feta

Savory Pies- Sweet Sausage Cabbage Pie with Dill & Feta

08 Nov 2011
Cabbage pie with sausge, feta and dill

So here we are at Day Five in my week long Savory Pie Marathon and my pastry's getting pooped. My pie is on the fly. And my tart won't start! In other words I am running out of ways to talk about pie.

There are "pie hole" jokes yet to mine... I suppose. But I am not feeling clever this morning. I can't seem to muster the bluster to master even a few belly laughs. Though that was a pretty fun sentence.

You see, my belly is full and I am feeling all warm and comfortable because I have been eating a super savory Sweet Sausage Cabbage Pie with Dill & Feta. I know you can imagine these flavors together– the sweet fennel with the sharp cheese. And nothing says comfort like cabbage baked in the oven. Especially when that cabbage is wrapped in a flaky crust.

This is the most casual of pies you can imagine. The pastry comes together effortlessly. It rolls our beautifully. No crimping or fussy lattice-work involved. Because, like I said, I am feeling a bit pie passive. So I simply lined a gratin dish for the most unconstrained presentation possible. Not all pies are round you know.

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Sweet Sausage Cabbage Pie with Dill & Feta

cabbage pie
By jgreghenry Published October 26, 2011
Prep time: 120
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 c all purpose flour, plus more for rolling surface
  • 8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
  • 0.75 t kosher salt, divided plus more to taste
  • 0.25 c ice water
  • 1 lb sweet sausages
  • 1 cabbage, shredded slaw style
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced into slivers
  • 2 clv garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 pn freshly cracked black pepper
  • 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
  • 0.25 c dill, chopped
  • 0.25 c flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped
  • 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Make the crust: Pulse 2 1/2 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon 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.

Remove the sausages from their casings. Discard casings and crumble the meat. Add the crumbled meat to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook completely, stirring often. Drain off excess fat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the cabbage to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Transfer to the ice water, allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then drain, and spin dry.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir together and stir in the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved cooked meat, stir to combine, then stir in the blanched cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is very tender and the cabbage is beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool somewhat. Stir in the feta, dill and parsley, and set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll one of the chilled dough discs out to about a 12-inch round (depending on pan). Save the other disc for another use. Line a 10 to 12 by 2 inch deep oblong baking dish with the rolled out dough, allowing it to evenly drape over both long sides. Fill with the cabbage mixture. Fold the draped edges in over the filling. It need not meet in the center. Brush with egg wash, drizzling any extra over the cabbage mixture.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the crust is crisp and dark golden brown. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

An African Bean Finds Its Way to America- Cowpeas

20 Oct 2010
Stewed Cowpeas

Cowpeas, Field Peas, Stock Peas and Southern Peas are just a few names by which the legume Vigna unguiculata is known. Its humble origins seem to be in northern Africa where they are widely cultivated to this day. They are a food that sustains millions of people who live on the very edge of existence because it thrives in hot, dry conditions.

I found these red cowpeas at my local Latin market. I had never seen them before so naturally I picked up a couple of bags. But what to do with them. Most of the recipes I googled seemed rather, well... bland. Boiled beans and rice.

But they are very similar to black-eyed peas in both taste and texture. They have the same nuttiness and are very dense in nutrition. So I took my cues from my favorite recipes for black-eyed peas (which are usually spicy) and added an African touch and used Moroccan spices.

Brought across the Atlantic to the Caribbean in the holds of the same ships that carried slaves destined to eat them, cowpeas were introduced to America during this dark portion of our history. There are records of their cultivation in Jamaica as early as 1675. There is documented consumption of these beans in Florida in 1700 and North Carolina in 1714.

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Moroccan Stewed Cowpeas with Kale

Moroccan Stewed Cow Peas
By jgreghenry Published October 19, 2010
Prep time: 120
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 clv garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 lb cow peas or black eyes peas
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1 t ground ginger
  • 1 t cayenne pepper
  • 1 whole cinnamon stick
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 0 chicken stock, to taste as needed
  • 1 bn kale, thick veins removed and roughly chopped
  • 0 salt and pepper as needed
  • 0 sour cream or crumbled feta as garnish (optional)

Directions

Rinse the beans well, Drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often until the onions soften and the garlic is fragrant. Add the beans, stirring to coat and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the cumin, paprika, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon stick, star anise, and tomatoes with their liquid and enough water to cover the beans by about 1-inch. Bring the beans to a simmer, add 2 or 3 teaspoons salt then lower the heat and cook covered, stirring occasionally until the beans are softened somewhat and most of the liquid is mostly absorbed; about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Watch the liquid level carefully and add more water if needed. Add enough chicken stock to cover the beans by about 1-inch (or more if you prefer to serve this as a soup). Bring the mixture to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the beans are tender but not mushy. About 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise. Add the kale, stirring to incorporate until it is just wilted. Adjust seasoning and serve with sour cream or crumbled feta cheese (optional).

Notes:

serves 8

Market Matters- Persian Melon Feta Salad with Mint & Pine Nuts

01 Aug 2010
Persian Melon

Today’s selection for my Market Matters post from the Hollywood Farmers Market is another melon. What can I say? They are so seasonal and there is nothing better than a perfectly ripe melon.

This time I have chosen a Persian melon, also known as Patelquat. Which is a large greenish muskmelon with delicate netting on the rind and a rich salmon-colored flesh. It looks a bit like a larger more oval shaped cantaloupe, though it is usually much more fragrant. Persian melons are bigger than a cantaloupe too. They typically weigh around 5 pounds. Naturally they have a delicious, sweet flavor. I think they taste like a much more intense cantaloupe. In Southern California they're available from July through October, with a peak in the late summer.

As with all melons choose Persian melons that are heavy for their size, and very fragrant. They should be firm with a small amount of softness at the stem end. The rind should be the palest of green with netting that is slightly brown when ripe. If the background is very green the melon is not yet ripe. Persians are best vine ripened, but if you mistakenly get a green one let it sit on the counter at room temperature for a few days. Ripe melons should be refrigerated and will keep as long as two weeks if uncut.

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