Phyllo Apple Pockets

A lot of folks are afraid of phyllo, that tissue-thin dough from Greece. It is true that phyllo can be tricky but once you know what you are doing, and get used to working quickly, it's not very hard. You need to follow some simple rules when dealing with phyllo.


Most phyllo is sold frozen. It needs to defrost slowly, in your refrigerator. Give it at least 24 hours. Don't unwrap it or unroll it until it is thoroughly thawed. It will just crack up into a million little shards. Even if you follow these instructions, it might stick together or crack. I have found that certain brands are more reliable than others. One market may treat it with more respect than another. These are, unfortunately, things you learn the hard way.


When you are ready to use your phyllo, unwrap it and unroll it. Lay it out flat and keep it covered with plastic wrap. This is extremely important. Phyllo dries out in a New York minute. I work with it in the semi-arid climate of Colorado. If I can keep it pliable here, you can do it anywhere. As you pull a sheet off the pile, cover it again. It shouldn't be uncovered for more than a few seconds.


Brush the phyllo immediately with melted butter. You can use olive oil (often used in savory preparations), even non-stick cooking spray instead. This will keep the phyllo pliable so you can fold it, roll it up, or squish it into a muffin cup (as is done in the recipe below). You don't have to drench it in fat. It will be crispier if you go light on the butter or oil.


Here's a tasty dessert that uses phyllo dough. It doesn't use much, which is nice because sometimes you have a quarter of a pound left over. It's quick and easy, once you get the hang of that phyllo dough. It's been Pamela-tested. She loves it.


Phyllo Apple Pockets
(makes 6)


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray
6 large sheets phyllo dough
6 tablespoons natural applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add apples, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until most of the lemon juice has evaporated. Remove from heat and add cinnamon and salt.
3. Lay a sheet of phyllo down on a cutting board. Brush it with butter or spray it with cooking spray. Fold the sheet over and then fold it over again. You want to end with a square that is approximately 6"x6". Since the size of phyllo sheets is variable, you are going to have to use your judgement on the best way to fold it.
4. Take the phyllo square and place it in a large muffin cup or a large ramekin.
5. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets.
6. Put 1 tablespoon of applesauce in each cup. Add about 1/3 cup apple mixture on top of applesauce.
7. Fold over edges of phyllo to cover apples. Brush with butter or spray with cooking spray.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until phyllo is golden brown. Serve warm or hot (though Pamela says they taste just fine cold).


Note: Leftover pockets can be refrigerated. Reheat for 10 minutes in a 350℉ oven before serving.


Link to PDF of Phyllo Apple Pockets Recipe

Grating Ginger and a Ginger-Spiced Cucumber Salad

If you cook a lot of Asian food, you grate or mince a lot of ginger. Ginger comes in big "hands" and it's rare to find young ginger. It can be rather stringy stuff. If you mince it with knife, it takes some work to mince it fine. A microplane works well, but the strings clog up the little holes of the microplane.


I had some ginger in the freezer - a tip I had gotten from Food Network. I needed to grate said ginger for a cucumber-ginger salad. I discovered that freezing the ginger helps in the grating quite a bit. It's convenient as well. You usually end up buying more than you need and it often sits in your fridge, shriveling up or getting moldy, until you have to throw it out.


If you buy a big chunk of ginger, peel it, pop it in a plastic bag and throw it in the freezer. When you need some, no need to thaw it. Take it out and grate it on your fine microplane. You'll end up with a pile of fluffy grated ginger and it will thaw almost instantly.


Most serious home cooks have a microplane by now. If you are a serious cook and you don't have one, you need one. You probably need a few of them. It's a small investment for the best kitchen tool to come around in a long time. The microplane is based on a woodworking rasp. It is unbelievably effective at grating anything - ginger, chocolate, parmesan cheese. It is the best tool for zesting citrus; nothing else even comes close to removing the zest while leaving the pith. Microplanes come in a number of sizes. I have a fine one that I use for zesting citrus or grating ginger. I have a medium microplane that I use for grating parmesan cheese. There are bigger holed microplanes that are good for shredding cheese. I haven't invested in one of these, but it will be my next microplane purchase.


Here's the ginger-cucumber recipe I made and it packs quite a ginger punch. It's adapted from one I pulled off a recipe site. With my adaptations, it reminds me of a Thai salad - it combines sweet, sour, bitter and spicy. It's very easy and quite refreshing. It is much, much better if it chills overnight. It mellows the ginger quite a bit and the cucumbers are more like pickles.


Ginger-Spiced Cucumbers
(serves 4)


2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon Japanese 7 spice (Shichimi Togarashi)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


1. Combine vinegar, brown sugar, mirin, lime juice and ginger in a bowl.
2. Mix in cucumbers and onions. Toss to combine.
3. Cover and chill at least overnight before serving.
4. Drain before serving. 
5. Sprinkle with 7 spice and salt.


