Oompah!

I was trying to find a recipe that included things we had in the fridge already and needed only minimal ingredients from the grocery store. Once again, Vegetarian Planet came to the rescue! The Spinach Pie caught my eye immediately, and it worked even better that I only had to buy the spinach. It turns out that our friends joined us for an impromptu dinner party, so to fill out the meal we added an all-star appetizer of baba ganoush and pita and a salad of chopped tomatoes and cucumber topped with hummus.


Baba Ganoush (I don't know where Adam found this, sorry)

This baba ganoush was absolutely the best part of the meal. I was really sad to find out the next day that we had eaten it all.

1 eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil

1. Roast the whole eggplant at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Poke the skin with a fork before putting the eggplant in the oven.
2. Place the roasted eggplant in a bowl of cold water and remove the skin.
3. Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor except for the olive oil. Once the eggplant mixture is at the desired consistancy, transfer the mixture to a bowl. Slowly mix in the olive oil while stirring constantly. Serve with sliced pita wedges.


Spinach Pie (Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons)

We all agreed that the pie was delicious but that it was lacking in the spice area. I think next time we make it we are going to add an Indian twist to it with cardamom, turmeric, and cayenne for a little kick.

1 medium russet or boiling potato (about 1/2 lbs.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 large garlic clove, minced
10 oz. fresh spinach (large stems removed)
1 cup low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese
2 or 3 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt, or more, to taste
fresh-ground black pepper to taste
4 phyllo sheets (available frozen in supermarkets)
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1. In a small pot of salted boiling water, cook the potato and carrot cubes until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain them, and run cold water over them for a few seconds.
2. In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook them, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until they have softened. Add the garlic, and saute them for 1 minute. Add the spinach in two or three batches, letting each batch wilt before you add more.
3. Take the spinach mixture off the heat, and spoon it into a food processor. Add the cottage cheese, the numeg, the 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper, and adjust the seasonings, if you like. Puree the mixture well. (If you don't have a food processor, chop the spinach mixture by hand. Stir it together with the cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.)
4. Preheat the oven to 400. Lay a sheet of phyllo on your work surface, and brush it lightly with melted butter. Place another sheet of phyllo on top, and butter it. Do the same with the third and fourth sheets. Cut the layered phyllo in half crosswise, so that the pieces are 8 1/2 by 11 inches.
5. Spoon the spinach filling into a shallow casserole approximately 8 by 10 inches in size. Add the the potatoes and carrots, and stir them in. Place the phyllo layers over the filling. Turn under the edges as necessary to fit the pan. Bake the pie for 20 minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown. Cut the pie into portions, and serve.