Tomato Goat Cheese Pie with Potato Crust

My logic on the potato crust:  I have potatoes, and I have flour.  I am currently packing and moving.  The weight of the raw potatoes that would go into this crust far surpasses the weight of the flour that would go into a crust.  Hence, I must make a potato crust.

Also, starch is amazing.  I just threw some shredded potatoes in a greased pan and by baking, they all stuck together.  Amazing.  I don't think I will ever make a traditionally crusted quiche in my life again.

Shred 2 cups worth of potatoes, add 1 t of salt and drain for ten minutes (I totally forgot to drain, and I was a bit worried, but it was fine.)  Mix with one egg, 1/4 c finely chopped onion, and spread into a well-oiled pie plate.  Bake 20 minutes at 400, then spray the top with oil and bake another 20 minutes.

In the meantime cut up lots of tomatoes and drain them.  Set your goat cheese on the oven where it's a little warm so it softens a bit.  Maybe mix a couple of tablespoons with an egg   Right before the pie gets done, stir some goat cheese and thyme (I used tarragon because I was in a hurry and couldn't find the thyme) into the drained tomatoes.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake until browned.

Welsh Rabbit

Occasionally I make something that I'm embarrassed to share.  But last night I was making dinner while video-chatting with my sister and so I had to confess what an unhealthy dinner I was having.  Usually I have this for breakfast, but I wasn't hungry yesterday morning.

The original recipe is from the modern classic Mark Bittman book (that I can't remember the name of), but I donated that when I was pretending to downsize and really just wanted to rationalize buying the vegetarian version.  This isn't in the vegetarian version (although it is very much, despite the title, vegetarian.)  

It is a very simple dish and it's tastiness depends on the quality of the beer and cheese you are using.  If you use cheap beer and cheap cheese, it might still taste good.  I wouldn't know, because I've not bought either in quite awhile.  The most memorable beer selections I've used were Dogfish Head Raison D'etre (I believe with gruyere), and Bell's Winter White Ale (with a strong cheddar).

Occasionally I'll open a beer and after a sip I think to myself, "I better save some of this and have Welsh Rabbit for breakfast."

Toast bread.  Meanwhile,

Melt 1 T butter

Add and brown 1 T flour

gradually stir in 1/2 c delicious beer, which will thicken

sprinkle with cayenne - probably 1/4-1/2 teaspoon

add 1/2 c cheese, or to taste

Serve on toast.  If you have delicious tomatoes, layer them in as well.

Baba Ghanoush

When I brainstorm a list of things I like eggplant in, I can only come up with two.  There is eggplant parmesan, and baba ghanoush.  I tried the parmesan the last time that I had eggplant, and it was fine.  Not delicious.  Actually, to be quite honest, I didn't finish it.  It's just so... fried.  And you've got to cut it up really thin and cook it really well and then I still would just rather have delicious pasta with delicious tomato sauce and skip the eggplant.  So, I had five eggplants from last week and this week and I so I moved on to Recipe Option # 2.  What a good choice.

The only reservation I had about making baba was turning on the oven in August, but I broiled it, and I also made Mac & Cheese last night ("southwest" style, with onions and peppers and corn - should've put in beans) so I sort of had to rethink that reservation.

I pierced the eggplants and put it on a baking sheet and broiled it until after I had realized it smelled like something was burning, and then I checked and they were all mushy - perfect.  I think I was supposed to put olive oil on them before I cooked them, but I don't see the point.

I mushed up the innards, and mixed it with a lot of tahini, some lemon juice, salt and pepper.  I think I also was supposed to put in more olive oil during this step, but it didn't need any.  Some parsley would be nice, but I wasn't going to go buy it, and it tastes delicious enough without it.

I didn't have any vegetables I like to dip in things - like carrots - so I bought some Triscuits.  In retrospect, I do have cucumbers, but I don't like raw cucumburs.  However, I'm sure they'd be delicious with this baba.

Gazpacho

I'm not a fan of Gazpacho.  And I've been planning on oven-roasting and freezing the ridiculous amounts of tomatoes I started to get in my farm share this week.  But I looked at a recipe anyway, and had all the ingredients, and my roommate hasn't packed the blender yet, and my friend who picked up my farm share while I was out of town ate several tomatoes, and I didn't want to turn on the oven, so I made this.