Note: Mirin is a Japanese rice wine. It can be found at Asian markets and natural food stores. Japanese 7 spice (Shichimi Togarashi) is a spicy blend used for seasoning and can be found at Asian markets. A pinch of cayenne can be substituted but it lacks the complexity.


Link to PDF of Ginger-Spiced Cucumber Recipe

Fast Perfect Brown Rice

Do you own a pressure cooker? Does it sit in some dark corner of your cabinets, collecting dust? Did you inherit it from your grandmother and fear that it will blow up? I have a good reason for you to break out that pressure cooker: brown rice. If you don't have a pressure cooker, consider this - you can cook perfect brown rice in about 25 minutes. I know there are plenty of folks who don't like brown rice but I'm here to tell you this is good stuff. I much prefer brown rice to white rice. Its flavor is nuttier and I like the chewy texture. You can now find basmati brown rice which is even better. White rice is just blah in comparison.


In my house, we eat more brown rice than white rice (much to my daughter's chagrin). And because of that trusty pressure cooker, I don't even have to think very far ahead to make it.


Pressure cookers are good for lots of other things too. You can go from dried beans to soft and creamy in under 30 minutes. It's great for cooking stews and soups, simulating hours of stovetop cooking. They are very popular in India, where my pressure cooker was manufactured. Why? Because they appreciate the sped-up slow-cooked convenience of the thing.


I don't suggest you use grandma's ancient pressure cooker. In the old days, pressure cookers did blow up, or so I have read. Nowadays, pressure cooker have multiple safety systems to prevent an all-out explosion. Which is a good reason to invest in a modern one. You can get a decent one for under $50. That's a pretty good deal in cookware.


This isn't really a recipe - more a method. It's a variation on a method in Lorna Sass's Cooking Under Pressure. Last night, I skipped a step - boiling the water before adding it to the rice - and it went from OK brown rice to perfect. I've provided measurements for cooking 1 1/2 cups rice (our typical batch) or 1 cup rice.


Fast Brown Rice
(makes 3 1/2 cups rice if cooking 1 1/2 cups raw rice; 2 1/4 cups if cooking 1 cup raw rice)


1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups brown rice (1 cup rice)
2 1/2 cups water (1 3/4 cups water)


Heat oil over medium heat in pressure cooker. Add rice and toss in oil until rice becomes fragrant. Do not brown. Add water. Lock on the lid and turn heat to high. When the pressure cooker reaches pressure (and how you know this will depend on the model you have; mine has a jiggle top), turn down heat to just maintain pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to drop for 10 minutes. Release remaining pressure and open the top. Fluff rice with a fork and serve.


Note: You can substitute stock for water to add more flavor. You can add  1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt to the water but I never salt my rice.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Chuck roast was on sale at the market last week. I don't make pot roast often, but it is the perfect dish for cold winter nights. Chuck roast needs to be cooked a long, long time because it is run through with connective tissue. That's what makes it a great pot roast. The collagen dissolves with long moist cooking, adding to the richness of the gravy. There is some fat in chuck roast, which doesn't hurt either!


This recipe is adapted from a slow cooker recipe. Still uses a slow cooker but you can cook in in the oven if you don't have a slow cooker. A slow cooker is essentially a very low oven, that maintains a temperature between 200 degrees (low) and 300 degrees (high).


Best side dish for pot roast: mashed potatoes. I don't know why you would serve it with anything else. This recipe doesn't have carrots cooked with the meat so you'll want to serve a green vegetable along with the roast. A red wine is the best accompanying beverage. I had a glass of 2007 Santa Carolina Carmenere Reserva Estrella de Oro from Chile and it was perfect. I'm sure a robust malbec from Argentina would work just as well.


Easy Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
(serves 6 - 8)


2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
a 3 - 4 pound chuck roast
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
all purpose flour
15 to 16 ounces stewed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves


1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft and just golden. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Remove onions and garlic and dump into the slow cooker.
2. Return skillet to stove, add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and increase heat to medium-high.
3. Season chuck roast generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle top and bottom lightly with flour.
4. Brown roast in skillet. Don't be shy; browning will improve the flavor of the pot roast. Remove roast from skillet and add to onions.
5. Add tomatoes and water to skillet, scrapping browned bits off bottom of the skillet. Once you have loosened all the bits, dump everything in the slow cooker. Add Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves.
6. Cover and cook on low for 5 - 6 hours.
7. Remove roast, set aside on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Remove bay leaves and discard.
8. Take everything left in the slow cooker and puree to make the gravy.
9. Slice the roast and smother with gravy.
10. Serve with a robust red wine!


