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In several previous posts I have mentioned the importance of afternoon tea time in Turkey and the snacks that we would have with our tea. This cake is a total green deliciousness that my mom used to make for our lazy afternoon tea hours. Years later during another tea gathering with her friends she learned a recipe for sweet spinach cake (I know it sounds weird, but it doesnt taste anything like spinach. Spinach is there just to make it green and distract the ladies from gossip by causing curiosity for the source of its color), and unfortunately stopped making this one. I never cared much about sweet cakes, so this one is definitely my most favorite green cake.

As you can see from the ingredients, it is a very flexible cake. You can add more herbs or take out the ones you dont like; use feta or grated mozzarella or cheddar; use crushed pepper flakes and make it spicy or very spicy. Its all up to you. Because of the spinach puree and the amount of flour this is a moist, spongy cake, not a dry one.



























serves 6-8 people

1 lb spinach
2 cups flour
1 cup oil (olive, canola, or vegetable; I used half olive and half canola)
3 eggs
1/3 cup Turkish white cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup black olives, sliced (you can use canned olives but they wont bring any flavor to your cake)
1 green bell pepper or 2 green chili peppers, fınely chopped
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp oregano leaves
1-2 tsp salt (depending on how salt the cheese is)
2 tsp baking powder


























-Put washed spinach in a food processor with a couple of tbsp of olive oil and make into a puree. You should have approximately 2 cups of spinach puree.
-Beat 3 eggs with salt in a mixing bowl until it doubles in volume.
-Add remaining oil, spinach puree, dill, parsley, peppers, green onion, sliced olives, and cheese to eggs and mix with a spoon.
-Add flour and baking powder to this mixture and mix.
-Grease a baking pan, any shape you prefer, with butter. Pour the mixture and bake in a preheated oven at 350-360F for 45-50 minutes. Baking time might vary with different shapes and ovens. Check with a knife or wooden skewer/toothpick.

Wıth all its greenness this is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging that was started by Kalyn of Kalyns Kitchen and is now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and is hosted this week by Katie of Eat This.

Since my mom is here to stay with us for a few days, it is my pleasure to present / record some really simple traditional recipes like Keerai Masiyal.

According to my knowledge, there are three common dishes made with Spinach in Tambram cuisine. The first one being the simple mashed spinach or Masiyal ( Masikka means to mash in Tamil) , the second one being Keerai Kootan / Keerai Milagootal which is a delicately spiced spinach - lentil preparation had with rice and the third (and my not-so-favourite) Pulikkeerai or spinach soured with tamarind. There is also a fourth variety in which cooked udad dal is added to mashed spinach. The recipe Im sharing today is Keerai Masiyal or very simple mashed spinach that can be served as a side when you are just in the mood for some steamed rice and dal. This one also goes fantastic when mixed with some sambar and had along with yogurt rice (tairsaadam).

This is a fine example of typical Tamil Brahmin cuisine, where less is always more and the flavours of the main ingredient are relied upon to the maximum without adding strong flavours like onion or garlic.

Keerai Masiyal
Category - Greens, Tambram recipes, Side, low-carb
Time taken - Under 30 minutes
Recipe source- Traditional tamil brahmin recipe
Makes - 2 cups of mash, serves 4 as a side along with rice

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ingredients
2 fat bunches of spinach (7-8 cups of finely chopped spinach and thin stems - excluding the thick stems)
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp udad dal
2 dried red chillies, broken into pieces
1 heaped tsp rice flour dissolved in 2 tbsp water (You can use wheat flour alternatively)

special equipment
a stone-pot or kal-chatti is the best option, followed by a heavy cast iron pot.
a rounded heavy wooden / iron spoon for mashing


directions
In a very heavy bottom pan (traditionally a kal-chatti /heavy stone pot) place the chopped spinach leaves with half cup water. Keep the flame on medium high. It will take 6-7 minutes for spinach to completely wilt and release the water content.

Keep mashing the spinach in the pot with the heavy iron /wooden spoon. Once thoroughly cooked, remove the pot from flame. Keep it on the counter top and mash well for 3-4 minutes, until the spinach is creamy. Add salt to taste.

In a small skillet, place 1 tsp of oil and put in the udad dal. Fry until light golden, and then add the red chillies. Saute for a few seconds until crisp and slide the tempering onto the mashed spinach. Add the rice flour-water mix into the pot as well, place it back on the flame, let the whole mix come to a simmer. The rice flour will get cooked and flavours of the tempering will merge into the mash.

Serve hot with rice.

Since there are very few ingredients, it is best to use the freshest possible spinach for this dish. Frozen spinach could work well too. We always use regular spinach, but I guess baby spinach would work as well.

Finally I get to send something for Nupurs A-Z of Indian Vegetables - M for Masiyal
I would also like to submit this in addition to this for RCI - Tamil Cuisine

Tags: Tambram cooking, low-fat, vegetable, Saffron Trail, Recipe, Food, Indian food blog, Healthy eating, Healthy living, Mumbai, India

We still have our own potatoes from last year, although most of them are pretty sprouted by now, so its race between the kitchen and the compost heap as to who gets them. There are leeks still in the garden, and they are perking up now that the weather is getting nicer (it is getting nicer, isnt it?) and we have lots of lovely spinach in our hoop-house. Altogether, they make a lovely soup.

4 to 6 servings
45 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


500 grams (1 pound) potatoes
6 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3 medium leeks
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon celery seed, ground
6 cups finely chopped spinach
salt & pepper to taste

Scrub the potatoes and trim off any bad spots; peel them if you like. Cut them in chunks and put them in a large pot with the chicken stock and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and boil steadily until the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, wash and trim the leeks. Slice them fairly thinly. Heat the butter in a large skillet, and cook the leeks with the celery seed until soft but not browned. Add them to the potatoes.

Wash and pick over the spinach. Chop it finely.

When the potatoes are tender, mash them thoroughly, in the broth. (Remove the bay leaves first.) Add the spinach and cook until done, just a few minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.




Last year at this time I made Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake.