Tag: savory

With this spicy savory tart, supper is only a skillet away. (If you don’t count having to go to the store to get all the stuff.)

The Filling

1. 1 tsp olive oil
2. 1 medium onion, sliced
3. 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
4. 2 medium zucchinis, sliced thin
5. 4 cups canned, crushed tomatoes
6. 2 tsp ground cumin
7. pinch of cayenne
8. salt and fresh ground black pepper
9. ½ lb uncooked dried fettuccini
10. ⅓ cup grated cheddar
11. ⅓ cup grated mozzarella
12. ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Bring a large saucepan with water to a boil

In a non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil

When the oil is hot, add the onion and pepper, and sauté for 10 minutes

Add the tomatoes, cumin, and cayenne and simmer for 5 minutes

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the fettuccini in the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes

Drain the pasta and add to the skillet

Blend the pasta and the sauce, and cook for 10 more minutes until the pasta is evenly coated

Remove from heat and arrange the cheddar and mozzarella on top

Cover the skillet for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt

Garnish with the cilantro

Generally Penelope is not a fan of hot tuna but after fifty minutes on the elliptical walker her resistance was down when the guy next to her recognized her and started recommending this fettucinni pie, which he said he ate every day, which was like, yeah maybe, because he didn’t look like he spent a lot of time anywhere but in front of a mirror. But he was skinny, so even though there’s half a pound of fettuccini in the pie, if you don’t eat it all yourself, or you do as much cardio as Luca (or whatever his real name was, probably Lenny); you’ll be thin, too. This is a skillet pie, no crust, so maybe he did make one, or at least eat one, every day. It’s like a tarte tatin with Italian accent.

Skillet Fettuccini Pie with Tuna and Black Olives

1. 1 tsp olive oil
2. 1 medium onion, sliced
3. 2 cloves minced garlic
4. 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
5. 4 cups canned, crushed tomatoes
6. 1 tsp dried oregano
7. pinch cayenne
8. 2 cups canned or frozen corn
9. salt and freshly ground black pepper
10. 6 oz can of tuna, drained
11. 12 black Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
12. ½ lb uncooked dried fettuccini
13. ⅔ cup grated mozzarella
14. ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil

In a skillet, heat the olive oil

When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and red pepper, and sauté for 10 minutes

Add tomato, oregano, olives, cayenne, corn, and tuna, breaking up the tuna with a wooden spoon while simmering for 5 minutes

Add salt and pepper

Cook the fettuccini in the boiling water until soft; drain and add to skillet

Blend the pasta and sauce, and cook for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta

Remove from heat and arrange the grated mozzarella over the pasta

Cover the skillet for several minutes to allow the cheese to melt

Top with chopped cilantro

With just pie crust, cheese and tomatoes, plus a little basil for garnish, it’s easy to have the last word with this pie: “More!” (please).

Tomato Tart

The Zen Master’s Pie Crust for a single crust pie

Tomato Tart Filling

1. 2 tbs olive oil
2. ¾ cup Italian Fontina cheese (3 oz)
3. 1 ½ lbs firm, ripe tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
4. coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 12 fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425°

Sprinkle the bottom of the chilled pie shell with ¼ cup of the cheese

Arrange the tomato slices in an overlapping circular pattern on top of the cheese, working from the outer edge toward the center

Season with salt and pepper

Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese

Drizzle with the olive oil

Bake 45-55 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft, but still retain their shape

Cool for 20 minutes

Thinly slice basil leaves lengthwise

Sprinkle tart with basil leaves, and serve warm

Believe it or not, the original Quiche Lorraine didn’t have any cheese in it. Penelope doesn’t know when the (best you can afford) Gruyere finally did appear, but whoever put it there gets her vote because a quiche without cholesterol is like a fundraiser without goodie bags. The French, ever the contrarians, serve their quiche with red wine to counteract the high fat content, while the truly Teutonic advocate healthy mineral acidity with an Alsatian Riesling. Although in a pinch, there’s nothing like the evanescent fizz of a vintage Diet Coke. The Zen Master’s Pie Crust for a single crust pie

The Filling

1. ½ large egg white, lightly beaten
2. 5 strips bacon
3. ¼ cup finely chopped onion
4. 1 cup, firmly packed Gruyere cheese, divided
5. ½ cup crème fraiche
6. ½cup milk
7. 3 large eggs
8. ¼ tsp salt
9. ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
10. pinch cayenne pepper
11. pinch nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350° at least 15 minutes before baking

