onions

Savory Pies- Scallop Pot Pie

10 Nov 2011
scallop pot pie

Pie oh my! I have made it to the end of savory pie week. This Scallop Pot Pie is number seven and she's (he's??) a beaut!

What (I can hear you asking) have I learned about pie this week? Well, I learned seven days of pie leads to an expanded waistline. I also learned that I'd rather have pie than a skinny butt.

And I got a little closer to discovering the secret allure of pie. But it's not its flaky, buttery crust (or at least not completely) that keeps people's pie plates poised for the next bite. There is something else about pie that I had not really considered when I started the week long marathon.

It may seem counter-intuitive, partly because I am food blogger and I spend a lot of time cooking and trying to convince you that you should cook too. So maybe what I am about to say won't make a lot of sense.

But if I start with the phrase pot pie. Maybe you'll pay attention long enough that I can make my point.

Sometimes the less effort you invest in cooking the better.  Savory pies are often nothing more than one-pan wonders. Pot pie is especially comforting as a meal all unto itself.

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Scallop Pot Pie

Scallop Pot Pie
By jgreghenry Published October 25, 2011
Prep time: 120
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 3 c all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 t kosher salt
  • 8 oz (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 0.25 c ice water
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced into slivers
  • 1 fennel bulb, cored, halved and sliced thinly
  • 4 oz unsalted butter
  • 2.5 c fish stock or clam juice
  • 1 T pernod
  • 1 T sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 pn freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 3 T heavy cream
  • 1 lb bay scallops
  • 2 c frozen peas
  • 0.5 c flat leaf parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped

Directions

Make the crust: Pulse 2 1/2 cups flour and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until dough just comes together (no longer than 30 seconds). Divide dough in half, shape each into a disc, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days), or freeze for up to 1 month.

Make the filling: Saute the onions and fennel with the butter in a large saute pan on medium heat until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour and cook on low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, sea salt, and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the heavy cream. Place the bay scallops, frozen peas, and parsley in a bowl. Pour the sauce over the mixture and check the seasonings. Set aside. Assemble the pie: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll each the chilled dough disc to fit a 9 or 9 1/2-inch round by 2-inch high ovenproof pie plate or baking dish. Place 1 crust in the dish, fill with the scallop mixture, and top with the second crust. Crimp the crusts together and brush with the egg wash. Make a few vents in the top crust and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Braise This! Cider Vinegar Chicken Thighs & Legs

21 Oct 2011
braised chicken thighs and legs
Are you listening? Because I am going to tell you what to do. Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs & Legs with Onions and Raisins. Isn't it great when someone tells you just what to do? I feel qualified to do the telling because the weather calls for braising.

Braising is a cooking technique we should all master. It's not difficult and the results will make you look like an accomplished chef (not that you aren't...). This simple process has just a few foolproof steps. The end result is rich and flavorful.

The concept behind braising is this: the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat. It is then simmered in liquid on low-heat in a covered pot for a very long time.  You can choose to braise in the oven or on the top of the stove. I may be telling you what to do but I'll leave some wiggle room here for you to make this dish your own. Because, either way you will be proud of the food you bring to the table. This method of cooking is often used as a way to cook less expensive, tough cuts of meat.

Now don't tune out. "Less expensive and tough" are not ways to describe the final product of your braising magic. Because braising makes tough, leathery meat– tender. Really! I promise.

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Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs & Legs with Onions and Raisins

Braised chicken thighs and legs
By jgreghenry Published October 21, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken thighs with legs attached
  • 0.5 c all-purpose flour, for dredging
  • 1 t kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 pn black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced into slivers
  • 10 sage leaves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 c golden raisins
  • 0.5 t crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1 c white wine
  • 0.5 c cider vinegar
  • 3 c chicken stock
  • 0.25 c flat leaf parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped

Directions

Rinse the chicken legs & thighs under cool water and pat dry. Mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper. Spread the flour mixture across a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Warm the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet or Dutch oven (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and sear until a golden crust develops, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and sear until a golden crust forms on second side, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add the onions to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, bay leaves, raisins and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and starting to stick to the bottom of the skillet, about 5 minutes. Add wine lower heat to medium and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat further to a simmer. Add cider vinegar and simmer for 2 more minutes. Stir in stock and parsley. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.

Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the braising liquid. Cover the pan and simmer about 1 hour and 15 minutes over very low heat. Transfer the chicken to a platter and (if necessary) reduce the onion mixture to desired consistency. Serve warm.

Turn It On Its Head- Upside Down Sweet Potato Gratin

03 Oct 2011
sweet potato gratin

I started this Sweet Potato Gratin without a recipe. Heck, I started it without a plan. All I knew was I wanted sweet potatoes like my mother used to make. My mother used to make sweet potatoes with maple syrup and caramelized onions. Hers were done in a mash. They were delicious but in my opinion they didn't take advantage of the very thing sweet potatoes do best. Sweet potatoes caramelize like no vegetable I know. In other words they need to be baked or roasted.

But as I started prepping I decided that a sweet potato gratin might be the direction I wanted to go. I had already boiled and sliced the potatoes. I had already slow cooked some Sweet 100 tomatoes. Caramelized onions were filling the house with their marvelous fragrance.

Was it too late to turn this into a gratin? Well I didn't prep a gratin pan. I already had a cake pan lined with parchment and drizzled with maple syrup all ready to go. I even had laid out an attractive layer of potato slices. But still I stopped what I was doing and ran to the computer. Just what was a gratin, I wondered.

Well it turns out a gratin is typically a vegetable baked with cheese and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. Hmmm. Was I past the point of no return in making this into a gratin. Well yes and no. I had big chunks of potato and no plan for cheese. But I had some excellent aged goat cheese in the fridge and who says gratins can't have chunky potatoes!

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