Pita Florentine Recipes

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Place a large pizza stone on the lower oven rack, preheat the oven (and stone) to 500 degrees F.
• Punch the dough down, divide it into 8 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.
• Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the circle is totally smooth, with no creases or seams in the dough, which can prevent the pitas from puffing up properly. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up. Put 2 pita rounds at a time on the hot pizza stone and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bread puffs up like a balloon and is pale golden. Watch closely; they bake fast. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes; they will naturally deflate, leaving a pocket in the center. Wrap the pitas in a large kitchen towel to keep them soft.

TURKEY PITA FLORENTINE (LOW FAT)

Steps:

• In a medium nonstick skillet,cook turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
• Set aside.
• Cook and drain spinach according to package directions.
• In a medium bowl,mix turkey,spinach and cheese.
• Stir in ketchup and mayonnaise.
• Fill each pita pocket evenly until all of the mixture is used.Slightly flatten pockets and brown lightly in skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray.

PITA FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Cook vegetarian crumbles. Place crumbles in skillet over medium-high heat until thawed, set aside.
• Cook and drain spinach according to package directions. Add to crumbles, spinach, and cheese, stir in ketchup and mayonnaise, and heat all ingredients until warm.
• Fill pita pockets evenly until all mixture is used up. Serve warm.

FRENCH TOAST FLORENTINE

Steps:

• For the French toast: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Lay the bread slices on the rack; set aside to air-dry. Whisk the cream, eggs, Parmesan, nutmeg and some salt and pepper in a large casserole dish until smooth; set aside.
• For the Florentine sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Cook, whisking constantly, until light brown, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream. Continue to cook, whisking, until the mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few grinds of pepper and the nutmeg. Turn off the heat, and cover to keep warm.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Transfer the bread slices to a plate. Transfer the baking sheet with the wire rack to the oven. Place 2 bread slices in the egg mixture, and let them completely soak on both sides, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, checking after 30 seconds. (The bread should feel heavy and soaked through but hold its shape without breaking apart.) Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the skillet. Add the 2 soaked slices, and cook until the outside is golden brown and crisp and the inside is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. You will need to watch and adjust the heat between medium and medium-low if the bread is browning too quickly or not browning quickly enough. Keep the finished French toast slices warm on the rack in the baking sheet in the oven. Repeat with the remaining slices.
• Toss the remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan with the parsley in a small bowl; set aside. Place the Florentine sauce back over medium-low heat, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons cream and the lemon juice and heat through, about 1 minute. Arrange 2 slices of French toast per plate, and divide the Florentine sauce evenly over the toasts (a generous 1/4 cup per serving). Garnish with a tablespoon of the Parmesan-parsley mixture and a few grinds of pepper, and serve.

MINI PITA CRAB FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Mix spinach with the crab, water chestnuts& green onions.
• In another bowl combine the ranch dressing pkg,dill weed, yogurt& mayo mix well, Combine the two bowls, mix well.
• Cut mini pitas in half and stuff with the crab, spinach mixture.
• Arrange on a platter, decorate with some parsley sprigs etc.
• Serve warm or cold.

FLOUNDER FLORENTINE WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Pick over the fillets to remove small bones.
• Remove and discard tough stems or blemished leaves on the spinach. Rinse thoroughly and drain well.
• Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a casserole and add spinach. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir. Cook about 1 minute or until wilted. Remove from the heat.
• Put milk in a flat dish and add flounder pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn the pieces in the milk. Shake off excess.
• Blend flour with salt and pepper. Add fish pieces and coat on all sides. Shake off excess.
• Heat corn oil in a nonstick skillet and add fish fillets. Cook about 1 minute or less, until golden brown on one side. Turn the pieces and cook about 1 minute or less. As the fish pieces are cooked, transfer them immediately to individual plates, rather than to a platter. The fish is delicate and must not be overhandled. Surround each serving of fish with a portion of spinach.
• Pour off the fat from the skillet and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and pistachios. Heat until bubbling and sprinkle with lemon juice. Pour the sauce over fish.

TILAPIA FETA FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach to skillet; cook and stir until spinach is wilted and cooked down, 5 more minutes. Stir olives, feta cheese, lemon rind, salt, oregano, and white pepper into spinach. Cook until feta cheese has melted and flavors have blended, about 5 more minutes.
• Spread spinach mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange tilapia fillets over spinach mixture. Mix butter and lemon juice in a small bowl and drizzle over fish; sprinkle with paprika.
• Bake fish in the preheated oven until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily, 20 to 25 minutes.

TILAPIA FLORENTINE

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, cook spinach in 4 teaspoons oil until wilted; drain. Meanwhile, place tilapia in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with lime juice and remaining oil. Sprinkle with seasoning blend. , In a small bowl, combine the egg, ricotta cheese and spinach; spoon over fillets. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. , Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

FLORENTINE PIZZA

Steps:

• To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan 180C. Put the pizza base on a baking sheet and spread with the sauce.
• To cook the spinach, put it in a microwavable bowl, cover with cling film and pierce it a couple of times. Put in the microwave on High (850W) for 2 minutes until wilted (or cook in a covered pan for 2-3 minutes). Drain and spread the spinach over the pizza base, then get the mushrooms out of the jar with a fork and scatter them over the top. Season and sprinkle with half the parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Make four dips in the spinach with the back of a spoon, and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for a further 6- 8 minutes, until the eggs are just set.

RIGATONI FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Add garlic to skillet; saute until golden. Add cream and spaghetti sauce to skillet; cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.
• Add cooked chicken and spinach and cook until spinach reduces. Then add rigatoni; toss with cheese and serve.

FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour then add the cherries, flaked almonds, pistachios and orange zest.
• Scoop 10 flat tbsp of the mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving room for them to spread. You will need to do these in batches. Bake for 10 mins until golden. Leave to cool for 2 mins until firm enough to lift onto a wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a simmering saucepan of water or in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Turn the florentines over on the wire rack. Spoon chocolate onto the base of each florentine and gently spread to the edges. When the chocolate is firm enough to hold its shape, use a fork to draw wavy lines across the chocolate. Leave to set and then store in an airtight container.

SKILLET PASTA FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the egg, cottage cheese, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella and herbs., Drain pasta. Place half the sauce in a large skillet; layer with pasta and remaining sauce. Top with cheese mixture., Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook until a thermometer reads 160°, 25-30 minutes. , Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.