Cheap Eats: Dok Bua

There are few places that will serve you a literal platter of food for under $10, but at Dok Bua, a feast is available every night of the week. Their nightly dinner special offers some of their most popular dishes, served with jasmine rice, tom yum soup, two spring rolls, and two pork dumplings, all for the low price of $9.95. It may not look like a ton of food, especially with the spring rolls and pork dumplings placed in rather large sections of the plate by themselves, but it sure is filling. The noodle and rice dishes are filling in their own right, but with the extra side of rice, you're sure to bring home some leftovers.

Dok bua may not be a classy place - in fact, it's pretty kitschy - but the food is authentic, delicious, and fresh. The pad thai (pictured above) is not like the greasy, overly-sweet stuff you find at some restaurants, but balances the sweet and savory very well. The menu, if you choose to order something other than the special, is vast, and they even have an all-picture menu if the names of dishes are unfamiliar. But why order something else if you can be stuffed to the gills for $10?

Dok Bua is located at 411 Harvard Street in Brookline, just outside of Coolidge Corner, and is open every day from 11am to 10:30pm. The dinner special is served after 4pm.

Originally posted on Bostonist.

Strawberry Lemon Bars

Yeah, so I'm a little crazy. For my other blog, which focuses on books, I've signed up for a 24 Hour Read-a-thon - one whole day of nothing but reading and blogging about reading. So naturally, I took another whole day to get ready, including cooking lots of things so I can be well-fed (and well-caffeinated).

I read about these Strawberry Lemonade bars a while ago on Baking Bites, and I had been waiting for strawberry to really hit before giving them a go. And luckily, strawberry season and my reading marathon fell at exactly the same time.

With their sweet berry taste and lemony zing, these babies are sure to keep me going.

Strawberry Lemon Bars (adapted from Baking Bites)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

1 pint strawberries, leaves removed
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 large lemon
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
powdered sugar

Preheat oven 350°. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together 1/4 cup sugar and butter. Add flour and salt slowly; mixture will be crumbly. Pour into pan and press into an even layer. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to turn golden.

In a food processor, puree the strawberries. Reserve 1/2 cup of the puree, then press the rest of the puree through a fine sieve, which should produce about 1/4 cup of juice; discard pulp and save the juice. In the food processor (no need to wash it out), combine strawberry puree, strawberry juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs, and process until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combined.

Pour the filling over the crust and return to the oven for an additional 25 minutes (or longer if the filling has not set). Cool completely before cutting, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Can be served at room temperature or cooled in the fridge.

Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

Ah, coffee. How I've missed you.

I've left my job, meaning I am no longer close to a Bruegger's, and thus cannot get 18 cups of coffee a day with my magic mug (don't worry, I'm close to it having paid for itself, though, and I'll make that up through less frequent visits). And while my roommate has a one-cup coffee maker, I don't like it - it's loud and spits everywhere and I'd rather just leave it alone. Thank god for cold-brewed coffee.

The New York Times ran this recipe last summer, but I've just discovered it. The amazing part is that the coffee tastes much smoother and creamier with this brewing method, and there's less acid, which my stomach is quite happy about. And while I normally add milk and Equal to my cup, I didn't feel the need to add anything to this. Another plus? There's more caffeine (apparently the hot water destroys some of the caffeine in a normal hot-brew), so this coffee is that much more potent.

Cold-Brewed Ice Coffee
1/3 cup ground coffee
1 1/2 cups water

In a 2-cup measuring cup (for easy pouring later), stir together coffee and water. Cover well with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight.

Strain coffee once through a fine mesh sieve to remove grounds, then strain a second time through a paper coffee filter to remove any other sediment. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix a 1:1 ratio of coffee and water (or to taste - I used less water). Add milk and sugar to taste.

Cheap Eats: Bostone Pizza

Forget that hard-as-a-rock square slice from your elementary school days. Bostone Pizza on Newbury Street knows how to serve a proper Sicilian pizza.

While many pizzas serve as vehicles for cheese delivery, the dough is the real star of the show in this case. The edges are buttery and crispy, not at all dry. The bottom of the crust is also very crispy, and yet the top is soft and pillowy, a perfect bed for the toppings. And with 4 or 5 different topping options available at any one time, including a Slice of the Day, there's always something delicious to go with that beautiful dough.

Bostone Pizza is located at 225 Newbury Street (between Exeter and Fairfield) and is open Monday through Saturday, 11am to 9pm, and Sunday, noon to 9pm.

Originally posted on Bostonist.

Grease-free Spanakopita

The farmers' markets have finally arrived! And while there's not much produce out yet, it's exciting to know that there will be so many fresh ingredients in the coming months. I picked out some terrific spinach this week with the hopes of making spanakopita. And yes, it's more time consuming to use fresh spinach (and not baby spinach or frozen spinach), the outcome is a much greener taste - you can tell that the filling didn't come from a bag.

