“If you think big, then it’s going to be big.” Emeril Lagasse
Meet Chef Joe Tuna. He is everything you would think a chef should be; bigger than life. A New Yorker, direct, funny, and he came to his sister and brother-in-law’s house to spend the weekend and cook for eight of us. Wait a minute, we did help.
As I was saying…Benedette surrendered her clean kitchen, Jeff was the Sous Chef, I brought a Spinach Gratin, and followed directions on how to take food photos and how to sprinkle parsley on a plate to make it presentable. I had never done anything like that ?
It was a gorgeous day in Delmarva so here is what we had.
We could have fed an army.
First things first…A good chef travels with his kitchen arsenal.
Appetizers:
Clams stuffed with clams and crabmeat. Spinach Pie.
I truly love Grilled Octopus. Joe Tuna did a fantastic job. Off the grill and into our mouths.
The Homemade Fetuccini with shrimp and grape tomatoes was a combined effort, making that day that contraption to dry the noodles.
Joe Tuna cooked and I tasted.
Doesn’t that parsley look amazing on the plate? I thought you would like it.
Now that we had the appetizers out of the way, we took like a half hour break where we talked, well, Joe did, cracked jokes but not for long. There was still some eating to do.
Main Course:
The Brisket with a peppery rub. Perfectly cooked.
My contribution of the Spinach Gratin.
Collard Greens which are a specialty of Jeff’s with ham and bacon.
A sweet ending to this feast was a Pumpkin Pie which everyone raved about courtesy of Jeanette and Jeff (not sure how much Jeff contributed?)??
What can I say? In our blessings before dinner we all thanked for the ability to share a meal together. That’s what’s important.
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I got into not eating meat on Monday. Following the Meatless Monday campaign if you want to know. This is an international campaign nonetheless. It is just a way of not eating meat one day of the week to improve your health. This organization was founded in 2003. There is also a Facebook Page called Meatless Monday. To know more about it, please visit http://www.meatlessmonday.com.
A few years ago I was visiting my cousins on the island of Culebra. Gorgeous beaches, beautiful scenery. On the photo a look at Luis Pena from their balconies. One of the recipes they prepared was a Spinach Pie. Not only was it good, but it was so easy with 5 ingredients. The chopped frozen spinach I was buying for this recipe had a lot of water but I found a few months ago a spinach that is steamable and to tell you the truth it is so much better. You can get it in all supermarkets.
I have shared this recipe on my website before so I decided to do it again as I remembered that this summer, here in Rehoboth Beach, Sharon, Amantha, Debbie and I would have impromptu dinners on the beach. This is one of the recipes I took. You can eat it hot, warm, room temperature or even cold.
Recipe – Spinach Pie
1 package or bag of spinach – 10 ounces
1 block cream cheese. You can use the less fat one or regular one.
1 onion (Cut in chunks.)
4 eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease lightly a pie dish. I use a glass one. Let spinach defrost and squeeze it to get all the water out. Take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator and let it soften a bit.
In a blender put eggs, spinach, onion, and cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually add just pepper since the cheese has plenty of salt. Blend. Pour into a pie dish.
Place in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top to cover. The cheese will make a crust and will add taste to the pie. Don’t be shy and sprinkle on.
It will take another half hour or so to be ready. Test it with a knife and if comes out clean then it is ready. It should have a nice rich crust.
You can really use this spinach pie for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And even for an appetizer. I would cut in squares instead of wedges if that is the case.
When I joined my friends this summer for our Rehoboth Beach dinners, I think they loved it. Don’t you think? They are smiling!
Remember that these recipes are begged, borrowed, and stolen…..please make them your own.
Until next time!
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Starting a diet on Monday…resolutions usually start on Monday, not in the middle of the week, right? Monday is a fresh start for most of us. Not eating meat on Monday, apparently, is not a new concept. There is also Wheatless Wednesday.
The awareness of Meatless Monday was reintroduced as a public health awareness campaign. It has taken off more so since 2003, with many restaurants offering Meatless Monday dishes. In our homes this is a concept easily adopted as 1, 2 3.
We need it today because after all the eating on Thanksgiving….some of us started before that, LOL. This recipe for Spinach Pie was given to me by my cousins in Puerto Rico. It is one of those recipes that is good, only 5 ingredients, and you can serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner….adding or topping it with whatever comes to mind to make it your own. I hope you like it.
SPINACH PIE
1 package spinach – 10 ounces
1 block cream cheese (I use the less fat one)
1 onion
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease lightly a pie dish. Let spinach defrost and squeeze it to get all the water out. While the spinach is defrosting take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator. You want it a bit soft.
In a blender put eggs, spinach and cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually just add the pepper. Blend.
Pour into the pie dish.
Place in the oven for 10 minutes, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top to cover. The cheese will make a crust and will add taste to the pie.
It will take probably another 20 minutes to be ready. Test it. It should have a nice rich, and brown crust.
Take it out of the oven, slice, and enjoy!!
Have a great day!!
Note: If you want it to be gluten free, please grate the Parmesan cheese yourself.
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The setting? A private home in the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico. The view? A million dollar one.
The dining room? Comfortable, beautiful…island style.
On the table? Arroz con Pollo Puertorican style (chicken with rice).
Also on the table, a very simple Spinach Pie. One bite, and I had to have the recipe.
Back at the Delaware Beaches….it is cold, probably snow tonight and defnitely, rain tomorrow. After my own tasting….I had to share it.
SPINACH PIE – 4 Ingredients
Please note that to make this pie Gluten Free grate the parmesan cheese yourself.
1 package of frozen spinach – 10 ounces
1 block of cream cheese, 8 ounces (I bought the one with less fat.)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese (or more, if you like)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease lightly a pie dish.
Let the spinach defrost and squeeze to get all the water out or as much as you can.
In a blender, put the 4 eggs, spinach, and cream cheese. If you want to add salt and pepper, please do so, but I did not. Blend and pour into a pie dish.
Place in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes and then sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. The cheese will make a crust and add a delicious taste to the pie. There is no other crust. It will take another 15 to 20 minutes to be ready. You want it to look like the one on the photo.
Take it out of the oven and cut it in wedges.
Enjoy!! The pie can be eaten hot, at room temperature, or cold. You can also serve it as an appetizer. I thought you could probably make it in a rectagular glass baking dish and cut into bars if you have guests over. You know what to do now right?
NOTE: I stand corrected…..an immediate call came in from Puerto Rico….it seems that I forgot that a chopped onion was to be included in the ingredients going into the blender. Oops!! It still tasted delish!
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