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Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

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World’s Best Baked Beans

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This recipe comes from one of those fund raising cookbooks — a familiar thing in many American circles. Do you have a few on your bookshelf? I have them from churches, our old squadron wives group, and this one is from my sister-in-law’s high school class. They made a cookbook several years ago and used it to raise funds for their upcoming reunion. This simple recipe for very meaty baked beans in my favorite in the book. Thanks to the 1973 class of Belle Vernon Area High School for sharing.

Meaty Baked Beans- perfect as a side dish, but hearty enough to serve as a main

I’ve never served this without getting at least one request for the recipe. it makes a huge amount, so it’s something you’ll want to prepare when you have many mouths to feed. I have frozen leftovers and been happy with the result when they were thawed and reheated in case you need that option.

I have taken this to potluck dinners as a side dish. For my December graduation party (many years ago), I made this as a main dish on a blustery winter day and served it with cornbread. It’s hearty enough to be a meal in itself.

Tomorrow, this very American looking Polish pottery is going to work for lunch. It was decided today that we were due for a “Hot Dog Day.” It will be an almost impromptu potluck. Top notch hot dogs with all kinds of toppings, and that calls for top notch meaty baked beans on the side.

I was so excited about going back to work. In case you’re wondering, I’m still enjoying it. The days fly by very quickly, and that’s always a good sign. It is, however, adding a lot more structure to my days than I’ve had for several years. And yes, sometimes it feels like all I do is work and sleep, but we’re adding a hitch and a bike carrier to our car, so there will soon be some bike rides along the river (which is always a large dry riverbed unless we’ve just had a VERY heavy rain).

It’s sad to say there is no safe way of getting from our home to the bike path on our bikes, so we have to drive there. I miss the days of being able to zip across Poznań on our bikes without traveling on a road. Bikes paths along the sidewalks, through the parks and forest will get you “almost” anywhere in POZ.

Enough reminiscing! I know you’ll have to wait for the right time to try these baked beans, but let me know how it goes.

Smacznego!

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World’s Best Baked Beans

  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 90 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 15 mins
  • Yield: 6 quarts
  • Category: Side or Main
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

A hearty meaty baked bean recipe that will feed a crowd!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sweet (mild) Italian sausage
  • 1 pound hot Italian sausage
  • 1 pound Polish sausage
  • 1 pound pepperoni
  • 1 can green beans, drained
  • 1 can yellow wax beans, drained
  • 1 can Lima beans, drained
  • 1 can baked beans
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 can chili beans
  • 1 can tomato soup
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 bottle of barbecue sauce
  • 1 pound of bacon, precook end and cut up

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325
  2. Brown the Italian sausages. Mine were links and I squirted them out of the casings to brown them as if they were bulk sausage
  3. Slice and half or quarter the Polish sausage and pepperoni add to the Italian sausage for the last few minutes of cooking. Just enough to cook out some of the fat
  4. Drain the meats on paper towels
  5. In a very large mixing bowl or a Dutch oven combine all of the beans, soup, tomato paste, and brown sugar until well combined
  6. Add the cooked sausages
  7. If mixing in a bowl, transfer to a large baking dish
  8. Spread the barbecue sauce over the top as if you were frosting a cake
  9. Top with the bacon pieces
  10. Bake for 1 1/2 hours

Notes

If you’re not in the US, here are some substitutions you can make. The tomato soup should be condensed. If you’re using ready to serve, simmer to reduce the volume by half. If your butcher doesn’t carry Italian sausage or American Polish sausage, substitute your personal favorites, a little spicy is fine. The pepperoni is a sausage, not a pepper. Cooked lardons will substitute nicely for the bacon. Exact proportions and measurements aren’t necessary. It’s very flexible!

 

Duck Sausage Gumbo

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We roasted a whole duck Christmas Day. At the end of the evening when faced with the duck carcass and a few roasted vegetables leftover, I did what any good Polish housewife would do and made duck stock. All of the bones and the veggies (a mix of carrot, onion, parsnip, potato, and Brussels sprouts) went into Dutch oven with enough water to cover everything, probably about 12 cups. I brought it to a boil then turned the heat down as low as it would go, covered it and let it simmer over night. If you’re doing this during the day, a couple of hours should be sufficient. I was just out of steam and couldn’t stay up that long. I had no idea what I would do with this at the time. Luckily, inspiration came the next day, and it turned into some excellent duck sausage gumbo. If you’re not cooking a duck, you could do this with any kind of leftover poultry.

