Fearless Kitchen

Turkey Meatballs in an Almond Sauce

Recipe Source: The Peanut Butter Boy, www.peanutbutterboy.com

 

I saw this recipe that the Peanut Butter Boy posted a while ago, and it looked absolutely delicious.  The name of his original was Indonesian Meatballs with Peanut Sauce.  I love nut-based sauces, and I love meatball type dishes.  I decided that I was going to make this for one of our Sunday open houses as an appetizer.  Unfortunately, we didn't get as much of a turnout as we'd expected, so I didn't need the appetizer after all, and I wound up making this for dinner. 

I made a lot of changes to the original recipe, which you can find here.   The biggest change was the peanuts.  I love Peanut Butter Boy's recipes, but every time I read his blog I have to mentally substitute almonds or cashews for the peanuts.  I'm allergic to peanuts.  I would usually have substituted cashews for the peanuts in a Southeast Asian savory dish - I'm not sure why I do that, the flavor just seems a little more "right" to me.  That said, I really love the flavor of almonds and decided that I wanted almonds for this dish.  The change in course - dinner for appetizer - gave birth to the next two changes.  First, I changed the pork for turkey.  When the dish was intended to be served at Open House, I wanted to accommodate someone who always says she's likely to stop by.  This person avoids pork, so I decided that this would be turkey instead.  When it became dinner the need to avoid pork was eliminated, but I already had the turkey.  I used dark meat, because it's a little more moist and I didn't want dry meatballs.  Finally, instead of a quarter cup of coconut milk, I used a full 14 ounce can.  I could make a lot of noise about wanting more of a sauce to go with the rice I added, and it would be true.  I really did want to have more of a sauce, to be soaked up by the rice and give that extra something to the dish.  I also didn't have a use for the rest of the coconut milk that week and didn't want it hanging around in the fridge. 

The rest of my changes were minor.  I garnished with some dried coconut and I think I increased the cumin, because cumin is one of my favorite flavors.  I served the meatballs over brown rice with saffron, which gave the dish a very nice odor.  Unfortunately the saffron might have been a little wasted otherwise, because you couldn't see the color with all the sauce, but the flavor was still there and that's what matters. 

So, what was the effect of all those changes?  Well, first of all, I used dark meat for the turkey.  Dark meat has more moisture and flavor than light meat, so I don't think that I really lost anything by using turkey for pork.  Using the whole can of coconut milk certainly allowed the milk to get soaked up by the rice, which was part of the goal, and kind of increased the "comfort-food" level of the dish for me.  Using the almonds did change the flavor of the dish.  It gave it a slightly darker flavor, which probably doesn't make much sense but it's the only way I can think of to describe the way the tone of the dish changed.  It became a little darker, a little earthier.  Cashews I think might have been truer to the original recipe.  Either one avoids the whole I-can't-breathe thing for me, although both obviously change the flavor of the dish. 

Special thanks to Peanut Butter Boy for posting the original, and for letting me talk about it here. 

Technorati Tags: Peanut Butter Boy,peanut substitutes,almonds,almond butter,recipe,turkey,pork substitutes,coconut milk

Recipe: Pasta with Beef Ragout

Recipe Source: The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana volume 6 issue 2 p. 36, April-May 2001

This recipe did not come out the way I wanted it.  I had expected something a little less dry, something with a little more sauce.  I had expected something more like a ragout.  What I got was something more like a very dry beef and vegetable saute with pasta.  That said, once I got over my disappointment over the lack of liquid, this became a very tasty dish.  The beef had an interesting flavor to it thanks to the wine and the stewing process.  The peas gave it a slightly healthier edge and even the carrots didn't completely throw it off.  What really surprised me were the bursts of thyme flavor - I really didn't use all that much thyme, and those little bursts were powerful! 

