Saveur Cooks Authentic American - Editors Of Cook's Illustrated Magazine [8]
Hortopita
In many parts of Greece, harvesting wild herbs and greens and baking them into savory pies is an unbroken tradition dating back centuries. Aggeliki Bakali (pictured), a home cook in the central Greek village of Pertouli, makes this pie of greens, herbs, and feta from a family recipe that also calls for her to make her own phyllo dough, which she rolls into large circles to fit a 12-inch round cake pan. We found that store-bought country-style phyllo works just as well to make the pie in a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking dish.
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
16 scallions, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1¾ lbs. Swiss chard (about 2 bunches), chopped
1 cup each minced fresh dill, mint, and parsley Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 oz. feta, crumbled
1 16-oz. package frozen country-style phyllo dough, thawed
Serves 6–8
1. Heat ½ cup oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, 3–4 minutes. Add chard and herbs and cook, stirring often, until tender, 12–15 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature and stir in feta; set aside.
2. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 2 tbsp. oil. Cut 2 phyllo sheets into 11 x 15-inch sheets; layer them in the baking dish A, brushing each with 2 tbsp. oil. Spread a third of the greens in pan on top of the phyllo.
3. Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut 4 phyllo sheets into 9 x 13-inch rectangles, and transfer to baking sheets. Bake each until golden, 4–6 minutes, and then set aside to cool. Place 2 baked phyllo sheets on top of greens and cover with half the remaining greens. Top with remaining 2 baked sheets and the remaining greens B.
4. Cut 2 phyllo sheets into 9 x 13-inch rectangles. Cover greens with 1 sheet, and brush with 2 tbsp. oil; top with remaining phyllo and fold phyllo dough from the bottom layer hanging over edges onto top of pie. Brush top and edges with 1 tbsp. oil C and score phyllo to vent. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F, and bake until golden brown, 18–20 minutes. Let cool slightly and then cut into squares to serve D.
Mushroom and Herb Crostini
Crostini con Funghi
Simple, satisfying crostini like these are among the many dishes prepared by saveur contributor Beth Elon and her neighbors for a feast held each summer in their Tuscan town of Buggiano. We like the earthy flavor of cremini mushrooms in this classic antipasto, but you can use any variety of mushroom you like.
8 oz. mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, oyster, and button, stemmed and thinly sliced
7 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 slices country-style Italian bread, such as ciabatta Small wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Serves 4
1. Heat the oven to 475°F. Toss together the mushrooms, 4 tbsp. oil, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature until the mushrooms have softened, about 20 minutes.
2. Put the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining oil. Bake bread slices until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then spoon the mushroom mixture over the bread. Using a peeler, thinly slice strips of Parmigiano to garnish the crostini.
COOKING NOTE The best way to clean mushrooms—rinse or soak in water, or wipe each mushroom with a damp cloth to avoid its taking in water—has long been a subject of debate. It took scientific proof to satisfy us once and for all. In an experiment described in the book The Curious Cook, author Harold McGee demonstrated that after soaking for five minutes, a button mushroom absorbs only one-sixteenth of a teaspoon of water. A speedy rinse, McGee concludes, results in virtually no water retention. The myth of the soggy mushroom, it turns out, just doesn’t hold water.
Alfresco Feast
One of the joys of living in Tuscany is that locals love a good party, which explains why many towns frequently