French Spinach Pie

I have already posted one spinach pie recipe, so this one I shall call French Spinach Pie, because my mother got the recipe from our neighbor, who was from France and quite an accomplished cook.  It is very easy to make, and delicious for a quick luncheon, brunch or even for dinner.  Plus, the recipe makes 2 pies, so you can feed a small crowd, or give one away!  I generally am lazy and use frozen pie crusts for this particular pie, but if you are motivated, by all means, make your own crust and it will be even more yummy, I’m sure.

• 2 unbaked 8″ pie shells
  
• 3 eggs
• 1 pound cottage cheese ( I use low fat)
• 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (I have used other types, including mexican mix!)
• 2 TBS Parmesan cheese
• 2 TBS melted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 1o oz. package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of water
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a large bowl, add all ingredients  (except pie crusts!) and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour into pie shells, and bake at 375 degrees until set and lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
4. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Indian Pies

I read about these small thin pies more than 40 years ago. You can make them with the dried fruit of your choice. Bill and I love the apricot ones better than prune or even dried apples.  They are delicious for breakfast with tea or coffee, or for dessert after dinner.

Get the best quality organic dried fruit that you can find. The good stuff is more expensive but you can make it go a long way.  I cook (in water), soften, and mash 1/3 to 1/2  pound of fruit at a time and refrigerate it to have on hand so I can quickly make a small pie every day.   I also make the pie crust, take off what I need for the first pie and refrigerate the rest in plastic  wrap.  I get about 5 indian pies from a crust that according the Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book is suppose to make one two crust pie. ( Note that I roll my crusts very thin.)

A word of caution: Pie crust does not keep well for long.  I have made mine last up to 5 days but 3 days is better. You can always make an extra pie and keep it for the next day.  Or use a recipe that doesn’t make as much crust.  I’ll give you both below.

It may be crazy, but if I have company coming I would make fresh crust.  When I serve other people I want everything to score 11 on a freshness-scale of  1 to 10.  They probably would never know, but I would.  Guess its just a habit I got into many years ago. If someone just dropped by unexpectedly on the day I made the “last” pie however, I would not hesitate to serve it.  (I know  — don’t tell me — it makes no sense.)

Watch your amount of fruit as well.  I keep mine at least 5 days without problem, but be aware of the possibility of spoilage since your conditions may not be the same as mine.

Its a great time saver to have the crust and filling already prepared since it only takes about ten minutes to put the pie together.    Roll out the dough. Place in pie plate or on stainless steel cookie sheet.  Spread a thin layer of fruit on the crust.  (Once you make one you can adjust the amount of filling to your taste.) Place a few thin slivers of butter on the fruitif you desire.  Roll out second crust. Place on top of crust with fruit.  Seal edges.  Make vent holes on top by piercing with fork.  Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 to 34 minutes.  (I like to have the crust a little brown.)

Remove from oven and cool thoroughly for best flavor.

Ingredients:

Dried Apricots (Cover with water.  Simmer until soft.  Mash.)

Pie Crust:

2 cups finely ground whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp of salt (BH&G cookbook calls for 1 teaspoon) (* see my note at the end)

2/3 cup of shortening (I use Spectrum Organic Shortening.)

cold water

For less crust:

1 1/2 cups of finely ground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup of shortening

1/2 tsp of salt

cold water

#1 Sift salt and flour into mixing bowl.  Add half of the shortening. (My pastry cutter was my grandmother’s. It’s very old, but I really enjoy using it.)

#2. With pastry cutter, cut in shortening until well mixed.

#3. Add the other half of the shortening and cut in until well mixed. It is very important to cut in half the shortening first and then the other half.  The  crust in no where near as good if you do it all at once.  Just one of those unexplainable things.

#4.  Cut in properly, this is what the flour and shortening will look like.

#5. Add a little cold water to a small section of the mixture.  With fork mix water into that section. Continue until all mixture is moist and you can shape the ball of dough with your hands.

#6.  Shape ball of dough and slightly knead it so it will hold together.

#7. It is important not to handle the dough anymore than what is absolutely necessary, otherwise the crust will be tough

#8. Ball of crust will look like this.

#9.  Cut off what you need for one pie and wrap the rest in plastic wrap and store in frig.

#10. Just cover dried fruit with water.  Simmer on low until very soft.

#11. Mash.  Cool.  Use some for your pie.  Put rest in bowl and cover with plastic and refrigerate.

#12. Bottom crust rolled out and placed on cookie sheet.  I am spreading the apricot on it.

#13. I’ve just rolled out the top layer and am placing it on top.

#14. Pinch edges and then pierce top randomly with fork.

#15. Finished Pie

#16. Have a slice!

* regarding the salt:  I’ve started leaving the salt out of the pie crust.  I’ve made it both ways plenty of times and as far as taste is concerned I don’t think it makes a difference.  Also, it might be just me, but the crust seems to keep longer without the salt.

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Irish kidney soup recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs lamb kidneys;

2 onions, coarsely chopped;

2 carrots, sliced;

1 or 2 tbsp lemon juice;

10 whole black peppercorns;

2 large sprigs thyme;

1 bay leaf;

8 cups beef or lamb stock;

2 tbsp cooking fat;

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

Prepare the kidneys by removing any membrane covering them, if present. Cut them in half lengthwise and cut around the fatty white core to remove it. Cut each kidney halves into thick slices.

