Yields: About 8 servings         Filling: 2 cups crumbled feta cheese 2 tbsp. flour 1 cup chopped onion 2 cups (1 lb) cottage or pot cheese 3 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp. basil 5 eggs 1/2 tsp. oregano salt & pepper 2 lbs. fresh spinach (FROM THE GARDEN!) Clean stem and chop the spinach. Salt it lightly, and cook, adding no water, for five minutes. Cook the onions in butter, salting lightly. When soft, combine with remaining ingredients and spinach To Assemble: have on hand }      1 lb package defrosted filo pastry 1/2 lb. melted butter Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread butter on a 9 x 13″ baking pan. Place a srüdel leaf in the pan (it will outsize the pan. Let the edges climb the sides) and brush generously with butter. Keep layers of dough coming, one on top of another, brushing each with butter. When you have a pile of 8 leaves, spread on half of the filling. Continue with another stack of 8 or so leaves (don’t …

Cardoon’s are the huge pale green plants seen in the Lower and Upper Elementary Gardens.  They are a relative to the Artichoke, only you eat the stems, not the flowers. It takes quite a bit of work to prepare a meal out of the bitter stalks, but they are a fascinating Mediterranean plant, growing 7 to 10 feet tall with striking purple flowers. We harvested the leaves in the Spring to make this dish. You need a huge cardoon to feed four, as you cut away the tops of the plant and pick off the outer ring of stalks, which are always punky and bitter. Look for stalks with a white bloom on them that comes off when you rub it with your fingers. In stores, cardoons are typically pre-cut and trimmed, so you can use whatever you buy. Serves 4-6. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 90 minutes Stalks from 1 large cardoon 2 lemons Salt 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil 1/2 cup coarsely grated provolone cheese or …