Duck Sausage Gumbo

 

 

After letting the liquid cool to room temperature, I poured it through a strainer to remove the veggies and the duck carcass. After cooking for so long, the duck was disintegrating, lifting it out was not an option. The veggies were discarded. I think any flavor in them had long since cooked out. I picked the meat off the bones and was pleasantly surprised that I had almost three cups. I wanted to remove the layer of fat that was on top of the stock. I could have used a fat separating measuring cup, but mine is small. It would have been a lot of pouring and probably a lot of spilling. Since I wasn’t in a hurry, I popped the pan with the liquid into the freezer to firm up the fat, making it easier to remove. The gelatinous stock became almost solid, and I was able to scrap off the fat with a metal spatula.

After browsing through three recipes in our favorite Cajun cookbook, Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, I felt ready to take this on. We invited friends over for an impromptu dinner party, and the duck sausage gumbo was very well received.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Duck Sausage Gumbo

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 40 min
  • Cook Time: 75 min
  • Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings
  • Cuisine: Cajun
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Description

Spicy and flavorful, this chock-full of veggies soup will win over die-hard carnivores. With a subtle heat, this is a wonderful use for any leftover fowl.

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 1/2 cups chopped onions, divided
2 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers, divided
2 1/2 cups chopped celery, divided
2 1/2 cups chopped okra, divided
1/4 cup duck fat (add olive oil if more fat is needed)
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 cups duck broth
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, diced
3 cups shredded duck meat
1 pound Polish sausage, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups rice, cooked according to package directions ( I sometimes use Basmati rice because of the lower glycemic index)

Instructions

Combine the flour, salt, paprika, white pepper, onion powder, cayenne, black pepper, and cumin
On a plate, combine together 1/2 cup each of the onion, bell pepper, celery, and okra, set aside
Heat the duck fat in a large Dutch oven over high heat
Add the flour and seasoning mix, stirring and scraping constantly, cook until dark brown, 4 – 5 minutes, add the reserved mixed vegetables, and continue cooking over high heat for one more minute
Add the garlic, and immediately begin adding the duck broth, one cup at a time, stirring between each addition
Add the tomatoes (including liquid), duck meat, the sausage, and the remaining vegetables
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, loosely cover, and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes, stirring occasionally
Served in bowls with a scoop of cooked rice

I’m sure a Cajun dish isn’t what pops into everyone’s mind. How would you use up leftover duck or other poultry?

 

Tarta Szparagowa – Asparagus Tart

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Tarta ze Szparagami or Asparagus Tart, delicious for any meal of the day

With two kilograms of this seasonal veg in the fridge, I was bound to make a cheese and asparagus tart!

As is so often the case in Poland, our friends downstairs know someone, who knows someone who is growing organic asparagus. Our friends buy a lot of the asparagus every year at this time, we’ve been the recipients of part of their annual organic asparagus haul.  Two kilograms of asparagus is more than I would usually buy at one time, but this is so fresh that it’s keeping well. So far, we’ve wrapped asparagus in bacon; we’re preserving asparagus in brine, and now a tart.

2014-05-28 06.29.03   2014-05-28 07.59.12

I loved the taste of this tart, but I’m disappointed in the appearance. I should have added the asparagus last, so they would be more apparent, but I was concerned about fitting the entire 500 grams of asparagus into my pastry shell, so they were placed first (and buried by the cheese.) So this will be a case of do as I say and not as I do. The pastry is a sage crust , one I use for my savory galettes. It’s nice to work with and adds a lovely texture and flavor. If you have some yummy fresh asparagus, give this a try. It’s one of those dishes that I could eat for any meal of the day

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asparagus cheese tart

Asparagus Tart with Sage Crust

  • Prep Time: 90 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 55 mins
  • Yield: 6 - 8
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Description

A wonderful sage crust encasing a little custard with a lot of asparagus and cheese – perfect for summer

Ingredients

for crust:

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry sage)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 to 8 tablespoons cold water

for filling:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • dash cayenne
  • 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 pound fresh asparagus spears

Instructions

for the crust:

