I went to make the Tomato Pie again to have something to eat and use up leftovers before Memorial Day, and I realized that all my tomatoes traveled north with my parents. Whoops. Having already pre-baked the crust I elected to try Onion Pie instead
Set 1:
1 pie crust (pre-baked)
5 Yellow onions (medium-sized)
5 Cloves of garlic
1 tbsp Sage
1 tsp black pepper
Butter
Set 2:
1/2 cup milk (more or less)
2 eggs
1/2 bag of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 bag of grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1. Pre-bake the pie crust at ~450 degrees F for ~8-10 minutes if you haven't already.
2. Pre-heat or turn down the oven to 350 degrees F
3. Slice the onions
4. Mince the garlic
5. Put the first set of ingredients in a frying pan over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent, ~20 minutes. Turn over every few minutes to make sure it is all cooked through.
6. In a mixing bowl, mix the second set of ingredients.
7. Pour the onions evenly into the pie crust
8. Pour the dairy mixture on top of the onions
9. Spread the mayonnaise over the top of the cheese
10 Bake at 350 degrees F for ~30 minutes.
In conclusion, it is an incredibly rich pie, and tastes excellent but you can't eat much of it at a time.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Spinach-Tomato Quiche
Prep ~20 minutes, Cook ~45 minutes, Cool ~20 minutes
The original recipe only called for 3/4 cup heavy cream. I don't like having leftovers. The consistency seemed to come out pretty well despite the extra cream. I made this for an office party concurrently with the tomato pie. Total cook time from prep start to serving was 1.5 hours. Transport in pizza boxes works really well.
Also, cook the pies on top of a cookie sheet to catch any spills, especially if your oven isn't quite level.
- 1 Pie Crust (9" pan)
- Crumbled feta cheese (3/4 the round container)
- 2 packed cups fresh spinach (I removed the stems for consistency's sake, but after wilting the spinach I don't know that it would have made that much difference. Frozen drained spinach would probably have worked just as well too.)
- Olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream (the half-pint container)
- 1 green onion (you could use chives too, but my cats ate my chive plant last week)
- 1 Tomato, chopped
- Black pepper
- Heat olive oil to a pan then cook the spinach until its wilted (~2-3 minutes)
- Crumble the feta cheese into the bottom of the pie crust
- Add the spinach on top of the feta cheese. Tease it out a little bit so the spinach isn't solid lumps.
- Beat together the garlic, eggs, and cream. Pour over the spinach and cheese. Stir gently a little bit to make sure it gets into the spinach.
- Evenly spread the chopped tomato over the pie.
- Sprinkle the top liberally with green onion and black pepper.
- Bake ~45 minutes, until it's at a quiche-y consistency.
The original recipe only called for 3/4 cup heavy cream. I don't like having leftovers. The consistency seemed to come out pretty well despite the extra cream. I made this for an office party concurrently with the tomato pie. Total cook time from prep start to serving was 1.5 hours. Transport in pizza boxes works really well.
Also, cook the pies on top of a cookie sheet to catch any spills, especially if your oven isn't quite level.
Tomato Pie
Ingredients:
Prep ~20 minutes, Cook ~30 minutes, Cool ~20 minutes. Prep is significantly shorter if you cheat like I did and buy pre-made pie crust and pre-shredded cheese.
Pie Crust (9-inch pan)
3 Ripe Tomatoes
Salt
~1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
~1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Cloves garlic, minced
Basil
~ 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Poke holes in the bottom and sides of the pie crust and bake ~10 minutes (I don't actually know why I poke holes in it, I've just always done it. It probably doesn't make a difference). Let it cool. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
3. Slice the tomatoes and lay them flat. Lightly salt. Let them sit for ~10 minutes, then blot any excess water. (This I do know why you do - it's so your crust doesn't end up soggy.
