Spinach, Sultana and Bulgur Wheat Borek

Spinach, Sultana and Bulgur Wheat Borek's
Makes 20-22 Boreks / pastries.

These lovely pastries make delicious snacks, great for long journeys or lunchbox's. My Mother would spend a whole morning making these, rolling out the pastry paper thin and using a variety of fillings such as a sweet curd cheese mixture called 'Nor', Halloumi cheese and mint, Savoury minced meat, and the following recipe.

500gm Flour
100ml Olive oil
1/2 tsp Salt
15 fl oz water
300g Spinach
100g Bulgur Wheat
150g Sultanas
Salt and Pepper

Wash the spinach thoroughly and place in a large saucepan.
Allow the spinach to gently sweat over a low heat for aprox 10 minutes.
Pour the spinach into a sieve to drain the excess fluid.
Place the spinach into a bowl, and stir in the sultanas, bulgur wheat and seasoning.

To make the pastry, place the flour into a large bowl and add the olive oil.
Gradually add the water and mix in to form a dough like consistency.
Place on a floured surface and knead for five minutes.
Cut the dough into four pieces.
Using a rolling pin, roll each piece out as thinly as possible to aprox 1/8 cm.
Taking a tablespoon at a time, place the spinach mixture onto the dough to form evenly spaced out rows. (as you would with ravioli).
Brush the pastry around the mixture, with cold water.
Place a second sheet of pastry on top and press down around the mixture.
Using a pastry cutter, cut around the mixture to form squares.
Repeat until all the dough has been used up.

Heat some oil in a large pan, enough to cover the pastries. Fry three or four at a time for 4-5 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.

Food from Cyprus - Chicken in Rich, Aromatic Tomato Sauce.

This is one of my favourite dishes, Warm, hearty and absolutely delicious. I just love the combination of the slightly sweet, cinnamon scented tomato sauce, topped with grated halloumi / helim cheese and fresh mint, served on a bed of pasta.

Lots of childhood memories of summer days playing in the garden, with Mum cooking this dish, its wonderful aroma's drifting through the kitchen window, and the gentle sounds of Melina Mercouri's Never On A Sunday playing in the background.

Serves 4 - 6

1 whole chicken
(you can buy ready cut up chicken pieces if you prefer. Allow enough for 4-6 people).
2 medium to large onions
2 x 400 gm Tins chopped tomatoes
1 - 2 tbls Tomato puree
Halloumi or helim cheese
2 tbsp Fresh mint or 1 tsp dried mint
¼ tsp Cinnamon
5 fl oz (150 ml) Cooking oil
Salt and Peper
½ Lemon

Cut up the chicken into 8 – 10 pieces, rinse and pat dry.
Pour the cooking oil into a large saucepan and heat on a stove until hot. Add the chicken peices to the pan in batches of three at a time. Fry until golden and really crispy all over. Place the fried chicken onto a plate and set aside.

Peel and slice the onions, add to the saucepan and fry until dark brown in colour.
Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for a further five minutes, then stir in tomato puree and fry for two minutes. Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon.

Stir the chicken into the tomatoe sauce, bring to the boil, add the squeezed lemon juice, cover pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Be sure to check the sauce while it is cooking and give it a stir. This will prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add a little water if needed.

While the chicken is cooking, grate the halloumi / helim cheese into a bowl and mix in the finely chopped fresh mint or dried mint.

Serve chicken on a bed of pasta, topped with a generous sprinkling of grated halloumi and mint.

* Photos and drawings to follow plus recipe for Spinach, Sultana and Bulgur Wheat 'Boreks' pastries.

Olives, Bougainvillea and lemons

This is my latest painting, Olives, Bougainvillea and lemons, painted in acrylic on canvas. As mentioned in a previous post, it is one of a series of paintings for my book on food from Cyprus and I may use it as the book cover.

I am preparing two more recipes and some drawings to post over the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hani

Update

My studio became a music recording studio for most of last week / half term, for my Son, and his band mates, all very talented, motivated and full of ideas. For a fairly new band, it is quite impressive how much they have deveoped in a short space of time. They are working on some recordings and will set up a website once they are ready. With their permission I would like to add a link to their web site once it is set up.

There is a fully equiped recording studio nearby, that they use regularly. The studio was built and equiped by two young lads, who also run it as a business. They are now in the process of constructing a path and patio area outside their studio.
I am quite chuffed to be surrounded by such enterprising, motivated and creative young people. They are all very inspiring and I wish them every success, they deserve it.

I am back painting this week. I will post it on my blog and discuss it a little more when I have finished. After this, it will be back to writing my recipe book. I will post a couple of recipes and some drawings this week. Appologies for not having done this last week, as my studio was being used, I decided to concentrate on the numerous DIY jobs waiting to be done, including figuring out how to construct a stud partition wall lol!.

Have a good day.

Hani

New painting

Last week I made a start on a new painting which I have continued to work on all week. It is one of series of ideas I am exploring. I have lost count of the number of times I have swung from thinking 'yes, it is going well' to 'No, it bloody well isn't' or words to that effect!.

Painting involves a sort of Alchemy. You take something elusive like an idea, retain it as fully as possible in your mind's eye, with all of its subtleties, passion, energy and colours, retain the feeling of every mark and brush stroke you want to make, then as if by magic, breathe it onto the canvas. Fresh, spontaneous, effortless.

Right now, painting is feeling like a wrestling match, and I am tempted to put my foot through the canvas. However, I've started so I'll finish. If I am not happy with it, I will take everything I have learn't and start again.

Have a good weekend.
hani

Food from Cyprus - Kofte

These little meat balls are ideal to serve as a starter or 'meze'. They would also make a lovely lunch served in warm pitta bread with salad and humous or Raita. They are great with chips too!


Here is the recipe:

1 lb Minced lamb
2 Large Potatoes
1 Medium to large onion
Bunch of Parsley
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt and Pepper

Peel, wash and grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl, then using a sieve, squeeze out the excess liquid.
Add the minced lamb, chopped parsley, cinnamon and salt and pepper and mix together.
Form the mixture into little balls and deep fry for about 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Drain on kitchen paper and serve.

(For a vegetarian option omit the mince for 2 potatoes. Using 4 potatoes in total).

Next week I will post a main course recipe along with some drawings.

More Paintng today, I am not able to paint everyday so I appreciate every day I can have for painting. I hope to post some new paintings soon.