserve ¼ cup of pan liquid
  8. Set pan liquid aside
  9. Return pan to heat
  10. When pan is hot, add onions, garlic and carrots
  11. Season with salt and pepper
  12. Cook until soft about 5 minutes
  13. Add cinnamon stick, thyme and stock
  14. Increase heat and bring to a boil
  15. Pour the rest of the stock mixture over the chicken in ovenproof dish
  16. Bake covered for approximately 20 minutes
  17. While chicken is baking, combine raisins, dried cranberries, orange zest, juice and reserve liquid and set aside
  18. Add remaining olive oil and butter to pan until it just starts to simmer
  19. Add the pears, cut side down, until they start to brown
  20. Add fruit mixture to chicken
  21. Place browned pears, cut side up around the chicken
  22. Return to oven and bake uncovered until pears are tender, about 15 minutes
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** ICYMI I work at Sur La Table Cooking School.