4. Put a layer of tomato slices at the bottom of the pie crust.
5. Sprinkle garlic and basil liberally on the tomatoes.
6. Sprinkle half of each of the cheeses on top of the tomatoes.
7. Repeat steps 4-5-6 with the rest of the ingredients.
8. Spread the mayonnaise over the top of the pie. This is slightly more complicated a step than those words indicate, because the top layer is shredded cheese and tends to squeegee around as you spread it. I might try mixing the cheese and mayonnaise before putting it onto the pie next time, but that might require measuring to figure out exactly how much mayonnaise is needed.
9. Bake at 350 for ~30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Let the pie cool enough that you can eat it without burning your mouth.
When you are layering, you can layer a little bit above the edges of the pie crust. The cheese will melt into the tomatoes and it will lose a little bit of height. For decoration, I would probably bake tomato slices onto the top, and add some fresh basil leaves after its baked for garnish.
I made this and the spinach-tomato quiche for an office party. Tip for transporting them: Pizza boxes. They're the right shape, keep everything flat and contained, you don't have to cool the pies quite as much in order to take them safely in the car, and they insulate it enough that they're still warm when you arrive. (I let them cool for ~10 minutes before I took them on a 15 minute commute and they came out at exactly the right temperature.)
Prep ~20 minutes, Cook ~30 minutes, Cool ~20 minutes. Prep is significantly shorter if you cheat like I did and buy pre-made pie crust and pre-shredded cheese.
Pie Crust (9-inch pan)
3 Ripe Tomatoes
Salt
~1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
~1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Cloves garlic, minced
Basil
~ 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Poke holes in the bottom and sides of the pie crust and bake ~10 minutes (I don't actually know why I poke holes in it, I've just always done it. It probably doesn't make a difference). Let it cool. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
3. Slice the tomatoes and lay them flat. Lightly salt. Let them sit for ~10 minutes, then blot any excess water. (This I do know why you do - it's so your crust doesn't end up soggy.
4. Put a layer of tomato slices at the bottom of the pie crust.
5. Sprinkle garlic and basil liberally on the tomatoes.
6. Sprinkle half of each of the cheeses on top of the tomatoes.
7. Repeat steps 4-5-6 with the rest of the ingredients.
8. Spread the mayonnaise over the top of the pie. This is slightly more complicated a step than those words indicate, because the top layer is shredded cheese and tends to squeegee around as you spread it. I might try mixing the cheese and mayonnaise before putting it onto the pie next time, but that might require measuring to figure out exactly how much mayonnaise is needed.
9. Bake at 350 for ~30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Let the pie cool enough that you can eat it without burning your mouth.
When you are layering, you can layer a little bit above the edges of the pie crust. The cheese will melt into the tomatoes and it will lose a little bit of height. For decoration, I would probably bake tomato slices onto the top, and add some fresh basil leaves after its baked for garnish.
I made this and the spinach-tomato quiche for an office party. Tip for transporting them: Pizza boxes. They're the right shape, keep everything flat and contained, you don't have to cool the pies quite as much in order to take them safely in the car, and they insulate it enough that they're still warm when you arrive. (I let them cool for ~10 minutes before I took them on a 15 minute commute and they came out at exactly the right temperature.)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Mushroom Sauce
Basic red wine and mushroom sauce. Works over pasta, meat, pretty much whatever you want to put it on.
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 cup wine
2 tbsps butter
2 large heaping spoonfuls of flour
1 tbsp dried rosemary
water
1. Fry the mushrooms, onions, and garlic until they are lightly browned
2. Add the wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by about half
3. While the wine is simmering, mix the flour with enough water to create a paste, and get out any lumps
4. Add the butter, flour mixture, and rosemary to the pot
5. Let it simmer for another minute or two
I usually make this recipe or a similar cream-based one whenever I've got a cup of wine, whatever color, that has been sitting in my fridge for a while.
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 cup wine
2 tbsps butter
2 large heaping spoonfuls of flour
1 tbsp dried rosemary
water
1. Fry the mushrooms, onions, and garlic until they are lightly browned
2. Add the wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by about half
3. While the wine is simmering, mix the flour with enough water to create a paste, and get out any lumps
4. Add the butter, flour mixture, and rosemary to the pot
5. Let it simmer for another minute or two
I usually make this recipe or a similar cream-based one whenever I've got a cup of wine, whatever color, that has been sitting in my fridge for a while.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Potstickers
My version of potstickers. I haven't quite got all the kinks worked out yet. The taste is there, but the consistency doesn't always come out right.