  1. To make the dough, pulse the flours, butter, sage, and salt in a food processor until it has the texture of a coarse meal. (I’m not intimidated by making pie crust, so I usually don’t bother with using the food processor – too many parts to wash, but in this case, it seemed like the best way to insure the sage was finely chopped and evenly distributed.)
  2. While pulsing, slowly add ice water, using just enough for the dough to form a ball. Don’t overwork it.
  3. Shape the dough into a 5 inch disk, wrap in plastic, and chill at least one hour.

for the filling:

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Roll out dough to fit your baking pan; I used a shallow 8 x 11 pan.
  3. Place dough in pan, trim crust, I just cut it at the top of the pan, no fancy fluting or anything.
  4. Mix the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and pour into crust.
  5. Sprinkle with cheeses.
  6. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus by holding the bottom and middle of the stalk and snapping.
  7. Add asparagus to the pan, lining it up side by side.
  8. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
  9. Allow to set up for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5 – 10 minutes, microwaving will make it soggy.

asparagus tart

Salmon Patties with easy sauce

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salmon patty, salmon patties

Salmon patties are something I remember from my childhood. My mom made them with canned salmon. I’m sure it was an effort in every mom’s most challenging pastime, trying to get a variety of nutritious food into her children. I didn’t like them at all. Everything I wanted from the sea came in the form of fish sticks with tartar sauce and butterflied breaded shrimp with ketchup — not very sophisticated,  I know.  Have hope, moms, tastes change. I now quite enjoy salmon. (Because Polish is a language with no silent letters, let me just toss this out here for my Polish friends, the l in salmon is silent. It’s pronounced something like sa-men.)

I just returned to Poland after four weeks in the USA. I’m sure some of you picture me returning to an empty refrigerator, but that’s not the case at all. Ed had the fridge stocked and cooked all the meals for the first 24 hours that I was home. We had some great beef from Argentina, a green salad, and Gordon Ramsey style scrambled eggs with fresh chives.  There was also some salmon in the fridge that Ed had cooked earlier in the week, which I used to make salmon patties for our lunch this afternoon.  I topped them with a sauce we could call a lazy woman’s hollandaise, mayo and Dijon mustard mixed together.  Garlic toast, a pickle and a couple of sun dried tomatoes on the side, and Ed looked at Benson (our dog) and said, “the Polish Housewife is back.”

Try the salmon patties; I hope you’ll like them. I also hope this has struck a chord for you — reminded you of something your mother wanted you to eat, something you’ve come to enjoy, the state of your kitchen after being away. Let’s get the conversation started. Maybe my dear sister-in-law, Carol, will share a story about husbands in the kitchen. 😉

 

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salmon patty, salmon patties

Salmon Patties

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 2 - 4
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Description

A quick and tasty use for leftover cooked salmon

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces cooked salmon, flaked
  • 1 small onion, finely diced (1/4 – 1/3 cup)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley (1 tablespoon fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • olive oil for frying
  • chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, combine salmon, onion, egg, 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, mustard, parsley, salt, and pepper
  2. Without overworking the mixture, form into four patties, flattening to about 3/4 of an inch and also pushing in on the sides to make sure the patties are structurally sound
  3. Coat the patties with the remaining breadcrumbs
  4. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a frying pan, over medium high heat
  5. Add the salmon patties, reduce heat to medium, cooking until golden brown, 2 – 3 minutes
  6. Turn the patties (I like to use two spatulas when turning delicate things, place one underneath, and then a second spatula over the top to gently flip it and ease it back into the pan; it also keeps the oil from splashing because the patty doesn’t plop back into the pan) and add more olive oil if necessary, cooking until the second side is golden

Notes

For my “lazy woman’s hollandaise sauce” mix 2 tablespoon mayo (I like Best Foods or Hellmans) with 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

For dinner last night, we visited the first ever Browar Fest Poznan — a festival featuring craft beers from Poland and other places. A write-up on this, which we hope becomes an annual event soon!

 

Green Curry Chicken

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My first attempt at making curry – I’m writing it down here to jog my own memory as much as anything else because I won’t mind being able to duplicate it.

This experiment lead to a delicious meal, actually two meals.  Our supermarket carries all kind of curry products.  I bought the curry sauce and curry paste; never touched the powdered curry I have in the cupboard.  The curry sauce was ready to go, very spicy.  The curry paste needed to be diluted with the coconut milk.  If I hadn’t had the spicy sauce, I might have tossed in a few jalepeno slices.  I was working without a recipe or any kind of authentic instructions.

Inspiration came from three sources;

  1. A meal we shared 32 years ago at the Schwartz home in St. Pete.  It was the first time I’d had curry and it was very good, but so good that I remember what we ate after more than three decades? . . .  It was the day after my husband asked me to marry him.   A lot of that day is etched in my mind like it was yesterday.  <3
  2. A recipe for curry given to me by our friend, Clay, who is an excellent cook.  I’ve read it but never fixed it, and alas, that recipe is in Tucson.
  3. A conversation I had earlier in the day with Brooke, my friend who is getting into wok cooking in a big way.  Brooke told me about the curry soup she’d made the night before, and she made it sound so non-intimidating – as if you don’t need a cookbook or ethnic ties, just do it, like you were putting together a stew!

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs
seasoning salt & black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 leek, white and light green parts only, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 carrots, grated
4 stalks celery, sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup peanuts
1 1/ 2 cups green curry sauce
1/2 cup green curry paste
2 cups coconut milk
2 roasted red peppers, diced (I used peppers from a jar)
rice, cooked according to directions (I used Uncle Ben’s brown rice)
2 green onions, sliced

Directions

  • Season chicken with salt and pepper
  • In a frying pan, brown both sides of the chicken in 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • In a Dutch oven, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, cook leek and onion until tender
  • Add carrot, celery and red pepper to the Dutch oven, cooking for about 5 minutes
  • Add cranberries, peanuts, curry sauce, curry paste, coconut milk red peppers, and the chicken to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, reduce heat to warm-low, and simmer for 75 – 90 minutes
  • Serve over rice and garnish with green onion

Serves 4

Almond Parmesan Crusted Chicken

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We’re back in Poznan, missing our family, but looking forward to the new year.  To me, it’s not about big, bold resolutions; it’s about a return to the pleasure of a normal routine, finding the time to make better choices regarding meals and activity – all the things that are joyfully forgotten during holiday celebrations.

After finding this article on a friend’s facebook wall, I’m incorporating vegetables into my diet in a big way.  The article talks about using the Hunter-Gatherer Diet to combat MS.  I don’t have this disease, but it’s hard to argue with the benefits a nine servings of vegetables and fruit a day.  The question will be can I find ways to make them interesting.  That will determine my success.  The Chinese style veggies pictured here will be posted in a few days.  Incorporating organ meat once a week; I don’t know if I’m ready for that part of the diet just yet.

My husband is cutting back on carbs for a week or so to break the cycle; “do widzenia” bread, potatoes, and beer.  I found a recipe that mentioned crushed pork rinds as breading for chicken breast, but alas, no pork rinds in our Polish market.  I was trying to think of something to add a bit of crunch and remembered that I had sliced almonds in the pantry.  Voila, the Almond Parmesan Crusted Chicken is born, and it was so tasty that we’re fixing it again in a few days for dinner guests.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten

Directions

  • Butterfly the chicken breast by laying it on a cutting board and slicing horizontally, ALMOST to the other side.  Open it up and pound with a meat tenderizer (mallet) until the breast is about 1/4-inch thick
  • Season both sides with salt and pepper
  • Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat
  • Run the almonds and Parmesan cheese in a food processor until the texture is breadcrumb-like
  • Spread half of the nut mixture out on a plate
  • Dip the chicken breast in the beaten egg
  • Spread the chicken out over the nuts and cheese and sprinkle the remaining nut mixture over the top side of the chicken, pat the crust to secure it to the meat
  • Put the chicken in the hot oil and cook until browned on both sides
  • Divide into two servings.  You can keep this warm in a 200 degree oven (100 C) if you’re fixing more than one breast

Serves: 2

Kurczaka z Sosem Pomarańczowym (Orange Chicken)

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Polska piątek (Polish Friday) #5

The recipe comes from Nela’s Cookbook.  What it lacks color photos, Nela’s Cookbook makes up with elegant sketches and charming head-notes in which the author share the history of a dish or how she might serve it. They are reminiscent of a modern day food blog, and will make you wish that you had known the author who comes across as witty with the gift of hospitality. My husband selected Kurczaka z Sosem Pomarańczowym (Orange Chicken) for this Friday’s recipe.  Rather than a whole chicken, we cooked two packages of thighs.  The meat was so tender – just delicious.  It would be perfect served over noodles or rice.

