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9.17.2010

Week 14/15 - A Couple of Pies

[Posted by Ruth]
With the arrival of the cooler weather, I've been getting reacquainted with my oven.  The fist pie is a long time favorite of mine that I first had at my sister Phyllis' house.  This is one of the tastes I think of when I think of summer.  You have to make it when there are good, ripe tomatoes to be had.  It's fast and simple and is a great picnic dish. 

Tomato Pie
1 unbaked Pie Crust (you can refer to the "Veggies Night Out" post from 6-18-10 for my pie crust recipe, use your own, or use a prepared pie crust)  I do this in a large, 12" pie plate.  Alternately, you can use a tart pan - just do only 1 layer of tomatoes if using a tart pan.

Approx 2 T flour (Wondra if you have it),
2 or 3 ripe tomatoes, sliced (if they are very juicy tomatoes, remove the seeds and pulp)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, white looks better in the finished product
Approx 6 T mayonnaise (as much as you need to place even 'dots' over the top)


Preheat oven to 375.  Sprinkle flour in bottom of pie shell.  Use more or less depending upon how juicy the tomatoes are.  Arrange tomato slices in 1 layer, slightly overlapping.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and about 1/3 of the cheese.  Put a second layer of tomatoes on top of the first, sprinkle with salt and pepper and the rest of the cheese.  Dot the mayonnaise all over the top of the pie.  Bake until top is browned and bubbly, approx 30-40 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature and serve.


The second pie I made this week was a cabbage pie from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman.  We were happy enough with the results but think this one still needs work.  It is a cabbage pie with a biscuit-like topping.  The filling was very good but I would have liked the crust to be a bit more biscuity and less eggy.  My husband liked the crust the way it was, so who knows?


Cabbage Pie adapted from "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"
1 small/medium head cabbage, shredded
1 small onion, chopped
4 T butter
1 tsp caraway seeds
Salt and pepper to taste


Top and Bottom
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk yogurt or sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)
3 T mayonaise
1/2 Baking Powder
1 1/2 cups flour.
1/2 tsp salt 


1 cup shredded Gruyere Cheese


Prereheat oven to 375.  Melt butter in large skillet and cook cabbage and onions over medium heat until softened, but not browned.  Add salt, pepper and caraway seeds.


Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  In a larger bowl, combine yogurt and mayonnaise.  Whisk in the eggs.  Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.  


In a 9" x 12" glass baking or casserole dish, spread a little bit less than 1/2 of the biscuit mixture on the bottom.  Sprinkle 1/2 the cheese over the biscuit.  Top with the cabbage mixture and then the remaining cheese.  Spread the remaining biscuit mixture over the top.  Try to cover the entire top.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is puffed and shiny brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.


This also reheated well the next day.

Here is the week 15 haul.  We got edamame, which was a cool surprise!



9.12.2010

Week 14 - Back to School Fusion

[Posted by Ruth]
I don't have school-aged kids anymore but there's still something about this time of year that makes me want to go out and buy pens and a new notebook.  I was feeling that way and missing making lunch for our sons last week so I make myself a very grown up PB and J to take for lunch.  Peanut Butter and Hot Pepper Jelly on slices of Wave Hill Bread with a bit of Arugula.  
It was great, with almost a Spicy Thai quality..
 So when this week's farm share arrived and I saw all the peppers, both sweet and hot, I decided I had to make my own Hot Pepper Jelly.  (Full disclosure:  I used all the peppers in the bowl except the green pepper, saving that one for later.)

Hot Pepper Jelly Adapted from Hotter Than Hell by Jane Butler

Note: Have your canning equipment sterilized and ready.  This made 8 half pints of jelly.  Be sure to wash, sterilize and follow all USDA suggested practices for home canning.  Be safe, don't skip any steps.

3 Large Peppers, seeded (I used 1 red, 1 yellow and one long red)
6 Hot Peppers - I took most of the seeds out but left the ribs for the extra heat
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
6 1/2 cups sugar
2 3 oz packages of liquid pectin

Chop peppers together in a food processor until finely chopped.  Put in heavy saucepan with all other ingredients except pectin.  Bring to a rolling boil and boil, uncovered for 30 minutes.  Stir in pectin.  Be sure to squeeze all the pectin out of the packages.  Continue to boil for about 2 more minutes, until the jelly slides off a metal spoon in sheets when held perpendicular to the pot.

 Spoon jelly into hot, sterilized jars, taking care to evenly distribute the chopped peppers and keeping the rims wiped clean.  A canning funnel is a great help for this.  Seal and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes.  Remove jars to towel and let cool completely.  When cool, remove rings and pick up each jar by the seal to ensure the seal is tight.  If any jar hasn't sealed, you can refrigerate it to use first.  Grab the peanut butter and some bread or some crackers and cream cheese!  I'm also thinking that combined with peanut butter, ginger and soy sauce, this would make a really interesting dip for grilled chicken.