In a large frying pan, fry the bacon over low heat, about 8 minutes

With a slotted spoon, remove it to a paper towel and drain

Distribute the chopped onion evenly over the prepared pie crust

Crumple the bacon into small pieces and distribute it evenly over the pie crust

Sprinkle half the Gruyere over the pie crust, too

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, and seasonings until thoroughly blended

Pour this mixture over the bacon and cheese

Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Gruyere

Place the filled pie on a baking sheet

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is slightly puffed, the top is golden brown, and a thin knife blade inserted near the center comes out clean

Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes

Penelope’s best pie pal, Ellen, had people coming for an early (5:30!) dinner (Even kids don’t eat that early), so she needed something simple.* With no time to spare after food shopping, cleaning, installing her new printer, and doing the laundry so she could wear her skinny jeans; clearly, a one-dish meal was the answer, even for an over-achiever like Ellen. Chicken Pot Pie in Puff Pastry! But seriously, don’t make the puff pastry from scratch. Penelope always pleads with Ellen to buy frozen puff pastry, especially Dufour’s brand, available at the local Whole Foods. If Whole Foods isn’t so local for you, Pepperidge Farms puff pastry works just fine. Before you attack, or shop for the filling, read Helpful Hint #14

The Filling

1. 1 3-lb chicken or individual chicken parts (much better idea)
2. 8 slices pancetta, rind removed
3. ¼ cup unsalted butter
4. 1 hard boiled egg, coarsely chopped
5. 12 button mushrooms, quartered
6. 1 onion, finely chopped
7. ½ cup white wine
8. 1 cup chicken stock
9. 1 egg beaten
10. large pinch of chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, tarragon or chervil

If you’re working with a whole chicken (not recommended), cut it into 8 pieces and remove the bones and skin. If not, (and think seriously in this direction) you’ll save yourself at least an hour of prep time and unnecessary intimate knowledge of a chicken’s bone structure.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper

Wrap each piece of chicken with a slice of pancetta, and secure with wooden cocktail picks or string**

Heat 2 tbs butter in a skillet over medium heat and brown the chicken, turning regularly to brown all sides

Remove the chicken and drain on crumpled paper towels

Discard the cocktail picks or string (rearranging the pancetta to hide cocktail pick marks, as needed)

Put the chicken in a 6 cup pie plate with the hard-boiled egg***

Pour the excess fat out of the pan, add the remaining butter, and cook the mushrooms and onions for 5 minutes over low heat

Add the white wine to the pan and simmer until only a little liquid is left

Pour over the chicken

Add enough stock to almost cover the chicken pieces****

Roll out the pastry so that it is a little bigger than the top of the pie plate, trim the excess

Brush the rim of the plate with the beaten egg and line with 1/2 inch of the excess pastry, pressing onto the plate firmly and brushing with beaten egg

Carefully cover the pie plate with the pastry, pressing the edges together to seal

Make a few steam vents, and brush the top (but not the edges) with beaten egg

Chill the pie for 30 minutes before baking

Preheat the oven to 375°

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and is golden

Reduce the oven to 250°, cover the pie with aluminum, and bake for 45 minutes

Break the crust in the center, or loosen and lift off from the side, and add the chopped fresh herbs*****

*Note from Ellen: this recipe isn’t it.

**2nd Note from Ellen: DO NOT use colored cocktail picks. The color leeches out into the chicken, much like multi-colored chicken pox. She once did and had to cover up the spots with pancetta. Ellen thinks it’s probably not poisonous, just unappetizing.

***More Notes from Ellen: If your chicken is more than 3 lbs., don’t even think about using just one pie plate. All the ingredients won’t fit. Ellen used 2 pie plates, which of course meant defrosting a second sheet of puff pastry at the last minute. But then, Ellen is a player. You might want to reserve the remaining ingredients and make a second pie some other time.

****Another Ellen Note: for 2 pies you’ll only need about half the stock.

*****Final Note from Ellen: You can skip this part if you’re squeamish about open crust surgery.

For Penelope, having Humble Pie at Serendipity was almost as guilty a pleasure as watching daytime TV. Not that there’s anything wrong with All My Children, and strike her dead if she ever meant to diss Oprah, and certainly not Ellen, but the universe must have been a little annoyed with her for not attempting to reverse her metabolism at the gym, because just as she was taking the first bite of her peanut butter ice cream pie, who should she see across the dining room but her hygienically challenged British ex-boyfriend, who actually made pretty good pie in spite of his kitchen being a bother because his refrigerator light was always broken. Although the darkness was kind of a blessing considering the unidentifiable condiments that, like Nigel, remained in residence way past their official end date.

“Penelope, is that you?” he bellowed, very un-British like from four tables away, before coming over and sitting down.

“Swallowing,” she said, pointing to the peanut butter intervention in progress.

“Well, we’re quite the calorie hound today. Difficult times, eh? What is it you’re having?”

“Humble Pie,” she said, turning slightly to look thinner. “You should try some.”

“Oh no,” he said, “I’m just here for some tea. My wife is making Shepherd’s pie for dinner.”

The (living) End.

It’s kind of weird to call Shepherd’s pie a pie since it has no bottom crust and mashed potatoes for the top crust. But what can you expect from people who have no lights in their refrigerators? They might not even know there’s no crust, considering how dark it is in the kitchen. In fact, when Penelope went to Nigel’s mother’s house in London, her refrigerator light didn’t work either. Even a monarchy can take heredity too far.

The Mashed Potatoes

1. 2 large boiling potatoes
2. 2 tbs unsalted butter
3. ½ tsp salt
4. pinch grated nutmeg
5. freshly ground pepper, to taste

Peel and quarter the potatoes

Put in a medium saucepan and cover with a few inches of cold water and add the salt

Boil for 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife

Drain the potatoes thoroughly and mash, or press through a ricer or sieve

Stir in the butter

Whisk in the salt, nutmeg and pepper

The Filling

1. 1½ tbs all purpose flour
2. 1 tsp salt
3. ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
4. pinch cayenne pepper
5. 3 lbs lamb shanks, cut into 3 inch pieces
6. 1½ tbs olive oil, divided
7. ½ cup celery, chopped
8. 1 tsp garlic, minced
9. ¾ cup water
10. 12 pitted prunes

In a gallon size freezer bag, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper

Shake to mix

Add a few pieces of lamb at a time and toss to coat with the flour, set aside

Heat a heavy frying pan until hot

Heat one tbs of the oil

Add only as much lamb as will fit in a single layer and brown over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes

Remove the lamb to a bowl and set aside

In the same pan, heat the remaining ½ tsp of oil

Saute the onion and celery until they’re golden brown

Sprinkle on the remaining flour mixture, stir in the garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds

Add the prunes and cook everything for about 30 minutes, or until the lamb is falling off the bone

Remove the lamb, vegetables and prunes to a large platter to cool

Tilt the pot and skim off the fat from the gravy

Over medium-high heat, boil down the gravy to 2/3 cup, transfer to a medium bowl

Preheat the oven to 425°

Spoon the meat mixture into a pie pan

Cover with a smooth, even layer of the mashed potatoes

Bake for 10 minutes

Turn the oven to broil, and place the pie under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes are golden

When the temperature drops and the sun calls it a day at around four o’clock, who wouldn’t want to weather the evening with a pot pie that isn’t just hearty and nourishing, but also has enough spice to feed the imagination. Pate Brise for a double crust pie. Par-bake the bottom crust for 10 minutes

The Filling

1. 2 tbs olive oil
2. ⅓ yellow onion
3. 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
4. 1 lb cubed lamb for stewing (this will be more than you need for one pie, buteither pile it up or make another small pie)
5. ¼ cup all purpose flour
6. salt and freshly ground pepper
7. garlic, to taste
8. ⅛ tsp ground cumin
9. 1 saffron thread
10. ⅓ tbs peeled and minced fresh ginger
11. ¾ cup beef stock or prepared broth
12. ⅓ canned crushed tomatoes
13. ⅓ cup chopped dried dates
14. ⅓ grated zest and juice of a large orange
15. ⅔ tbs finely chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the onion; saute until slightly softened

Transfer to a bowl and set aside

Pat the lamb dry with paper towels

Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper

Add the lamb in batches and stir to coat with the seasoned flour

Add the remaining tbs of oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat

Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the lamb and brown on all sides

Transfer to a bowl and set aside

Return the onion mixture and browned lamb along with any accumulated juices to the pot

Add the garlic, cumin, saffron and ginger, and stir to coat the meat and vegetables

Add the stock and bring to a boil

Add the tomatoes, dates, orange zest and orange juice, and bring to a boil over high heat

Cover and bake in the oven until the meat is tender, about 1 hour

Taste and adjust the seasonings

Remove from the oven

Pile the lamb mixture into the par-baked bottom pie crust

Cover with the top crust

Make some steam vents

Preheat the oven to 400°

Bake for 20 minutes, until the top crust turns golden brown

Reduce the heat to 350° and continue baking, for another 45-55 minutes