Mushroom Pie

I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted the vegetarian Christmas entrée to be. I did not want to cook another squash or pumpkin - I did that at Thanksgiving - I wanted something warm and winter-y.

I wanted a non-meat meat pie.

So I created it with mushrooms and pastry, and I served it with mushroom gravy. To my surprise, it turned out just like I had imagined.

I started by baking a mushroom pâté in a seven-inch round cake tin. Then I lined an eight-inch springform pan with pastry and dropped in the cooked pâté. I covered it with a crust, which Mum helped me decorate with holly leaves and berries made from scraps of dough. I brushed it with egg and baked it, and it came out looking spectacular.

It was very moist so it didn't need the mushroom gravy I made, and it reheated well as leftovers.

The mushrooms were delicious, but I think I could have used any bean or lentil loaf as the filling. Non-meat meat pie will show up again on our winter table, I am sure.

Mushroom Pâté
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp white wine
2/3 cup pinquitos (or other small beans) cooked
1 egg, beaten
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and line a 7" diameter cake pan.

Cook the mushrooms, onion, garlic, red pepper, water and wine in a saucepan over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly.

Put the mushroom mixture in a food processor along with the cooked beans and process until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the egg, bread crumbs, thyme and rosemary. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Level the surface. Bake about 1 hour until set and browned on top. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Serve as pâté with crackers, or use in a pie as described above.

Spaghetti Squash Chutney

First I peeled the spaghetti squash, then I
seeded it, then I cut it lengthwise into strips
before slicing it crosswise.

Regular readers know of my obsession with spaghetti squash. I don't know why I love it but I do.

So when I read a recipe for spaghetti squash chutney, I knew we had to eat it with our Christmas turkey and Mushroom Pie.

I've never been much of a chutney fan - I like my food relatively plain and unadorned - but I have to say that the tangy sweet and sour flavor of this chutney goes well with mushroom pie and makes a great addition to a vege-pâté sandwich. Plus it looks great in a glass bowl. What more could you want from a holiday relish?

The recipe is from a book called The Vegetarian Kitchen Table Cookbook - written by two Montrealers, Igor Brotto and Olivier Guiried (formerly from other countries) - that Larry borrowed from the Alhambra library for me. He then braved Whole Foods to get me the organic currants required in the recipe. So really it's his fault he had to eat spaghetti squash on Christmas Day.

Spaghetti Squash Chutney

2 lb spaghetti squash

1/2 cup currants

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 cups white wine vinegar
1 lime

Peel the spaghetti squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and guts. Slice it in roughly 1/2 inch strips. Cut the strips crosswise in 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Put the squash in a large pan with the currants, sugar, water and vinegar. Bring it to a boil and simmer, uncovered, until the squash is tender, about 90 minutes. Grate in the zest of the lime and cook another 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool. Can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Spiced Nuts

I experimented with Spiced Nuts this holiday season. I found that cooking them in the toaster oven is not a good idea (my squirrel friends are enjoying the burnt nuts), but that cooking them in a skillet with seasonings is easy and very flexible.

I was over-enthusiastic so I made both appetizer nuts and dessert nuts. (No one complained.) Both contain sugar, which as regular readers know is a no-no on this blog, but I used organic cane sugar and figured the holidays only come once a year so what the heck.

I used regular unblanched almonds for the Spicy Almonds and they held the spices well. For the Sugared Hazelnuts, I toasted them and rubbed off the skins in the time-honored manner, but I feel they would have held the seasonings just as well if I had left the skins on. I'll try that next year.

These nuts would be an excellent nibble at a New Year's celebration. Expect everyone to eat more of them than you could imagine.

Spicy Almonds

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp coarse salt

1 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 tsp red pepper flakes

grated zest of 1 orange

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 cups almonds

Stir together the sugar, salt, cumin, pepper flakes and orange zest. Mash together with the back of a spoon.

In a large skillet, warm the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until sizzling - 1-2 minutes.

