Dilled Spinach Crepes With Avgolemono Sauce Recipes

SPINACH ALFREDO SAUCE (BETTER THAN OLIVE GARDEN®)

Steps:

• Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat; cook spinach in the melted butter until warmed, about 1 minute. Add cream and cream cheese to spinach mixture; cook and stir until cream cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
• Fold Parmesan cheese and garlic powder into spinach mixture; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until sauce is thickened and smooth, about 10 more minutes.

CREPES WITH SPINACH, BACON AND MUSHROOM FILLING

Steps:

• Prepare Basic Crepes recipe according to recipe directions. Separate with wax paper and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve about 1 tablespoon drippings, add 1 tablespoon butter, and saute mushrooms.
• In a separate saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in 1/4 cup flour, stirring constantly, until a smooth paste is formed. Gradually stir in 1 cup milk, stirring constantly until a smooth thick gravy is formed. Add bacon, mushrooms, spinach, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let cook until somewhat thick, about 10 minutes.
• In saucepan bring broth to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice. Temper eggs and broth together whisking constantly so as to cook, but not to scramble the eggs. (Cooking eggs to 170 degrees F). Again, salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill each crepe with spinach and meat filling, roll up, and top with warm egg sauce.

DILLED SPINACH CREPES WITH AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the filling:
• In a saucepan cook the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the flour, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the milk in a stream, whisking, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, whisking, until it is thick. Stir in the nutmeg, the dill, the spinach, and salt and pepper to taste and let the filling cool.
• Make 12 crêpes (procedure follows) with the dill crêpe batter. Spread 2 tablespoons of the filling on each crêpe and roll the crêpe up jelly-roll fashion. Arrange the crêpes, seam sides down, in a buttered shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer. The crêpes may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Brush the crêpes lightly with the melted butter and bake them in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 20 minutes.
• Make the sauce:
• In a small saucepan bring the broth to a boil. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and the lemon juice. Add half the broth to the egg mixture in a stream, whisking, and whisk the mixture into the remaining broth. Heat the sauce, stirring, until it reaches 170°F. on a candy thermometer and is thickened slightly, but do not let it boil, and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the crêpes among plate and drizzle the sauce over them.
• Make the dill crêpe batter:
• In a blender or food processor blend the flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, the milk, the eggs, the butter, and the salt for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor, add the dill, and with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container. Blend the batter for 20 seconds more, transfer it to a bowl, and let it stand, covered and chilled, for 1 hour. The batter may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes enough batter for about 13 crêpes.
• Make the crêpes:
• Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet measuring 6 to 7 inches across the bottom over moderate heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with the butter, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and remove it from the heat. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a layer of batter and return any excess batter to bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, and cook the crêpe for 1 minute, or until the top appears almost dry. Turn the crêpe, cook the other side lightly, and transfer the crêpe to a plate. Make crêpe with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with butter as necessary. The crêpes may be made 3 days in advance, kept stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled.

CREME OF SPINACH CREPES

Steps:

• For the batter: Put half of the milk into a mixing bowl, along with the flour, salt and egg yolks, and mix at medium speed until smooth. Slowly pour the remaining milk into the mixture and keep mixing at a low speed. Slowly add the melted butter and mix at medium speed.
• Warm your frying pan. Take a paper towel, dip it in soft butter and wipe the bottom of the frying pan so it is lightly coated. Depending on your pan size, pour a paper-thin layer to cover the pan and move it around. Fry until the crepe slides around the pan and flip. Cook until golden brown spots appear. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• For the filling: Put a little water at the bottom of a medium pot. Add the spinach, garlic, onion, butter and salt to taste and cook about 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
• In a separate container, mix the half-and-half and flour until smooth. Pour slowly into the spinach and stir it in. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Put some creme of spinach into a crepe and any steamed veggies you would like, such as broccoli, zucchini or bell pepper. Fold the crepe over on itself a couple times and top it with Parmesan and roasted red peppers.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Place the chicken, bay leaf and broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and let it cool.
• Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Clean out any scum in the bottom of the pot and add the broth back to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Check for seasoning here, as you may need to add a few teaspoons salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice and the flour. Whisk the eggs into the lemon mixture. Pour a little of the simmering broth slowly over the egg mixture and whisk it together. Reduce the heat under the broth to low and whisk in the egg mixture. The soup will thicken slightly and become cloudy. Make sure you don't bring the soup to a rolling boil after you add the eggs. Your eggs will scramble, which will leave you with more of an egg drop soup (which would still be fantastic, but just not the same).
• Chop up the chicken, removing the skin and bones, and add it to the soup along with the dill. Serve immediately.

TRADITIONAL LAMB FRICASSéE WITH AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim most of the visible fat from the lamb then cut the meat into 1½" - 2" chunks. Pat down the lamb to remove any excess moisture then brown it on all sides over medium-high heat in the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.
• Add the leeks, onions, and celery to the pot and sauté until the vegetables soften. Add the chicken stock to cover the mixture and season it generously with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes.
• Mince the dill, reserving some for garnish. Chop the lettuce and add it to the pot, along with the dill. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or, until the lamb is fork-tender and a small amount of liquid (about a cup or so) remains in the pot. Turn off the heat.
• Prepare the egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce. In a small bowl whisk the egg whites with the teaspoon of cold water and a little corn flour until very frothy. Whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice (start with only one lemon if you do not like the acidity of the lemon too much). Temper the avgolemono sauce by slowly adding one ladleful of the hot liquid from the pot to the small bowl with the eggs, while whisking the whole time. Continue with a second ladleful of the hot liquid and whisk again. Now add the avgolemono to the pot and stir gently to incorporate. Shake the pot a few times to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together.
• If you need to reheat the lamb fricassée before serving, do so very gently, making sure the stew does not come to a boil. Place on a serving platter, topped with the reserved minced dill, a drizzle of olive oil and a few wedges of lemon. Good, crusty bread is a must and a Greek salad on the side is always a good idea.

CHICKEN FRICASSéE WITH CARROTS, MUSTARD GREENS AND AVGOLEMONO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make chicken:
• Mix 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons parsley, lemon peel and minced garlic in large glass baking dish. Whisk in 6 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chicken. Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate chicken overnight, turning once.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove chicken from marinade. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook chicken until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to large bowl.
• Add carrots, sliced garlic and oregano to pot. Sauté over medium-high heat until garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add wine and remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock. Return chicken to pot. Place pot in oven. Bake uncovered until chicken is cooked through, turning chicken occasionally, about 35 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken, carrots and sliced garlic to large bowl. Tent with foil to keep warm.
• Boil cooking liquid over medium-high heat until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour 1 cup reduced cooking liquid into small bowl. Set aside.
• Return cooking liquid remaining in pot to simmer. Add mustard greens. Cook until greens are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in green onions, dill, Dijon mustard and remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Cover and keep warm.
• Make avgolemono sauce:
• Whisk lemon juice and cornstarch in another small bowl to blend. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and pinch of salt in medium stainless steel bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in egg yolks, then lemon juice mixture. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Gradually add reserved 1 cup cooking liquid, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Add sauce to mustard greens; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pour sauce and mustard greens over chicken and serve.