Cheese – it’s my biggest weakness. Cheese is the reason I haven’t been able to stay on vegan wagon. Cheese is also the reason that I look forward to coming home after work. There’s something so comforting about letting a nice piece of aged cheddar melt on my tongue. Have you ever tasted a dish and thought to yourself “Mm, this is good, but it could use a little something!” HOLD THAT SALT SHAKER! I’ve seen so many people just salt up their bland dishes. You’re doing it wrong. My friends, cheese is often the answer to those blah-dish-woes.
Feta cheese in particular has a special place in my heart – growing up, my mother often made Greek-style salads to go along with our summer meals – the saltiness created a perfect balance with the acidic tomatoes and the refreshing cucumbers. Unfortunately, feta has always been salad-zoned in my kitchen. I’ve always found that the salt and the strong taste often overpower other flavours, so I’ve shyed away from using it in anything other than, well, a salad!
And then, this recipe came to me in the most recent issue of Canadian Living: curried spinach and kale hand pies with feta. An interesting combination, I thought, so I tried them out – omitting the turmeric and replacing it with cinnamon. My, oh my, what a pie! Unfortunately, I miscalculated the amount of greens mixture that I needed for the filling, and found myself with a pretty substantial bowl of spinach and cheese mixture that I couldn’t bear to toss. So I kept it, thinking the leftovers would inspire me. And that, they did! I stacked them on top of a bowl of plain couscous that I was keeping for a quick snack/dinner and when I opened my fridge this evening, the combination seemed perfect!
