This cheesy potato pie is my inspired version of some famous chef’s recipe that didn’t work out for me…..I do a lot of substitutions that so far have always worked out and sometimes with a few minor changes the recipes come out even more delicious……After a lot of thought and another try with a different formula and different flavors. I figure the reason it didn’t work is because I screwed up the recipe by using russet potatoes instead of king Edward potatoes that are different……King Edward potatoes are the original and finest potato. They look pretty in photos and I read that they have a thin skin, a fluffy texture and are amazing as mashed potatoes……I didn’t know that the type of potato used would be key to the recipe.

Anyways-

The pie is suppose to get done in a hour……but it didn’t. I must also admit that I did made a few substitutions and rounded the ingredients slightly. Instead of using puff pastry all around the filling I made my own open shell…..That shouldn’t change things much. Instead of gruyere cheese I used Swiss. Instead of creme fraiche I used Greek yogurt. AND I CUT THE FILLING RECIPE IN HALF…..HALF so HALF should take LESS time in the oven…but it didn’t…….. After all this trouble it still came out tasting delicious but it took 3 & 1/4 hours instead of one hour.

Ingredients for around 7 servings

1 cup flour – crust

4 oz unsalted butter – room temperature – crust

1/4 teaspoon sea salt – crust

1/4 teaspoon baking powder – crust

1/4 cup cream cheese – crust

neutral non stick spray

4 oz shredded Swiss cheese

4 oz Greek feta cheese – crumbled

1 oz green pimento stuffed olives – chopped

1/4 cup parsley leaves – chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried mint (you can use a Tablespoon of fresh mint if you have it)

2 large russet potatoes – peeled- sliced thin on a mandolin

3 eggs – lightly beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup greek style plain yogurt

heaping 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Set oven to 350 F and spray a 9 inch springform pan with non-stick spray and set it to the side.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, butter, salt, baking powder, and cream cheese. Press this mixture into the springform pan with it going up the pan around 2 inches. Bake this for 10 minutes the middle rack so you don’t get a soggy crust. After 10 minutes it might not be all the way done.

In a large bowl mix the filling together. The Swiss cheese, feta cheese, olives, scallions, parsley, mint, potatoes, eggs, cream, yogurt, salt, and pepper.

Put the filling in your partially baked crust. (you might want a sheet pan underneath because springform pans leak sometimes). The directions said to bake at 350 F for 60 minutes…..I did that covered with loose foil that was sprayed with non stick spray on the inside facing the pie so it wouldn’t burn….I thought it was going to be done and removed the foil and let it brown up a little for another 15 minutes.

I didn’t know until I cut a slice that the potatoes were still hard.

So I covered it back up and thought maybe this just needs a higher temperature so I put it in a 425 F oven for another hour…….after an hour it still wasn’t done…so I repeated another hour.

So after the recommended 60 minutes at 350……and I added 15 minutes for browning.

Then I added another 2 hours at 425F I wound up with this. It doesn’t look as nice but it sure does taste very good……Even the crust has a delicious taste.

There is an easy solution to fix the problem with this recipe. You need to pre-cook the potatoes some if you can’t find king Edward potatoes. If you do that then the cheesy potato pie should work out. I know this because I gave it another try with a different formula and different flavors. On my second one the formula was 33% improved for using russet potatoes….also came out delicious but took two hours for my potatoes to soften instead of the 3 1/4 hours. If I ever get the idea to make up another one of these pies made with russet potatoes I will certainly pre-cook the potatoes some.

It’s good to poach chicken. You get a lot of homemade broth and a lot of pulled chicken. I also got a lot of crispy skin without adding any seasoning or oil. The skin got seasoned from the broth and the chicken skin juices……..I just peeled off the skin off my poached chicken and placed it in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F.

Some pieces took a little more time than others. I think most were done by 30 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

Not sure how I wound up on Anthony Bourdain’s site called www.ExplorePartsUnknown.com but I noticed a few recipes there that sounded interesting. One of the recipes there was something called Chraime by Shay Levi. On the Explore Parts Unknown site this recipe was described as a traditional North African Recipe. I looked Chraime up on other sites and it was also described as Moroccan and also Libyan and I also found it as a Sephardic Jewish Recipe……Anyways…..The recipe is very simple and sort of taste close to harrisa-like in taste. So if you are a fan of the taste of Harissa then you should enjoy this recipe. I made only slight changes due to what I had to use up at home. I also held back on adding roasted red bell peppers that would have added a nice taste. From what I read Chraime should be more of a fish stew but for me this worked out to be fish in a very tasty sauce tonight. The next night I did use more of the sauce and it was more stew like. It is recommended to cook a mild white fish in the sauce in a pan………I cooked mine in the oven because I didn’t want to break up my from frozen fish but you can cook the fish anyway that you like. If you live near a store that sells fresh fish you might want to cook the fish in the pan with the sauce. If you don’t have fresh fish and have to use frozen fish like me this might work out better with your thawed fish done in the oven and just add the sauce……. This recipe makes around 4 servings. You might get more or less depending on how you use the sauce….and also how thin you make the sauce……I got 4 servings and I also used some of the sauce on plain spaghetti squash that was topped with Greek Feta cheese and it was delicious with the fish.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