Naturally, I made a few changes.  If you own this copy of this particular magazine you'll note that the first change is the most basic.  This was supposed to be a lamb ragu, not a beef ragout.  I didn't have stewing lamb.  What I did have was a beautiful, very fresh piece of grain-fed beef that I didn't use when I intended.  It was going to become a very non-fresh piece of beef momentarily, which would have been a crying shame.  So I used a pound of it and froze the rest for a time when my husband won't be around to complain about frozen meat.  I thought I had tomato paste when I started, but apparently I was mistaken because I couldn't find it anywhere.  I therefore omitted it (and rectified the situation the next day - who doesn't have tomato paste?)  I used homemade duck stock in place of the bouillon cube.  It had a very mild flavor but was much less salty than the bouillon of the original recipe.  I didn't have a full box of pasta but that was okay.  There were only two of us, after all.  I made up the difference with the rest of the open package of frozen peas - I didn't want to have them taking up space in my freezer anymore. 

Pasta with Beef Ragout (serves 4; approx. $3.18)

1 cup duck stock (you can use other kinds of stock if you don't have homemade duck stock taking up space in your freezer.)

1 onion, finely minced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb sirloin beef, cut into very tiny (1/8", for those of you who can eyeball things so minutely) pieces

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 bay leaf

2 thyme sprigs

1/2 lb dried pasta - I used rotelle

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Equipment:

• Large pot for cooking pasta
• Colander
• Large saute pan with lid

1. Heat the oil in the saute pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, celery and carrot.  Saute 2 - 3 minutes. 
3. Add the beef and make sure it browns on all sides.
4. Deglaze with the wine and allow it to evaporate.
5. Stir in the duck stock, bay leaf and thyme.
6. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
7. Fill the large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions, along with the frozen peas. 
8. Drain. 
9. Stir the pasta and peas into the pan mixture. 
10. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.  Serve. 

Technorati Tags: Italian food,beef,ragout,recipe,easy recipe,one-dish meals

Recipe: Quince and Lamb Stew

This is a very traditional Persian dish.  At least, I think it's traditional, because almost every Persian cookbook I own has some variant of it.  When I decided to try to make it, I couldn't decide which variation I liked more.  Some were more complex, some less; some involved more spices, some almost none.  What they all had in common was meat (usually lamb), split peas (precisely 1/3 cup across the board), onions and turmeric.  Oh, and quinces, of course.  I decided that I would make my own variation, drawing on all these resources.  The result was a very delicately flavored stew with an almost floral aroma, despite the fact that I used no floral waters in making this dish.  I liked it very much.  I would have liked it even more had I not decided to serve it with the boldly-flavored Sauteed Mushrooms and Wilted Spinach dish.  The mushrooms kind of overpowered the stew, which was too bad.  A word of warning: while it tastes great warm, it tastes pretty nasty after a night in the fridge, so eat this dish hot. 

 

Quince and Lamb Stew (serves 4; approx. $4.37/serving)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 pound lamb stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces

2 quinces, peeled and cut into wedges (put the wedges into acidulated water to keep them from browning)

1/3 cup split peas

1 cup water

1/4 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment:

• Large saute pan with lid

1. Heat the oil in the saute pan.
2. Add the lamb and brown well on all sides. 
3. Add the onion slices and cook until softened.  (Note: I did this in reverse order, but my onions were too moist and the meat did not brown.  I was sad.)
4. Add the split peas, water, and spices.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
5. Add the quinces and the lime juice.  Cover and simmer another 30 minutes. 
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

Technorati Tags: Persian food,original recipes,stew,lamb,quince,cardamom,split peas,easy recipes,recipe

Recipe: Phyllo Rolls with Quince

Recipe Source: Conistis, Peter.  Greek Cuisine: The New Classics.  Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 1994 p. 123.

Quince is such a quintessentially fall fruit that I'm always surprised when I have trouble finding it.  Truth be told, I've only had problems finding it since I've moved south of Boston.  I'm not sure if I just wasn't using it much when we lived north of the city or if the ethnic mix up north just meant that produce managers were better about stocking it.  At any rate, my husband and I recently took our salad-eating dog to the vet for his annual shots.  We still use the same vet we've been using for our cats, because they're difficult and this office knows how to handle them, so even though it involves an hour of drive time and a ton of gas we keep going back to Arlington.  We ran a couple of other errands up north when the Spouse remembered that he wanted to take me to Wilson Farms, which is in Lexington (north and west of Boston.) 

For those of you who live in the Syracuse, New York area, Wilson Farms is like a yuppie Haefner's.  For those of you who don't live near my parents, Wilson Farms is a very large, very well-stocked farmstand.  They sell a great deal of their own produce, although not exclusively.  They've got a great selection and when the Brookline Farmer's Market winds down (which will probably be soon), I will probably find an excuse to walk the dog somewhere near Lexington a couple of times a month at least.  I've been lamenting the high cost and low quality of produce in Boston for years and I'm quite pleased to say that I've finally found someplace that meets the standards I was raised with. 

All of this is a long-winded background for my saying, "I've purchased a lot of quinces."  Well, I have purchased quite a few quinces, which will keep admirably in my refrigerator.  I still wanted to do something with them right away, though.  This dessert was born of that desire.  I did make a few changes.  I used raw sugar instead of refined, because I prefer the flavor.  That's the same reason I used almond extract instead of vanilla.  The original recipe wanted the poached quince to be essentially a leftover quince from a different recipe (which is found later in the book, oddly enough.)  I didn't have the sweet red wine that the original wanted, so I made essentially a spiced sugar syrup and am actually giving you the recipe with the main recipe.  The original insists that you can get 36 slices out of this recipe.  I'm thinking that 24 is probably more feasible. 

Phyllo Rolls with Quince (makes 24 slices; approx. $0.67 per slice)

2 cups raw sugar

1 1/2 cups water

1 quince, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

10 cloves, whole

10 allspice berries, whole

1 cinnamon stick

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 cup water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

6 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 lb almonds, finely ground

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 box phyllo pastry

6 ounces (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Equipment:

• Pizza cutter
• Roasting pan or baking pan with high sides
• 2 saucepans
• Stand mixer
• Large mixing bowl
• Pastry brush

1. Bring the 2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. 
2. Add the quince, bay leaf, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. 
3. Boil 1/2 hour.
4. Reduce heat to low and cook 1 1/2 hours longer.
5. Drain the quince but reserve the syrup.  You won't need it again in this recipe, but the delicious taste makes it a real shame to discard.  You can use it to brush a layer cake, or possibly mix it with some soda water and ice (vodka optional) for a very tasty drink. 
6. Bring the 1 1/3 cups sugar and the 1 cup water to a boil and then simmer 15 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and set aside to cool. 
7. In your large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the confectioner's sugar until thick and creamy. 
8. Add the ground almond, poached quince bits and almond extract to the yolk mixture.  Mix well.
9. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. 
10. Gently fold in the egg yolk mixture. 
11. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. 
12. Using your pizza cutter, cut your phyllo dough into 4 equal pieces lengthwise.  Pile them up in such a way that you can keep them separate.
13. Take one of the piles of phyllo.  Put one pastry strip down and paint it with melted butter. 
14. Layer another strip on top of the first, slightly offset so there's about 1/4 - 1/3" more off the edge.  Paint it with butter.
15. Lay down another strip of pastry, offset in the opposite direction of the previous.  Paint it with butter. 
16. Repeat this process for all of the sheets in this pile.  The reason for the offset pieces will become apparent. 
17. Spread 1/4 of the egg and quince mixture from your stand mixer onto the phyllo strips, making sure that there is sufficient empty space on either side. 
18. Now, slowly roll the pastry up, folding those empty sides up and into the roll.  This will prevent filling from oozing out of the sides of the pastry - see, I told you the extra overlapping space would be important! 
19. Pant the top of your pastry log with butter and place it in the roasting pan. 
20. Repeat for the remaining quarters of phyllo dough. 
21. If there is any remaining butter, and if you didn't run out and have to melt more while you were painting the strips there shouldn't be much left over, pour it over the pastries. 
22. Bake 1 hour, until golden. 
23. Remove from the oven and pour the syrup over the pastries.  This is why I used a roasting pan instead of a baking sheet.
24. Allow to cool. 
25. Slice each log thinly, as thin as you can get it and still maintain the structural integrity of the pastry.  If you let it cool completely, this will be easier than if the pastry is still warm. 
26. Serve and enjoy. 

