This was one of those ideas that crystallized suddenly, and I just had to figure out how to do it. I wanted a galette, with a sticky apple filling and a crisp walnut pastry. I based the pastry on this recipe, and the filling on this one. I love a galette just now, a pie without needing a pie dish, brilliant.
(makes one galette - approx 4 portions)
For the pastry:
30 g walnuts, toasted
120 g flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
23 g chilled butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
c 3 tbsp cold water
For the filling:
8 small apples
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
Grind walnuts until finely chopped. Mix with flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub in until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in oil, then stir in water 1 tbsp at a time until it comes together. Gather into a ball, flatten into a disc, then wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour.
While the pastry is chilling, prepare the filling. Peel, halve and core the apples, then slice crosswise c 1/4 in thick. Keep the good slices whole, and chop the ends and broken pieces, so about half the amount of apple is slices and the rest chopped. In a separate, small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.
When ready to assemble, first heat the oven to 210C / 420F. Roll out the chilled pastry on a piece of baking paper and transfer to a baking sheet. Spread the chopped apples over the pastry, leaving about a 2 in border around the edges. Drizzle with honey. Arrange the sliced apples over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with pieces of butter. Fold the edges over, and brush with egg (or milk, or nothing). Bake for approx. 45 min, until golden brown and pastry is crisp - cover with tinfoil if it starts to catch.
We ate with custard and it went down very well. The pastry was delicious and crisp, but the walnuts gave more texture than taste - another time maybe I'd try increasing the walnut content... and could potentially add half as much apple again and pile it high, too.
Showing posts with label pie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pie. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Monday, October 29, 2018
Bean, tomato and olive oil galette
I keep forgetting about galettes. They are the answer to pie-making urges when one does not own a pie dish - ie perfect for the onset of cold weather in this house.
When I last made a galette it was delicious and I wanted to make more, then forgot. I wanted to try a different, simpler-looking pastry, with ingredients we're more likely to have in stock, ie this olive oil dough. So that's what I did. For filling, I decided to go with a bean base, since I had just cooked a load of white-borlotti bean mix - figured anything could work as a filling, so long as not wet.
(makes 2 medium pies)
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fridge cold water
1 beaten egg, for egg wash
For the filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
c 1 cup small tomatoes, chopped
c 2 cups cooked white/borlotti beans
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
salt+pepper
1/2 cup cubed gorgonzola (optional)
Mix salt and flour in a medium bowl with a fork, then mix in the olive oil and rub in until like breadcrumbs. Sprinkle in the cold water gradually (you probably don't need to use all of it) and knead until the pastry comes together - don't over work. Bring together into a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for at least 30-40 min (or, I suspect, up to a few days).
While chilling, make the filling: heat olive oil in a large pan, then soften onions and garlic. Add tomatoes, beans and parsley and saute until well mingled and any extra moisture from the tomatoes has been absorbed. Season to taste and let cool.
When ready to assemble and bake, first heat the oven to 200C. Divide the dough into two and roll out the first half on a well-floured surface until approximately circular. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Spoon the filling onto the rolled-out dough circles, spreading it evenly from the centre until 1.5-2 inches from the edge. Fold in the borders, overlapping the edges and pressing together the folds. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg. Sprinkle the gorgonzola (if using) over the exposed pie filling in the middle. Turn down the oven to 190C and put the pies in. Bake for 35-40 min, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven, check the bottom is crisp, and let cool on the baking sheet.
These can be stored in the fridge for a few days, travel well wrapped in paper or in a box, and reheat well in the oven (maybe underbake just slightly if planning to reheat in the oven) or microwave.
I am totally enthused by the galette! Thinking this dough could be made ahead and kept in the fridge, then rolled out and filled whenever we want dinner - similar to our go-to pizza dough. Note, I did think this might be a little bit too much salt - the dough perhaps tasted a little salty - would prob be fine with a half tsp. The other filling I almost went with was butternut squash, walnuts and gorgonzola - so many possibilities though... I want to try sweet fillings too!
When I last made a galette it was delicious and I wanted to make more, then forgot. I wanted to try a different, simpler-looking pastry, with ingredients we're more likely to have in stock, ie this olive oil dough. So that's what I did. For filling, I decided to go with a bean base, since I had just cooked a load of white-borlotti bean mix - figured anything could work as a filling, so long as not wet.
(makes 2 medium pies)
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fridge cold water
1 beaten egg, for egg wash
For the filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
c 1 cup small tomatoes, chopped
c 2 cups cooked white/borlotti beans
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
salt+pepper
1/2 cup cubed gorgonzola (optional)
Mix salt and flour in a medium bowl with a fork, then mix in the olive oil and rub in until like breadcrumbs. Sprinkle in the cold water gradually (you probably don't need to use all of it) and knead until the pastry comes together - don't over work. Bring together into a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for at least 30-40 min (or, I suspect, up to a few days).
While chilling, make the filling: heat olive oil in a large pan, then soften onions and garlic. Add tomatoes, beans and parsley and saute until well mingled and any extra moisture from the tomatoes has been absorbed. Season to taste and let cool.
When ready to assemble and bake, first heat the oven to 200C. Divide the dough into two and roll out the first half on a well-floured surface until approximately circular. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Spoon the filling onto the rolled-out dough circles, spreading it evenly from the centre until 1.5-2 inches from the edge. Fold in the borders, overlapping the edges and pressing together the folds. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg. Sprinkle the gorgonzola (if using) over the exposed pie filling in the middle. Turn down the oven to 190C and put the pies in. Bake for 35-40 min, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven, check the bottom is crisp, and let cool on the baking sheet.
These can be stored in the fridge for a few days, travel well wrapped in paper or in a box, and reheat well in the oven (maybe underbake just slightly if planning to reheat in the oven) or microwave.
I am totally enthused by the galette! Thinking this dough could be made ahead and kept in the fridge, then rolled out and filled whenever we want dinner - similar to our go-to pizza dough. Note, I did think this might be a little bit too much salt - the dough perhaps tasted a little salty - would prob be fine with a half tsp. The other filling I almost went with was butternut squash, walnuts and gorgonzola - so many possibilities though... I want to try sweet fillings too!
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Chard, herb and feta pide-pie
Recently, when I've gotten something in my head I want to eat, I want to eat that thing and only that thing. Yesterday, it was pie - something like the multitude of greens+cheese pies we ate in Greece. We had a big bunch of chard in the fridge, and with some feta and a selection of herbs from the yard, this seemed like it (I used this recipe and this one as guides for the filling). But then, pastry - I never really make pastry, I definitely don't have a go-to recipe. I also have a distinct aversion to going to the shops for a single ingredient - I'd always rather improvise with the contents of the fridge. And I don't currently own a pie dish, so I had to find something that could be free-shaped and plonked on a baking sheet. It turns out that thing can be called a galette, and I liked the idea of a dough with yoghurt in it (I'd like it even more if it had olive oil instead of butter, will have to investigate), so I thought I'd try this recipe. When S got home, he thought the idea came from the tasty pide I have sometimes been buying from a Middle Eastern bakery on the way home, and it's true - they were pretty much pide-shaped and filled, and pide are also a freeform shape like what I was looking for - next time, I'll have to look up pide dough recipes.
(Make sure to start the dough an hour before you want to shape and bake the pies - it needs to rest in the fridge. I made two medium sized pies that fitted comfortably on my baking trays, but the recipe could easily make one big pie or four smaller pies)
For the dough:
160 g (1 1/4 cups) plain flour (definitely needs more - at least 200g)
1/4 tsp salt (don't use if using salted butter)
115 g (8 tbsp) cold unsalted butter (don't add extra salt if using salted)
60 g (1/4 cup) yoghurt
2 tsp lemon juice
60 ml (1/4 cup) ice water
For the filling:
big bunch of chard (c. 250 g - or beet greens)
olive oil
3 large spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley, chopped
1 tbsp chopped oregano, chopped
2 tsp chopped mint, chopped
2 tsp chopped sage, chopped
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1/3 of a 200g pack of feta
1 egg, and the white of another left from making the pastry glaze, beaten
salt+pepper
For the pastry glaze:
1 egg yolk (put the rest in the filling), beaten with
1 tsp water
First, prepare the dough: put the flour (and salt, if using) into a large bowl, then chop the butter into small dice and add to the bowl. Rub the butter into the flour as if making crumble. Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice and water in a small bowl, then add to the flour-butter crumbs and mix until the dough comes together into a ball. Add a little more flour if it doesn't stick together in a ball. Wrap the ball in clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least an hour (up to two days).
While resting the dough, prepare the filling. Wash chard and separate stems from leafy parts. Chop the stems, and tear the leafy parts into pieces. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add the spring onions and chard stems. Fry reasonably high for a few minutes. Add chard leaves and herbs and saute for a few minutes, until the chard collapses. Let cool a bit in the pan, then transfer to a colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as you can and discard the liquid. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, crumble over the feta, then add the parmesan and egg, mix up, and season with salt and pepper. This should be about the right time to start the oven - heat to 200C / 400F.
To assemble, split the dough in half. Roll out one half into an approximate circle on a well-floured work surface. It should be about the size of a large plate, about 3 mm thick. Fold lightly in half, then in quarters, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Unfold. Spread half the filling in the middle, out to about 1 1/2 inches from the edge. Then fold in the edges to overlap the outer part of the filling, pleating and crumpling to make it fit. Brush the exposed pastry with egg glaze, then put the pie in the oven. Repeat with the other half of the dough and filling.
Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until the pie is golden. Take out and eat pretty much immediately with a simple salad, or let cool and take for lunches (it's fairly robust and travels well).
Notes:
Shaping the dough was super straightforward, and nothing annoying happened whatsoever. And the pies came out great - prettily crumpled and golden, crisp tasty pastry (no soggy bottom), stored well in the fridge for a few days and nice cold (although I have actually been reheating in the microwave at work for c. 15 sec). Could maybe have done with a little more filling, but it was sufficient - never underestimate how much greens collapse when cooked! So many other filling ideas now! And, I would like to try with an olive oil pastry.
* I used the gram measurements from the original recipe, but it came out a little wet and I had to add a bit more flour - my guess is it should be approx. 200 g flour instead of 160 g
(Make sure to start the dough an hour before you want to shape and bake the pies - it needs to rest in the fridge. I made two medium sized pies that fitted comfortably on my baking trays, but the recipe could easily make one big pie or four smaller pies)
For the dough:
160 g (1 1/4 cups) plain flour (definitely needs more - at least 200g)
1/4 tsp salt (don't use if using salted butter)
115 g (8 tbsp) cold unsalted butter (don't add extra salt if using salted)
60 g (1/4 cup) yoghurt
2 tsp lemon juice
60 ml (1/4 cup) ice water
For the filling:
big bunch of chard (c. 250 g - or beet greens)
olive oil
3 large spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley, chopped
1 tbsp chopped oregano, chopped
2 tsp chopped mint, chopped
2 tsp chopped sage, chopped
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1/3 of a 200g pack of feta
1 egg, and the white of another left from making the pastry glaze, beaten
salt+pepper
For the pastry glaze:
1 egg yolk (put the rest in the filling), beaten with
1 tsp water
First, prepare the dough: put the flour (and salt, if using) into a large bowl, then chop the butter into small dice and add to the bowl. Rub the butter into the flour as if making crumble. Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice and water in a small bowl, then add to the flour-butter crumbs and mix until the dough comes together into a ball. Add a little more flour if it doesn't stick together in a ball. Wrap the ball in clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least an hour (up to two days).
While resting the dough, prepare the filling. Wash chard and separate stems from leafy parts. Chop the stems, and tear the leafy parts into pieces. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add the spring onions and chard stems. Fry reasonably high for a few minutes. Add chard leaves and herbs and saute for a few minutes, until the chard collapses. Let cool a bit in the pan, then transfer to a colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as you can and discard the liquid. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, crumble over the feta, then add the parmesan and egg, mix up, and season with salt and pepper. This should be about the right time to start the oven - heat to 200C / 400F.
To assemble, split the dough in half. Roll out one half into an approximate circle on a well-floured work surface. It should be about the size of a large plate, about 3 mm thick. Fold lightly in half, then in quarters, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Unfold. Spread half the filling in the middle, out to about 1 1/2 inches from the edge. Then fold in the edges to overlap the outer part of the filling, pleating and crumpling to make it fit. Brush the exposed pastry with egg glaze, then put the pie in the oven. Repeat with the other half of the dough and filling.
Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until the pie is golden. Take out and eat pretty much immediately with a simple salad, or let cool and take for lunches (it's fairly robust and travels well).
Notes:
Shaping the dough was super straightforward, and nothing annoying happened whatsoever. And the pies came out great - prettily crumpled and golden, crisp tasty pastry (no soggy bottom), stored well in the fridge for a few days and nice cold (although I have actually been reheating in the microwave at work for c. 15 sec). Could maybe have done with a little more filling, but it was sufficient - never underestimate how much greens collapse when cooked! So many other filling ideas now! And, I would like to try with an olive oil pastry.
* I used the gram measurements from the original recipe, but it came out a little wet and I had to add a bit more flour - my guess is it should be approx. 200 g flour instead of 160 g
Monday, February 22, 2016
Birthday mohnkuchen; and birthday pasta cake
I used the same recipe as before, without veganising it this time. I made it the day before, and it was delicious on the day and he loved it. BUT it was the ugliest cake ever. I mean, black poppy seeds don't make for the most beautiful cake to start with, but on top of that the mohn mixture rose up in a wall all around the edges like crazy. This didn't happen before and I don't understand why it happened this time. Perhaps I didn't put the streusel mixture thick enough on top? Anyway, I trimmed that bit back down so it didn't look quite as bizarre, and it tasted great. It meant it was a bit more sunken in the middle and the mohn layer wasn't quite as thick as it should have been, but it held together well and I can't really complain.
We had a good day - a good balance of making plans and being spontaneous, and being lucky. Cake and presents for breakfast; bus over to the sauna, some sunny sauna action; up to Papirøen for good food (the best pizza place has gone completely vegetarian, including many vegan options - wahoo!); bus back in time for S to watch Dortmund, who won, and it started raining as soon as we got back... While S watched football and then spoke to his mum, I decided to cap his day off by making his this spaghetti pie for his dinner - I had seen the recipe a few weeks back and it had his name written all over - pasta, cheese, crispy pasta, more cheese... This was a perfect opportunity to make it!
butter for greasing springform
8 oz broccoli rabe, chopped into few-inch segments
1 lb dried spaghetti
1 1/2 cups milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp coarse salt
8 oz aged pecorino cheese, grated, divided
8 oz fontina cheese, grated, divided
Heat oven to 425F (220C, 200C fan). Butter a 9 in springform baking tin and wrap the outside tightly in foil. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli to the pot and boil for 1-2 min, until just tender. Fish out with a large slotted spoon and drain well. Set aside.
Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook until 2 min short of done (i.e. very al dente) as the spaghetti will continue cooking in the oven. Drain well and let cool slightly.
Wring all extra moisture out of the broccoli and blot on paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Chop into very small pieces.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with salt and pepper. Stir in all but 1/2 cup of each cheese and chopped broccoli. Add spaghetti and toss to coat.
Pour mixture into prepared tin and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 50+ min (mine took more like an hour and a half), until the top is brown and there is no runny egg in the centre. If the top browns before the center is set, cover with foil for the remaining cooking time.
Cut around the springform ring to loosen, then remove ring. Run a spatula underneath the pie to loosen the base and slide onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges.
The mixture only just fits in the tin, but doesn't rise up so that's OK. It is huge, and very filling, so definitely serves many people or makes lots of leftovers. It took ages to cook: definitely not something to make in a rush or when hungry! It also messed up the springform quite a lot. I won't be making this often but it had a lot of impact for a special occasion for a pasta lover! He was pretty excited!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Hot cross tart (little marmalade tart with tahini-almond crust)
I didn't feel like making hot cross buns this year, much though I love them. But, still racked by guilt at the vast quantity of marmalade I've made over the last couple of months and the slow rate at which we seem to be eating it, I'd got into the idea of baking with marmalade, and had noted this recipe as a potential way to do it.
I figured that since orange zest / candied peel is one important component of a hot cross bun, perhaps if I added all the hot cross bun spices (cloves, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg) and made the topping into a cross shape it would feel festive? My usual favourite (slightly weird) way to eat marmalade is layered with tahini, either on toast or just off a teaspoon. So couldn't resist putting tahini in the pastry.
Makes a little (6 inch diameter) tart.
50g ground almonds
65g plain flour
75g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cloves, ground
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch salt
25g tahini
25g mild-flavoured olive oil (plus 1 tbsp)
1 tsp almond milk
100g marmalade
Mix almonds, flour, sugar, ground spices and salt in a bowl with a fork. Add oil, tahini and milk (withholding the last tbsp oil to see if you need it), then mix up into a dough (it will be a little crumbly), adding that last tbsp of oil if the dough doesn't come together. Break off a 25g piece and wrap in cling film. Press the rest into a greased 6 inch cake tin with a removable base, making a firmly-pressed, even layer with a slight lip at the edge. Put the ball and the tin in the fridge for 30 min. In the meantime heat the oven to 340F.
When ready to bake, spread the marmalade out from the middle of the tart, leaving a gap of about half an inch at the edge. Use the remaining dough ball to make a cross on top. Bake for 30 min / until the edges and top are golden brown. Let sit on a wire rack for 5 min, then remove from the tin and let cool completely.
I really like this: like a cross between a jam tart and a biscuit; crunchy, crumbly and gooey in all the right places; sweet yet not too sweet yet also sharp; bold flavours that go well together. S says the marmalade is too bitter. I think it is good. A little divisive...
The more I eat of this, the more I love it: it is getting better as it sits in a box for a few days - the marmalade-y bits are deliciously gooey, while the outer pastry remains crunchy. Although I think this may be a child only I could ever love - the tahini-marmalade-spice combo is very much tailored to my own weird tastes.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
St. Patrick's Day: Mushroom-stout shepherd's pie
Really, this is an effort to use up various odds and ends of things laying around - the fridge, freezer and pantry have all been feeling rather full lately. So, leftover mash and the stout from this, plus some carrots, mushrooms and parsley that needed eating, the last of a jar of tomato puree, stock I couldn't fit in the freezer, a couple of odd ends of packets of pulses... It all came together surprisingly well to make a pie packed with powerful, punchy flavours: a very St. Patrick's Day kind of a thing. About as close as I'm ever going to get to green beer and leprechaun hats, despite living in Boston.
For the topping:
~ 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp fake butter
2 tbsp olive oil
~1-2 tbsp fake milk
salt+pepper
For the insides:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
~10 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1-2 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
3 tbsp mushroom powder (hedgehog+chanterelle)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 cup stout
1 1/2 cups veg stock
1 tsp dark mushroom soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegary red wine
3/4 cup chana dal
3/4 cup brown lentils
salt+pepper
To make the filling, heat the oil in a large, lidded saucepan, then add the onions and fry, covered, until starting to soften (a few minutes). Add the garlic and the carrots, cook a few minutes more, then uncover, add the mushrooms and cook until they turn dark and give up their liquid. Add the spices and dried herbs and saute until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients, taste for seasoning, then cover and simmer until the pulses are tender (about 40 min).
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400F. Make the topping: cover the potatoes with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 min, until tender. Drain and mash with a fork until smooth, then add the remaining topping ingredients and continue mashing until a good, smooth consistency. Taste for mustard and seasoning.
When the filling is cooked, pour it into an ovenproof dish and level out. Splodge the mashed potato mixture on top and level it out, patterning it with a fork if you like. Put into the oven for about half an hour, until the potato is starting to brown and the filling is bubbling up. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 min before eating.
For the topping:
~ 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp fake butter
2 tbsp olive oil
~1-2 tbsp fake milk
salt+pepper
For the insides:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
~10 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1-2 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
3 tbsp mushroom powder (hedgehog+chanterelle)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 cup stout
1 1/2 cups veg stock
1 tsp dark mushroom soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegary red wine
3/4 cup chana dal
3/4 cup brown lentils
salt+pepper
To make the filling, heat the oil in a large, lidded saucepan, then add the onions and fry, covered, until starting to soften (a few minutes). Add the garlic and the carrots, cook a few minutes more, then uncover, add the mushrooms and cook until they turn dark and give up their liquid. Add the spices and dried herbs and saute until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients, taste for seasoning, then cover and simmer until the pulses are tender (about 40 min).
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400F. Make the topping: cover the potatoes with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 min, until tender. Drain and mash with a fork until smooth, then add the remaining topping ingredients and continue mashing until a good, smooth consistency. Taste for mustard and seasoning.
When the filling is cooked, pour it into an ovenproof dish and level out. Splodge the mashed potato mixture on top and level it out, patterning it with a fork if you like. Put into the oven for about half an hour, until the potato is starting to brown and the filling is bubbling up. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 min before eating.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Tamale pie
It's S's birthday tomorrow and I've been devoting a lot of my daydream time to thinking up ideas for what to do to make it special. He is playing football in the evening, which he likes, so that's good. I'm going to make a cake. But then also thought it might be fun to go for lunch somewhere. El Pelon (little Mexican place near work) sprang to mind: I heard good things about it but didn't get around to going there for a long time; when I did get there I discovered joyously tasty, filling vegan tamales. So the taste of tamales was drifting temptingly around my brain when I came
across the concept of tamale pie: it's sort of like shepherd's pie with Mexican influences. S had accidentally bought masa harina (corn flour made from hominy) a while ago. It's what you need to make corn tortillas or tamales or pupusas. All those things are delicious, but somewhat fiddly - tamale pie is a super simple way of getting that tamale fix. Note: this is my reinterpretation / amalgamation of a
bunch of recipes.
(this took me about an hour to make from start to finish - it's a good idea to prep the veg sequentially as you cook to minimise the total time)
For the topping:
1 cup masa harina
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp fake butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
1 tbsp veg or light olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 400g tin tomatoes
2 cups pinto, kidney or black-eyed beans, pre-cooked
1 cup frozen sweetcorn
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp mushroom powder
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp red wine
3 tbsp chopped coriander
salt+red chilli flakes
To finish:
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp paprika
few squeezes of lime
Heat oven to 400F. Mix masa harina, salt and paprika for the topping in a bowl with a fork. Add boiling water gradually, mixing to form a soft dough. Cover and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, cover and cook for a few minutes. Add garlic and chilli and cook a few more minutes. Add grated carrot and cook for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, sweetcorn, cumin, paprika, oregano, soy sauce, mushroom powder, wine and coriander and simmer until it is thickened and all the veg are cooked. Taste for seasoning and add salt and chilli flakes to taste if required.
Mix the butter and baking powder into the masa mixture. Put the filling into a lidded oven dish. Squish the masa to cover over the top as if making a shepherd's pie. Put the lid on (or cover with foil if no lid) and put in the oven for 30 min. Uncover and cook about 10 min more, until it is lightly browned and crispy around the edges.
Let it sit for 5-10 min before serving. Sprinkle with chopped coriander, paprika and a squeeze or two of lime juice.
Notes: Could use squash, mushrooms, courgette, peppers instead of carrot. Tomatilloes might be good too. Could use polenta (or cornbread) as topping instead of masa.
This was filling and tasty - the topping definitely had that tamale taste and went really well with the inside layer.
(this took me about an hour to make from start to finish - it's a good idea to prep the veg sequentially as you cook to minimise the total time)
For the topping:
1 cup masa harina
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp fake butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
1 tbsp veg or light olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 400g tin tomatoes
2 cups pinto, kidney or black-eyed beans, pre-cooked
1 cup frozen sweetcorn
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp mushroom powder
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp red wine
3 tbsp chopped coriander
salt+red chilli flakes
To finish:
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp paprika
few squeezes of lime
Heat oven to 400F. Mix masa harina, salt and paprika for the topping in a bowl with a fork. Add boiling water gradually, mixing to form a soft dough. Cover and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, cover and cook for a few minutes. Add garlic and chilli and cook a few more minutes. Add grated carrot and cook for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, sweetcorn, cumin, paprika, oregano, soy sauce, mushroom powder, wine and coriander and simmer until it is thickened and all the veg are cooked. Taste for seasoning and add salt and chilli flakes to taste if required.
Mix the butter and baking powder into the masa mixture. Put the filling into a lidded oven dish. Squish the masa to cover over the top as if making a shepherd's pie. Put the lid on (or cover with foil if no lid) and put in the oven for 30 min. Uncover and cook about 10 min more, until it is lightly browned and crispy around the edges.
Let it sit for 5-10 min before serving. Sprinkle with chopped coriander, paprika and a squeeze or two of lime juice.
Notes: Could use squash, mushrooms, courgette, peppers instead of carrot. Tomatilloes might be good too. Could use polenta (or cornbread) as topping instead of masa.
This was filling and tasty - the topping definitely had that tamale taste and went really well with the inside layer.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Mum's 'Red Dragon' bean pie
The pie was really tasty - a bit 70s perhaps, but lovely. Grandma gave me one copy of the recipe and I've brought it back with me: I made it for S today (with black eyed beans) and he liked it.
For filling:
4 oz aduki beans (or similar)
2 oz wheat grain or rice (used rice)
1 onion, chopped
8 oz grated carrot (used about 5 medium-small ones)
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp mixed herbs (used mix of oregano, basil, thyme)
1/2 pint bean stock
salt+pepper
For topping:
~4 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed with
-marg, olive oil, fake milk, salt+pepper to taste
Soak the beans overnight, then cook. Cook the rice. Cook the potatoes separately, then mash with oil/marg, milk, salt+pepper (we used a mixture of potato and celeriac and it was yum).
Fry the onion and carrot. Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the onion and carrot and simmer until thickened.
Put the filling in an ovenproof dish, top with the mashed potato, and bake in a 400F oven for 20-30 min until the top of the mashed potato has started to brown and the filling is bubbling.
Note: I followed the recipe fairly approximately - used ingredients as above but just guessed quantities.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
4th July: No-bake chocolate pie
Independence Day is another one of those American holidays we never really know what to do for - we just don't have the back-history with it. What I hear is you're supposed to have barbeques and eat pie and watch fireworks. We failed to go out as I have a crappo summer cold, but we had a barbeque on the balcony (featuring the awesome marinated tofu and courgette again, plus a few mushrooms and potatoes, and S toasted bread on the grill). And we did watch the fireworks from the Summit Park, which was hilarious: an awkward juxtaposition of middle-class families with pockets of super-drunk college students in Stars n Stripes bikini tops etc, all standing neatly organised in two long lines to see between the trees. A huge lightning / rain storm started up pretty much the exact same time as the fireworks, it was awesome (we had an umbrella).
And, I decided we should have pie. It had to be be a super simple pie, and should not involve switching on the oven, because it's still very hot and sticky, esp in our apartment under the heat-absorbing roof. So that meant a raw-style pie crust, which I was totally in the mood for anyway. And I felt like it should have fruit in it somewhere, although we didn't have much fruit in the house. I daydreamed about pie while looking back through recipes I made before and at ppk, and ended up doing this...
Note: Today I made enough crust for a mini pie plus a half quantity of filling as I just wanted a wee one for S and me to share. So quantities below haven't been fully tested, but should be about right for a full-size (8 in) pie. If just making the filling for a quickie pudding snack a half quantity should be plenty.
Crust:
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup almond meal
3 tbsp linseed meal
pinch salt
1-3 tsp mulberry molasses
Filling:
3 cups fake milk
1/4 cup cornflour
1/3 cup sugar (half quantity = 2 tbsp)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch salt
3 tbsp chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla essence
good handful raspberries, fresh or frozen (or chopped fresh strawberries)
First, prep the crust: put the pecan pieces, almond meal, linseed meal and salt in a blender and grind til smooth. Add the mulberry molasses bit by bit and pulse til the crumbs are just starting to stick together. Empty out of the blender and then press the crust into a pie tin or dish lined with foil. Put in the fridge until needed.
(Note, the molasses is just to stick the nuts together and add sweetness, alternatives could be soft dates or frozen banana, or maple syrup. Be careful when adding not to add too much as it would become too soft and sticky and make the finished pie not come out of the tin properly).
Next, filling: put 1 cup of fake milk in a pan with the cornflour and whisk together until the cornflour is distributed and there are no lumps. Then add the cocoa, sugar, salt and the rest of the milk and whisk together. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly until it thickens. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and mix until it is melted. Then add the vanilla and mix.
Assembly: take the prepared crust and sprinkle the raspberries evenly over the base. Then pour the chocolate mixture all over the raspberries and fill up the crust (any extra can just be poured in a separate bowl). Leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge and leave for a couple of hours or so.
I actually used both frozen banana and mulberry molasses as sticky stuff in the crust, and ended up with something a bit too sticky but very tasty. I went ahead and used it anyway - the pie didn't come out of the dish very easily but it still tasted good. So the quantities described above reflect what I was aiming for rather than what I actually did. The chocolate pudding mix was great - super easy, using stuff I always have in the cupboards / fridge, good just on its own as well as as a pie filling. It's a good alternative to the silken tofu based chocolate pudding I've made often, perhaps even a more pudding-y texture (and doesn't require silken tofu, which I don't have any of at the moment). Really into cornflour thickening in desserts right now - nice smooth texture with no flavour distraction. All in all the pie was really yummy - S had thirds - and with a little tweaking of the crust mix I think it could be awesome. Perfect for a hot day's pie craving!
