Leftover Pie

I've discovered that eating seasonally means you can rarely follow a recipe exactly. Most cook books and web cites suggest combining ingredients that don't usually grow in the same season. As a result, any "flexible" recipes I come across inevitably end up getting used again and again.

I got this great recipe for vegetable pot pie from http://earthgirlknits.blogspot.com/2010/03/pot-pie.html . As I read the directions, it occurred to me that this pie can be adapted to include pretty much anything, any time of year. I decided to try it out the night before the farmer's market as a way to get rid of all the leftover produce I hadn't yet eaten this week.



(Yes, it looks a little weird. I ran out of dough for the top of the crust, but I promise, the flavor was not affected).

Leftover pie is destined to become a regular in my kitchen. It was so much fun to make, and since the leftovers in my fridge change every week, I don't think this dish will ever be boring.

Local ingredients in my pie:

• flour
• butter
• butternut squash
• mushrooms
• white beans
• parsnip
• swiss chard
• onions

In-Between Meals

My new favorite end of winter/start of spring meal: Zucchini pizza with mashed chilean squash (both recipes from Moosewood).


Local ingredients in the pizza:

• zucchini
• whole wheat flour
• eggs
• portabello mushrooms
• tomato sauce
• rosemary
• goat's milk ricotta

Local ingredients in the squash:

• butternut squash
• green bell pepper
• onion
• yogurt

Bakers

I've been told that there are cooks and there are bakers. I am a cook. I substitute ingredients based on what's in the fridge, I measure amounts by eye-balling how much more will fit in the pan, and when I take notes on a recipe, they usually include such insightful comments as "next time it needs more flavor." These traits make for some creative and varied meals, but baking? Baking is different. Baking requires precision.

I have very few baking success stories.

Still, despite my past failures, tonight's meal compelled me to try again. Now that parsley is finally available at the market again, I spent the week perfecting my falafel recipe, and I needed some pita bread to go with it. So, armed with a stocked pantry and the greatest vegetarian cookbook I know of (Mollie Katzen's Moosewood), I attempted to bake.


2 hours later I had some very respectable pita. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good for a "cook".

Local ingredients in my pita/falafel:

• Whole wheat flour
• Honey
• Corn meal
  
• White beans
• Onion
  
• Parsley
• Garlic
• Yogurt cheese
• Lettuce
  

Cooking with Help

In my opinion, cooking was never meant to be a solitary activity. Yes, it's good for the occasional moment of quite time, but the best meals are always a collaboration.


This weekend I had the pleasure of trying a new popover recipe with 2 of the most enthusiastic soux chefs I've ever had the pleasure of working with. These little guys not only measured and stirred with the best of them. They also kept a very close eye on the "popping process."

(See? Kids really can survive without a TV)

Kids are excellent reminders of what cooking should be; messy, creative, and most of all, fun.


Local ingredients in the popovers:

• flour
• eggs
• butter
• milk

My Resolution

Happy New Year!!

This year, my boyfriend and I made a joint resolution. We committed to learning 1 new recipe each week. Although I love to cook, we all need that occasional push outside of our culinary comfort zones. I'll be posting some of my success stories here, along with where I found the recipe and a list of the ingredients I was able to obtain from local sources.

We started off with polenta pie from Mollie Kazten's Moosewood Cookbook (a much loved Christmas present).

(It looked and tasted better than the picture suggests)

This was a great winter recipe because the filling can be adapted to include whatever vegetables and herbs we have available at the time. My boyfriend and I used onions, swiss chard, tomato sauce and garlic. We were very happy with this recipe, but I'll make a few changes next time. I'll use a thinner polenta crust and add a little more seasoning to it.

Local ingredients:

• cornmeal
• onion
• garlic
• swiss chard
• cheese
• tomato sauce

Thanksgiving: Take 2

Thanksgiving lunch was a hit! I gave up on soup and made squash sandwiches with goat cheese and onion. They were so well received, my mother let me in the kitchen to make the brussel sprouts for dinner. Those 2 dishes, plus my grandmother's home-grown cherry pie meant that Thanksgiving at our house contained more local dishes than ever before (a huge accomplishment given that my parents are addicted to Costco). 

Progress. 

Thanksgiving: Take 1

My parents usually have Thanksgiving at their house, and this year I'd really like to help make the dinner (I want to learn my grandmother's stuffing recipe). Unfortunately, my mother's typical response to inquiries about how I can help is, "you can help me by getting out of the kitchen so I can finish. Go watch the parade." 

Instead of getting in her way, I decided that I could prove my worth in the kitchen by making Thanksgiving lunch. I starting searching for a pumpkin soup recipe that I could make almost entirely out of local ingredients. I figured soup would be something light, so it won't fill everyone up before dinner, and it can be prepared ahead so it'll keep us from interrupting my mom in the kitchen. After weeks of searching for the perfect recipe, I made this...

...and it was crap. My devoted taste tester took 1 bite and said "I love you, but please don't make people eat this." He spent the rest of the day referring to the soup as "poo food" - a delightful little nickname referring to its color and texture. 

I haven't given up on the idea of Thanksgiving lunch, but if I try to serve my family "poo food," I think I'll be banned from the kitchen permanently. So for now it's back to the drawing board.