Filling:
- 1 package of ground turkey (~1.4 lbs)
- 1/2 cabbage (you may want to try less than this, I think this is what is causing it to fall apart)
- Fresh Ginger Root (I'm sure you can do this with dried, but I like fresh. I use apprx. a palm-sized piece of ginger)
- 3 Eggs
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 can of water chestnuts (drained)
- 1 tsp salt (don't put a lot in; there is plenty in the dipping sauce)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Wonton wrappers:
You can either buy a pack, often located in the fresh-food section near the tofu, or you can make them yourself. To make them yourself, 2 cups flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, and enough water to make it a non-sticky ball of dough that you can roll out. Personally, I prefer making my own because I like larger wontons, but I'm often lazy.
Dipping Sauce:
3 parts rice wine vinegar
3 parts soy sauce
1 part chili oil
sprinkling of chopped green onions
sprinkling of diced ginger
Prep:
1. Dice all the ingredients finely. I typically don't bother skinning the ginger.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl
To fill the wonton wrappers:
3. Set a cup of water near where you are working.
4. Put enough filling in the center of the wonton wrapper to make plump but not overstuffed dumplings
5. Wet the edges of the wrapper, then press firmly together.
- For these steps, I typically hold the wrapper in the palm of my left hand, place the filling and wet the edges with the right, close the left hand to bring the edges together then pinch them closed with my right hand. This helps support the bottom of the wonton wrapper so that you don't break them.
To cook them:
6. Fry the wontons pinched-side-down to help seal them until they are golden brown on one side
7. Flip them over so they are pinched-side up
8. Pour enough water into the frying pan so that the wontons are mostly submerged (but not quite).
9. Let the water boil off until it is almost entirely gone
10. Cut one open to make sure that it was cooked all the way. Eat it. Don't burn your mouth.
11. If it hasn't finished cooking yet, add some more water.
I typically will fill enough wontons to get one pan going, then start filling the next batch while the first one is waiting for the water to boil off. When you boil it off it will end up very starchy at the bottom of the pan, so you probably don't want to let it go completely down. If you're going to use the same pan to make multiple batches, you can do about two batches before you need to clean out the pan.
They freeze very well either filled pre-cooked OR after cooking. You can throw frozen un-cooked dumplings directly into boiling water to cook. You lose the nice fried taste but its really easy. Cooked frozen dumplings can go straight into the microwave to be defrosted.
Other modifications I've done: Without water chestnuts, with carrots, with yellow onion instead of green onion, added various ingredients from the dipping sauce directly into the filling (especially if I can't bring dipping sauce with me to wherever we'll be eating them, just be careful about how much salt you end up with)
Filling:
- 1 package of ground turkey (~1.4 lbs)
- 1/2 cabbage (you may want to try less than this, I think this is what is causing it to fall apart)
- Fresh Ginger Root (I'm sure you can do this with dried, but I like fresh. I use apprx. a palm-sized piece of ginger)
- 3 Eggs
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 can of water chestnuts (drained)
- 1 tsp salt (don't put a lot in; there is plenty in the dipping sauce)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Wonton wrappers:
You can either buy a pack, often located in the fresh-food section near the tofu, or you can make them yourself. To make them yourself, 2 cups flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, and enough water to make it a non-sticky ball of dough that you can roll out. Personally, I prefer making my own because I like larger wontons, but I'm often lazy.
