BB: Vegetable Pot Pie

This weeks choice was brought to you by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. She chose a yummy Vegetable Pot Pie. Now, I have to be honest, I have always been a little suspicious of pot pies. What are the trying to hide under that yummy crust? When it is a chickenor turkey pot pie I always think they are trying to sneek in dark meat. I do not like dark meat...it grosses me out to no end.

But this one I had control over. I got to pick what went into it...and believe you me...no dark meat went into this recipe!

Vegetable Pot Pie
Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties
Serves 4
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12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups sliced yellow onions (2 onions)
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced crosswise (I ommitted this)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups good chicken stock
1 tablespoon Pernod (I ommitted this)
pinch saffron threads
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups large-diced potatoes (1/2 pound) (I ommitted this)
1 1/2 cups asparagus tips (I ommitted this)
1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced carrots (4 carrots) (I ommitted this)
1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced butternut squash (I ommitted this)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions (1/2 pound) (I ommitted this)
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

I subbed out the veggies for what looked good at the farmer's market that morning. I used broccoli and cauliflower.

For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, saffron, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the asparagus, carrots, and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions, and parsley to the sauce and mix well.
For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

I made one large pot pie. I didn't have large enough dishes to do individual pot pies. I also added

chicken. And, I cheated...I didn't make the crust. I had 2 pie crusts in my freezer that were about to expire, so I wanted to use them up.

Michael loved it! Woo hoo!

BB: Easy Cheese Danishes

This is a bonus recipe! Val of More than Burnt Toast referred most people to the Barefoot Bloggers website in October. She chose a dish that I knew Michael would LOVE! Most times when we go to Starbucks he gets a cheese danish. Now that I know how easy they are to make, I will start making them at home! Save $2.50 a trip!

I didn't alter these in any way. I had to take Michael's word for it on how good they were.

Easy Cheese Danish
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 T ricotta cheese
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 - 1 T grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese & sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment and cream together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don’t whip!

Unfold one sheet of pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s a 10×10 inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters.

Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares.

Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold two opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together.

Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the puff pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

Makes 8 Danish

BB: Butternut Squash Risotto

It was my turn to pick a recipe! When I first joined the Barefoot Blogers, I counted out the weeks to see when I would get to choose a recipe. I was so excited when I saw that I would be in October. I knew right away which recipe I was going to use. Now, this contradicts every low carb thing I have been doing for the past few months, but it was worth it!

Butternut Squash Risotto
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

1 butternut squash (2 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2 ounces pancetta, diced

1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan. Mix well and serve.

I followed the recipe exactly (very rare for me!). I didn't feel that the saffron added much, or maybe it was so subtle that I couldn't even taste it. I also would have cooked the pancetta much longer. I like my bacon extra crispy (almost burnt) and the pancetta was stil a little stringy for my taste.

If you are looking for a good comfort food this is it. I love risotto and how easy it is.