christos anesti!

I am not at all religious, but I love Easter, thanks to that Greek stepmother of mine. And yesterday was not as much about one religion -- there were Christians, Jews, lots and lots of atheists, a Muslim and a witch up in the hizzouse -- as it was about love and food.

Or as the martini-drinkin' deacon so eloquently put it, "Easter is a time of letting parts of us die and new parts emerge. What we let go of, hopefully, is our fear and terror that feed oppression and hopelessness and what we replace it with is hope and the ability to imagine and work for a world of justice, inclusion, and hope."

The martini-drinkin' deacon


My losing red egg


Handsome gentlemen in Easter ties


Curried salmon with fresh mangos & purdy flowers


Spanakopita


The sin Jesus died for?

Those cupcakes are the best thing that ever happened to me, other than marrying Christ. I mean, Chris. The recipe is here; I'm considering kidnapping the mister who made them and forcing him to be my slave baker, which I'm sure would have Jesus rolling over in his grave. Oh, wait...

And the spanakopita speaks for itself. Seriously; if you make it, it will talk to you, sort of like the burning bush, except more tasty.

The recipe is my Greek stepmother's, of course, and as she put it, "Don't measure anything ... there is nothing exact about this recipe."

Spanakopetes

2 medium onions, finely chopped
¼ c. olive oil
2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry with your hands.
1 pound feta cheese
1 small containers small-curd, whole-milk cottage cheese
6 eggs, beaten with a whisk
1 lb. phyllo dough
clarified butter
a few whacks of fresh parmesan

1. Saute onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes to sweat. Add spinach. Simmer with the onion over a low flame, stirring occasionally, until most of the remaining moisture is evaporated.

2. Crumble feta with your hands into small pieces. Add cottage cheese and parmesan and blend well. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend.

3. Using a 9 x 13 or 11 x 14 pan (or something close), butter the bottom lightly, add one sheet of phyllo dough, butter lightly, and repeat until you have about 10 layers. Spoon in the filling, place another sheet of phyllo on top, butter lightly, and repeat until you have 10 more sheets. Using a sharp knife, gently cut through the top layers of phyllo lengthwise to whatever size you will want the final squares to be. Bake at 350 (preheated) for about 30 minutes or until brown. Recut lengthwise all the way to the bottom of the pan, and then make horizontal cuts.

You can add dill or mint, and definitely add pepper. Sometimes you will need a little salt, but the feta is usually salty enough. Look for phyllo that is longer and rectangular if you have a choice. If it's frozen when you buy it, leave the phyllo on the counter for a few hours, then refrigerate.