Week 2 is already finished, and my plans are on schedule. Among other culinary trips (see the new beef stroganoff and updates to cranberry orange bread), this week’s accomplishments include smoked ham-vegetable stock, peanut butter milk chocolate bark, candied orange zest, dark chocolate bark with said zest, potato rosemary rolls with roasted garlic, brown roux, and a test run on roasted chestnuts.

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Meat, in terms of both quality and variety, is an unfortunate casualty of the modern grocery mega-mart and the demand for cheap. Unless you know a good butcher or shop at a higher-end chain store, certain cuts or types of meat are virtually impossible to obtain. Don’t believe me? Try buying fresh rabbit for an authentic paella. In Los Angeles county you can supposedly buy rabbit from Bristol Farms, but the prices at said store are very steep and cater to the wealthy rather than the everyday cook. What about fresh (not frozen) cornish hens? Or more esoteric ingredients, like goose liver or sheep’s stomach? Good luck.

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The inspiration for this dish came from the popular Greek savory pastry spanakopita and it’s lesser known cousin the kreatopita.  Instead of lamb or spinach, however, poultry is the main star in this recipe; I also went with leeks over onions for a more subtle flavor and added feta cheese for extra richness.  Google tells me the result is appropriately referred to as “kotopita.”  As I’m not fluent in Greek, however, I can’t verify.

3 lbs ground chicken
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 small boxes, reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
1 bag spinach, washed
1 large leek
2 cloves garlic, minced
rosemary, chopped
white pepper, ground
salt
phyllo sheets, thawed

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So I’ve wizened up a little on bread baking since my last post. I’ve learned a bit more about my bread pans (see my updated comments on cast iron baking); I’ve learned to always warm or scald milk for a biga; I’ve learned to keep my starter in the fridge, with weekly regular 1:2:2 feedings; I’ve learned to throw away starter I don’t need, instead of creating a gargantuan monster; I’ve learned to use onion or toasted onion powder in my rye breads because, yes, they really do taste better that way.

Today, however, is a post about my first batch of whole wheat potato rosemary bread.

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