An Experience At Shula’s - 02

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I said I would report on my next cooking class at Shula’s Steak House. So here it is. Spanakopita – what a delightful appetizer. I have enjoyed it in the past, but have never made it. Executive Chef Mark Enge was at the helm.

Tables and white cloths were set. I knew the group was going to be lively, when someone exclaimed,”Where’s the whisky?” We were served fresh, cold water in large wine goblets, and for those who started out with a soda at the bar, while waiting for the group to assemble, refills were offered.

The chef and an assistant had, apparently, been very busy getting ready for us. Fresh parsley, dill, scallions and stemmed baby spinach leaves filled workstations of the large, brightly lit and spotless kitchen with aromas one rarely senses in commercialized supermarkets. Oh, the dill was fabulous…! Red tomatoes were waiting to be diced. Eggs were carefully set and displayed. It looked like a bright morning, 7:00 AM Grecian farm stand on market day.

I got the sense that an appetizer, fit for a court, was about to be created.

The first lesson was how to recognize fresh vegetables. A bundle of green onions from a major supermarket was held up for all to see. The green was drooping and lifeless. Next, from a specialty vegetables vendor, we were shown what scallions should look like – tall, erect, and straight as redwoods. And, if that was not enough, both the curly parsley and dill displayed themselves as regally as bouquets of roses. That was impressive. In the future, I will be more careful when I shop for vegetables.

Before the preparation of Spanakopita, we enjoyed a fresh, cold salsa prepared with salmon. Drowned in flavor, chef Enge outdid himself. This was definitely something I was going to repeat in my kitchen, often, as soon as I can weasel the recipe out from under him. It had a wonderful kick and was just refreshing – par excellence. We were ready to start, but first a short story and brief notes about Phyllo (or Fillo) dough.

Phyllo dough can be daunting and just plain exasperating. But once you learn how to handle it, it really becomes, with a little practice and patience, not difficult at all. Handle it very gently, and it will not tear – gently…!

I still remember, as if it were yesterday, my mother used to make it from scratch in the dining room and on the table on a Saturday afternoon. We all loved Apfel Strudel, of course, and twice a month she would bake this nectar from the gods – employing my oldest brother and me to help her stretch the dough into a paper thin sheet (literally) 4x6 feet. It was truly a performance. My brother still complains to this day, how he disliked helping her make it. Of course, he did not protest when it came time to eat.

You can purchase Phyllo dough at most supermarkets in the refrigerated sections. It comes both frozen and refrigerated. Once thawed in the refrigerator, it can be kept for 2 weeks. Before using it, remove it when thawed overnight, carefully unroll it, and immediately cover it with plastic and a damp kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out. These sheets are very thin, they dry out quickly and that is when they tear while being handled. Uncover the stack, remove a sheet and recover.

Chef Enge demonstrated techniques of stripping, chopping, dicing and slicing parsley, dill, spinach and scallions. A very sharp chef’s knife is required.

The blade moved and flew with the speed of a Tsunami, the rhythm of drum rolls and dexterity of a woodpecker’s beak on fresh morning oak. Still today, I have not mastered that “way of the chefs,” and probably never will.

Individually, each of us prepared our ingredients and mixed them well in a small skillet. In went the spinach, the dill, the parsley, the onions, the egg, the salt and pepper (I snuck in a clove of garlic). Now came the Feta – some for the recipe and (while chef Enge was not looking) some for me. This stuff was tasty…!

OoomPaPa…! Bon Appetite…! Guten Appetit, Laß es Dir schmecken...! Καλή όρεξη! (Kalí óreksi!)…and in American vernacular, “Oh my…Holy crap, was it good…!”

I carefully grabbed a Phyllo sheet and placed it on a sheet of parchment paper. I slowly spread a very thin layer of warm, melted butter on top, by hand – you can use a soft brush to apply. I layed two more sheets, carefully covering each with butter. I placed the ingredients mixture onto the top Phyllo sheet, leaving one inch from each end, carefully rolled it closed, sealed the ends and placed seam side down.

We made it into a roll, instead of triangles, for expediency. Jokes were exchanged, we all looked at each others’ process, hoping to gain a secret and technique. Chef Enge kept a close eye on each of us, gave invaluable instruction and help and then placed all rolls into the oven at 325F for 12 minutes. Out they came and he presented our artistry. Because we wrote our names on the parchment, we were able to imbibe our own success or disaster.

Each Spanakopita roll was a success story. Not a single student failed. Hot, fresh, buttery, golden brown and crispy, with Feta oozing from the ends, each roll was a Rembrandt. What a flavor…! We each tasted our own. Oh, my…exquisite was the word. We all wrapped our creations and took then home to be enjoyed. I ate one quarter of the roll on the spot.

The spinach, the parsley, the dill, the scallions and Feta cheese (and my garlic) were all balanced – truly nectar. Executive Chef Enge, slightly rounded as all good chefs are, beamed with satisfaction at our success.

The recipe was so straight forward and easy to create, that our success belonged to him. I had a minute to talk to him, prior to my leaving. His experience is exemplar. In kitchens since he was 13, from a European background and cooking with the French, Executive Chef Mark Enge brings a style and flavors to his cuisine not easily available from the culinary world. Under his tutelage, perhaps there is hope for me, yet.

It was an hour’s drive for me, to get home. Half way there, as I paid my toll, I gave the attendant change at 10:45 PM with one hand and placed the last bite of Spanakopita onto my palette with the other. She looked at me, startled; I grinned with a mouthful and pulled away. The appetizer never had to suffer the ill fate and embarrassment of being reheated.

I will make this often and, because of Chef Enge, will begin to greatly expand my appetizer repertoire with Phyllo dough which, up to this point, has been fairly limited to sweets.

A big thanks to Chef Enge and Shula’s. Tonight I will chase their New York Strip and report in. By the way, I’m beginning my project called “Chasing The New York Strip.” Make sure you come back and, keep in touch, as I go from one restaurant establishment to another, chasing tenderness and flavor of the Strip. Good ones are not easy to find.

Also, watch for my in depth “White Paper – All About Beef,” which will deal with grading, types of cuts, processing, antibiotics, grass-fed vs. grain – the health, the flavor, advantages and negatives of each.

Check back soon…!

Guten Appetit, und Laß es Dir schmecken...!
March 16, 2010