2 lb fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large cucumber, seeded and roughly chopped
1 T garlic
2 T white wine vinegar
4 T olive oil
1 c water

Blend.

Vegetables, and Pasta, and Cheese, and Perfection

The road that led to this, the Perfect Macaroni and Cheese, was a road of stupidity.  I've always known how to make exactly this and I've always known it would be amazingly delicious and yet I kept trying other mac and cheese recipes.  Instead of using my grandmother 's method I've been looking elsewhere - in cookbooks, on-line - for the "perfect" recipe.  Because I'm dumb.  So, so, dumb.  In fact, the only reason I used my grandmother's method this time is that I had leftover milk from the corn chowder I made on Sunday, and there is only one thing I ever use milk for - making a white sauce.  Which I add cheese to.  And then put over broccoli or cauliflower.  But only rarely, because I don't think you have to throw tons of cheese sauce on a vegetable to make it delicious.

Another note:  The thought of certain foods + cheese makes me go "EEEEWW."  And cabbage was kind of on that list.  (Also on the list: tofu, any meat substitutes, olives, all fruit, nuts, rice.)  I was 100% certain, when I started this, that I would hate it.  Which did not stop me, which I think is telling.  I will never again make macaroni & cheese without a vegetable.  It tastes delicious and makes my tummy happy.  Perfection.  I'm afraid to look at the nutritional value, though.

Here are some key tips:
* Use enough vegetables, and mix them in, so your fork gets both vegetables and pasta.  Also, as your intention is to have both vegetables and pasta on your fork, cut your vegetables appropriately to about the size of the cooked pasta.
* Really do add the milk a splash at a time.  No one has ever regretted patience while cooking a white sauce.
* The sharper your cheddar is, the less you have to use to get the delicious cheesy flavor you're looking for.  If I was using regular grocery-store cheddar, I would've had to add much more to get the flavor I was looking for.
* By cooking the vegetables, pasta, and sauce simultaneously, and putting them together while they're all warm, you save yourself from having to really bake the dish, which means you're using less resources, which is nice, but also it means your pasta and vegetables don't cook to mush.
* I learned how to do this at a very young age, so I'm not sure if I'm the best at describing how to do it properly.  (As far as I'm concerned, you just do it.  I don't know how to tell you how.  This is the most frustrating thing about trying to learn how to cook from my grandmother - she didn't measure anything and she couldn't tell you how she did it - she just did it.)  However, even if you mess up your fancy french white sauce, it will still be delicious.  I swear.
* I feel like this is something someone might sprinkle nutmeg in.  To bring out of the flavor or some such nonsense.  I think that's bullshit.  That's what the hot pepper is for.

I strained the pasta right on top of the cabbage.  Or maybe the other way around.

Ingredients:

One small to medium cabbage, shredded and steamed  (Or use a different vegetable - I recommend broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts - but you can probably use annything.)
1 lb whole wheat pasta, cooked
3 T butter
3 T whole wheat flour
1/2 t hot pepper flakes
1.5 c whole milk
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
breadcrumbs (I recommend actually letting bread dry out until if you bit it, your teeth would break.)
more shredded cheese

Method:
1.  Cook the pasta and vegetables separately to your liking.  (Or together if you're good at timing, I suppose.)  You won't be baking this outright, so however well done the pasta is when you take it off the stove is how well done it will be when it's in the dish.
2.  Make the sauce - melt the butter then add the flour and combine. Cook lightly for a few minutes.  Sprinkle in the hot pepper flakes (or use a shake or two of cayenne).  Then take your milk and splash in a bit with your non-primary hand, while stirring with your primary hand.  (Sometimes I use a whisk, sometimes I use a wooden spoon.  My mother once used a plastic spatula and it melted to nothing, so don't use that.)  Keep adding it slowly, although once you get to a certain point you can probably throw it all in.  But be careful.  Then turn up the heat and cook until it's thickened a bit.  Then turn off the heat and add the cheese.  Sauce is ready!
3.  Assemble - Mix the vegetable with the pasta, and place in a baking dish.  Spread a layer of sauce (but not too much) over the pasta.  Mine was thicker than I expected - it was almost like frosting a cake (only this sauce is more delicious than frosting).  Then sprinkle with breadcrumbs, then a bit more shredded cheese.
4.  Broil under high heat until browned on top.