Warning about recipes. Read this first!

TYROPITA
Yield: About 50 pieces

METHOD
1. In a dry saute pan (no oil), wilt the spinach over high heat. Add a little salt to help facilitate the wilting. Saute until completely wilted, then remove to a cutting board and roughly chop.

2. In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the first measure of butter, then sweat the onions. When softened, add the flour and stir to make a white roux. This is extremely hot so don’t touch!

3. When the roux is simmering around the edges, slowly drizzle in about 1/3 of the milk while whisking. Yes, use a whisk to break up all the clumps. Then slowly drizzle in the remaining milk.

4. Bring to a boil for a few minutes until thickened, then remove from heat.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then slowly drizzle in the white sauce (bechamel) while constantly whisking. Add the nutmeg, feta, oregano, and spinach. Season to taste with the pepper (you probably won’t need salt).

6. In a small sauce pan, melt the second measure of butter, but don’t let it boil. remove from heat.

7. Unwrap the filo dough and lay out one sheet on your work surface. Carefully brush with butter, then lay out another filo sheet on top. Brush with butter again.

8. Cut in to 6 strips and scoop about 2 tsp of the filling on the end of each strip. Fold/roll each strip in to triangles (like folding the flag).

9. Lay out the folded tyropita on a sheet pan lined with parchment, and brush each pastry with more butter. Repeat steps 7-9 until all the filo is gone.

10. Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes until the pastry is puffy and golden.

NOTES
Filo is cheap, so buy TWO boxes in case there are damaged sheets in one box. Be careful, but no one’s going to die if you tear one or two.

If you need to, you can freeze these things IQF-style after you roll them and brush them with butter. Bake them off as needed.

COMMENTARY
Wow, no commentary this time. I wonder if I’m feeling ok?

Warning about recipes. Read this first!

BEEF SHORT RIBS
Yield: 2 servings (approx 8oz uncooked)

METHOD
1. Season all four sides of the short ribs with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan over high heat, sear all four sides of each rib. Remove ribs to an oven-safe dish.

2. Sautee mushrooms in the same saute pan, which will soak up all the fat, and then start to release their moisture. Just before the mushrooms are nicely seared, add the garlic and finish searing the mushrooms stopping before they become soggy. Remove to the oven-safe dish with the beef.

3. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and stock. Bring to a boil, then pour over beef and mushrooms. Add the whole thyme to the dish.

4. Cover well, and braise in the oven for 5-6 hours at 275F.

5. Remove ribs from sauce, cover, and chill. Chill sauce.

6. The next day, remove solid fat from the top of the sauce. Reheat the sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce by 1/3 or 1/2, then add the ribs and reheat thoroughly. Be careful with the meat, it should be very tender at this point.

7. Remove ribs, keep warm, and season sauce. Skim sauce of any excess fat or scum, if necessary. Drizzle sauce over ribs and serve immediately.

NOTES
8oz of raw beef is a decent portion for a plated meal, but chowing down at home, I can eat a full pound of these things, easy.

COMMENTARY
I love a good braise, and nothing braises quite like beef. A braise means low, slow, and moist; it’s the complete opposite of roasting (but I violate that rule when I “roast” a turkey).

The crucial step to a good braise is to make the dish THE DAY BEFORE YOU NEED IT! If you make it ahead of time, let the meat chill, and then reheat and season, the gelatin present in the meat will have a lower melting point the second time around, making the meat even more tender and succulent than if you try to serve it right out of the oven when you first make it.

Fattier, tougher meats work best for a braise. Although I will braise a chicken, it takes a little more care because it will dry out, even though it’s sitting in all that moisture.

Top Chef fans, viewers, and other professional chefs: It KILLS me when one of those “chef-testants” say they’re going to braise something during a 30 minute Quick-Fire challenge. HELLO!!! Not a braise!! For fuck’s sake, why doesn’t Coliccio call them out? Any first-year student knows the definition of a braise. Why are these (supposed) super-talented chefs butchering the language and using terms so lazily? As a mentor of mine taught me: Words have meaning and power. Use them properly!

And now my rant is done. For now.

Warning about recipes. Read this first!

HUMMUS
Yield: 28 fl oz

METHOD
1. Drain chickpeas, then place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until they’re EXTREMELY soft. You should be able to mush them easily between your fingers. Drain and reserve cooking liquid.

2. Combine chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini in a food processor and puree until mostly smooth, then slowly drizzle in both oils. Puree until extremely smooth, and add a little of the reserved cooking liquid to thin out, as desired.

3. Season to taste

NOTES
#10 can of chickpeas yields 64 oz drained chickpeas

COMMENTARY
Are you Greek? Turkish? Lebanese? Egyptian? Let the brawling begin over the origin of hummus. Personally, I don’t think it matters. Let the hate mail flow.

The secret to this recipe is something I learned from a Lebanese friend: Boil the crap out of the chickpeas. I used to just puree the canned chickpeas, right of the can, but it never got super-smooth. There have been times when I boiled the chickpeas until they actually started falling apart. Maybe that was taking it a little too far, but the point remains. So anyway, thanks Joe, for the tip!

A lot of restaurants I’ve been to serve a very thin, pale hummus, and I think that’s because of more water, but also increasing the ratio of tahini. But practice this recipe and do what you want with it, to your own tastes.

Enjoy!