Live Earth Farm Newsletter - Week 30, Season 15

Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
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Click here to go to the recipe database.

My my my... a pie contest, huh? Maybe this week I should give you some pie recipes -- the best from the database! - Debbie

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First, a savory pie (for the 'savory' category!) ;-)

[from 2004] Member Karen Sauer, who submitted this recipe, says, "I got several requests for this recipe after taking it to the potluck at the farm's Mini-Camp - it's a much modified version of Cauliflower Cheese Pie from Moosewood, and wheat-free. I often make this at the end of the week when I have too many "leftover" veggies and our pick-up is the next day, so it comes out a little different every time I make it!"

Vegetable Pie
Karen says, "this makes one large spring-form pie, or you can cut the recipe in half for a 9-inch pie plate."

Crust:
4 C packed grated raw potato
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C grated onion

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Set the freshly-grated potato in a colander over a bowl. Salt it and leave it for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess water (which can be used for stock) and add to remaining ingredients. Pat into well-oiled spring-form pan, building up the sides with lightly-floured fingers. Bake for 40-45 minutes - until browned. After the first 30 minutes, brush crust with oil to crispen it. Turn oven down to 375 degrees.

Filling:
2 C chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
Italian spices
salt and pepper
lots of veggies (I use whatever is left from our box, plus mushrooms)
cooking wine, white or red
4 eggs
1/2 C milk
2 to 3 C grated cheese - can use cheddar, or mixture of cheeses

Brown the onion and garlic in butter or oil and add Italian spices in whatever mixture you like (I cheat and buy the mixture) plus salt and pepper. Then add whatever veggies you want - I use a varied combo of carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, spinach or chard, tomatoes, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, etc, plus mushrooms. (This is one recipe for which I'm sure to use the food processor!) After the above is well mixed, add enough wine to layer the bottom of the pan/soup pot, cover and simmer for +/- 10 minutes. Place the spring-form pan with baked crust on a greased jellyroll pan (this will aid with clean-up). Spread about 1 cup of cheese on the baked crust, then the sautéed vegetables [drain off any liquid before adding], then the rest of the cheese. Beat the eggs and milk together and pour over all. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until pie has set.

Here's my very own Apple Pie recipe - I've been making it this way so many years, I've lost count. This originally ran in the Winter 2006 newsletter:

Debbie's Apple Pie
Since we're getting lots of apples, I thought I'd give you my old pie standby. This is long, but that's only because I'm describing how I really make it, not just listing ingredients and steps. ;-) I learned not to be afraid of making pies (some people have pie crust phobia), because I've always made what my mom called a 'stir-and-roll' crust. I think she got it originally from Joy of Cooking, and I have evolved it over the years (the original recipe called for plain milk and white flour; I love to use buttermilk or yogurt or kefir, and mix in part whole wheat flour). My recipe card is brown and crumbling, written in my immature, teenager handwriting, with scribbles and edits over the decades!

crust ingredients (for a 10" pie plate, top and bottom crust):
1 C whole wheat flour
2 C white flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk (I've also successfully used plain whole-milk yogurt or kefir)*
3/4 C plus 2 tbsp. canola oil*
*measured in the same cup, the total liquid volume comes to 1 1/2 C

pie ingredients:
7 to 8 large, tart apples
juice of half to one lemon, optional (i.e. for if you don't have tart apples)
1/4 to 1/3 C sugar
oh, maybe half a tsp. cinnamon (I never measure, just shake a bunch into the sugar and mix it together!)
ditto, but less (1/4 tsp?), with some ground cloves and even a little allspice
about 2 tbsp. butter
[since it is late fall and we're getting raspberries still, it'd be fun to sneak-toss a basket of raspberries in with the apples for color and yum!]

To make crust: toss and combine flour(s) and salt in a medium bowl with a fork. Whisk together buttermilk, yogurt or kefir and oil in the cup you measured it in. Pour into flour/salt mixture and stir to combine. Form into a ball and pull apart into two halves. Roll out half between two sheets of waxed paper until wider than the diameter of your pie plate by about an inch or more. Peel off one sheet of the waxed paper, and invert the bottom crust onto the pie plate (I always use a glass pie plate, by the way). Roll the other half of the dough between same two pieces of waxed paper and let rest while you prepare the filing.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and slice apples (I like to use my food processor with the 4mm slicing blade 'cause it's quick, but it is just as easy and very satisfying when you have the time to simply slice the apples right into the bottom crust!). Combine sugar and spices in a separate cup of some sort. I like to layer the apples and sugar, rather than tossing together in a bowl, so I'll put about a third of the apples into the bottom crust, then sprinkle a third of the sugar mixture over that, then dot with a little butter, then apples, then sugar, then dot with a little more butter, etc., until I can't stack the apples any higher! (Oh, and if you're using the lemon juice, just squeeze the juice from a lemon over the apples as you layer them in.)

