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Spiced Blueberry and Apple Pie

Photo credit Alex J Harris

This is not a combination of fruit that I have tried in a pie before, and I have to confess it came about totally by accident. While making a blueberry pie recently, I discovered I did not have enough frozen blueberries on hand. Not wanting to stop mid-pie to go to the store, I went through the fridge thinking about what fruit went with blueberries. I was not having much success, until I came upon three lonely eating apples in the crisper. The rest is (delicious) history.

You can use any pastry you like for this . I use my Mom’s traditional all butter recipe.

For the pastry:

2½ cups all purpose flour

1 cup cold butter, cut in small cubes

pinch of salt

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

2 cups frozen blueberries

3 large eating or cooking apples, peeled and chopped

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup flour

juice and grated peel of one lemon

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

Place the flour in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, a bit at at time, (using a fork to mix it if you are not using a food processor) until the pastry forms a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film or plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for about half an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (about 160℃ to 170℃ for a fan oven).

Meanwhile, mix the blueberries and chopped apple together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon peel and juice and stir through well. 

Remove the pastry from the fridge, unwrap and divide in half. Roll each half in a circle that will fit your pie dish. Line the pie dish with the first circle, pressing the pastry well into the edges and allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Add the fruit filling and spread evenly over the pastry. Top with the second pastry circle. 

Press or crimp the pastry edges together, and trim away any excess. Cut a couple of small slices in the top of the pie to allow the steam to escape. 

Bake the pie for 60 to 70 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. If the crust begins to brown to quickly, turn down the heat a bit or shield the edges with aluminum foil. 

Allow to cool almost completely before slicing.

Tagliatelle with Autumn Vegetables, Bacon and Cream

The first time my husband cooked for me, not long after we met, he made Tagliatelli with Bacon and Cream. It was his own recipe, bacon fried with garlic and herbs, tossed with fresh tagliatelli and cream. If I hadn’t been head over heels in love with him already, I would have been after that meal. It might not have been heart friendly from the point of view of your health, but it was heart friendly in many other ways! 

The other night I really fancied a treat, and my husband’s recipe seemed like the perfect solution. However I had a fridge full of lovely vegetables I wanted to use so I hesitated a bit. And then I had an idea...why not make this rather decadent recipe just a bit healthier by adding some vegetables - and also create a vegetarian version of this recipe at the same time? It was a very happy experiment, and here is the result.

To serve 3 to 4 people generously you need:

1 pound of fresh tagliatelle pasta

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped

1 red pepper, cored and cut in thin slices

1 to 2 zucchini, sliced in half and cut in half moons

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

freshly ground pepper

about ½ cup light cream or half and half 

(I use single cream here in England)

 ¾ cup cubed pancetta or chopped bacon (optional, leave out for the vegetarian version)

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it is beginning to soften. Add the garlic, red pepper, zucchini, oregano and thyme.  Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are just beginning to become tender. 

If you are using pancetta or bacon, turn up the heat just a bit, and add it here. Continue cooking until the meat is done. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. (Fresh pasta does not take long to cook.) Drain and return to the pan.

Add the vegetable mixture to the pasta, and then gradually add the cream, stirring and tossing the pasta with two forks as you go until the pasta is lightly coated. You may not need all the cream, or you may need a little more, depending on the consistency of the pasta. (You want the pasta to be coated and moist, but you don’t want pools of cream on the plate!)

Serve on warmed plates. 

Butternut Macaroni and Cheese

I have a confession to make. Last Wednesday I had some leftover pancetta pieces and I added them to a perfectly good meatless recipe. It worked out really well, but I felt incredibly guilty as I am always looking for good meatless recipes to share. I debated fibbing just a little and not telling you this, but you can clearly see those guilty chunks of pancetta in the casserole above. It really didn’t need them though, and this is such a perfect vegetarian recipe (without the pancetta) I wanted to be sure to highlight it. Seriously, this mac and cheese is good -  with or without the pancetta. I suppose you could use ‘vegetarian bacon’ if you wanted to get the salty sweet flavour the pancetta added to the recipe, but honestly, it would be perfectly delicious without any kind of meatiness. The butternut squash lends a really subtle sweetness, along with lots of extra vitamins. 

