Father Time goes tick tock, tick tock — relentlessly onward. We usually only notice him twice a year: on our birthday and on New Year’s Eve, which is the day everyone likes the guy even though, just as on your birthday, it signifies another year has gone by. And every year, we throw him a party, a full-blown celebration that includes fireworks, horns, confetti and non-stop celebration until everyone counts down the seconds to a new year.
“Make these great strudels, use your fingers and enjoy your party.”
Just about everyone, even those who work for Ebenezer Scrooge, who made them work late the entire holiday period, want to fight to keep their eyes open long enough to ring in 2018. Remember, if you aren’t going to make it until midnight, celebrate the New Year arriving at 9 a.m. on the East Coast.
Chef Smitty shares more New Year’s apps:
Spanakopitas & Pinwheels
Shrimp Cocktail
Twice Baked Potatoes
Avocado appetizers
Chicken Duxelle Pinwheels
So, how does the New Year fit into our menu choices? Well, with all the celebrating, no one wants to stop and eat a huge meal. Also, like I usually mention every year, we just went through the biggest food binge time of the year with huge holiday meals.
New Year’s is a good time for snacks and appetizers. The menu can be things that will be substantial enough to take the place of a meal without all the sit-down time of a formal dinner. Depending on how fancy your party is going to be, it can mean anything from Swedish meatballs and pigs in a blanket, to brochette and caviar. The latter is usually only on the menu if you happen to have had an extraordinary financial year. Personally, I haven’t attended one of those parties, but I swear I have heard people tell tales about them.
Anyway, this dish can easily fit into either category and is something of which you can vary the ingredients and portion size to fit with the rest of your menu. Make a batch of these great strudels, use your fingers and enjoy your party.
Crab and Spinach Strudel
1 lb. lump crab meat
12-16 oz. bag cleaned spinach
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
¼ red onion, diced small
1 lemon
1 T fresh basil, cut fine
¼ C feta cheese (optional)
1 lb. butter
1 box Phyllo dough
½ C breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
1 slightly damp cloth to cover the dough while you are making the strudels
Sauté the breadcrumbs in half a stick of butter until golden. Sweat the onion and garlic in half a tablespoon of butter until just softened. Add the spinach and let it wilt. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, chop and place in a bowl with the crab meat and basil.
Zest half the lemon peel into the mix and squeeze in juice to taste. Add cheese, if using any, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Be sure to mix cheese in good and wait a minute before adding salt because the cheese is already salty.
Melt two sticks of butter in a pot. Open your dough and lay out one sheet. Brush it with some melted butter. Lay another piece of dough on top and brush with butter. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs on and add a third layer of dough brushed with butter. Place a damp cloth over the remaining dough while assembling.
Cut the layered dough in half widthwise and the top and bottom halves into thirds lengthwise. Place a small spoon of the mix at one end of the strips and fold into triangles. Set on a sheet pan and brush with butter. Repeat until the mixture is gone. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
