Comfort Food on a Chilly Night

Last night I tried my hand at Chicken Pot Pies - great comfort food when fall vegetables are in full bloom and the nights demand warm jackets. I started with a Barefoot Contessa recipe, with a few small changes. Her recipe is below. My changes were: I used Sambucca instead of Pernod (because that's what I had), added about a cup of shredded chicken from a store-bought Rotiserrie chicken, left out the small whole onions (because I forgot to buy them), used the whole asparagus instead of just the tips (what a waste) and added little decorative leaves on top (the artist in the house made those, not me!). Next time I might try and make the crust a little more savory - maybe add a little parmesan, a little black pepper, etc.

Vegetable Pot Pie (serves 4)

12 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups sliced yellow onions
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2.5 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp Pernod
pinch of saffron threads
1.5 tspn kosher salt
1/2 tspn black pepper
3 tbsp heavy cream
1.5 cup large diced potatoes
1.5 cups asparagus tips
1.5 cups peeled, 3/4-inch diced carrots (4 carrots)
1.5 cups peeled, 3/4-inch diced butternut squash
1.5 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

For the pastry:
3 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tspn kosher salt
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 lb cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occassionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, saffron, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil Simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the asparagus, carrots and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions and parsley to the sauce and mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead it quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2 inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Prost!

This past weekend we had our annual Oktoberfest party and, if the empty beer bottles are any indication, the party was a great success. Our guests brought their own beer and their own sausages, which we cooked for them in a big pot of sauerkraut and beer. We also served potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce, Drew’s gorgeous red cabbage, a cheesy baked spaetzle, liptauer with German rye and wilted cucumbers. We offered a few different mustards for those who like to screw up sausage with it, and had two desserts: gingerbread and a pear kuchen (see picture above). The kuchen recipe came from Gourmet.

Looking for green tomato recipes

We have a bunch of green tomatoes left over from the garden. Besides fried green tomatoes, does anyone have any green tomato recipes they could share?

Black Bean Soup

Mmmm, soaked a bag of black beans overnight. The next afternoon i drained them, and poured in 4 cups of chicken stock, one diced onion, dash of cayenne, 1-2 tablespoons of cumin (I like more than more people, so use your judgment), salt, pepper, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cooked this for about an hour and a half, until the beans were cooked through. I served this with diced onion and shredded cheddar. Usually I top it with sour cream, but we were out. Still yummy.

The end of summer

With a frost quickly approaching, I decided to cook some of my garden's green tomatoes that will probably never have a chance to ripen. I made a fried green tomato salad of arugula (tossed in a red wine vinaigrette), bacon, crumbled blue cheese, and, yes, fried green tomatoes. I served this on the side of a steak that had first been marinated in the juice from half a lime, 2-3 minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and then was grilled. Easy, simple and very yummy.

The perfect salad

Everyone has one, a salad in which all the ingredients come together perfectly. For me, I usually don't make it, can just get it at a good restaurant. However, I recently made one that worked just right for me. I started with arugula (the best green for salad!), topped it with 5 or 6 medium boiled shrimp, about 1/2 cup of artichoke heart quarters, a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and some homemade blue cheese dressing. It was phenomonal!

Here's my blue cheese dressing recipe:

1/2 cup sour cream (I used low fat but do what works for you)
1/4 cup mayo (ditto)
3/4 to 1 cup of crumbled blue cheese (I like to leave a couple of big chunks for a nice surprise)
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp of chopped chives
freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. It's best if you can let it sit for an hour or so before serving, and it can last a week or so in the fridge.