Dipping Sauce:
3 parts rice wine vinegar
3 parts soy sauce
1 part chili oil
sprinkling of chopped green onions
sprinkling of diced ginger
Prep:
1. Dice all the ingredients finely. I typically don't bother skinning the ginger.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl
To fill the wonton wrappers:
3. Set a cup of water near where you are working.
4. Put enough filling in the center of the wonton wrapper to make plump but not overstuffed dumplings
5. Wet the edges of the wrapper, then press firmly together.
- For these steps, I typically hold the wrapper in the palm of my left hand, place the filling and wet the edges with the right, close the left hand to bring the edges together then pinch them closed with my right hand. This helps support the bottom of the wonton wrapper so that you don't break them.
To cook them:
6. Fry the wontons pinched-side-down to help seal them until they are golden brown on one side
7. Flip them over so they are pinched-side up
8. Pour enough water into the frying pan so that the wontons are mostly submerged (but not quite).
9. Let the water boil off until it is almost entirely gone
10. Cut one open to make sure that it was cooked all the way. Eat it. Don't burn your mouth.
11. If it hasn't finished cooking yet, add some more water.
I typically will fill enough wontons to get one pan going, then start filling the next batch while the first one is waiting for the water to boil off. When you boil it off it will end up very starchy at the bottom of the pan, so you probably don't want to let it go completely down. If you're going to use the same pan to make multiple batches, you can do about two batches before you need to clean out the pan.
They freeze very well either filled pre-cooked OR after cooking. You can throw frozen un-cooked dumplings directly into boiling water to cook. You lose the nice fried taste but its really easy. Cooked frozen dumplings can go straight into the microwave to be defrosted.
Other modifications I've done: Without water chestnuts, with carrots, with yellow onion instead of green onion, added various ingredients from the dipping sauce directly into the filling (especially if I can't bring dipping sauce with me to wherever we'll be eating them, just be careful about how much salt you end up with)
Basic Polenta
Basic polenta recipe: From the food network http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/basic-polenta-recipe/index.html
6 Cups water
2 tsps salt
1.75 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tbsp unsalted butter
If you use salted butter, forgo one of the tsps of salt.
1. Bring the water and salt to a boil in the saucepan
2. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal
3. Turn to low and cook until it has a creamy, thick consistency (~15 minutes), stirring often
4. Add the butter, stir until melted
I ate some of it right away, and it was very oatmeal-like. For dinner I preferred it fried. Cut it into 1cm wide strips and freeze what you aren't going to use right away. It freezes very well, and you can throw it into the microwave to defrost.
To fry it, take the 1cm-wide strip and put into frying pan with a little butter or oil. Let each side get very lightly browned, or just to the point where the outside is starting to get a bit crunchy and the inside is creamy. Eat with anything. It went really well with the herbed chicken, although you can't fry it at the same time as the chicken or it turns mushy.
6 Cups water
2 tsps salt
1.75 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tbsp unsalted butter
If you use salted butter, forgo one of the tsps of salt.
1. Bring the water and salt to a boil in the saucepan
2. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal
3. Turn to low and cook until it has a creamy, thick consistency (~15 minutes), stirring often
4. Add the butter, stir until melted
I ate some of it right away, and it was very oatmeal-like. For dinner I preferred it fried. Cut it into 1cm wide strips and freeze what you aren't going to use right away. It freezes very well, and you can throw it into the microwave to defrost.
To fry it, take the 1cm-wide strip and put into frying pan with a little butter or oil. Let each side get very lightly browned, or just to the point where the outside is starting to get a bit crunchy and the inside is creamy. Eat with anything. It went really well with the herbed chicken, although you can't fry it at the same time as the chicken or it turns mushy.
Nutella Cookies
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Nutella
cap-ful of vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1. Mix it all up
2. Spoon it onto a cookie sheet. Try to not eat all the batter before they get cooked. Despite how good the batter is, I swear that the cookies are worth letting some of the batter survive.
3. Cook at 350 for ~7ish minutes, or until they're done.
Enjoy.
1/2 cup Nutella
cap-ful of vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1. Mix it all up
2. Spoon it onto a cookie sheet. Try to not eat all the batter before they get cooked. Despite how good the batter is, I swear that the cookies are worth letting some of the batter survive.
3. Cook at 350 for ~7ish minutes, or until they're done.
Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)