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Kurczaka z Sosem Pomarańczowym (Orange Chicken)

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Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken, cut in serving pieces
  • salt and pepper, to taster
  • 4 tablespoons flour, approx.
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
  • 1 rib celery, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth, or 1/2 Knorr chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 3/4 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
  • 1/3 cup chopped mango chutney
  • 1 bay leave, crumpled
  • garnish: 1 small navel orange, peeled and sectioned

Instructions

  1. Season the chicken, and dust with flour
  2. Brown the chicken in oil in a heavy skillet
  3. Remove the chicken and keep it warm, discard all but one tablespoon of the oil
  4. Add the apple, celery, carrot, and onion to the oil and cook for 4 minutes
  5. Sprinkle the mixture with the curry powder and cook 1 minute more
  6. Stir in the orange juice, chicken broth, orange rind, chutney, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil
  7. Add the chicken pieces cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes
  8. Serve garnished with orange sections

 

A definite Indian influence in this dish with the curry and chutney, but I think Polish cuisine changes and grows over time.  There are as many (if not more) places in Poznan offering kabob as pierogi.  Speaking of kabob, I hope to have the magic spice combination from  an Armenian friend soon. 

Next week: Dill Sauce

Gulasz – Polish Pork Goulash

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I wanted to adapt my usual recipe to make it more like Polish pork goulash or gulasz. The paprika we’ve bought in Poznań has been darker and spicier (not smoked), so that took care of part of it.  I also (as the name implies) used pork, the most typical Polish protein, rather than beef.

As I’ve started doing lately with soups, etc., I browned all of the ingredients, not just the meat.  I think it adds to the flavor.

The final difference is that I served this goulash over potato pancakes; in the past, I’ve usually used noodles.

Another typically Polish way to serve goulash would be over buckwheat kasha (toasted groats). I like to cook buckwheat in stock (chicken, beef, or even vegetable broth) to give it a little more flavor.

I hope you enjoy this Polish Pork Goulash as much as we do!

Smacznego!

Lois

Delicious Polish Pork Goulash over potato pancakes!

(Amazon pays me a few cent for purchases made via these links)
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Polish Pork Goulash

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Total Time: 2 hours 45 mins
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A delicious, savory stew, the perfect topping for potato pancakes!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds pork, trimmed and diced
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 bell peppers, cut into thin strips (I used red and yellow)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 14 ounces broth (I used veal reconstituted bullion cubes)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 whole allspice
  • 1/4 cup dry red wine
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • Potato pancakes, cooked according to directions

Instructions

  1. Dredge pork in flour that has been generously seasoned with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large saucepan, brown pork cubes in hot oil. (I did 2 or 3 separate batches.)
  3. Remove pork and brown onions and peppers, add garlic just before they’re finished. (After multiple batches of meat and then the veggies, there was a dark brown crust on the bottom of the pan. Don’t worry, it will loosen and dissolve in the liquids you’re about to add – giving you a dark, flavorful broth.)
  4. Return pork to the pan and add broth, tomato paste, paprika, pepper, allspice and wine.
  5. Simmer covered 60 to 90 minutes
  6. In a small bowl, blend water and 3 tablespoons flour. Add to meat mixture
  7. Simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
  8. Serve over potato pancakes

Notes

I can eat this for any meal of the day, and we often have leftovers for breakfast, topping a potato pancake with goulash and a fried egg!

 Try Full of Flavor Polish Pork Goulash - Gulasz! #polishrecipe #polishfood #pork #polishhousewife PolishHousewife.com

 

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Butternut Squash Galette

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Galette is a French term, used for a flat, free-form, crusty cake whether sweet or savory.  I have been drooling over this galette ever since my friend, Lori, posted a photo of the one she’d made on facebook.  The recipe is from epicurious.  You may someday get a chance to know Lori too.  She has auditioned for Gordon Ramsey’s MasterChef.

Tonight, was my office (church staff) Christmas party, and I needed a dish to take.  This seemed like the perfect choice because my daughter, a vegetarian, was coming with me.  In some situations, her choices are so limited that I always like to bring along a meatless dish.

