Sfakianopita - A Cheese Stuffed Bread from Greece

I ended up trying a few Greek recipes recently owing to my 'Greek recipes' themed marathon this week and among them were a few bread recipes from the region. A stuffed bread named sfakianopita was one of those. These bread are stuffed with the local variety cheeses and in lieu of those, feta cheese would be a great substitution here. These sfakianopita proved to be a quick and easy deal as I am adept at making the Indian stuffed breads aka parathas. The toasted, cheese stuffed breads are served with chopped nuts, a dusting of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey, which makes it a treat.

Recipe source: Here
Ingredients:
1 & 1/3 cup flour + extra for dusting (I used wheat flour.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil + extra for toasting
 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Ground cinnamon
Honey

Method:
* Combine flour, salt, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl and mix. Next add water in increments and knead it into a soft, pliable dough. If the dough is sticky, add some extra flour and knead. If it appears too dry, add extra water.  
* Knead the dough for about five minutes and divide the dough into 6 or 8 portions. Roll the portions into balls. Work with one portion at a time and keep the rest of them covered.
* Roll the ball into a round shape of about 1/4 inch thickness and 6 inches wide. Place a tbsp. or more of cheese at the center and then fold side over. Knead the cheese and the dough together until the cheese is well mixed in. Again roll it back to the round shape as earlier.
* Toast the rolled out sfakianopita on a heated pan pouring a tsp of olive oil around the edges and spreading it over. Cook it until both sides turn golden brown, flipping in between.
* Repeat the steps and cook the remaining sfakianopita
* Sprinkle chopped nuts and cinnamon as needed over sfakianopitas before serving and drizzle with honey.
 
This goes to Blogging marathon #76, under the theme 'Greek Recipes'. Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking. 

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Turkish Gözleme

Oh boy! I was under this great misconception that I somewhat mastered the art of rolling flatbreads until I saw this video. I was exploring some European flatbreads and in the quest, came across this amazing video where a skilled and experienced Turkish woman is rolling out humongous sized gozlemes effortlessly. Gozleme is a savory and stuffed, griddle bread from Turkey prepared from hand-rolled dough. The traditional gozleme making requires a long, thin rolling pin and a large griddle. The name 'gozleme' is derived from the Turkish word 'göz' meaning compartment, referring to the pocket of the dough where the stuffing is sealed and cooked. The stuffing that goes inside these popular Turkish breads can range anywhere from vegetables, cheeses to meats.

I couldn't make gozlemes in the traditional size as neither I had the required tools nor the expertise to nail them. Gozlemes can be prepared in two shapes - a crescent shaped one or like a stuffed envelope. I used the spinach-cheese filling to make my gozlemes, in a mini size and made in both shapes. My gozleme experience is telling me that crescent shaped one is the ideal one for uniform toasting. The envelope shaped ones need extra time for getting uniformly toasted. I wasn't sure whether they were toasted properly inside or not and so toasted them again to just make sure. I cut gozlemes into strips, held them with tongs and toasted them on all sides including the edges.We enjoyed these yummy gozlemes with ketchup.
 
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium sized onions, finely minced
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used paneer instead.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil to toast gozleme

Preparation of dough:
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water in small increments to the flour mixture and prepare a soft, pliable dough. (I added a little less than 1/2 cup water.) Gently knead it for 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the dough and keep it aside for about 15 - 30 minutes. (Gozleme dough doesn't include any oil but I added a tsp. of it.)

Preparation of filling:
Heat oil and add minced onion. Fry until onion softens and add spinach. Cook until spinach wilts and the rawness is gone. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Next add the crumbled cheese, give it a stir and turn off the stove. Let the filling cool a bit.

Method:
* Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll them into discs between your palms. Work with one disc at a time and keep the rest covered. Roll it thin into a rectangle or in a circular shape. Dust with flour if necessary.

* Place about 2-3 tbsp. of filling at the middle of the rectangle. (I used more filling than showed in the picture.)

* Fold the opposite sides to cover the filling.

* Then fold the remaining sides to cover up the filling and form an envelope. Gently press with fingertips to seal properly.

* If the dough disc was rolled out into a circle, place about 1/4 cup of the filling on one half of the circle. Then fold the other half over it. Seal the edges using your finger tips and gently pat the whole crescent shaped gozleme.

* Heat a skillet and place the rolled dough square or crescent on it. Cook on low flame, drizzling with oil / butter until brown spots appear on both sides. (I cut them into strips and toasted them again. I held the pieces with tongs and toasted on all sides to make sure that gozlemes are properly cooked.)

This goes to Blogging Marathon #50, under the theme of "International FlatBreads". Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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Baleadas

I was attracted to this recipe since it was on the lines of a bean burrito. Baleadas come from Honduras and this healthy, filling meal is in fact that country's national food. It is one of the popular and original dishes of the region and is eaten as a breakfast, lunch or a light snack. When kept to the basic version, this hearty meal has only 4 ingredients - wheat tortilla, refried beans, crema / fresh cream and crumbled cheese. Going by the recipes online, cooked red / black beans, fresh cream, thick wheat tortillas and crumbly dry version of queso fresco are the ones specifically used.  However there are other variations adding extra ingredients like a mixture of onion, tomato and bell peppers, hot sauce, plantain, avocado, scrambled eggs or meat.
I went with a recipe I saw on Kraft's website and they had substitutions with sour cream and feta cheese. Just going by the ingredients in a baleada, one can guess that it would be a substantial meal and I knew that my daughter would love it. I wasn't wrong and she liked it so much that she had it both for her lunch and dinner yesterday. If your palate is like mine and prefers spicy stuff, drizzle some sauce over it.
 
Ingredients:
8 -10 wheat tortillas
1 & 1/2 cups refried red / black beans
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Method:
* I made my own tortillas with a pliable dough made out of 2 cups wheat flour, 1/8 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. oil, milk and water. If using store bought ones, just warm them before assembling.
* You can use the store bought refried beans but I chose to cook them from scratch. I pressure cooked the black beans and just  pulsed them coarsely in a food processor adding some salt. If you prefer, mash the cooked bans to mushy, add salt and fry the paste in 3 to 4 tsp. oil for a couple of minutes.
* Spoon the warm beans evenly on the tortillas and top with the remaining ingredients you have chosen to use. Fold the tortilla in half and serve immediately.

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "National Foods".

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