Double Corn Pudding

This is basically a cheese strata (remember the 70's?), but it uses cubed polenta instead of bread. It can be made ahead, and it's familiar enough, at least to those of a certain age, that it won't frighten carnivores. The key is to use good sharp white cheddar -- you don't want some neon orange monstrosity. I use Trader Joe's Cabot Extra Sharp, $5.99 a pound. It can be served hot, warm or at room temperature, and it travels well, cut in slices or still in the pan, making it perfect for picnics or potlucks.

I always have cooked polenta in the freezer, but if you're making it from scratch, a pound of dried polenta makes a bit over 3 pounds of cooked. I suppose you could use the store bought polenta that comes in rolls, but I haven't had to try that, and you could probably substitute frozen or canned corn, but I haven't had to try that either.

1 pound cooked polenta, cut in 1/2" cubes
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cobs
4 eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 t curry powder
1 t vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
2 t Dijon mustard
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
grated parmesan cheese
olive oil for pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, corn, eggs, buttermilk, curry powder, Worcestershire sauce and mustard, and stir well until thoroughly mixed.

Lightly oil a glass pie plate with the olive oil. Sprinkle a little parmesan over the bottom to promote a brown crust. Add one third of the corn mixture, top with one third of the grated cheese. Repeat twice. Sprinkle additional Parmesan on top.

Bake until nicely browned and puffy, an hour or so.

This recipe serves four to six, depending upon what else is going on.

Spanakopita Pie

This is basically spanakopita, but baked in a pie shell instead of filo dough. I don't have the patience for filo dough. This is a forgiving recipe, and you can vary the amounts of everything. The dill is essential, but you can substitute a smaller amount of dried dill for fresh if necessary. You don't need salt at all because the feta is so salty.

This is a good dish for a picnic, or a potluck. It's what I always take to friends when there's been a death in the family because it will keep for several days, and it's familiar enough that it doesn't frighten carnivores. You can serve it at room temperature, or reheat it in a moderate oven until heated through. It also freezes well.

2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed
2 small yellow onions or one large, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 eggs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3 to 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Squeeze all the water from the spinach and put the spinach in a mixing bowl. Saute the onions in the oil until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes longer. Add the onions and garlic to the spinach and mix well to combine. I find bare hands work best for this.

Add the eggs, dill and feta, and stir well to combine (NOT bare hands!).

Put the crust into the pie plate and poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Add the spinach mixture and spread it evenly. Bake the pie until done -- about 50 minutes to an hour. Check the pie occasionally and if the exposed crust is getting too brown, protect it with a pie crust shield or strips of foil. I find the crust shield usually needs to go on at about 40 minutes. If you are going to be serving it right away, let it rest for five to ten minutes.