Grecian Formulas

Cooking contests are always sticky. So many wonderful dishes. So few winners.

And so it was at the first Greek Cooking Olympics staged by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge. Four contestants won gold laurel wreaths, four won silver (one competitor took both a gold and a silver), one received a special award for presentation--and 35 went home with nothing but the containers for their entries.

Which is not to say that their dishes were also-rans. When people as intense about their culinary traditions as the Greeks cook, the results are generally exceptional. Add the fire of competition and they become inspired.

The winning dishes in the four contest categories--dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita (spinach-filo pastries), pastitsio (meat and macaroni topped with custard) and rizogalo (rice pudding)--were predictably wonderful. But so was the rice pudding that sat next to the winner. Devoid of garnish, it lost points in the presentation / appearance category. Nevertheless, word-of-mouth brought one taster after another to experience its creamy richness and mellow flavor.

An entry placed in a back corner of the pastitsio table was remarkable for its lush, velvety topping but did not figure in the awards. A top-rated spanakopita lost out to a cleverly designed--and delicious--version. And so on.

The rice pudding category drew the most entries. Judges at this table dreamed up a special award to honor the skill involved in tracing an Olympic torch flanked by olive branches on the surface of one entry, which placed out of the silver and gold.

To keep decisions objective, organizers brought in non-Greeks to judge. But win or lose, it didn’t matter. The contest was not for personal gain but to publicize the annual Valley Greek Festival sponsored by the church. Winners will demonstrate their recipes at the festival, which takes place Saturday through Monday from 1 to 9 p.m. at the church, 9501 Balboa Blvd., Northridge. Admission and parking are free.

There will be lots of food to sample, including pastitsio, moussaka, charcoal-broiled chicken, saganaki (flamed cheese), vegetarian plates and dozens of Greek pastries.

Proceeds will go toward the church preschool, a senior retirement home with a lunch program and earthquake repairs. The winning recipes follow.

PANDORA RANDALL’S GOLDEN SPINACH POUCHES

Chives plucked from her garden sprouted from Pandora Randall’s unconventional pouch-shaped spanakopita. The presentation won her a gold award.

1 leek

2 large bunches spinach (about 4 quarts leaves)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 eggs, beaten until frothy

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper

1 (1-pound) package filo dough

1 cup butter, melted and clarified

Rinse leek well, cut lengthwise in strips and chop. Rinse spinach well, discard stems and chop.

Heat oil in 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add onion, leek and parsley and saute until softened. Add spinach gradually, stirring to combine. Cook until most of liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in dill. Turn mixture into large bowl. Add cheese, eggs, seasoned salt and garlic pepper; mix well.

Unfold filo dough sheets. Keep covered with damp cloth or plastic wrap while working. Place 8 to 10 sheets on cutting board. Place 8-inch round plate upside-down on filo and cut around rim with pizza cutter or sharp knife. Set filo circles aside, covered with plastic wrap. Continue cutting to make 60 circles.

Place 5 circles filo on work surface. Brush each lightly with butter and place on top of each other. Place 1/4 cup spinach mixture in center and gather edges to top center by pinching dough. There will be open space at center. Place pouches 2 inches apart on baking sheets brushed with butter. Brush tops lightly with butter. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen.

Each pouch contains about:

386 calories; 703 mg sodium; 120 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.55 gram fiber.

IRENE GREANIAS’ PASTITSIO

Irene Greanias attributes the fine flavor of her pastitsio to the blend of seasonings, home-grown herbs and cheeses. It’s her mother’s recipe.

WHITE SAUCE

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

2 cups milk

Salt, pepper

3 eggs, beaten

Melt butter in saucepan over low to medium heat. Blend in flour with whisk. Slowly add milk and cook and stir until sauce is smooth and thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add a little of hot mixture to eggs and blend. Add eggs to saucepan and cook and stir 1 minute longer.

PASTITSIO

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup red wine

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped mint

1 tablespoon chopped basil

1 stick cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

Salt, pepper

1 egg, beaten

1/2 pound large macaroni or ziti

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup grated firm myzithra or kasseri cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic and beef and cook until beef is browned. Add wine, tomato paste, parsley, mint, basil, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook slowly 30 minutes. Add egg and mix well.

Boil macaroni 10 minutes, drain and return to pot. Add melted butter. Place half of macaroni in layer in greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 of myzithra and Parmesan cheeses. Add meat in even layer. Cover with remaining macaroni. Sprinkle with 1/3 of grated cheeses. Pour White Sauce over macaroni and spread smooth with spoon. Sprinkle remaining cheeses on top. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, about 45 minutes. Let stand 30 minutes before cutting.

Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Each of 12 servings contains about:

713 calories; 519 mg sodium; 242 mg cholesterol; 48 grams fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 33 grams protein; 0.27 gram fiber.

HRISTINA’S STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES (Dolmathes Avgolemono)

Hristina Ioakim surrounded her bowlful of dolmathes with a wreath of lemon slices. Seasonings included dill, mint and parsley from her garden. Serve the leaves as a main dish or as an appetizer without the lemon sauce. Note: Although many recipes call for uncooked eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found them to be a potential carrier of food-borne illness and recommends that diners avoid eating raw eggs.

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup red wine

Water

2 cups short-grain rice

1/4 cup finely chopped dill

1/4 cup finely chopped mint

1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Greek seasoning or other similar spice-herb mixture

1 (16-ounce) jar grape leaves

Juice of 2 lemons

2 eggs

Cook onions, beef and pork in skillet with 3 tablespoons oil, wine and 3 tablespoons water 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add rice, dill, mint, parsley, salt and Greek seasoning. Mix well.

Rinse grape leaves in cold water. Drain well and cut off stems. Place on work surface, smooth side down. Place 1 tablespoon filling near stem end of each leaf. Fold in sides over filling. Fold stem end over filling, then roll up into closed cylinder. Do not roll too tightly; rice will expand during cooking.

Place loose grape leaves in bottom of large pot. Arrange stuffed grape leaves seam side down in pot. Add remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, juice of 1 lemon and 1 quart water. Place heavy plate on top of leaves. Bring to boil, reduce heat to very low and cook, covered, 1 hour. Drain leaves, reserving 2 cups stock for sauce (add water, if needed, to get 2 cups). Place stuffed grape leaves in deep bowl.

Make avgolemono sauce by bringing 2 cups grape leaf stock to boil. Meanwhile, beat eggs in large bowl until frothy and gradually beat in juice of remaining lemon. Add grape leaf stock to eggs 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly.

Spoon sauce over leaves. Serve at once.

Makes about 75 grape leaves.

Each grape leaf contains about:

72 calories; 70 mg sodium; 11 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

MARIA OTT’S RIZOGALO

Maria Ott flavored her rice pudding with lemon peel and topped it with strips of orange peel wrapped around cinnamon sticks. Ott also won second place for her spanakopita.

1 cup rice

2 cups water

5 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 cup sugar

Grated peel of 1 lemon

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 to 3 long strips orange peel, optional

2 to 3 cinnamon sticks, optional

Place rice in saucepan, add water and bring to boil. Cover and cook until rice has absorbed water, about 7 minutes. Add 5 cups milk, sugar and lemon peel. Cook over medium heat 30 minutes, stirring constantly.

Beat egg yolks and cornstarch in small bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons milk. Add small amount hot rice mixture to egg mixture and blend. Add egg mixture to saucepan with remaining rice mixture. Cook over low heat 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Place pudding in serving bowl and chill. Form orange peel strips into rolls. Insert cinnamon stick in each roll. Place on top of pudding.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

196 calories; 9 mg sodium; 70 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0 fiber.