Now go back to your top crust and peel off the top sheet of waxed paper, and cut a decorative design into the crust; the openings act as vents for the steam to escape. I traditionally make a 'sand dollar' design, with the vents extending radially out from the middle like the spokes of a wheel, but not connected at the center: four larger slits, with four smaller slits between the large ones. Once that's done, carefully invert the crust over the top of your apple pile, doing your best to make it land on center! Then tuck the overlapping top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp (I use my thumb and first and second fingers to seal it into a fluted edge). Optionally at this point, you may sprinkle additional cinnamon sugar mixture lightly over the crust, mostly the crimped part.

To protect the perimeter of the pie crust from burning, make a shield out of strips of aluminum foil (I take a long-ish piece off the roll, fold it lengthwise, unfold it and then tear it in half - it tears neatly along the crease - then fold these halves in half lengthwise and wrap them around the edge of the pie plate, overlapping the ends, and gently folding it in over the crust edge and crimping it below the rim of the glass pie plate so it stays in place).

Place pie in the middle of your oven and bake at 425 degrees for about 18 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 35 minutes or so, up to 40 minutes, but not too long, as you don't want the apples to get all mushy, just to cook down and get tender.

Note: the top crust will remain a high and lofty shell even though the apples cook down. This looks cool!

[from Winter 2008] Here is a sensational apple pie recipe, from Jesse Cool:

Apple-Asiago Pie
Jesse says, "This recipe was developed by Christine Guiterez, a former pastry chef at Flea St. Cafe [a restaurant of Jesse's in Menlo Park]. A twist on the classic Cheddar cheese and apple pie, this combination of apples with salty cheese and pepper may sound a bit unusual, but to me, it's even better than the traditional."

Crust
1 ½ C whole grain pastry flour
1 ½ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. salt
½ C very cold unsalted butter
½ C milk

Topping
1 C whole grain pastry flour
1 C packed brown sugar
1 C (2 oz) grated Asiago cheese
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp. very cold unsalted butter

Filling
6 large crisp apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
¾ C packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg [or ground, if you don't have fresh]

To make the crust:In a large bowl, combine the flour, thyme and salt. Grate the butter into the mixture. Using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are about the size of peas. Add the milk, ¼ C at a time, and blend until a soft, moist dough is formed. Add a few more tablespoons milk if the dough seems dry. It should be somewhat sticky.

Form the dough into a ball then flatten into a round. disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the topping:In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cheese and pepper. Grate the butter into the mixture. Using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are about the size of peas. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the crust dough is chilled, place it on a well-floured surface and roll to about a 1/8" thickness, turning and flouring the dough often to keep it well-floured. Fold the dough in half and place in a 9" or 10" pie plate. [Unfold the dough on pie plate], turn under and crimp the crust.

To make the filling:In a large bowl, combine the apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg. Place in the prepared crust. Crumble the crumb topping over the apples.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the crust is browned and the apples are soft. Place on a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

[also from Winter 2006; another savory pie!] Here's a very interesting recipe which I'm anxious to try called "Lumbardy Pie," a savory beet, cheddar and currant pie.

Lumdardy Pie
Member Piper McNulty who submitted this says, "This is an amazing recipe for plain red beets (does not work well with striped or yellow beets, must be solid red). It is a savory pie to be served as a side or main dish. It is from 'The good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin,' by John Partridge, 1594 - given to me by my cousin, who was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism in college. It sounds crazy but it looks gorgeous and tastes amazing - (and I don't like red beets particularly). Slices are a beautiful hot pink and hold together firmly."

1 1b. fresh red beets, finely grated (about 4 smallish beets)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. to 1 tbsp. bread crumbs (you can make your own from a bit of bread)
3/4 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 C currants
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger or 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
3 egg yolks (or you could try 2 whole eggs?)
4 tbsp. butter, melted

1 bottom crust in pie pan [if you want an easy pie crust recipe, see the crust in the "Debbie's Apple Pie" recipe, which ran in the last newsletter, Winter Share week 3]

Mix all ingredients.
Fill pie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool.

Here's another savory pie recipe, also from back in 2004!

Eggplant-Cheese Pie with Zucchini Crust
from Jane Brody's Good Food Book
6 main-dish servings

"The pie can be prepared in advance for baking. Or it can be baked through and reheated at serving time," says Jane.

1 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 med. onion, chopped (about 1/2 C)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2" cubes (about 4 1/2 C)
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp. dried basil
Dash or 2 of cayenne
1 small zucchini [summer squash], sliced
2/3 C (1 sm. can) evaporated milk
1 egg
8 oz. mozzarella, grated (about 2 C)

In a large skillet, melt the butter or margarine and sauté the onion, garlic and eggplant for 2 minutes. Cover the skillet, and continue cooking the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until the eggplant is soft, stirring the mixture a few times.

Add the salt, oregano, basil, and cayenne, and stir mixture well.

Line the bottom and sides of a greased 10-inch pie plate with the zucchini slices. Carefully spoon the eggplant mixture over them.

In a bowl, combine the evaporated milk, egg, and cheese. Pour this mixture over the vegetables.

Bake the pie in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes.