Oh! If you can make baklava you can surely make spanakopita. You're correct that, for things that look similar (from a photo at least), they couldn't be more different. But spanakopita is, like most Greek food, wonderful!
It can be done as a casserole for a main dish or bits of the spinach and feta filling can be wrapped as triangles with long strips of filo as appetizers. Either way, it's just yummy!
OK. Here comes the yogurt recipe. Note that it's a LOT of instruction but VERY simple to do once you get the method. Also note this won't require anything you probably don't have on hand provided you have a reliable thermometer.
What you specifically DON'T need is a yogurt-making appliance. Anything called a "yogurt-maker" will
still make you run the milk through the same temperature sequences. The whole trick is denaturing the milk enzymes and then holding the fermenting mixture at a constant temperature over a long interval. Happily, microwave compartments are thoroughly insulated and, with the help of an insulated bag (possibly also unnecessary) will do the part a dedicated yogurt-maker does admirably!
Whole Milk Yogurt
This homemade yogurt is so good and so easy there's no reason to buy commercial yogurt.
My version started with a recipe from David Lebovitz and the discussion on his blog that resulted. It owes as much to the commenters and my own experimentation. The addition of condensed milk came from one of his readers who said this style of yogurt comes from Vietnam.
The amounts are really very flexible and so is the timing. The only really important thing is not to disturb the milk once it's in its jars incubating. Everything else is pretty approximate and bulletproof.
• 1/4 cup non-fat milk powder (not essential but it makes the yogurt richer and provides more protein)
• 1/2 cup active culture yogurt (you won't have this the first time; don't worry about it; just use dry yogurt starter which is available at health food stores or online)
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds and pod (you can skip this if you don't want a vanilla flavor)
• 1 quart whole milk (1% or 2% will also work but will not set up as firmly or be as creamy)
• 1/8 teaspoon commercial dry yogurt culture, approximate, for insurance but not really necessary
• straight-sided canning or food storage jars
• insulated lunch or small bag
1. Prepare six 8-ounce straight-sided jars and one 4-ounce straight sided jar and their lids by sanitizing them. ("Dry" cycle of your dishwasher or on a cookie sheet in a 200˚ oven for about half an hour.) Set them aside.
Warm a gel insulated lunch bag in the microwave for 1 minute.
2. Combine the milk powder with the yogurt starter and condensed milk in a 1-quart bowl or measure. It will be hard to evenly wet the milk powder at first. It may be very lumpy and some will cling stubbornly to the spoon but it will hydrate while the milk heats if you continue to stir at intervals.
Squeeze in the vanilla beans and stir to combine, reserving the pod to steep in the milk.
3. Pour the milk into a heavy 1 quart pot. Add the vanilla pod. Place the pot, uncovered, over a medium flame and heat to 180˚-190˚ stirring periodically to avoid a skin developing. If a skin does form, just stir it back in and continue. It will rehydrate.
4. When the milk reaches a point between 180˚ and 190˚, turn off the heat. Then let it sit checking the temperature occasionally until it reaches 120˚-110˚. (120˚ is a little higher than conventional yogurt recipes but the cooling milk will be added to a larger volume of cool ingredients so it works just fine.)
When it cools to the target temperature, remove the vanilla pod and pour it into the condensed milk mixture. Stir to combine and add the powdered yogurt culture if you're using it.
5. Immediately strain the milk mixture into the individual jars and cap them.
Transfer them to the warmed insulated bag and place it in the cavity of a microwave or oven that is -- and remains -- turned off. Naturally, this step is most convenient overnight when you won't need to use the appliance. Allow the milk to incubate for 5-8 hours without being moved, then remove them to a counter to come down to room temperature. At that point it's done and the jars are refrigerated for storage.
Put the small one aside in the fridge to act as the active culture for your next batch.
Notes:
• For real decadence try this yogurt with a big spoonful of Lemon Curd topped by Homemade Granola and fresh blueberries. It's like cheesecake for brekkies.
• The milk can be homogenized or not but non-homogenized will separate during the long incubation period and leave a thin
non-objectionable fat layer on the top. It's barely noticeable and will taste just as great but there is a discernible color difference.
