What's the worst thing that could happen to a Chef at Holiday time?

It was one of my worst nightmares come true last week.  Luckily we survived Thanksgiving and made it past at least one "Cooking Class Thursday", then it happened.  The oven stopped heating up, right in the middle of baking a rustic apple tart with cheddar cheese crust.


Oven repair guy comes out... "Well, the manual says it's the display control panel... you'll need to replace that."  Okay, so we order the part (a week and a half) all the while any cooking could still be done stove top and of course, the grill in the back yard.  Part FINALLY comes in and Oven Guy comes out to replace the bad part... he opens the front of the display panel to access the part that he is replacing and, SHEER HORROR!  

F'ing MICE have eaten away the wiring, shorted out other computer chips and parts...bottom line, need to replace my three year old, stainless steel, 19,000 BTU, warming drawer, convection, kick ass range...and I need to do it in 24 hours.


Now, that said, remember it's the HOLIDAYS and I've done pretty much everything I can do, Christmas baking-wise, without having to use the oven (peanut butter balls, Nanaimo bars, Pecan Brittle, etc.).  

It's down to the 11th hour!  In steps "Super Husband"! 

I'm considering getting him his own cape at this point.  With Cooking Class scheduled for tonight (we're doing Holiday Party food), I breathed a sigh of relief when I received a text message and photo from "Super Husband"...

If you'll note, not only is the range installed AND in working order, the Santa oven mitts, spoon rest AND festive tea towel have all been put back in their correct place.  I may have to leave work early just to do a test run before all the ladies arrive for Class tonight!

I mentioned above that I resorted to using the Grill on the back deck to cook dinner for a few nights; here's a tasty dish that you CAN cook ON the Grill ( on a cookie sheet ) or if you have a working oven, I would suggest using that as the preferred cooking method :o)  

Spinach and Corn Strudel (no Katy... different "Strudel")

Ingredients:

1 Cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 Cups fresh (or frozen) corn kernals

2 Lg egg whites

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp Olive oil

5 Cups packed raw spinach

4 sheets phyllo dough

4 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

1 1/2 Cups Tomato sauce

Method:

Heat oven to 400F.  Lightly flour a sheet pan/cookie sheet.

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, corn, egg whites, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and pepper until well combined. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the spinach over medium heat, stirring for 3 to 5 minutes until soft.  Dry the spinach by wrapping it in a cloth towel and giving it a gentle squeeze :o)  Chill it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Brush a sheet of phyllo with 1 tbsp melted butter.  Place a second sheet on top of the first and brush it with more butter.  Repeat with the other sheets to make a stack.

With the long side of the phyllo toward you, spoon the ricotta mixture onto the bottom third of the dough and spread the spinach on tope of it.  Roll the phyllo up from the bottom, like a log tucking the sides in so the filling won't fall out.  Place the roll on the sheet pan and bake for 20 mins until golden.

(for the Grill method, just email me... )

To serve this deliciousness, ladle warm tomato sauce onto a plate.  Cut 4, slightly diagonal 1" crosswise slices of strudel and place on sauce in a fancy fashion... see below...

Any leftovers can be put in an airtight container and frozen for two weeks.  An alternate version can be made with Jalepinos added to the spinach when sauteing and served with warm salsa... DEEEEEEEEELISH!!!

Enjoy!