It's Greek to Me

Astoria will always have a place in my heart.

When Ryan and I first moved to New York, the Queens' neighborhood was our home. We lived in the same apartment for four years, all the while developing a deep love for Greek food. Apparently, Astoria has the largest population of Greeks outside Greece itself. Whether you turned left or right down our street, there was an amazing Greek restaurant.

We haven't found anything like it in Manhattan—and there are definitely days we miss it.

Yesterday was one of those. Instead of journeying to our old stomping grounds, I decided to give the cuisine a shot in my own kitchen. I landed on pastitsio, one of my husband's favorite Greek dishes. The recent issue of Bon Appetit gave me guidance with its mac 'n' cheese story (in it was a recipe for pastitsio with a Moroccan twist).

It turned out delicious, and I'm pretty confident the Greeks in Astoria would agree. I love that the recipe uses ground lamb, which isn't always the case with other online pastitsio recipes I've found. There are a lot of steps (and pans), but if you're looking for a stick-to-your-ribs meal, this is a good bet. Plus, it makes a ton, so you'll likely have leftovers.

Lamb and Feta Pastitsio (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Yield: 10 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 cups red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound ground lamb

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cups whole milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

6 tablespoons AP flour

3 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1 pound penne or similar noodles

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add onion and garlic; saute until onion is transluscent, about 5 minutes. Add ground lamb, break into small pieces and and cook until it browns, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (with juice), herbs, 1 tablespoon cumin, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture is thick, stirring often, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, simmer 2 cups of milk in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and cover. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk roux until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Gradually add warm milk to roux, whisking until sauce is smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk 1 cup of milk and 3 egg yolks, then whisk in sauce. Stir in feta, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking often, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 14-cup baking dish. Cook pasta about 3/4 of the way (it will cook additionally in the oven). Drain noodles and return to pot, stirring in 2 tablespoons of butter, egg whites and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

4. Spread half of pasta in the dish. Add lamb mixture. Top with remaining pasta. Spoon feta sauce over the noodles. Bake until top starts to turn golden, about 40 minutes.

A lot of work, but it's a feast for the gods—and you.

Recipe for Success

Yesterday, I was celebrating celery. Today, I'm celebrating me.

Yes, you read that correctly.

If you know me well enough, you're probably surprised to hear this. It's not too often that I talk at length about my accomplishments; I'd much rather hear about others'. But today is different.

I landed a job!

I'll soon be a food editor for a national women's magazine, which means I'll finally have the opportunity to combine two of my passions: journalism and the culinary arts. It's what I hoped for all along.

My new gig starts Monday. I'll be developing recipes in the test kitchen, writing pieces for the magazine, editing monthly content (plus copy for special interest publications), contributing to its website, and attending culinary events around the city—possibly beyond. I'm pumped.

Let me be honest for a minute: When I quit my full-time job last July to enroll in culinary school, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. The plan was that it would provide me with the credentials for a food-related writing job, but with the state of the economy and the demand for such a position, I wasn't sure how long it would take.

Turns out, my decision was a recipe for success.

Cele-bratory

It's a good feeling when my friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances—even strangers—tell me how good something is that I just cooked. Making a belly happy makes me happy.

Yesterday, I acquired my newest fan: a 1 1/2-year-old. I have to say it was quite an accomplishment.

I headed to the Boston area this weekend to spend time with my best friend from college, mom to the aforementioned toddler. She and her husband (also a friend from college) are expecting their second baby in July, so I thought it would be the perfect time to visit before things got too crazy for them.

While my friend was tending to her son—keeping him entertained, putting him down for a nap, giving him a bath, etc.—I cooked. Before our excursion to Whole Foods, she told me that her son is generally a healthy eater. He loves fruit, hummus and eggs; however, he's recently backed away from meat and vegetables. It's not that he won't eat them, she said, it just has to be prepared a certain way.

Immediately thinking it might be a textural thing, I decided to make a pureed soup and load it with vegetables (celery, celery root, onion, garlic and potatoes). I even added some shredded chicken for protein, hoping he wouldn't notice. I'm happy to report the soup was a winner: The little guy woke up from his afternoon nap (and apparently the next morning as well) requesting a bowl of the pale green puree. "He had two bowls before 10 a.m.!" my friend texted me.

Celery gave us a reason to celebrate.

Celery Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large celery root (or two small roots), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 celery bunch, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine (This is certainly optional. I didn't use it when I was making it for my friend's son, but I add it at home for another depth of flavor.)

2 quarts low-sodium chicken stock (You can use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian; I just prefer the taste of chicken stock.)

1 large russet potato (or another starchy variety), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded with a fork (optional)

2 cups cooked brown rice (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parsley, chopped for garnish

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the celery root and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Add the celery stalks, onion and garlic and cook another 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Stir frequently.

3. If doing so, add wine to deglaze. Reduce by half.

4. Add stock and potato. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft enough to be pierced with a knife.

5. Turn off the heat and puree with an immersion blender in pot. You can also puree in a blender in batches; just be careful not to fill the jar too high because the heat could make the top explode. If using a blender, return to pot.

6. Add shredded chicken and rice, if desired.

7. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and garnish with parsley.