I grew up eating things wrapped in filo dough - mostly berag, because I'm really not a fan of paklava. The filo we used was the very thin kind - the kind that rips when you just look at it. It's frustrating sometimes, but the results are worth it when you bite through a little crispy cloud of goodness. It wasn't until I visited Greece that I encountered the other kind of filo dough (although I'd seen it in our Armenian market before). The "other kind", labelled country-style or horiatiko or sometimes just "thick," is denser and not so fragile and is a great place for beginners to start. It also makes dishes a little heartier, as this dough has more body. And, as an added bonus, it sucks up any extra grease, making the results feel a little more healthy (even if there is still a stick of butter in there).

Grease-free Spanakopita
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1 yellow onion, finely chopped
-2 lbs fresh spinach, ribs removed; washed and chopped
-10 oz feta cheese, crumbled
-1/2 bunch parsley, washed and finely choppd
-2 eggs
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 stick unsalted butter (you may need more)
-1 package "country-style" filo dough (should be 8 or 10 sheets)

In a large pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and saute until the onions begin to brown. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the leaves are cooked down. Pour the spinach mixture into a colander and drain out as much water as possible. Allow the mixture to cool, still draining in the colander. When it is cool, press out any additional water with your hands, then put the spinach in a large mixing bowl. Add feta, parsley, eggs, nutmeg, and salt and pepper, and mix to incorporate.

Preheat oven to 325°. Melt butter and brush the bottom and sides of a large glass baking dish. Carefully lay down one sheet of dough, then brush on a layer of butter. If the dough is too large, fold over the edge to fit into the pan, making sure to butter everywhere the sheet overlaps. Continue to layer the sheets and the butter until you have used half of the dough (4 or 5 sheets). Add spinach mixture and spread out so that all the dough is covered. Then lay down another sheet of dough, and continue alternating between dough and brushing with butter. For the final sheet of dough, instead of folding it over to fit into the dish, trim the sides so it fits exactly. Use any remaining butter on the top layer. Before baking, cut into servings, making the slices as large as you would like (I got 12 out of my pan).

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Vospov Kheyma - Cool Meal for Hot Days

Well, it's gotten a little cooler, but the humidity is still at roughly 150%, making it feel brutal out. I was thinking that I hadn't cooked anything Armenian in a while, and between that and the heat, I figured vospov kheyma would be a perfect meal.

"Vospov" means lentils in Armenian, and this dish is traditionally served during Lent to replace regular kheyma, made out of raw meat. But, as I've said before, I'm not a big fan of the stuff, and I tend to turn towards the vegetarian versions. Vospov kheyma is more dense than the stuff I make with tomato sauce and doesn't attempt to taste like the real thing. Instead, with the combo of lentils and bulghur, it has a more earthy flavor, and only a few small pieces can fill you up.

I enjoy eating this when it's hot out because I find they taste best if eaten straight from the fridge, nice and cold. Plus, the scallions and parsley sprinkled over the top just taste so bright and fresh.



Vospov Kheyma
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
2 cups red lentils
3 cups water
1 cup fine bulghur
3 onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup olive oil
salt
cayenne powder

Mix together chopped scallions and parsley and set aside.

Wash lentils. Put water and lentils in a medium pot and boil until lentils have absorbed most of the water and are soft. Add a little more water if lentils are not tender. Remove from heat and add bulghur, mixing well. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Saute onions in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add to lentil mixture. Also add about 2/3 of the scallion/parsley mix and enough salt to taste.

Mold into individual portions by taking as much as will fit in a closed fist and gently compacting it until it stays together. Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with cayenne pepper, and garnish with remaining scallion/parsley mix.

Cheap Eats: Petsi Pies

Are pies the new cupcakes? This Bostonist hopes so. From cup-pies at the Piehole on ABC's Pushing Daisies to the opening of Pie Bakery in Newton a few months ago, it seems like we're on the verge of a new flood of sweet treats. But Petsi Pies, in Somerville and Cambridge, has been around since 2003, proving it's not a fad.

Named after owner Renee's childhood nickname, Petsi Pies offers a vast array of sweet and savory pies, as well as other baked goods like scones, creative sandwiches and salads, and a wide range of coffee and tea drinks. It feels a little naughty to have a meal that is entirely composed of pie, but it tastes so right.

The Spinach, Ricotta, and Pine Nut tart makes an excellent meal, although, if you're starving, you might want to pair it with a salad. The crust is tender but not overly flaky. The ricotta makes the filling very creamy, while the spinach brings in a fresh flavor and helps bind it all together. With pine nuts sprinkled generously on top, this is one perfect slice of heaven.

When it comes to dessert, choosing which flavor of pie to have could be difficult. The Mixed Berry is amazing - juicy, sweet, and tart, filled with luscious blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The Peach Blackberry is another flavorful fruit pie, with a crumb topping that makes it feel like a crisp in pie form. Both are served warmed, which brings out more of the amazing flavor. The Sweet Potato Pie is another luxury. It's less sweet and more starchy than pumpkin pie, but the sweet potato is rich and flavorful nonetheless.

Petsi Pies has two locations (285 Beacon Street in Somerville and 31 Putnam Avenue in Cambridge) and is open Tuesday through Friday 7am-6pm, Saturday 8am-4pm, and Sunday 9am-2pm. They are closed on Mondays.

Originally posted on Bostonist.