Heat a stockpot over a medium heat, add the cooking fat and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 6 minutes.

Add the kidney slices to the hot pot and brown them on each side.

Pour in the stock and add the whole peppercorns, thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let simmer, covered, for about 3 hours.

Add the carrot slices in the last 45 minutes of cooking.

When the soup is ready, discard the thyme sprigs, the bay leaf and use a slotted spoon to remove most of the whole peppercorns.

Add 1 or 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste, taste for seasoning and enjoy.

P.S. Be sure to check out the Paleo Recipe Book. It’s a cookbook I’ve created to help you cook the best food for your health. It contains over 370 Paleo recipes and covers absolutely everything you’ll ever need..

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Yotam Ottolenghi's legume noodle soup recipe

I like to think of this heartwarming, thick soup as the Iranian answer to minestrone. In Iran, they call this wonderfully wholesome and ­nourishing dish ash-e reshteh, and it leaves a real smile on your face. I found reshteh noodles at an ­Iranian grocer, but linguine would do the job just as well. Serves eight.

125g dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight with 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

125g dried butterbeans, soaked in water overnight with 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

2 large onions, thinly sliced

10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

80g clarified butter

1½ tsp turmeric

Salt and black pepper

225g yellow split peas

Roughly 2 litres vegetable stock

35g chopped parsley

35g chopped coriander

15g chopped dill

100g spring onion, thinly sliced

150g baby spinach

100g reshteh (or linguine)

150g soured cream, plus 1 tsp per portion to finish

1½ tbsp white wine vinegar

4 limes, halved

Drain and rinse both the chickpeas and butterbeans, then boil them separately in lots of fresh water until almost cooked – anywhere ­between 25 and 55 minutes – and drain.

In a large, heavy-based pot, sauté the onion, garlic and butter on ­medium heat for 20 minutes, or ­until soft and golden-brown. Stir in the turmeric and some salt and ­pepper, then lift a third of this mix from the pot and transfer to a dish for use later.

Add the chickpeas and butterbeans to the pot, then add the split peas and stock. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off the froth occasionally, or until the peas are tender. Add the herbs, spring onion and ­spinach, stir and cook for 15 minutes more; add extra stock (or water) if the soup is very thick. Taste and season generously.

Add the noodles and cook for about 10 minutes, so that they are just done. Stir in the soured cream and vinegar, adjust the seasoning and serve at once, garnished with extra soured cream and the reserved cooked onion mix. Serve lime halves to squeeze over every portion

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Svekolnik (Russian beetroot soup)

"Svekolnik" is originated from Russian cuisine and it is great soup for a hot summer! Try to use sweet and deep red beetroot for achieving beautiful color. I use different greens for this soup-coriander, parsley, celery or even beet tops and spinach-it's up to you. My favorite is with coriander-I just love the smell and taste! You can also add in potatoes boiled in skin, peeling and cubing them. Some add in sour cream for extra taste.

Ingredients:

2 medium sized beetroot

3 eggs, hard boiled

A bunch of greens (I love coriander)

2 medium sized cucumbers

500 grams of natural yogurt-"Qatiq" or "Suzma"

200 ml of clean drinking water

Salt to taste

Put beetroot in boiling water and cook until soft or half soft (to your taste). Let them cool completely. Peel off the skin and cut in medium sized cubes. Cut cucumbers in smaller cubes. Chop up greens.

Finely mix yogurt and water. Add in beetroot, cucumber, greens, salt and mix again.

Serve putting egg halves on top.

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How to Make a Quick Italian Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a delicious dish that can be made with a few simple ingredients, perfect for a family dinner or a big party. This article will teach you how to prepare a quick Italian spaghetti, and will have you serving up fantastic plates of pasta in no time.

Ingredients

• 1lb of Ground beef or Italian sweet or hot sausage cut up in 3/4" pieces
• Two large cans of crushed tomatoes.
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, diced.
• 1 medium onion, diced.
• 1 tbs dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
• Olive Oil.
• 1 lb dried spaghetti
• Optional flaked Parmesan cheese
• Optional 1 diced bell pepper
• Optional 4 ounces diced mushrooms (or an 8 ounce can)    

Steps

1-Put on a pot of water to boil with 8-12 cups of water. While it is heating, cook your sauce

2-In a separate pot heat up 2 table spoons of Olive Oil on medium heat.

3-Sauté your sausage or ground beef until browned (drain and return to pot), then add bell peppers and mushrooms and cook until lightly browned.

4-Add onions into the pot, continue sautéing until edges are browned. Then add fresh diced garlic and cook another minute (overcooked garlic is bitter and loses its flavor).

5-Add the tomato sauce and spices, stir and let it simmer for 15 to 20 min.

6-Once the water in the first pot boils, add 1tbs. olive oil, spaghetti noodles and a 1 tsp of salt.

7-Stir gently and constantly until the water boils again to keep it from sticking together.

8-Let the spaghetti boil for 10-12 min (once spaghetti is done, rinse and drain).

9-Mix with sauce and serve immediately.

Tips

• Consider including a garden or Caesar salad and warm garlic bread slices.
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese is the perfect complement to spaghetti.
• If you substitute ground turkey or chicken meat, stirring in 1tsp Worcestershire sauce into the meat before frying it improves the flavor.

From  wikihow

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