My second confession, I did not develop this recipe entirely by myself. It is from the current edition of the wonderful BBC Good Food Magazine. I’ve made a couple small changes to the recipe, including using slightly less milk and cheese, but the main idea is theirs. I had planned to link to the recipe on their website, but it isn’t there yet, so I am going to share it here and hope the lovely folks at BBC Good Food do not mind. Either way, you really need to visit their excellent website - it’s got thousands of fantastic recipes (including a great selection of vegetarian ideas), and you can even make your own virtual binder to save the ones you want to try. 

Butternut Macaroni Cheese

adapted from BBC Good Food Magazine November 2011

Serves 4 generously

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 teaspoons olive oil

11 ounces macaroni

2 ounces butter (I used ¼ cup)

2 ounces plain flour (I used ¼ cup)

1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard 

2 cups milk (you may need slightly more or less)

1 cup grated vegetarian cheddar 

¼ cup grated vegetarian Parmesan style cheese

Heat the oven to 400℉ (200℃ or 180℃ for a fan oven). 

Place the squash on a baking sheet and toss in the oil. Add some salt and pepper if you like (I left it plain). Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour to make a roux. Gradually whisk in the milk and simmer until it thickens to a smooth sauce, stirring constantly. 

Take the sauce off the heat and mash in a third of the squash with the cheddar and half the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the drained macaroni and the remaining chunks of squash. 

Place into an ovenproof dish, scatter with the remaining Parmesan and bake for 15 minutes until golden and bubbling. 

(NB: If you are not making this on Meatless Monday and you want to add the pancetta or if you are using a vegetarian bacon replacement, simply pan fry it while you are making the roux, and add it to the casserole before baking.)

Beef and Shallot Bourguignon

There is nothing like a rich, delicious beef bourguignon on a cool autumn evening. It makes the house smell fantastic while it is cooking, and once you’ve got it in the oven, it really takes care of itself. The recipe is easy to put together, and it is a great one for company.  You need to use the kind of beef you cook long and slow for it. It’s always cheaper so that helps to keep costs down while still producing something really delicious. I find all the terms for beef that you need to cook long and slow vary wildly between countries, but here it is called braising steak, stewing beef or chuck steak.  Most of the time I use cubed chuck steak to make this.

Two little hints - be sure to use a good wine and don’t leave out the celery!  Good wine does not have to be expensive anymore, just be sure to always cook with a wine you are happy to drink.  (It’s lovely to be able to serve the remainder of the bottle with the meal.)   Beef Bourguignon is traditionally made with a full bodied wine such as Burgundy, but I have also had great results with cheaper Cabernet Sauvignon blends and Shiraz. As long as it is red and reasonably full bodied and tasty, it’s fine. As for the celery, I recommend you leave the sticks whole and remove them before you eat but please do not leave it out as it adds the most gorgeous flavour – not celery-like at all, just a lovely fresh taste.  (My husband hates celery, but he loves this!)  

I use a Le Creuset casserole for this as it can be used on the stove top first and then go into the oven.  If you do not have an oven safe casserole you can use on the stove top, just do the first few steps in frying pan with a lid and then transfer the meaty mixture to an oven safe casserole before you add the vegetables. 

Although the recipe sounds boozy with the brandy and the red wine, the vast majority of the alcohol cooks off and leaves only a fabulous flavour, so folks are pretty unlikely to get tipsy from eating this. This is wonderful served with crispy roast potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice (I even served it with couscous once), so you can make whatever you like best.

If there are leftovers this is wonderful if you refrigerate it and re-heated it the following day - or make it the day ahead on purpose so you can spend lots of time with your guests.  This will serve four, but it’s really easy to double it if you have lots of folks coming for dinner.  

  

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound of braising steak, chuck steak or stewing beef, cut in pieces about an inch square (just roughly)

1 cup of chopped bacon or bacon ‘lardons’ (pre-chopped bits of bacon)

about 20 shallots, peeled, cut in half if they are on the big side

2 tablespoons flour

¼ cup brandy

½ to 1 cup beef stock

¾ cup (6 ounces) good red wine

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoons thyme

2 - 3 sticks of celery left whole

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stove top to oven casserole with a lid.