The galette was popular, as were all of the other dishes.  I love potluck dinners!

The crust was so easy to roll out; it has a wonderful texture – no splitting or cracking.  I may add a little more fresh sage to the crust next time; its flavor was very subtle.

This may be the first time I’ve used leeks.  Caramelized as they were, they added a sweetness and a savory warmth.  The one suggestion my daughter made was to use more or a sharper goat cheese next time.  I intentionally chose a very soft, mild goat cheese because I was worried that it might be overpowering.  She’s a fan of the flavor and was disappointed that it wasn’t more pronounced.  So proceed according to your own tastes and feelings about goat cheese.

Ingredients

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 to 8 tablespoons cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon canola oil

For the filing:
1 small (2 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2 x 1/4 inch slices (should yield about 4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 leeks, the white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 ounces soft, mild goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

  • To make the dough, pulse the flour, butter, sage, and salt in a food processor until it has the texture of a coarse meal.  (I’m not intimidated by making pie crust, so I usually don’t bother with using the food processor – too many parts to wash, but in this case, it seemed like the best way to insure the sage was finely chopped and evenly distributed.)
  • While pulsing, slowly add ice water, using just enough for the dough to form a ball.  Don’t overwork it.
  • Shape the dough into a 5 inch disk, wrap in plastic, and chill at least one hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
  • Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt.
  • Spread squash over a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges and undersides are golden brown. Turn once during the roasting (exercise EXTREME caution when opening the oven door to do this.  The blast of steam that hit me in the face was frightening.)
  • Remove squash from the oven and reduce temperature to 375.
  • While the squash is cooking, saute the leeks in the remaining olive oil, with a sprinkle of sea salt, over medium high heat loosely covered for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Transfer leeks to a large bowl and mix with goat cheese, pepper and squash.  (Both the dough and the filing can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.  I lined a 9 inch cake pan with plastic wrap and spread the filing around the pan, bringing the wrap around the top of the filing before refrigerating.  That way my squash mixture is the right size to plop in the middle of my pie crust.)
  • Roll dough into a 13 to 14 inch circle.
  • Put filing in the center of the dough leaving a 2 to 3 inch margin all around the filing.
  • Fold the edges of the dough up to cover the filing, pleating as necessary.
  • Whisk the oil into the beaten egg and brush the pastry with the egg mixture and bake until golden, 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

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On Monday evenings, runners, walkers, kids in strollers and wagons, and the occasional dog  gather on the patio at Maynards Market & Kitchen in the refurbished train depot.  They follow a path through historic downtown Tucson, returning to the patio by 7 PM in time for prizes to be awarded – Meet Me at Maynards t-shirts, caps, and gift certificates.  Many of the restaurants offer discounts to participants, urging them to linger downtown.

My sister and I have made this our Monday night tradition lately; after the walk, we pick up a $4 black bean veggie burger in the market before heading home – my inspiration for this recipe.  Live music wafting over the patio, the occasion train roaring by, hanging out with like-minded souls who decided to leave the couch and get some exercise, it’s a great weekly event.  Thanks to the Southern Arizona Roadrunners for making it happen.

One of the things you’ll hear asked if you decide to join us is, “what do MMM athletes do on Monday night?”  The appropriate response is “GET OUT!!!”

I must admit that I’ve served store bought veggie patties in my home to vegetarians, but I think I’ll stick with these in the future – so much more flavor, and the most difficult part is washing the food processor.

Adapted from: Allrecipes

Ingredients

15 ounce can black beans (or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans), drained
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, quarter
1/2 red bell pepper, quartered
1 egg
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chili sauce
3/4 cup bread crumbs
vegetable oil

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Combine all ingredients except oil in food processor, run until well combined but not totally smooth.
  • Line a cookie sheet with foil, brush with vegetable oil.
  • Form the bean mixture into four patties.  I sat a 3-inch round (they’ll spread a little as they bake) cookie cutter on the sheet pan and used it as a form, filling and packing the bean mixture.  Smooth off the tops, lift off the cookie cutter.
  • Brush the tops with oil.
  • Bake 10 minutes, flip burgers, brush tops with oil, bake 10 more minutes.
  • Serve on a bun with the usual burger condiments.