And, I decided we should have pie. It had to be be a super simple pie, and should not involve switching on the oven, because it's still very hot and sticky, esp in our apartment under the heat-absorbing roof. So that meant a raw-style pie crust, which I was totally in the mood for anyway. And I felt like it should have fruit in it somewhere, although we didn't have much fruit in the house. I daydreamed about pie while looking back through recipes I made before and at ppk, and ended up doing this...
Note: Today I made enough crust for a mini pie plus a half quantity of filling as I just wanted a wee one for S and me to share. So quantities below haven't been fully tested, but should be about right for a full-size (8 in) pie. If just making the filling for a quickie pudding snack a half quantity should be plenty.
Crust:
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup almond meal
3 tbsp linseed meal
pinch salt
1-3 tsp mulberry molasses
Filling:
3 cups fake milk
1/4 cup cornflour
1/3 cup sugar (half quantity = 2 tbsp)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch salt
3 tbsp chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla essence
good handful raspberries, fresh or frozen (or chopped fresh strawberries)
First, prep the crust: put the pecan pieces, almond meal, linseed meal and salt in a blender and grind til smooth. Add the mulberry molasses bit by bit and pulse til the crumbs are just starting to stick together. Empty out of the blender and then press the crust into a pie tin or dish lined with foil. Put in the fridge until needed.
(Note, the molasses is just to stick the nuts together and add sweetness, alternatives could be soft dates or frozen banana, or maple syrup. Be careful when adding not to add too much as it would become too soft and sticky and make the finished pie not come out of the tin properly).
Next, filling: put 1 cup of fake milk in a pan with the cornflour and whisk together until the cornflour is distributed and there are no lumps. Then add the cocoa, sugar, salt and the rest of the milk and whisk together. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly until it thickens. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and mix until it is melted. Then add the vanilla and mix.
Assembly: take the prepared crust and sprinkle the raspberries evenly over the base. Then pour the chocolate mixture all over the raspberries and fill up the crust (any extra can just be poured in a separate bowl). Leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge and leave for a couple of hours or so.
I actually used both frozen banana and mulberry molasses as sticky stuff in the crust, and ended up with something a bit too sticky but very tasty. I went ahead and used it anyway - the pie didn't come out of the dish very easily but it still tasted good. So the quantities described above reflect what I was aiming for rather than what I actually did. The chocolate pudding mix was great - super easy, using stuff I always have in the cupboards / fridge, good just on its own as well as as a pie filling. It's a good alternative to the silken tofu based chocolate pudding I've made often, perhaps even a more pudding-y texture (and doesn't require silken tofu, which I don't have any of at the moment). Really into cornflour thickening in desserts right now - nice smooth texture with no flavour distraction. All in all the pie was really yummy - S had thirds - and with a little tweaking of the crust mix I think it could be awesome. Perfect for a hot day's pie craving!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thanksgiving - more pumpkin
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Feeling a little detached - everyone is making big food plans and / or heading home across the country - S+I are privately just like: ummmm so you just want to eat lots of turkey? not really our bag... Although some friends from the South have invited us to help them drink beer and deep-fry turkey in their front yard. I assumed this meant deep-frying bits of turkey in the style of KFC, but then today I saw this video and a wave of realisation swept over me - this is serious! So yeah, right now our plan is to go to the best vegan restaurant in town and eat their 4-course thanksgiving menu, then head over to M+S's place to observe the turkey action...
One thing I love about Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie. Well, sweet pumpkin anything is pretty much awesome. I already cooked pumpkin for Halloween, but yeah, what's this season all about but excess?
This year: Pumpkin Cardamom Cake
(from this recipe)
1/4 cup fake milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp ground cardamom
Put the soy milk into a jug and add the vinegar, leave to curdle. Put dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a fork.
To the milk and vinegar mix add the oil, pumpkin puree and the vanilla and mix. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined.
Spoon into muffin tin or cake tin(s) and cook at 350F until golden on top and a skewer comes out clean (25-30 min).
These are goood - lovely warm orange colour, good texture, bold cardamom taste - perhaps a little too much cardamom, but I love the stuff so that's fine by me.
Last year: Pumpkin Pie
(from this recipe)
For the crust:
1/2 cup unbleached flour
7 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp veg oil
3 tbsp soy milk + 1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 to 4 tbsp water
For the filling:
2 cups pumpkin purée
1 cup fake milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar cane syrup (just used sugar / maple syrup instead)
1/4 cup cornflour (used regular flour instead - didn't expect it to work but it did!)
1/2 tbsp dark molasses or to taste (didn't have so used maple syrup instead)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
To make puree:
Heat oven to 400F, cut pumpkin or squash in half and place, cut side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 min until collapsing when poked. Scoop out the innards and mash them up. Can freeze if more than needed. Can use tinned if preferred.
To make crust:
In a mixing bowl, combine both flours, salt, sugar and baking powder. In small bowl, mix oil and soy milk mixture.
Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until it holds together in a ball. If it is too dry, add some water, a little at a time, until dough is moist enough to roll. (If time allows, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.)