Technorati Tags: Greek food,quince,phyllo,pastry,dessert,vegetarian recipe,Wilson Farms

Recipe: Sauteed Mushrooms and Wilted Spinach

Recipe Source: Cooking Light Staff.  Cooking Light volume 19 number 10 November 2005 p. 148

 

I wish you could taste through your computer screens.  No, really.  I realize that this technology is decades away and would leave unpleasant little smears all over your computer screen, but I still wish that you could taste this dish.  The photos don't really do it justice.  I served this as a side dish with dinner last night and both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised by how good this was.  I expected it to be tasty, or else I wouldn't have made it.  I did not expect the flavors to be so bold, so strong, so inviting.  If I had, I wouldn't have served it with such a delicately-flavored main course.  I re-discovered this recipe while I was digitizing my cooking magazine collection, and decided to give it a try.  I am so glad that I did! 

 

I did make a few changes.  Some of them are procedural and were most distinctly not the result of a brain cramp on my part.  I used hot pepper sesame oil for the oil, increased the amount of garlic substantially, increased the amount of ginger, substituted a "gourmet mushroom blend" (in a little shrink-wrapped package) for the oyster mushrooms (which they didn't have at my local Whole Foods), omitted the scallions (laziness) and the lemon juice (another brain cramp.)  Oh - I also used port instead of sherry, because while I'd thought I had sherry on hand I believe it was formally purged about a month ago.  The dish was a little on the expensive side, because of all the mushrooms, but it would still be great for a Fall special occasion (or if you can get cheaper mushrooms.)  You could probably use button or Baby Bella mushrooms to save a few dollars here, but the taste will be distinctly different. 

 

Sauteed Mushrooms with Wilted Spinach (serves 4 - 6; approx. $5.38/serving)

1 tablespoon hot pepper sesame oil

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped

8 ounces mixed "gourmet" mushrooms, such as trumpet, oyster or enoki, roughly chopped

5 shallots, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons minced jarred ginger

8 tablespoons minced jarred garlic

1/4 cup tawny port

5 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon raw cane sugar

1 bag (6 ounces or so) fresh spinach (you can use frozen if you must, but it won't look as good)

Equipment:

• Large bowl
• Wok or saute pan
• Small bowl
• Whisk

1. Heat the oil in the wok over medium-high heat. 
2. Add the mushrooms, shallots, ginger and garlic.  Saute until the mushrooms are starting to get tender. 
3. Remove the mushroom mixture from the bowl with a slotted spoon.  You may wish to add more oil here. 
4. Whisk the port, soy sauce and sugar in the small bowl.
5. Add the spinach to the pan and saute until wilted.  This shouldn't take much time at all.
6. Transfer the spinach to your serving platter and return the mushroom mixture to the pan. 
7. Add the contents of the small bowl and bring to a boil.
8. Cook for 3 minutes or so, until the sauce is reduced. 
9. Arrange the mushrooms attractively atop the spinach and serve hot. 

Technorati Tags: Cooking Light recipes,recipe,vegetarian recipe,vegan recipes,mushrooms,port,soy sauce,spinach,garlic,ginger,easy recipes,side dishes

Recipe: Garlic Pie

Recipe Source: 

Translation of Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (14th/15th c.)  (Anonimo Veneziano)

Translated 2003 to January 2005 CE by Helewyse de Birkestad, OL  (MKA Louise Smithson) from the transcription of  Ludovico Frati (ed.): Libro di cucina del secolo XIV. Livorno 1899 prepared and made available online by Thomas Gloning.
Last updated March 28th 2005.

You may use/ distribute this version for non-profit use only (scholarly, private use) provided that this header is included.  Contact me by email at helewyse@yahoo.com.  You can find the original translation, and I highly recommend that you do, here.

 

This is the fourth and final in my series of medieval savory pies.  It was also probably one of the two most popular, which should tell you two things: that it was really good, and that this group will have no problem at all with vampires.  As you already know, I needed to make up the fat content of the pies to cover the omission of lard, and I really succeeded with this pie.  When I was putting them into production, the fat melted onto the floor of the oven.  This created a lot of acrid, stinky, kind of repulsive smoke.  I was kind of at a loss for what to do - I didn't have enough time to completely re-do the pies.  However, what I did have was my Big Green Egg.  I set it up for indirect heat, let it rip and I will never, ever cook a double-crusted pie indoors again.  I do mean ever.  The color that the crust took on was only surpassed by the wood-smoke flavor that comes with using hardwood lump charcoal. 

