Greek Spinach Rice – Tess Mallos

Tess Mallos’ “Greek Cookook” was the first I ever owned, and through it I fell in love with food and cooking. This is one of my favourites from her book.
This is exactly as she wrote it, but these days I use basmati rice and frozen spinach.
It’s delicious served at room temperature as a salad. But bring it to room temperature first. Served straight from the fridge the rice is hard and crunchy, so allow it to come to room temperature. I often warm it in the microwave.

1kg spinach or silverbeet (I use either a combination of baby spinach, parsley, mint or dill, and this may or may not add up to 1kg. Or I use one or 2 packets of frozen chopped spinach - drain and squeeze extra liquid out.)

1 cup chopped spring onions (I often use a normal onion)

1 leek, chopped (optional)

½ cup olive oil (measure this because this recipe relies on a good amount of oil)

1 ½ cups or 300g short grain rice (I use basmati because I prefer it less gluggy, and it has a lower Glycemic Index)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (or more, to taste)

1 tablespoon chopped parsley or dill

3 cups water

Salt and pepper.

Directions

Wash spinach or silverbeet very well.

Remove stems, drain leaves well and tear into pieces. If using silverbeet, chop the bitter stems finely, parboil for 5 inutes in salted water and drain.

In  deep pan gently fry onion and leek (if used) in oil until soft.

Stir in rice and cook 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and parboiled silverbeet stems (if used).

Bring to the boil and add sinach or silver beet.

Stir well, cover and cook gently for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, leave tightly covered and allow to stand for 5 minutes befoe serving.

Serve hot as an accompaniament to main meals, particularly grilled meats and fish.

Note: This is very good served cold.

Romesco

2 red onions

2 capsicums

4 tomatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

40g ground almonds, (toasted optional)

2 cloves garlic

2 slices sandwich bread

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Vegetables after roasting. Some of the tomatoes have been peeled.

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Peel onions and cut in half.

Cut core out of tomato and cut in half.

Place onions, tomatoes and whole capsicums onto baking tray lined with baking  paper.

Put into oven at 250 C for 30 mins, or until cooked and charred.

Lift skins off tomatoes, remove cores from capsicum and peel.

Place all ingredients in food processor and process.

Check seasoning for salt and vinegar. Add more if necessary.

Serve as a sauce for meats, or as a dip.

20 litres non alcoholic sangria

This should feed 100 people on a normal day. Hot days you need more to drink.
2 litres fresh squeezed orange juice, or a really fresh tasting brand

7 litres cranberry juice

7 litres dry ginger ale

7 litres agrum blood orange

1.5 litres tea mix -  cinnamon and bitters, frozen in 3 blocks

Diced citrus – orange, lemon and lime

To make tea mix: soak 10 teabags and 4 teaspoons cinnamon in boiling water until cool.

Add 30 shakes of bitters.

I like to freeze this mix so it can cool the whole sangria as you make it. Freeze it in flat blocks.

For 35 people

500mls tea

1/3 fruit mix

750 mls OJ

1 ½ bottles cranberry juice

2 -3 bottles ginger ale

2 -3 bottles argum

Quiche Lorraine

This makes a thin quiche with a crisp pastry. So many bases are soggy and not worth the calories. But this is delicious. 
Use a metal tin so the heat from the oven is transferred more efficently. Also, if you have a pizza stone, place the pastry on that.

Shortcrust pastry

250g plain flour

125g butter

Salt and pepper

50-75g cold water

Process flour with salt.

Process half the butter with the flour until thoroughly incorporated.

Cut the other half into cubes and pulse roughly until pea sized pieces remain.

Add water and pulse 5-6 times. It will not come together in the processor, but check it will bind by squashing it together in your hand. If it remains crumbly, add a little more water until it just comes together.

Press into a disk roughly the shape of the tin you will be baking it in. This makes it easier to roll out.

Refrigerate 20 mins.

Roll pastry out. To keep it in the correct shape, and prevent it fraying at the edges, use a knife pushing it against the side. See photo. 
Roll pastry loosely around rolling pin, and ease it into the tin. Lift it up gently at the sides, and ease it down to the bottom.
Cut the pastry a little higher than the tin to allow for shrinkage.

Prick the bottom and refrigerate until chilled.

Preheat oven to 220.

Line with baking paper, weigh with weights and bake 8-10 mins.

Remove weights and paper, return to oven for another 5-10 mins.

Cool before filling.

Filling

200g speck or bacon, diced

150g grated cheese

150 mls thickened cream

75mls milk

3 medium eggs

Salt, pepper and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 200.

Fry bacon.

Sprinkle in the bottom of pastry case with cheese.

Combine cream, milk eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Pour over bacon and cheese.

Place on a baking tray in case it overflows, and bake 25 mins, or until just cooked.

Rest 5 mins before serving.