Strawberry Cake and Spinach & Cheese Pita for Mika’s 80th Birthday

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful fifteen year-old girl named Hanka, newly married to a man in the Army, named Feriz.  Communism dominated their mountainous country, dotted in villages and farms. The land was Bosnia. Food and liberties were scarce. Where produce and life had once flourished, fear and poverty had taken it’s place.

The year was 1958. The man in the Army was my Grandfather, and the beautiful girl was my Grandmother, who we call Mika. Feriz, wanting a better life for his young family, escaped through the mountains on the border of Yugoslavia and Austria. He chose to go farther, all the way to Canada. One year later, he mailed enough money to Mika, for her and their son to come meet him. Soon after, they had a daughter, a beautiful green-eyed girl named Emina, my Mama, and their youngest, another baby girl named Esma. Feriz and Hanka, both incredible cooks, started a restaurant, before they settled in south Florida.

Mika has been making this pita since she was ten years old. She just turned eighty!

Back to the present day, local strawberries and huge, fragrant magnolias are
in full bloom in North Carolina. Have you ever smelled a magnolia, before? As
my Dad says, it’s the best perfume in all the world.  Spring is being celebrated everywhere we look, in perfect timing to celebrate Mika’s precious life. My family voted on my ideas for her birthday dessert, all choosing the simplest one. An almond cake, topped with homemade whipped cream and juicy strawberries that we picked that afternoon from a farm down the street. Mika loved it with her coffee and we all helped her devour it! Happy 80th birthday to one of the most special people in this world. Ya voleme tebe, moya Mika!

Strawberry Cake
{serves 6-8}

1 C unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into slices
1 3/4 C fine sugar
2 1/2 C unbleached cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 whole large eggs
1 C buttermilk // or 1 C milk and 1 lemon’s worth of juice *squeeze lemon into measured milk and let sit for a few minutes
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a handheld or upright mixer, combine all of the ingredients and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. 

Spinach and Cheese Pita

Dough:
3 C all-purpose flour + 1 C to work with
1 heaping teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
about 1 1/2 C water, around 80 degrees
1 stick of butter, melted

Filling:
5 oz cottage cheese
1 pint fresh spinach
1 lb feta
5 oz goat cheese (or any soft cheese you’d like!)
2 eggs
1 heaping teaspoon fine sea salt

Mika never measures, so these are approximates. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Put
the flour in a mound on a baking sheet. Mix in the salt and sugar with the flour. Slowly add in the water and mix into the
flour with your hand. Continue kneading the dough with your hands, using
small amounts of the extra flour as needed, and more water, if needed, a small amount at a time, until the dough is smooth.
Cut in two and roll into two balls. Cover the dough with a clean dish
towel and let sit for one hour. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients in a
large bowl for the filling.

Lay a clean sheet over a
flat surface, dust a bit of flour over it and the top of the dough, and
using a rolling pin, begin stretching out the dough. Mika reminded me
multiple times not to press hard on the top of the dough, be gentle! But
don’t be afraid to stretch it from the sides. The dough should become paper thin like filo dough.
Using a brush or the back of a spoon, drizzle melted butter all over the
surface of the dough and spread. Cut the dough in half, so you should
have a total of four pieces. Spread the cheese and spinach mixture along the outer
edge of the dough. Pick up the edge of the sheet so it causes the dough
to roll over itself, until it is completely rolled. Transfer each roll
to a greased baking sheet and bush the remaining butter over the top,
making sure to brush the edges. Bake for 35-60 minutes or until the pita
is brown on top, depending on your oven.