4 mild white fish filets (something like cod would work well)

1 onion – diced

2 cups crushed tomatoes

1 cup water (maybe more depending on how thin you want)

8 garlic cloves – ground to paste

2 Tablespoons hot paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil +plus more oil to roast fish (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

sea salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped

Directions

If you are using frozen fish set your oven to 350 degrees F and oil a baking sheet with olive oil. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and LIGHTLY season the fish with salt and pepper. The nice thing about thawed from frozen mild white fish is that they come out usually perfect in 15 minutes when you place them on a middle rack.

The sauce cooks up real fast.

Add olive oil to a sauce pot on medium high heat. Add the onions when the sauce is hot and cook till the onions are translucent. Then add the crushed tomatoes, water, garlic, hot paprika, salt, cumin, and caraway, Simmer for around 10 minutes and then add the lemon juice. Decide if you want to thin down more with more water.

Serve on your fish.

Garnish with some scallions and cilantro if you have any.

ENJOY!!!!

A Special THANKS!!!!! To www.ExploreParksUnknown.com and Shay Levi for their really delicious recipe so I could make what I got here.

I have a Turkish ground chili spice called urfa biber that I have to use up so it’s usually delicious on cauliflower…..BUT by accident this is much more delicious than I imagined it would be………….I added a little Aleppo pepper to it that is a mild delicious heat…..so the crust not exactly but almost taste like raisins with a pinch of cayenne on the cauliflower. I made the dressing extra delicious by using my roasted whipped garlic that is never strong and is naturally very sweet. I hate to brag but this came out really great! I think I will have to do something similar on chicken. Serving size is hard to tell because all cauliflowers are different sizes and all people like different size portions. I thought my cauliflower looked medium-ish-smallish in size. I cut mine into 8 wedges that were very small wedges so I made two wedges a serving…..You might get more servings if your cauliflower is bigger than mine was.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 medium cauliflower – quarter and cut eat quarter so you have 8 wedges

4 Tablespoons ground urfa biber pepper

2 Tablespoons ground Aleppo pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

non stick spray

2 1/2 oz roasted whipped sweet garlic …It’s worth making! (cut a few garlic heads in half pour a generous amount of olive oil on them cover with foil and roast at 375 for an hour. Blend. – sumac dressing

1 large ripe lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice – sumac dressing

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – sumac dressing

2 teaspoons sumac – sumac dressing

1/4 teaspoon sea salt – sumac dressing

1/4 cup parley leaves – torn or lightly chopped – to finish

1/2 cup pistachios – lightly crushed – to finish

1/2 small red onion – thinly sliced on mandolin – to finish

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.

put the oil in a small bowl that is big enough for the cauliflower wedges to roll around in.

In a small bowl mix together the urfa biber pepper, Aleppo pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Use the bowl or spread it out on a mat or smooth surface and roll the oil soaked cauliflower in it.

Repeat till you are done.

This goes on the middle rack until slightly browned. In my oven they took 40 minutes but timing can differ.

While the cauliflower are roasting make the sumac dressing.

In a small bowl mix together the roasted whipped sweet garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Serve

Dress the cauliflower with the sumac dressing. Finish with parsley, red onion slices, and pistachios.

Enjoy!

This is a really FORKING amazing recipe. A few headlines that I read about the recipe were, “Ottolenghi reinvents Mac ‘N’ Cheese.” It is truly different and is far more complex than your even good macaroni and cheese. For this macaroni and cheese you don’t make the white sauce……. Instead you boil the pasta in milk and the pasta starch thickens the sauce……Then when you add the Middle Eastern spices, and the cilantro lemon pesto spiced with za’atar, and the crispy onions this pasta rocks and rolls………In case you don’t know Yotam Ottolenghi is a genius. He is one of the most talented chefs out there. He also is a multi award wining Cook Book Author, chef, and restauranteur.