Stir in a tablespoon of the sugar mixture. Toss and stir the almonds until the sugar melts and starts to glaze the nuts. Add more sugar and repeat the process until you've used all the sugar, and it is all melted and coating the nuts.

Tip the nuts out onto a cookie sheet, spread them apart, and let them cool. When the almonds are cool to the touch, break them apart as needed and store in an airtight container. In theory they will last a couple of weeks at room temperature.

Sugared Hazelnuts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup shelled hazelnuts

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/4 cup sugar

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the hazelnuts and cook until sizzling.

Stir together the cinnamon, cloves and sugar. Add to the skillet a tablespoon at a time, stirring to melt the sugar. Continue with all but a couple of teaspoons of the spice mixture. When the nuts are well glazed turn them onto a cookie sheet to cool.

When cool, break the nuts into a bowl. Stir in the remaining sugar mixture.

Christmas Dinner

Festive Persimmon & Pomegranate Salad

I understand that professional food bloggers prepare a Christmas dinner in early December so they can post pictures and recipes ahead of time for their followers to use in their own holiday meals.

More proof that I am not a professional food blogger.

I have been cooking and taking photos these past couple of weeks, but I've been spending more time online researching the next step of my rain farm than I have writing this food blog. Our Christmas dinner was delicious nonetheless, and I'll tell you about it over the next few days. All of the recipes would be good any time of year.

Tracie had last-minute car trouble so was unable to join us Christmas Day. We served the leftovers on the 27th when she came up for lunch - it was a good meal to eat twice.

I hope you are having a delicious holiday season. And once again I say thank you to the farmers whose hard work makes my meals so good.

Christmas Dinner Menu
Before-Dinner Nibbles:
Trader Joe's organic Corn Chips and Homemade Salsa
Spicy Almonds
Dinner:
Mushroom Pie
Turkey
Spaghetti Squash Chutney
Chestnut Stuffing
Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad
Roast Fingerling Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts with Brown Buttered Almonds
Au Jus Gravy
Trader Joe's Gravy
Mushroom Gravy
Dessert:
Meyer Lemon Cornmeal Cake
After-Dinner Nibbles:
Mum's Fudge
Spiced Hazelnuts

I ordered the fresh organic 11-lb turkey from Grassroots in South Pasadena. We picked it up on the 23rd and left it refrigerated in its wrappings until the 25th. Mum, Larry and Tracie found it excellent.

Mum made the stuffing with chestnuts from Ha's Apple Farm that we had roasted in the fire at the solstice. She added sausage and other things. Apparently it was delicious.

I realize it's weird to have three gravies for four people, but I needed a vegetarian gravy to go with my Mushroom Pie so I made mushroom gravy. Mum made an au jus gravy from the pan drippings. And because I wasn't sure if Larry and Trace would like the au jus gravy, I bought a box of turkey gravy at Trader Joe's.

The Meyer Lemon Cornmeal Cake was a recipe from the Jan. 2015 issue of Sunset - I picked the Meyer lemons from our tree on Christmas Eve. It was a moist cornmeal upside-down cake with the floral tang of the Meyer lemons - yummy.

Mum's fudge is an awesome recipe that does not belong on this healthy-eating blog, but we are still enjoying it.

And isn't that the key to good eating - mostly delicious healthy food and the occasional incredible indulgence to boost the spirits.

I hope your spirits are boosted as we head into 2015.

Sunday Shopping

It was chilly at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning, and there were fewer people than usual. Our list was short, but we managed to get weighted down none the less. Four pounds of beans and a spaghetti squash will do that.

Here's what we bought:

olive oil, eggs, coffee, 9 grapefruit, 2 lb white lima beans, 1 spaghetti squash, 1 sweet potato, 4 small red peppers, 4 delicata squash, cilantro, parsley, 12 oranges, 4 limes, celeriac, 2 pippin apples, 3 arkansas black apples, 3 sundowner apples, 4 cameo apples, 2 red delicious apples, 4 bartlett pears, 4 poblanos, blueberries, 2 lb pinto beans, romaine lettuce, celery, red butter lettuce, green olives, black olives

Simple Salad

We have some blue cheese crumbles in the fridge (from Organic Valley) so I've been sprinkling them on our dinner salads. The muskiness of the blue cheese complements the crunch of the vegetables and the sweet tanginess of the dressing.

Here's a salad I made the other night. It added a nice crunch to a meal of spicy rice casserole.

Simple Salad
1 shallot minced (about 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dijon
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
3/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3/4 cup red pepper, sliced
3/4 cup radishes, halved and sliced
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

Whisk together shallot, vinegar, oil, mustard, chives, honey and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss lettuce with a little dressing. Put on a plate. Layer cucumber, red pepper and radishes on top. Pour a little dressing over all. Sprinkle crumbles on top.

Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

Serves 2-3

Rice and Poblano Casserole

Poblanos and rice - one of the best combinations ever. When I have leftover rice, I always throw it in the freezer to be able to make a simple casserole like this.

Unfortunately, we had eaten all the freezer rice, so I had to cook rice from scratch. That's okay. This casserole was worth it.

Rice and Poblano Casserole
2 poblano peppers
1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup diced onion plus 2 tbsp onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (opt)
5 oz cheddar, grated
3/4 cup frozen corn, defrosted

Toast the poblanos over a gas burner or under the broiler until their skins are charred and blackened. Put in a covered pot until cool, then remove the stems and seeds. Scrape off the blackened skin (if you leave a little on the pepper, that's okay). Dice the flesh and set aside.

Warm the 1/4 cup diced onion over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add poblanos and cook another minute.

Crumble the rice into a large bowl. Add the onion mixture and stir well.

Whisk together the yogurt, cilantro and remaining raw onion. Stir into rice along with cheddar and corn.

Grease a 2-quart casserole. Spoon in the rice mixture. Cover and cook at 325°F for 25 minutes until heated through.

Serves 6

(This casserole can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before baking.)

White Beans with Fennel and Chard

Just after adding the chard

There are so many varieties of greens and colors of beans that I'm sure I could eat them every day for a month and never have the same combination twice.

The other night, I combined white beans, fennel and red-stemmed chard into this simple yet satisfying stew. The fennel adds crunch and a little anise flavor, the beans add texture, and the chard reminds me I'm eating healthy food. Plus it all looks very pretty together.

I could have served this over rice or with bread on the side, but we enjoyed it as is in shallow bowls, using a fork not a spoon.

Fennel bulbs, also known as anise, arrive at the farmers market with long fronds attached. The fronds can be used as garnish, but otherwise end up in the compost. The bulb is the part that goes into this dish.

I've also made this stew with black-eyed peas. Chickpeas would be good. Use whatever bean you like. If you want you can use a 14-oz can of beans instead of cooking your own. Be sure to rinse them really well to get rid of any metal flavor.

The chard cooks down to nothing

White Beans with Fennel and Chard
1/3 cup white beans
2 fennel bulbs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bunch (about 3/4 lb) Swiss chard
2 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
1 1/2 cups water

Pick over beans and remove any stones. Rinse them off, then cook in plenty of simmering water until tender, about 90 minutes depending on the age of the bean. Drain and set aside.

Prepare the fennel by removing the fronds. Cut off the thick bottom, and discard any discolored or dried-out layers of the bulb. Cut the bulb in half from top to bottom, and cut out the tough triangular core at the bottom. Slice the remaining pieces of the bulb thinly crosswise. Set aside.

Cut the stems off the chard leaves - save for another use or compost them. Wash the leaves well, shake off the excess water, then stack them and cut them in 1/2 inch ribbons. Set aside.

Warm the olive oil over moderate heat, and sauté the fennel and onion, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the cooked beans, chard, tomatoes and water. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover the pan and let it simmer over moderately-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender and the greens have shrunk to almost nothing, about 25 minutes.

Serve in shallow bowls with salt and pepper on the side. Olive oil can be drizzled over or parmesan sprinkled if desired, but we enjoyed it straight.

Serves 4