Place the flour in a small bowl and dredge the pieces of beef in the flour.   Add them to the casserole and fry gently, stirring so that they brown on all sides.   When they are just about browned, add the bacon, and cook for about two or three minutes before adding the shallots.  Get the shallots all coated in the oily bacony juices, and then pour the brandy over top.

Working quickly but very carefully, flambé the casserole by putting a lighted match near the casserole.  The alcohol in the brandy should ignite.  Allow it to flame for a few seconds and then put the lid on to extinguish any remaining flames.  (Always keep the lid nearby when doing this so you can put out the flames quickly if you need to. I like to wear an oven mitt on the hand holding the lid as well.)  After a few seconds, take the lid off the pan and add the wine and ½ cup of the beef stock.  Grate the garlic into the casserole, and add the celery, thyme, salt and pepper.  Stir and cover.  (If using a frying pan, please transfer the mixture to an oven safe casserole now.)  

Place the casserole in the oven for about 1½ - 2 hours on a low heat.  I suggest 325℉ (160℃).  Every oven is different though so go carefully because it is the long slow cooking that makes this casserole so delicious.  Check and stir every half hour, adding a bit more beef stock if necessary.  

The Beef Bourguignon is ready to serve when the beef is fork tender.  Just remove the celery, give it a stir and you are all set to go!

Meatless Monday - Butternut Rice

The nutty wild rice is the perfect foil to the sweetly roasted vegetables in this delicious side dish. 

1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped in small pieces (roughly 1 inch cubes where possible)

1 large red onion, peeled and chopped in small chunks

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I prefer to use mild olive oil in this dish)

2 tablespoons good Balsamic vinegar

1 generous cup mixed long grain and wild rice

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).

Mix the oil and vinegar together well. Place the cut up squash and onion on a baking tray. Pour the oil and vinegar mixture over top, and mix with your hands to cover all the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the baking tray in the oven and roast the vegetables for fifteen minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and carefully turn the vegetables. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are beginning to turn golden brown.

Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions. Drain and return to the saucepan.

When the vegetables are done, add them to the rice, along with the roasting juices in the pan. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste if necessary.

Bruschetta with a Twist

When I was growing up, hot dogs were a family favourite. My Mom used to make a really lovely relish for them with finely chopped tomatoes, dehydrated onion, salt and pepper. Aside from a bit of mustard, it was all I would put on my hot dogs, and I loved it so much that I would eat the leftovers with a spoon. 

Fast forward to today, and I really don’t eat that many hot dogs anymore. First of all, my family and I are trying to eat less meat (although to be fair this relish would work beautifully on vegetarian hot dogs), and also I am much more aware of the fact that traditional meat hot dogs are really not at all good for us. 

But I still love my Mom’s relish. I also love Italian bruschetta, toasted Italian bread served with tomatoes. Traditionally bruschetta is just olive oil, tomatoes and garlic, but I really wanted to play with the flavours - and so this recipe was born. It’s so easy, and you probably already have the ingredients on hand. If the bread you have is a little stale, that is no problem, you are going to toast it anyway. You can use any crusty bread cut in thick slices  but ciabatta or French bread baguettes work best. 

This is a great make ahead recipe in that the tomato mixture benefits from a few hours sitting. Then all you have to do at the last minute is slice the bread, brush it with olive oil on both sides, and toast it in the oven or under the broiler for a couple minutes on each side. Topping it with the tomato mixture doesn’t take long at all. 

I have changed my Mom’s recipe a bit, to use the fresh scallions that are in season at the moment, and I’ve added one of my favourite go-to ingredients, balsamic vinegar. It adds an amazing depth of flavour. Be sure to use a good balsamic, it really does make a difference.

To make about a dozen bruschetta, you need:

4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 bunch of scallions (spring onions), tough ends removed, peeled and finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped OR 1 teaspoon dried

1 clove garlic, peeled and very finely chopped or grated (optional)

1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Mix the tomatoes, scallions, basil and garlic together. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and allow to sit for at least ten minutes or up to an hour or two (or longer in the fridge).

Serve on toasted crusty bread, as above. If you have any fresh basil, it looks pretty if you garnish the bruschetta with some whole leaves. 

If you don’t want to eat the leftover tomato mixture with a spoon like I do, it is wonderful as a pizza topping.