I almost followed the recipe exactly….As I was researching the recipe I did find some slight differences from different websites but nothing that I would consider a major change. I did the recipe posted on Food52 because they have Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad in a video making this recipe. I did only two changes….not because I wanted to change the recipe but due to what I had at home. I used spaghetti instead of the cavatappi or fusilli dry pasta because all I had at home was spaghetti…..I do recommend to NOT to use spaghetti like I did because I think spaghetti has more surface than the short curly pastas recommended. I think that the spaghetti gave off more starch and my sauce might have thickened more than it would with the recommended pasta. The only other change I made was that I used non fat milk instead of full fat milk but I don’t think that changed things up too much. It’s not really a part of the recipe to make the onions BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL TO TOP WITH CRISP ONIONS. In the beginning read before the recipe they say to slice very thinly a couple of onions and toss two tablespoons of cornstarch and fry in vegetable oil in about three batches till golden and season with salt…….or you can use already crisp fried onions from your local supermarket. I fried my own onions. I used slightly more cornstarch than recommended…(maybe my onions were bigger?)…. and they took me around 20 minutes and made far more than I needed but they are so tasty and great on salads, burgers, and other things. This recipe was written as 4-6 portions. I got more but then again I eat pasta as small side servings…..But each serving was FORKING AWSOME!

Ingredients for 4 servings

10 1/2 oz dried cavatappi or fusilli pasta

2 1/2 cups whole milk (add another 1/2 cup if needed)

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cut in small cubes)

3 garlic cloves – ground to paste

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds – toasted- crushed (or you can use ground cumin but it won’t taste as good)

5 Tablespoons heavy cream

1 1/3 cup mature cheddar cheese – shredded (Costco sells it)

6 1/3 oz greek feta cheese – crumbled

kosher salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

1/2 cup crispy onions or shallots – either home made or store bought

1 large lemon (za’atar pesto)

3 Tablespoons za’atar (za’atar pesto)

1 cup cilantro – leaves and tender stems, chopped (za’atar pesto)

1 garlic clove – chopped

1/2 cup pine nuts – lightly toasted (za’atar pesto)

6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (za’atar pesto)

Directions

Put the pasta, 2 1/2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cup water, butter, garlic, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, a good amount of fresh ground black pepperoni a large sauce pan on medium high heat. Bring to simmer and turn down to medium and cook stirring occasionally for around 10-14 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.You might need an extra 1/2 cup milk if your sauce got very thick. Turn heat down to low and add the cumin, cream, and cheeses until nicely melted.

While the pasta is cooking make the pesto. Grate the lemon. Slice off the skin of the lemon. Supreme the lemon and chop the supremes. The zest and chopped supremes go to the side. You should have some lemon left from the supremes and you can squeeze the juice in a bowl or food processor. to the bowl or food processor add za’atar, cilantro, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a good grind of pepper, and half of the oil. Process or use a stick blender…..and if you don’t have either you can use a mortar or hand chop. Then add the lemon to the side and the rest of the oil.

Serve the macaroni right away. It is suggested to drizzle the pesto all over and then to top with a 1/2 cup of crispy onions.

This is FOKING Delicious!

A Special THANKS!!!! to The Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and Food52 for this FORKING AMAZING Recipe!

I was reading about a Southern Italian condiment that is also a Dressing and Marinade called Salmoriglio. It turns out that Salmoriglio is mainly olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, water, and salt. Salmoriglio varies slightly in different areas. Some places add parsley. Some add tomatoes and some add anchovies. It’s usually served on swordfish, other seafood, grilled meats, and vegetables. Today I thought those flavors might be good on roasted carrots. I added some toasted walnuts, and put the carrots over leftover rice. Besides rice…..noodles, polenta, potatoes, or beans would go well under the carrots…You can even serve them with some toasted bread. Serving size is difficult to judge….I’d say it make around 4 smaller side portions or two medium to large servings. I’ll round it to three servings.

Ingredients for around three servings

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice – dressing

3 garlic cloves – ground to paste – dressing

1 teaspoon sea salt – dressing

1 small dried Calabrian Chili – crushed (or use red pepper flakes to taste…but they don’t taste as good and are hotter with less flavor) – dressing

1 teaspoon dried oregano – dressing

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil – dressing

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley leaves – chopped – dressing

1 lb carrots – skin removed if not organic. I cut mine in half long ways.

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt – to taste

Fresh ground pepper – to taste

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1+!/2 teaspoons dressing

1/3 cup walnuts – slightly Broken and slightly salted and toasted

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves torn or chopped

2 Tablespoons scallions sliced thin

Directions

Make the dressing

Mix together the lemon juice, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, dried chili, oregano, 1/4 cup olive oil, and parsley. Set to the side.

Set oven to 450 degrees F.

In a pan or large baking dish add the water, honey, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons dressing and mix around. Add the carrots. Cover tight with foil. Place in middle rack of preheated 450F oven for 30 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.

After carrots are fork tender….Drain the liquid…Spray carrots with extra virgin olive oil (about 2 Tablespoons) Season them lightly with a small amount of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Put them back in the oven to roast up a little (around 20 minutes).

Serve them on top of either rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, or whatever you like. Top the carrots with dressing, walnuts, basil, and scallions.

ENJOY!!