If cooking in the oven, cook everything in a ovenproof covered casserole or dutch oven at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.


 Link to PDF of Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe

My newest kitchen toy

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a kitchen full of stuff. I remodeled my kitchen last year with lots more storage space to hold all this stuff. You would think I have everything. Wrong!


For a long time, I have coveted a ceramic knife. What's so special about a ceramic knife? They are unbelievably sharp and hold that sharp edge much longer than metal knives. They certainly look uninspiring - well, they look like plastic! But, they are sharp - really, really sharp. So sharp that you can cut through a tomato like it's buttah.


I got a small paring knife as my first ceramic knife. Ceramic knives can hardly be considered inexpensive. Good knives are not cheap, even if they are made of steel. But ceramic knives are even more expensive than good steel knives, especially as you get into larger sizes. So, I started with a little paring knife, which still set me back $30. Larger knives run well over $100. That's a lot of clams for a knife, even in my world.


There are some drawbacks to ceramic knives. They can shatter if you drop them. You can break them if you twist them or smack them (like smashing garlic with the side of the knife). They can't be sharpened at home; you have to send them back to the manufacturer. And, did I say they are expensive? Which is why I am the only person in my house who is allowed to touch my ceramic knife.


Why would you buy one? If you are good at keeping your steel knives sharp and this includes steeling them before each use, I think spending the big bucks for ceramic knives is not a good use of your money. Most folks let their steel knives go dull, which is quite dangerous. A sharp knife cuts when you want it which means you need to use very little pressure to make your cuts. Dull knives force you to push so much harder, and then they don't go where you want, like into your finger! If you get yourself a couple of ceramic knives, it will be a long, long time before you need to get the knives sharpened. You don't need to steel it ever. The odds you will have a very sharp knife all the time are much better with a ceramic knife.


Do you really need them? You need one for the same reason I need one:  ceramic knives are way cool and your friends will be impressed when you slice through anything with what looks like a plastic knife.

Crunchy Granola

I am not a big fan of commercial granola. I find it way too sweet, like so many other breakfast cereals. I have started making my own, using a basic recipe from Mark Bittman. I've made a few minor modifications to his recipe and offer some tasty combinations. This is also an economical recipe. Bulk rolled oats are very cheap and they are the basis of this recipe. It's a good way to use up odds and ends of nuts and dried fruit too.


Crunchy Granola
(makes about 8 cups, 16 servings)


6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
2 cups chopped nuts and/or seeds
1 cup dried unsweetened grated coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (imitation maple syrup is fine)
dash of salt
1 cup raisins, craisins or chopped dried fruit
1 teaspoon vanilla


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, sweetener and salt in a large heatproof bowl. If using honey, it's going to be clumpy, but don't worry about that.
3. Dump onto a large rimmed cookie sheet. Don't clean out of the bowl; you'll be using it again.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring it every 10 minutes so that it browns evenly. Keep an eye on it near the end of baking so that it doesn't burn.
5. Transfer the cooked, hot granola from the cookie sheet back to the bowl. Drizzle on the vanilla (boy, does that smell good!) and mix in the dried fruit. Allow to cool and store in a cool, dry place.


Some tasty combinations:


2 cups chopped pecans, imitation maple syrup, and chopped dried apricots or pears


2 cups chopped or sliced almonds, honey, and raisins


2 cups peeled chopped hazelnuts, imitation maple syrup, and chopped dried apricots or peaches


2 cups chopped walnuts, honey, and craisins


Link to PDF of Crunchy Granola Recipe

A Different Take on Split Pea Soup

I love split pea soup. Traditionally, split pea soup is split peas, vegetables such as carrots, onions and potatoes, and maybe a ham bone. That's all good, but it is pretty basic.


This week, I made a split pea soup from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, one of the many Moosewood cookbooks. Moosewood is a vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, New York that has been around a very long time. It was in Ithaca when I went to college in upstate NY and that was quite a while ago. It's still there; I drove by when I was in Ithaca last October. If my daughter decides to go to school in upstate NY, I might actually eat there. I wasn't much interested in vegetarian food when I was in college, so I never ate there way back then.


This recipe is different because it draws on the delectable spices of North Africa. The spices and the onions bring out the sweetness in the peas. It is a warming bowl of soup.


Split Pea and Rice Soup
(serves 6)


1 1/2 cups dried split peas
4 1/2 cups water
3 bay leaves
1 large onion (about 3 cups), chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley


1. Rinse split peas. Put them in a soup pot with water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until golden, but do not brown. Add spices and cook for another 10 minutes. Watch carefully so that spices don't burn.
3. Add the onion mixture to the peas along with stock. Simmer, covered, for another 30 minutes or until peas are very soft.
4. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes until hot.


Link to PDF of Split Pea and Rice Soup Recipe