 

As for the filling (likewise tinged by the flavor of the smoke), I found myself faced with a dilemma.  The original recipe said to boil the garlic.  It did not specify water, and that's good.  I was afraid that boiling in water would leech away too much of the garlicky goodness, leaving me with something very much like the cheese and onion pie.  While the onion pie was good, we already had four of those.  I happened to remember a technique I found in an Italian cooking magazine years ago in which the garlic was boiled in milk.  This softened the garlic and mellowed its bite, while retaining the garlic flavor.  I actually went out and bought real milk for the occasion; I'm not sure if soy milk would have the right chemical properties for the job, and soy isn't really period for this part of the world anyway.  If you do try it with soy, or with goat or sheep milk for that matter, please let me know how it turned out. 

 

Garlic Pie (serves 8; approx. $1.29/serving)

4 heads of garlic, cloves peeled

1 cup full-fat cottage cheese, drained

5 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup raisins, plumped (optional)

1/4 teaspoon saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 double pie crust of your choice

1/2 cup feta cheese

Equipment:

• 9" pie plate
• Small saucepan
• Colander
• Mini-prep food processor
• Large mixing bowl.
• Big Green Egg (optional)

1. Roll out your pie crusts in the plastic bags and refrigerate.
2. Put the peeled cloves of garlic into the saucepan and cover with milk.
3. Bring the milk to a boil over medium-low heat.  Watch it carefully; you really, really don't want it to scald. 
4. Boil gently until the garlic is soft.  Drain the garlic in the colander.
5. Transfer the garlic to the food processor and puree.
6. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  If you're using the Big Green Egg, set the Egg up for indirect heat.  Use a drip pan or a piece of tin foil to catch any fat that drips away.  Heat the Egg to between 400 and 425 degrees. 
7. In the mixing bowl, beat the eggs well.
8. Add the spices and mix well.
9. Add the cheeses and mix well.
10. Add the garlic and mix well. 
11. Add the raisins, if using, and mix to coat.
12. Line the pie plate with one of the crusts.  Fill the pie with the filling and top with the second crust.  Seal it well and cut a small hole in the top to allow steam to escape. 
13. Brush the top with either a milk or egg wash, if desired. 
14. Bake until the crust is set and golden.  In the oven for the test run, this took 40 minutes.  In the Egg, this took between 25 and 30 minutes. 
15. Serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature. 

Technorati Tags: Medieval recipes,renaissance recipes,pie,pastry,Big Green Egg recipe,garlic,Tall Tales and War Stories event,recipe,vegetarian recipe

Recipe: Onion (or Scallion) Tart

Recipe Source: 

Translation of Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (14th/15th c.)  (Anonimo Veneziano)

Translated 2003 to January 2005 CE by Helewyse de Birkestad, OL  (MKA Louise Smithson) from the transcription of  Ludovico Frati (ed.): Libro di cucina del secolo XIV. Livorno 1899 prepared and made available online by Thomas Gloning.
Last updated March 28th 2005.

You may use/ distribute this version for non-profit use only (scholarly, private use) provided that this header is included.  Contact me by email at helewyse@yahoo.com.  You can find the original translation, and I highly recommend that you do, here.

 

This is the third of four savory pies I made for an event last week, although I would say it was second in terms of popularity.  This is kind of funny, because it was my least favorite of the four personally.  It kind of reminded me of a Greek savory cheese and onion pie that I am likewise not overly thrilled about.  That's not to say that I didn't like the pie at all - quite the opposite.  I just personally prefer my savory pies to have a little more "oomph" than this.  It tasted like cheese and egg, which was really the intent. 

 

When we did the recipe testing, this came out very, very watery.  This would have been near disastrous at the event, because people were walking around with these things in some very nice outfits indeed.  One of the taste testers was able to identify the source of the excess water - the onions - and to recommend a very good technique for getting rid of it.  I'm including it here.  In case you're wondering about the "or Scallion" part, the recipe allowed for either, but I decided to use onions because I had a lot of them on hand and they were a lot cheaper than scallions.  If you're not on a budget send some cash my way - er, go ahead and use the scallions, they'll taste great. 

 

Onion Tart (serves 8; approx. $1.52/serving)

1 double pie crust of your choice

2 cups cottage cheese, drained

5 eggs, beaten

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

2 onions, finely chopped (I used Empire sweets, which I chose because they are grown in Upstate New York and that's where I'm from.  Any large onion should do, although New York onions are best.)

Equipment:

• 9" pie plate
• Colander
• Cloth dishtowel
• Saucepan
• Large mixing bowl

1. Roll out the pie crusts and return them to the refrigerator flat.
2. Put the onions in the saucepan and fill with water to cover. 
3. Bring the saucepan to a boil.  Boil the onions until translucent.  I promise you that this will not destroy the flavor of the onions. 
4. When the onions are translucent, drain them in the colander. 
5. When the onions are cool enough to touch (you can speed this up by hosing them down with cold water), carefully turn them out into the middle of the dishtowel.  I spread the dish towel over a plate, put the plate over the colander and inverted them. 
6. Carefully ensure that the onion bits are completely encased in the dishtowel, then wring the dishtowel.  This will squeeze out a whole lot of water.  Keep doing this until you've reached the point of diminishing returns and return to the colander. 
7. Preheat the oven to 425. 
8. In the mixing bowl, beat the eggs well.
9. Add the cheeses and mix well.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper - go light on the salt because the feta will already be salty. 
11. Add the saffron and mix well.
12. Add the onions and mix well.
13. Line the bottom of the pie plate with one of your flat crusts. 
14. Fill the crust with the mixture. 
15. Top the pie with the second crust.  Seal the edges and cut a small hole in the center of the pie to allow steam to escape. 
16. Paint the crust with a little milk if desired and bake until the crust is golden and solid.  This took 40 minutes in my oven. 
17. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. 

Technorati Tags: Medieval recipes,renaissance recipes,Italian food,savory pies,pie,pastry,cheese,onions,eggs,saffron,Tall Tales and War Stories event,recipe,vegetarian recipe

Recipe: Herb Pie

Recipe Source:

Translation of Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (14th/15th c.)  (Anonimo Veneziano)

Translated 2003 to January 2005 CE by Helewyse de Birkestad, OL  (MKA Louise Smithson) from the transcription of  Ludovico Frati (ed.): Libro di cucina del secolo XIV. Livorno 1899 prepared and made available online by Thomas Gloning.
Last updated March 28th 2005.

You may use/ distribute this version for non-profit use only (scholarly, private use) provided that this header is included.  Contact me by email at helewyse@yahoo.com.  You can find the original translation, and I highly recommend that you do, here.

This is another of the four pies I made for the event last weekend.  This is also the recipe that spawned the Beet Bread.  You see, the original specifically mentions beets as one of the herbs.  In my head, that translates as beet greens.  I'm actually very fond of beet greens and they really do add a certain flavor to the dish (not a beety flavor, don't worry.)  This left me with a bunch of beets.  At any rate, this pie was actually very tasty and despite the high fat content was probably the single healthiest of the savory pies.  It is another pie where we have omitted the lard to accommodate dietary restrictions; if you prefer, you can add it back in. 

Herb Pie (serves 8; approx. $1.99/serving)

1 double pie crust recipe of your choice

1 bunch beet greens

1 bunch spinach

1 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch rosemary

1/2 lb feta cheese

1 cup cottage cheese

8 eggs

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment:

• 9" pie plate
• Rolling pin
• Zip top plastic bags

1. Put 1/2 your double pie crust recipe into each plastic bag.  Roll out, in the plastic bag, and refrigerate flat. 
2. Preheat your oven to 425. 
3. Finely chop your greens and rosemary. 
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well.
5. Add the salt, pepper and cheeses.  Mix well.
6. Add the chopped greens.  Mix well.
7. Line the bottom of a 9" pie plate with one of the crusts you rolled out and refrigerated. 
8. Fill the pie with the mixture from the bowl. 
9. Top with the second pie crust and seal well. 
10. Cut a small hole in the center of the pie for steam to escape.  Brush with a little milk, if desired. 
11. Bake at 425 until golden and delicious.  This took forty minutes in my oven. 
12. Serve warm or at room temperature.  This pie also tastes just fine cold. 

Technorati Tags: Pie,historical recipes,Venetian recipe,Italian food,Tall Tales and War Stories event,beet greens,spinach,rosemary,no lard,pastry

Recipe: A Perfect and Good Mushroom Tart

Recipe Source:

Translation of Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (14th/15th c.)  (Anonimo Veneziano)

Translated 2003 to January 2005 CE by Helewyse de Birkestad, OL  (MKA Louise Smithson) from the transcription of  Ludovico Frati (ed.): Libro di cucina del secolo XIV. Livorno 1899 prepared and made available online by Thomas Gloning.
Last updated March 28th 2005.

You may use/ distribute this version for non-profit use only (scholarly, private use) provided that this header is included.  Contact me by email at helewyse@yahoo.com.  You can find the original translation, and I highly recommend that you do, here.

 

Last weekend I was asked to prepare some savory tarts and pies for a gathering of about 100 people.  This sounds like a daunting task, but really, I enjoyed it.  I'm very fond of the cook in charge, I liked the idea of the pies, and it gave me the opportunity to experiment with different pie crusts.  When I was redacting the recipes (taking them from the medieval "take some of these and do this with them" to the modern "take 1 lb mushrooms...." ) I decided to test to see which pie crust recipe was the most efficient - got the best results for the least labor.  Now, just for giggles, I decided that one of the experimental crusts was going to be the vaunted MacLean Pie Crust, which I got from my paternal grandmother.  (I suspect it came from a magazine like Southern Living or something like that, but I can't prove it.  Besides, it was handed down properly: furtively, written in a somewhat shaky hand, on a yellowed index card, with just the ingredients listed.  So it counts as a Super Secret Family Recipe.)  I haven't made the MacLean in years, because it's amazingly bad for you (shortening, butter AND egg!) and because trying to roll out the crust used to make me curse and swear like a sailor.  Honestly, it used to sound like the whole Merchant Marine was camped out inside my kitchen.  But when I did the experimental crusts, guess which one worked best?  Yes, the MacLean was the most consistent.  So that's the one I used.  I haven't gotten permission to post it here, and I kind of like having a Super Secret Family Recipe (even if the provenance is really unknown), and anyway, it doesn't matter.  Use whatever kind of double-crust recipe you think best and it will be a wonderful thing. 

 

Now, those of you who have gone to the original translation may be looking at my redaction below and saying, "Wait a minute.  The Anonymous Venetian said to use lard.  Where, I say where, is the lard?"  Well, frankly, there isn't any.  A discussion with the head cook resulted in our determining that there would be way too many people eating that night with dietary restrictions against pork, or who just wouldn't eat anything with the word "lard" in the ingredient list.  So we left it out.  On the other hand, we needed to stay true to the recipe's original "clog-your-arteries" kind of feel, so we had to make up the fat.  That's why you don't see lard, but don't go thinking that this recipe is low fat.  It is, however, amazingly tasty, and I highly recommend your serving it some chilly fall night.  Out of all of the pies we served that day, the mushroom was by far the most popular.  I'm sure you can get the cost per serving down if you buy in bulk; the cost was done from the redaction not the actual production pie. 

