Still channeling Mary Berry

Sort of. A few weeks ago I spotted Almost Vegetarian, on the New Books shelf at the library. The book looked intriguing. It wasn't 100% vegetarian, just kind of targeting people who are leaning toward including more plant-based dishes in their diet. It includes recipes for chicken and fish but no red meat.

Flipped through it and discovered it included some intriguing options, like leek and fennel flan. I had a hard time wrapping my head around that one. Now I know intellectually that a flan can be savory but years and years of encountering flan only as the dessert version, the sweet custard with the caramel sauce that's a staple of Mexican restaurant menus, had me doing a double take at the idea of making a flan with leeks.

Not that I have much personal knowledge of leeks. I've never cooked one. I just know they look like green onions on steroids.

I'm also not super interested in turning into a vegetarian. I do, however, have a number of friends and relatives who won't eat anything that might be smarter than they are. I figure it's good to have a few vegetarian and/or vegan recipes in the repertoire as a just-in-case we ever invite any herbivores to dine with us.

So I checked the book out, took it home, skimmed it, found a fair number of recipes that looked like they might be edible. You know, stuff that could function as a main dish, variations on savory pies. I scanned a few pages, printed out the recipes, and then decided to try the Carrot Pie.

On one level the Carrot Pie didn't seem much different than the lanttulaatikko (Rutabaga Casserole) that's a favorite Finnish Christmas holiday meals dish. Smashed carrots, nutmeg as a spice, On another, it did include cheese and was supposed to be wrapped in a crust. A free form crust, a crust that would be rolled out but not placed in a pan. I'd have to shape it up and over the carrot filling without anything to support it. Having seen some of shaped crust disasters on the Great British Bake Off (which has mutated into the Great British Baking Show, lost Mary Berry, and acquired two rather odd hosts in the process, but that's a topic for a different post) I was not particularly optimistic about dealing with the crust.

Turned out I worried for nothing. The crust is a yeast dough and easy to work with. It's actually a rather good crust. I could see using it for homemade pizza or calzones. I'm not sure I'll ever make it again to enclose a carrot pie, but you never know. Maybe I'll freak out the family the next time there's a holiday meal. You know, tell the daughter and grandkids that, yes, I'll bring a pie. Oh, and by the way, it'll contain carrots.

Making the pie wasn't especially difficult. It did end up looking a little odd, but going by the description in the cookbook it wasn't destined to look like something in a case in a French patisserie. Free-form crusts are always a bit rough looking, kind of like a preschooler's first attempts at working with modeling clay.

As for the taste? Also a bit odd. Not bad, just different. I don't think I'd actually want to have it as a main dish, but for a side? Sure. And the crust is good.

The recipe(s):

Dough for Savory Pie

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1/2 cup tepid water

1/2 teaspoon dry malt or sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt (I only used 1/2 teaspoon; I do reduced salt in everything I cook)

1 large egg, slightly beaten

3 tablespoons nonfat sour cream (screw the nonfat; I used the real thing)

In a small mixing bowl, stir together yeast and water. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the egg, sour cream, and yeast mixture. Stir to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. 

Clean the large mixing bowl and return the dough to it. Cover with plastic wrap or a light towel and place in a warm spot until doubled, about 45 minutes. Use the dough for Savory Carrot Pie. 

Savory Carrot Pie

1 recipe Dough for Savory Pie

3/4 pound (6 to 7 medium) carrots, peeled and sliced

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 cup fresh orange juice

2 cups water (or to cover)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch dry marjoram, crumbled

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese (screw the skim, use the real thing)

1/2 cup grated imported Parmesan cheese (don't be a snob; no one's going to notice you used the cheap pre-grated store brand when it's mixed in with everything else) 

Prepare the Dough for Savory Pie. 

In a large saucepan, combine the carrots, bay leaves, ginger, orange juice, and water to cover. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, simmer until the carrots are mushy, about 20 minutes (it'll probably take longer). 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pick out the bay leaves. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the work bowl of your food processor. Puree in pulses so the carrots don't become watery. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and marjoram, and process briefly to blend. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the egg, ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese until thoroughly combined. 

Roll our the dough on a 12-inch square piece of parchment paper into a round 10 inches in diameter. (Parchment paper is amazing. Why wasn't this stuff around 50 years ago when I was first learning to bake? It makes clean-up so much easier.)  Pile the filling in the middle and spread it out leaving a 2-inch margin all around. Bring the dough up around the sides as though you were going to encase the filling but leaving a window 6 inches in diameter at the top. Crimp the dough around the sides to hold it in place. Transfer to a baking sheet or preheated baking stone and bake until the crust is deep golden and the filling is set, about 40 minutes. If the crust browns before the filling has set, cover with foil, lower the heat to 300, and bake about 10 minutes more. 

Theoretically Carrot Pie has 388 calories per serving. The recipe as prepared supposedly serves 4. Based on just how filling it is, I'm thinking it serves 4 only if this dish is served at Eid al-Fitr or you're cooking for lumberjacks. I'd guesstimate 8 servings would be more accurate. 

If I make it again I'll cut back on the ginger for cooking the carrots as it was kind of overwhelming and eliminate the marjoram entirely. And, as noted above, the crust is quite good. Maybe I will work up the ambition to make some calzones one of these days.