The Neighbors are Here!
I’ve lived in the same house for over 20 years, and in that time, I’ve had my neighbors over exactly once! I have great neighbors so I don’t know why I haven’t hosted them more often. Perhaps it’s because our casual conversations as we go about our business lull me into feeling like I’ve socialized with them. But a chat over a garbage can is not the same as sitting down with a glass of wine. At long last we dined together, sat at the table, drank wine and laughed.
I have plenty of really fabulous neighbors but Bill and Maureen, who live directly across the street from me, are who I’ve gotten to know the best. Bill is an outstanding home bread baker, a sound man by trade, and Maureen a dog trainer, has kindly wrangled my cats for me whenever I’m out of town. Bill is a vegetarian so that guided the menu. I wanted to do something “Greekish”. I made Butternut Squash and Mushroom Filo Pie, Mom’s Stewed Beans, Sautéed Spinach, and Lemon Yogurt Cake with Lemon Curd and Whipped Cream for dessert. I had a hunk of Gorgonzola cheese in the house that I wanted to do something different with, so I developed a recipe for Gorgonzola Walnut Cookies with Fig Jam.
This menu can be made entirely ahead, which is perfect for entertaining.
Butternut Squash and Mushroom Filo Pie
If making this ahead store it unbaked in the refrigerator overnight and bake shortly before serving. Once baked the filo will get soggy. You can make this with any vegetables, it’s a good way to use up extras from the garden.
Instapot Stewed Greek Beans
If you haven’t purchased an Instapot yet you are the only person in America! For those who don’t know, it’s a multifunction pot that you can sauté in, pressure cook in, slow cook in, make rice in, etc. My favorite use of the Instapot is for making broth. The pressure cooker feature makes the most delicious broth (and stews). I decided to give it a whirl for Stewed Greek Beans. Bill is an outstanding bread baker and he brought a loaf of his Fougasse and there is nothing better than a thick slice of bread with stewed beans ladled on top drizzled with olive oil.
Gorgonzola Walnut Cookies with Fig Jam
These are really only sort of a cookie. They’re not very sweet, so they are a cross between a cookie and a cracker. The cheese and walnuts create a short bread texture. They smell heavenly while baking.
You can serve these as an appetizer before dinner or as an offbeat cookie after.
Lemon Yogurt Cake with Lemon Curd and Whipped Cream
The cake recipe is one that I blogged about before, this time I made it as cupcakes and dolloped it with lemon curd and softly whipped cream.
