Broccoli mushroom pie

I had some portobello mushrooms which I can't keep stored for long, and a head of broccoli lying in my fridge. Easy way to finish off both is in a pie!

You need: 1 tbsp butter, 2-3 tbsp olive oil, 5 portobello mushrooms chopped, broccoli chopped, a small onion, 1tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup vodka, basil leaves, cheddar cheese.

For the crust I have started following Poe's cheddar crust recipe for all my pies. It's very simple and the cheddar adds a subtle flavor layer, and makes even the crust very tasty. (http://pinkpaperlanterns.blogspot.in/2012/12/dreamy-apple-pie.html)

 

For the filling, I saute a chopped onion in butter and olive oil, till it becomes golden. Then add the chopped mushrooms  and broccoli till they become tender. I glazed it with about quarter cup of vodka. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar. For season, some fresh basil leaves. Salt and pepper. Don't overcook the veggies. Take it off the flame and let it cool.

Meanwhile cut the potato in half and boil for 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices.

Transfer the contents into the pie crust. Arrange the potato slices in a fan like pattern to cover the pie. Brush the top with olive oil and grate a bit of cheddar on top. You can also sprinkle some bread crumbs on top for crunch.
Preheat the oven at 180 deg c, and bake for about 20-25 minutes till the potatoes turn golden.

This goes well with an apple- arugula salad. (http://pinkpaperlanterns.blogspot.in/search/label/apple%20arugula%20salad )

The best fennel potato pie (with zucchini and carmelized onions)

Today, I tried fennel for the first time! I have seen them prepare it in a hundred delicious ways on Masterchef, I don't know why I haven't bothered cooking it before. So for dinner, I made up my own version of a fennel pie, and tried to incorporate in all the veggies I had at home. It was an experiment, but it turned out brilliant!

You need: for pastry

• 2 ½ cups plain organic flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 100g unsalted butter, chilled and diced into 1cm cubes
• 170g cheddar cheese
• ½ cup ice water

for filling: 2-3 bulbs of fennel, 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 1/4 zucchini, garlic (4 cloves) sherry wine (1tbsp), balsamic vinegar (1tbsp), cheese (any kind), rosemary and thyme- a few sprigs, butter, 1/2 cup milk, a spoon of fresh cream.

There are 4 basic processes, that you need to juggle around a bit.
1. Pastry
and for the filling....
2. blanched fennel and zucchini
2. Caramelized onions
3. potato mash

We need to get started on the pastry first. It is a very simple process, it's the same method I used for the apple pie I posted earlier (http://pinkpaperlanterns.blogspot.in/2012/12/dreamy-apple-pie.html)
With the pastry in the fridge and out of the way, lets get on to the veggies.

In a vessel blanch coarsely chopped fennel and zucchini in boiling water for about 5 minutes, and set aside.

In a shallow pan, saute chopped onions and garlic in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add the sherry white wine after that, and balsamic vinegar. Add some salt and pepper and herbs and saute in low heat for another 5 minutes. Don't let the onions burn at any point. Set aside.

Meanwhile chop the potatoes fine and boil them. Once they are soft, mash them coarsely and toss in a cube of butter and a spoon of fresh cream. Add the mash to the onions, along with milk, and combine till the mixture gets all smooth and gooey.

Assembling the pie:
Drape the pastry into the pie dish.  Pour the filling (the onion potato mash and fennel- zucchini) into the pastry lined pie dish. Gently pat down to even off surface and dot with diced butter, crumbled feta and shredded gruyere. Cover the filling with rolled out dough and pinch the edges to seal the pie.
Make a few slits on the surface and brush it with a bit of olive oil before tossing it into the oven for about 30 mins at 200 deg c.

 

You can improvise by using any other vegetable- carrots, peas, broccoli. And it's quite filling, couldn't have more than two slices!

Dreamy apple pie

Sugar n spice n everything nice. That's what apple pies are made of. Poe's kitchen- a regular cookery show but the other day I saw her making a beautiful apple pie. Non fussy easy recipe. So I quickly ordered a pie mold online and got on with it.

You need

• 2 ½ cups plain organic flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 100g unsalted butter, chilled and diced into 1cm cubes
• 170g cheddar cheese
• ½ cup ice water

Mix salt with flour, then add the butter. Grab small handfuls of the mixture and rub the fats through the flour until you achieve a dry crumble. Add cheddar and repeat this process. When you feel the fats and cheese are thoroughly incorporated, add water, but only a bit at a time.  You only need enough water for the mixture to just hold together. Divide into half, shape into a ball and then squash into thick disks. Cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum of 30 minutes

Filling
• 1 ½ kg of peeled, cored and cut into 5mm slices, red apples
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup organic plain flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 50g unsalted butter, diced 1cm cubes

Combine all ingredients (except butter) in a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat until apples collapse but aren’t quite tender. Allow to completely cool. Set aside.

Remove pastry from fridge and rest for 10 minutes. Flour both surfaces of 1 disk and roll until 3 mm thick. Drape pastry over rolling pin and transfer to pie dish. Lift the overhanging bits and gently tap the pastry into the corners of the pie dish. Trim the sides off with a knife and chill for 15 minutes.
Pour filling into a mound, into the pastry lined pie dish. Gently pat down to even off surface and dot with diced butter. Refrigerate while making lattice.

 After making the basket weave lattice, trim excess pastry off, pinch the edges and seal. Pop it into oven immediately and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, turn heat down to 180ºC, then glaze thoroughly with a brush.(eggless glaze- whisk equal amounts of oil, sugar and milk) Return to oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden.