3.1415 Apples....

It's too bad it isn't 2015 yet, then people could really go wild...

Monday is 3-14-(11) so in a few short years were staring at 3-14-15...

It's Pi Day! For goodness sake, at least recognize it's a day to eat pie with a good excuse!

Pi(e) Day

Well, my math teacher passingly mentioned that he would give extra credit to a student who brings in a pie on March 14, so I decided I'd let off some steam by doing just that. Pushing the envelope however, this pie is in the shape of Pi. Man I love Greek things... they have great vegetarian food too! (Well, besides all of the lamb...)

So here it is, the special edition Pi-Day Pie (as photographed by my new Lumix ZS7 with a scene mode for food! Hoorah, I love the 21st century).

The filling is mildly sweet with the earthiness of the molasses and tartness from the apples (still retaining some nice texture after cooking for about 40 minutes). The crust is light, sweet, not too buttery, and chewy enough to hold the excessive filling in. Not the flaky, fatty crust from the store! I'm a bit particular about my crusts...

Apple Pie (for a special day)

6 medium apples

water

Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cardamom

1 tbsp Blackstrap Molasses

2 tbsp Agave Nectar and 1/8 cup sugar

1/8-1/4 cup raisins

So much Pi filling...

Crust (From Whole Foods Recipes)

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1/8 teaspoon salt 7 tablespoons very cold butter

Peel and slice apples, combining with spices, several tablespoons of water, sugar, molasses, raisins, and agave nectar over low heat. Cover and occasionally stir, cooking until a consistency of your liking is reached (careful not to overcook the apples into a sauce or remove all of their juice).

For the pastry:Mix flour with salt in a medium bowl or food processor. Add cold butter and cut in using a pastry blender, or pulse in food processor. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms into a ball. Gather up and pat into a disc. If possible, cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before rolling out.

It's hard to give good directions for making this Pi Day concoction. Basically, I cut the pie crust after rolling it out on Parchment Paper, into the shape of Pi. Then, loading (perhaps a bit too much) filling on, leaving some crust on the edges, I cut more and patched it together across the pie's top. It's more of a series of pocket pies than a classic pie, but It is still an attractive desert deserving of many a math classroom (and plates for the less mathematically inclined among us - exhibit A right here).

There it is. Even if you prefer a round pie, you can justify it with math...

12^2(pi)...

Baked for about 20 minutes at 350, it seemed to come out of the oven a satisfactory tan.

A Series of Test Kitchen Fall Concoctions...

Of Which I will supply only thoughts, no recipes. They're not done, so why not experiment yourself ?
:)
Yes, the fall excites me, so naturally I try a lot of different pumpkin-apple-squash-spice combinations without really thinking anything out.

So first was a Sweet-Potato Terrine of mashed sweet potatoes combined with milk, a bit of butter, pie spice, garlic, and Herbs de Provence. Layered wit h blanched carrot and Zucchini slices and topped with an Apple Cider reduction, it was a bit too sweet despite a lack of any processed sugars or significant rich foods. I served it up with haddock baked atop cheesy (Parmesan mixed with nutritional yeast constitutes "Cheesy" as opposed to Gratin) penne and spinach. An old favorite of mine from Bertuccis early years...Moving on, I had the pleasure of devouring a dinner of Mashed Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts sauteed with apples, and an Amy's Veggie burger today. The first truly Fall-ish day thus far (didn't top 55) and warm comfort food sounded ideal.
I confess, I didn't make the squash but it was a simple peel-boil-and-mash scenario. Seasoned with nothing but cinnamon, pepper, and ginger it hit the spot. The Burger speaks for itself, so I conclude with the Brussel Sprouts, which really came out very well and will certainly see future experimentation.
Quartered and peeled, I simply browned the sprouts with some olive oil, garlic, and pepper. Reducing heat, I let the cabbage steam with a few dashes of lemon juice, about a quarter cup of water, and a few dashes of white-wine vinegar. Adding a few tablespoons of chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Mixing in some already sauteed cinnamon apples (diced, unpeeled, I cant stand the removal of skins from veggies, it's where the nutrients are!) I let the mess simmer and steam.
Other than being a bit undercooked, the sprouts came out well. A nice blend of flavors - like the classic Oktoberfest dishes I keep seeing sans sausage or other meats popular in the European cuisines of the period.
As I make progress with the recipes, I'll post them.
Until them, gute nacht.

Zuppa! #1

It's been cold and rainy in New England this past week. Having a great new cold and being relatively sleep-deprived I've had a hankering for some hot soup. Well, I hadn't gotten than as of Thursday night and so I decided I'd make some for Friday.

This was adapted from a post on Vegan Dad and another from NPR's Kitchen Window series from last year. It came out well (although, I prefer low sodium and love cinnamon, whereas those who ate it with me felt otherwise on both points). Served with some hearty bread, maybe a bit of cheese it's a great fall soup. If you like, add come cooked brown rice, Barley, Farro... the list goes on...

1 cinnamon stick, whole

4 cups of Vegetable Stock

2 cups of water

1 can White beans, or whatever you may prefer

1 Sweet Potato, Sliced and quartered

2 small potatoes (I used a purple-skinned Russet and a fully purple potato - color good!)

1 1/2 cups Kale, chopped

1 Onion

8-10 button mushrooms, sliced into sixths

a few cloves garlic, diced

1 cup carrots, sliced and halved (1-inch pieces)

2 apples (I used fresh Macs) finely cubed

8 or so fresh Sage leaves

a sprig of fresh Rosemary

Olive Oil

Ground Nutmeg

Pepper

Bay Leaves (I never have any so I used old Bay seasoning - sodium free!)

Ginger (powder, sadly - I recommend about 1/2 of a walnut sized piece, grated)

Cardamom

Optional: cooked Farro, Rice, or other grain of your liking (and depending on volume desired....)

For starters, I think i give up on putting down spice measurements for the most part - they can be so personal (I'll stick with them in baking maybe...).

Begin by slicing the onion and caramelizing it with the garlic and olive oil. As it sits, browned, add the vegetable stock to a large pot and heat, adding the potatoes as they're prepared. As the stock begins to boil, empty the onions into another container and begin to sauté the chopped kale in any oil left from the onions (perhaps adding a splash extra).

Add the onions to the stock and add water towards the end of the Kale's cooking - it needn't be softened too much, merely to break down some of its Kaleness if that makes any sense... Chop the other vegetables as the kale cools in its pan, beginning with the apples.

Add first these chopped apples, then each subsequently prepared vegetable to the soup, adding water as needed. Add any spices to taste, and continue to top with water, stirring occasionally.

You may need to add more stock if too much water has been added - it shsould allow for a thick soup but not stew-like consistency.

Add the beans last - about half an hour prior to completion (if using canned as I did be sure to rinse first).

Add any grain about ten minutes later (cooked, remember) and let simmer, covered or un, depending on desired thickness. And don't forget to remove the cinnamon stick at about this point in cooking, before the final simmering takes place.

Enjoi!

Update: It's better leftover - the flavors have to "blend" as they say. THERE'S STILL HOPE!