 

A Perfect and Good Mushroom Tart (serves 8; approximate cost per serving $1.15)

1 double pie crust of your choice

1 lb Baby Bella mushrooms, quartered

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon powdered coriander

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup full-fat cottage cheese (don't be tempted to use low-fat), drained

Kosher salt to taste

1/4 cup milk (optional)

Equipment:

• 9" pie plate
• Skillet or wok
• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Rolling pin

1. Roll out your dough in separate plastic bags and leave flat in the refrigerator.
2. Melt the butter in the skillet.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat and set aside. 
5. In the mixing bowl, beat the eggs.
6. Add the cheeses and spices and mix well. 
7. Add the mushrooms and mix well, making sure to coat the mushrooms. 
8. Season with kosher salt to taste.  Use a conservative hand here; the feta should be somewhat salty in itself. 
9. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
10. Line the bottom of the pie plate with one of the crusts.
11. Fill the pie with the contents of the mixing bowl. 
12. Top the pie with the second bag.  Seal the edges carefully and be sure to cut a small hole in the center for steam to escape. 
13. Brush the crust with a little milk, if desired.
14. Bake at 425 until golden and solid, about 40 minutes in my oven.  It will probably take less time in yours. 
15. Serve! 

Technorati Tags: Medieval recipe,Venetian recipe,Italian food,recipe,vegetarian recipe,mushrooms,pie,Tall Tales and War Stories event

Recipe: Seven Hour Lamb

Recipe Source: Holuigue, Diane.  Savoring Provence.  Oxmoor House, London, 2002 p. 141

 

This weekend I craved lamb.  I wasn't sure what it was that I wanted to do to the lamb, but I knew my husband very much wanted to use the Big Green Egg.  I found this recipe in the above-mentioned book, and decided to use it as a launching pad.  Most of the changes that I made were procedural, because there weren't many ingredients in the first place.  I probably used a little more garlic than called for, maybe 45 cloves.  I used duck stock because I had homemade duck stock in the freezer and that's for free. 

 

The original recipe called for the lamb to be browned in the pan before being roasted for seven hours.  This is not what I did.  My husband has told me that browning the meat before using the Egg inhibits the smoke from penetrating the meat, so I left that step out.  Instead, I prepared a quick rub consisting of thyme, kosher salt and black pepper.  I rubbed this all over both sides of the lamb and let it sit out while we were preparing the egg.  If you do this in your oven, brown the meat first in the pan before roasting.  To solve the drippings problem, we put a clean drip pan under the meat in the Egg and used those drippings to make the sauce.  I don't think I'm bragging when I say that the resulting dish was absolutely wonderful.  The lamb didn't have that kind of melting texture that a lot of slow-cooked meat gets, but it was amazingly soft and succulent and delicious. 

 

Seven Hour Lamb (Serves 6; approx. $6.95/serving)

1 boneless leg of lamb, about 5 lb.

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons brandy

45 garlic cloves, peeled

2/3 cup dry red wine

2/3 cup duck stock (you can substitute chicken stock here)

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

Equipment:

• Big Green Egg (optional; you can also make this indoors, but it won't be nearly as good)
• Small saucepan
• Long match
• Small strainer
• Drip pan

1. Mix the thyme, pepper and kosher salt together in a bowl.  Rub all over the lamb. 
2. Set up the Big Green Egg for indirect cooking with a clean drip pan.  We added a couple chunks of hickory wood to increase the smoky flavor.  Heat the Egg up to 225 degrees.  If you must cook this indoors, preheat the oven to 250 degrees and brown the meat in the pan you'll use to roast it. 
3. Roast the lamb for about 7 hours. 
4. Take the lamb from the Egg and let it rest, tented under foil.  (Indoor cooking: Remove the lamb from the pan and transfer to a cutting board.  Tent with foil and allow it to rest.)
5. Make the sauce.  Melt the butter with the oil in the saucepan.
6. Add the pan drippings from the drip pan.  If you're cooking indoors, you can do all of this right in the pan you used for roasting.
7. Add the brandy.  TURN OFF THE HEAT and, using the long match, ignite the brandy. 
8. When the flames subside, return the pan to a medium-low heat and add the garlic, stock, wine and rosemary. 
9. Bring to a boil slowly and boil until the garlic is soft. 
10. Strain the sauce into a small bowl, pushing on the garlic with the back of a wooden spoon to ensure that you get all that garlicky goodness.  Vampires will not be a problem for you or your guests tonight! 
11. Carve the meat and serve, with the sauce passed alongside. 

Technorati Tags: Big Green Egg recipe,lamb,roasted food,sauces,garlic,Provencal food,recipe