Borek with Chicken, Fennel and Leeks
Entrees, Mediterranean

Recently I was treated to a cooking class at Sofra in Watertown, where we learned a variey of savory pies from various Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures. The first one I tried when I got home was Borek - it's made with layers of Yuftka pastry (a very thin crepe, available at many of the Armenian groceries in Watertown). While the basic recipe is much more simple than this, this version that I made last night was delightful, and the braising liquid makes a great soup. You do want to braise the chicken legs beforehand, and it's very worth the effort; however, if you're really short on time, you could also do this with a supermarket rotisserie chicken.

Note: this recipe is not for those watching their weight. It's a lot of eggs and butter, but oh so very good.

Nut-free Baklava!
Desserts

Living in Watertown, home of all the Armenian and Greek supermarkets EVER, it's not hard to find good baklava. What is hard, though, is finding nut-free baklava; and a friend's recent laments about this (nuts are deadly to her), inspired some research. This recipe is a mashup of a few different things: the basic recipe (semolina custard, filo and syrup) was given to me by Sophia at Sophia's Greek Pantry in Belmont, where I also got many of the ingredients; the rest of the filling was inspired by a couple of recipes that I found online and my own thoughts on what would create the texture I was looking for.

You can modify this any way you like, actually; another thought for the "nut" filling is pumpkin seeds and dried Calmyrna figs pulsed with a bit of candied ginger and orange zest for zing.

Leek/Potato chowder with Pumpkin and Turkey
holiday leftovers, Soups and Stews

Thanksgiving leftovers: ah, who can forget them? This recipe, made for last night's dinner, accomplished an important goal: it used up about a third of various leftovers that I had hanging around from Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, it's very filling, and it's rich without being *too* high in fat.

NOTE: The pumpkin purée I used in this recipe is actually homemade. I took two small pie pumpkins, scooped out the seeds and stabbed them a bunch of times with a knife, then roasted at 375°F for about an hour until they were really well cooked. Then, I scooped out the flesh and whizzed it up in a blender until smooth. If you're using canned purée, you want to add more veggie stock than what's used here; the home made stuff was pretty watery.

Butternut Squash and Corn Bisque
Soups and Stews, vegan

This is a hearty, creamy soup that’s great in late summer or early fall, when fresh corn is available. The stock takes a while, but the leftovers make an amazing sweet corn risotto. Alternately, you can use canned veggie stock or chicken broth, but there’s something magical that happens when you make your own stock. Make this on a Sunday afternoon, when you have plenty of time to cook. Serves about 6-8 people, and makes great leftovers.

Tomato soup with zucchini and potatoes
favorites, Soups and Stews, vegetarian

When I was in college, like many other college students, I was pretty darn broke. The good thing was that I was a vegetarian in those days (I try to be now, but not very successfully), so I became very good at finding ways to keep my kitchen stocked without breaking the bank, and I came up with some really terrific recipes that cost me very little to make. One such recipe was this soup: Campbell’s Tomato Soup as a base, made a bit richer and heartier with some sauteed vegetables. This recipe is good for 2-3 servings, and keeps beautifully.