Savory Pies

My love of pies goes way back.  Often when asked what kind of birthday cake I would like as a child (and still today), my response would be “pie.”  However, as I’ve gotten older, while I still make traditional sweet pies at holidays or when peaches are in season, the types of pies I find myself making and eating most often are savory pies.  In fact lately I seem to have an obsession with a particular savory pie, the quiche pie.

Quiche is one of those foods like pizza where you can take bits of leftover food and make something wonderful.  It’s also one of those foods that only requires pie dough, eggs, some sort of dairy, and whatever else you fancy.  As I make pie crusts two at a time, there’s often an extra in the freezer.  If not, I usually have flour & some sort of fat in the house.

Once you have a bottom crust in the pie pan, sauté some vegetables and any meat that’s not already cooked.  Set that aside.  Beat up half a dozen eggs  - more or less depending on the depth of your pie plate and the volume of the rest of your ingredients.  I usually beat in some half and half or whole milk with the eggs, a large pinch of salt and another of nutmeg.  Put your meat and vegetable mixture in the crust, maybe some cheese, and pour the egg mixture on top.  Give a little jiggle to evenly coat everything and bake in a medium oven until  the egg is set.

Most traditional recipes call for full cream in the  egg mixture, and sometimes quite a lot, but since I tend to eat quiche more often than I should, I try to go easy in this department. This also makes the quiche travel a bit better as it’s a bit more solid than the varieties with lots of cream and I like to make quiches to take on road trips (weird, but it always gets eaten).

Some of the classic combinations include ham or bacon and cheese, broccoli and cheddar, spinach and feta, sautéed mushrooms, but don’t let these limit you.

Here’s one I made with broccoli, leaks, sundried tomatoes, a couple pieces of bacon, and a sprinkling of cheese. 

  

Which brings me to another pie technique.  In this case, I had a lot of vegetables and only a shallow tart pan, meaning I knew my quiche would not take long in the oven to set.  Which means my pie crust might not be done by the time the filling was done.  If you find yourself in this scenario, all you need to do is blind bake the pie crust.  Why it is called that, I have no idea as you can generally see  what’s going on with the pie crust easier than you can when it’s filled.

Simply line your dish with the crust.  Some people are lucky and can just bake it like this, especially if they are on TV.  

I find my piecrust tends to slide down the pan when I try, so I line the crust with foil and put some rocks on it.  You can also use parchment paper and pie weights, dried beans, or coins, but I have rocks around and I’m not sure what effect pre-baking beans has on them when you actually want to use those beans.

(Don't blame my mother for this one; she uses proper pie weights.)

Pop the crust in the oven for 10 minutes or more to give it a head start and then fill and bake as usual.

Finally, quiches aren’t the only savory pies.  Last time we had dinner guests, my SO made these pies for dinner:

(Familiar picture?  I did at least put the crust on these . . .)

In one, he sautéed beef, mushroom, onion, squash , and carrots, added some broth and let the whole thing simmer for a while.  The other one was similar though it had venison (they sell that at the regular store here) and some wine in the mixture.  When he was ready to fill the pie crusts, rather than add a thickener like flour as most meat pies call for, he strained most of the extra liquid and made gravy to pour on afterward.  (I live a charmed life with someone else who can cook too.)  Chicken pot pie is similar, only there’s milk added in with the broth. 

(Mmm - meat pie filling.)

If you’re not using his creative method and want some thickener, add a couple tablespoons of flour to be melted in with butter in a frying pan or pot and cook until golden brown as if making a roux or gravy.  Then add the liquid to that (followed by everything else) and simmer until the liquid thickens up a bit so your pie doesn’t come out watery.  Once that’s done, pour into a pie dish lined with one pie crust and top with another pie crust, pinching the two together to seal.  Don’t worry about making perfect designs with the pie crust – pies look impressive enough on their own so no need to succumb to your obsessive-compulsive tendencies.  Rustic is good – it makes your food look homemade.

Do cut a couple of vents in the top of your pie – this will avoid explosion and soggy bottom.  Do also place it in the bottom of a medium oven (350 or so) and bake it for 45 minutes – or until you’re afraid the crust might burn. 

Whatever savory pie you choose, remember recipes are just guidelines and pies are actually a good way to take the leftovers you have (turkey anyone?) and making them into a tasty savory meal that seems to have some cohesion.

Simple Pureed Soups

While some may liken pureed soups to eating watered down baby food, I find them to be one of the best ways to showcase the flavors of a vegetable and make sure I'm getting my 5 a day.

The process for all of them is simple and they allow for some experimentation with seasoning.  While it's true, that unless you consider an entire loaf of bread to be the appropriate accompaniment, these soups won't exactly fill you up.  They are, however, perfect starts to supper or a nice way to update that all time comfort meal of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

Case in point - broccoli and cauliflower soup with cheese and bacon sandwiches:

The Process

All pureed soups are pretty much the same thing: vegetables cooked and pureed with vegetable or chicken stock.

I generally follow this formula:  Saute some chopped onions in butter or olive oil in a soup pan.  Add a clove of chopped garlic and whatever vegetable I will be featuring.  Saute a bit longer then pour in enough stock to cover what's in the pan.  Cook until the veggies are just about mushy.

Put in blender (may need to do this in batches if you have a lot) with any other seasonings you might decide to add.  When blending hot liquid, I usually cover the lid of the lid of the blender down with a folded towel as some of it will try to escape.  Pour back into your soup pan.  Voila.  Soup.  If you think it should be a cream-based soup, add some cream now.  Put it into bowls and add some garnish if you're fancy.

Here are some combinations I've used:

Broccoli & Cauliflower

Onion, garlic, chicken stock and nothing else.  Or, cheddar cheese is also nice with broccoli - melt it some shredded cheese after you blend or just garnish with it.

Carrots 

Besides the onion, garlic, and stock, ginger (in the picture above), cumin, or cilantro (lots of it), are good additions.

Squash 

While most people think of butternut squash, I find the buttercup, kabocha, turban and other varieties that resemble a pumpkin on crack to be the sweeter varieties.  Since I hate peeling winter squash, I usually toss these whole in the oven and bake on high-ish heat for a about an hour, or until they are soft (check that a fork easily goes in). When it's done, I chop it in half and scoop out the seed slop.  Not only is this easier, but roasted veggies tend to have richer flavor.  With some of squashes I add no other seasonings except the onions and broth.  Otherwise, cooked sweet red pepper is nice as coconut milk and some curry spice.

Today I got a bit more adventurous having seen a recent rerun of a River Cottage episode:  After baking the squash, I sauteed some onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper in coconut oil and added to the blender with the squash, chicken stock, and spoonful of peanut butter.  Then I garnished it with chili sauce, yogurt and cilantro.  Pretty close to the original with some modifications based on what I had in hand.

Celeriac
Celery-who?  Some of this plant arrived in my veg box scheme and after figuring out what it was, one of the things I made with it was a soup.  My formula for this one turned out to be celeriac, onion, garlic, ginger powder (I would have used fresh but didn’t have it), a dash of salt, and pears.  Yes pears.  After sautéing onion, a smashed garlic clove and cubed celeriac, I poured enough chicken broth in the pan to cover.  Then I peeled, cored, and sliced some pears and tossed them in the pan.  Twenty minutes later, it all went into the blender.  It came out velvety and delicious.

Possible substitutions – an apple could be swapped in for the pears or parsnip or turnip for the celeriac.  It’s all good.

Basically, it's all just a simple formula for some good kitchen experimentation.

Leftover bird

So now that you've roasted your chicken, what to do with what's left?

Even if you think you ate most of it - look again.  Those scraps leftover are perfect for one of my rediscovered favorites, the humble chicken salad sandwich.  Don't worry, we're not talking the gross gluey glob of greasy spoon lunch counters, but an actual chicken salad made with roast chicken and whatever else you have on hand that actually tastes good.

The formula is simple - cut of bits of chicken, fruit, veggies, nuts, or herbs and enough mayo or other condiments to make it hold together.  A couple of my favorite combos:

Chicken, apple, red onion, tarragon, mayo, and dijon.
Chicken, dried apricot bits, sage, walnuts, and mayo.
Chicken, olives, tomatoes (sun dried are especially nice).
Chicken, bacon, blue cheese, avocado.

Using the right ingredients (and properly roasted chicken as your start), and suddenly the chicken salad sandwich is something you actually want to eat.

If you have a bit more or just want something warm, here are some other ideas for the leftover chicken:

Saute some veggies, garlic and herbs in olive oil and add to pasta.
Make a burrito, tacos, or enchiladas.
Use as a topping for a pizza.
Make a stir-fry or a curry.
Make a chicken noodle soup (we'll cover soup stock later).

While most of these are simple foods, they will all taste better when the chicken has been roasted.

I decided to make a sandwich for lunch (chicken, apricot, walnut, sage, and mayo) and a curry for dinner.
To make a curry, you can either saute vegetables, add a store-bought (cheater) sauce to simmer until the veggies are done, then toss in bits of the roast chicken, and heat through.

While jarred curry sauces are not cooking from scratch, if you can find one you like made without all of the preservatives, it can be a great way to cook a large amount of vegetables, use up leftover bits of chicken, and still have something people will eat in a pinch.

I've been experimenting lately with trying curry from scratch and came up with the following: First I toasted some ground almonds and caraway seeds (to be honest, I accidentally dumped half the bottle of caraway seeds not realizing it did not have a sprinkle top and had to fish them out of the hot pan - doh!).  Then, I added some coconut oil (butter or other oil would work just fine), chopped garlic, onion, and ginger and sauted.  Then I added a couple of teaspoons of garam masala spice (other curry blends would work) and some extra chile powder and flakes.  Once everything was well-coated in spice and it formed sort of a paste, I tossed in some chopped potatoes and tomatoes and enough chicken stock to just cover.  I let the potatoes go for about 5 minutes, then added carrots.  After another 10-15 minutes, I added some greens (kale) and then finally topped off with the leftover chicken and a good-sized splash of cream.

Curry.  Of sorts.  It did turn out tastier than the jarred version :)

Chicken Salad Sandwich
(Bad picture, good sandwich)

Pizza is important

Why is pizza important?  Two reasons:  Everybody but the grouchiest curmudgeon loves pizza and it's a really good way to use up random bits of food.

First, the crust.  While I promised to free you from recipes, see rule #5 in the first post.  Admittedly, baking provides its own set of challenges, so unless it's your profession, you probably need to somewhat adhere to a formula to ensure that it's food and not glue that you end up with.  Luckily, pizza is something that I make often enough that I can remember the ratios without looking them up. You could probably just put the amounts on a post-it note inside of a cupboard.

• 3 cups flour (plain all-purpose, though you can substitute up to half for wheat flour or bread flour)
• A packet or a bit less than a tablespoon of instant yeast (you can use the kind you add to water to proof, but its harder and won't make a noticeable difference)
• At least a teaspoon of salt (do not skip)
• One tablespoon of olive oil (or other oil or melted butter)
• One tablespoon of honey or sugar (optional)
• One cup of warm water

Mix the dry ingredients together, then everything else.  If the dough is too sticky, add some more flour.  If you can't get it to come together add some more water. Either way, add a very small amount at a time.  You can also throw in some chopped fresh or dried herbs if you're fancy.

Once you have a nice dough ball, knead for 5 minutes. Kneading is basically shoving it around and squashing it - there's no right way as long as you are not tearing up the dough. Most people use a floured surface. I usually knead it directly in the bowl I made it in or knead it in my hands since I'm too lazy to clean the floured surface at this point.

Put it back in the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and leave for about an hour until it's twice its size. Alternatively, throw it in the fridge and deal with it tomorrow. Or throw it in the freezer and deal with it whenever.

Once it has doubled in size, fold the dough a few times to return it back to its original size and squash the air out. You're now ready to go.

Turn the oven on as high as it will go - it'll need at least 15-20 minutes to get anywhere near hot enough.

This recipe will make 4 small pizzas, 3 medium, or two biggish pizzas. If you can't eat it all now, make it all now and take the rest with you to work tomorrow for lunch. Or the dough will keep two days in the fridge and indefinitely in the freezer.

Flour a work surface (i.e. the counter) and divide the dough into however many pizzas you are making. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (or wine bottle if you don't have one) and place either on a greased tray large enough for the pizza base, or, for the fancy, on a heated baking stone with polenta (course corn flour) sprinkled on it.

My baking stone is actually a large terra cotta flower pot base that I got cheap at the hardware store when I decided to bake a bunch of bread. We do one pizza on this and the others on regular metal tray. The one on the stone is easier to get off, but not much other difference.

The sauce:
You don't need pizza sauce.  Leftover pasta sauce (red, white, pesto) will work, as will BBQ sauce, pureed tomatoes, or just plain olive oil brushed on with some chopped garlic and herbs.  The point of the pizza is to get rid of the stuff in your fridge, not add to it.  You can even skip the sauce.

The toppings:
This is the true beauty of the pizza - anything goes.  Here is where you get to look at what you have and imagine what flavors go well together and work with it.  If you're a mediocre gardener like me, and don't know how to highlight that one pathetic eggplant you managed to grow this year, put it on a pizza.

Some tips:

• Meat should be cooked.  Bacon makes most things better, but leftover chicken, sausage, carne asada, salmon (if there is such a thing as leftover salmon) are all great.  Deli meats are also fine.
• Vegetables - while raw is fine, if you have leftover grilled or sauted veggies, these are even better. Pickled and canned ones work as well (corn, olives, etc.), as does salsa. You could probably even put leftover chinese or other takeout food on it and be fine.
• Cheese - mozzarella, while delicious, is not the only good cheese on pizza.  In fact, it doesn't even have to melt to be good.
• Herbs - add some if you have some growing or have some leftover.  Garlic or ginger are also nice if you like strong flavors.

Now that you have your truly stunning flavor creation, put it in the oven for 10-12 minutes - or as long as you can without burning it.
That's it.

(Fortunately our pizza baking skills are better than our photography skills.  Note to self, no more pictures of partially-eaten food.)