Roll out dough onto clingfilm with a lightly floured rolling pin, forming an 11-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough. Flute or crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 425F.
To make filling:
In large bowl, mix all remaining ingredients until smooth and blended. Pour into prepared crust and smooth top. Bake 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350F; bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool, then refrigerate overnight.
I made this twice last year - it wasn't long after I'd gone vegan and this was my first successful vegan baking effort. Despite not having some of the ingredients and thinking a vegan pumpkin pie wouldn't work, it came out amazingly - all the tastes were there. I did almost manage to poison a friend with a nut allergy with hidden almond milk in the filling (she was fine, thank goodness).
One thing I love about Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie. Well, sweet pumpkin anything is pretty much awesome. I already cooked pumpkin for Halloween, but yeah, what's this season all about but excess?
 |
| Pumpkin Cardamom Cake |
This year: Pumpkin Cardamom Cake
(from this recipe)
1/4 cup fake milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp ground cardamom
Put the soy milk into a jug and add the vinegar, leave to curdle. Put dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a fork.
To the milk and vinegar mix add the oil, pumpkin puree and the vanilla and mix. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined.
Spoon into muffin tin or cake tin(s) and cook at 350F until golden on top and a skewer comes out clean (25-30 min).
These are goood - lovely warm orange colour, good texture, bold cardamom taste - perhaps a little too much cardamom, but I love the stuff so that's fine by me.
Last year: Pumpkin Pie
(from this recipe)
For the crust:
1/2 cup unbleached flour
7 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp veg oil
3 tbsp soy milk + 1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 to 4 tbsp water
For the filling:
2 cups pumpkin purée
1 cup fake milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar cane syrup (just used sugar / maple syrup instead)
1/4 cup cornflour (used regular flour instead - didn't expect it to work but it did!)
1/2 tbsp dark molasses or to taste (didn't have so used maple syrup instead)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
To make puree:
Heat oven to 400F, cut pumpkin or squash in half and place, cut side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 min until collapsing when poked. Scoop out the innards and mash them up. Can freeze if more than needed. Can use tinned if preferred.
To make crust:
In a mixing bowl, combine both flours, salt, sugar and baking powder. In small bowl, mix oil and soy milk mixture.
Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until it holds together in a ball. If it is too dry, add some water, a little at a time, until dough is moist enough to roll. (If time allows, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.)
Roll out dough onto clingfilm with a lightly floured rolling pin, forming an 11-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough. Flute or crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 425F.
To make filling:
In large bowl, mix all remaining ingredients until smooth and blended. Pour into prepared crust and smooth top. Bake 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350F; bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool, then refrigerate overnight.
I made this twice last year - it wasn't long after I'd gone vegan and this was my first successful vegan baking effort. Despite not having some of the ingredients and thinking a vegan pumpkin pie wouldn't work, it came out amazingly - all the tastes were there. I did almost manage to poison a friend with a nut allergy with hidden almond milk in the filling (she was fine, thank goodness).
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Pecan Pie (waiting for Irene)
In the meantime S went shopping - apparently Trader Joe's was a bit nuts. He took photos, but it looked like a normal Saturday to me (supermarkets are such depressing places)... It's been an odd week - last night Allston was overrun by flying ants, we had the earthquake on Wednesday, lots of rain and muggy weather...
I've never made pecan pie before, but was inspired by this recipe and this one to give it a go...
I used the Wind Attack crust, same as for the lime tart I made last weekend (I had half the quantity in the freezer).
I used the ppk recipe for the filling (used half quantities):
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (didn't have any brown, so used double white)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup margarine
6 oz extra firm silken tofu (1/2 of a tetra pack)
1/4 cup cold fake milk (used soy)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecan halves
Press crust into a pie dish (no need to pre-bake).
To make a caramel, mix the sugar and maple syrup in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring often with a whisk. Once small bubbles start rapidly forming, stir pretty constantly for about 10 minutes. The mixture should become thick and syrupy. It shouldn’t be boiling too fast.
Add the margarine, and stir to melt. Turn off the heat off, transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the filling, working quickly so that the caramel doesn’t completely set.
Put the tofu into a blender or food processor, along with the milk, cornstarch and salt. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender.
Preheat oven to 350F.
With the caramel still warm in the mixing bowl, add in the tofu mixture and the vanilla, and mix well. Fold in the pecans.
Transfer to prepared pie crust and bake for 40 minutes, til set.
It turned out good. The texture of the filling was perfect. The colour was a bit grey but suspect if I'd used the brown sugar as suggested that would not be noticeable. I thought my caramel had gone all wrong, but even so the recipe worked out OK. The crust was as before (perhaps more crumbly) - if I used it again I might try finer cornmeal. Or try a different recipe (perhaps with gluten). All in all, yummy. And not too fussy either (especially with the crust pre-made).
I also made this bread... Not that there's any way we will starve anytime soon - we have a pantry crammed with dried fruit, nuts, seeds, preserves, nut+seed butters, crackers, bananas, cereal, fake milk etc etc etc. But now S gets to eat favourites even if the power goes out...
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