Vegan Apple-Cranberry Pie with Crumb Topping

This is the pie that I make every year for Christmas with my in-laws, the one I wouldn't dare show up without. 

I made it this year for Thanksgiving when my oldest son Jonah brought his vegan roommate home for the holiday - but it's one of those recipes that non-vegans don't even notice is vegan, they just notice that it's festive and pretty and delicious.

It could be converted into a gluten-free treat by making a gluten-free crust, or by omitting the crust altogether and making apple-cranberry crumble, using gluten-free oats and oat flour. The filling and topping are amazing, and leftovers make my favorite Boxing Day breakfast.

Vegan Apple-Cranberry Pie with Crumb Topping
adapted from a recipe in Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello

Vegan pie crust for single-crust pie
5 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thinly
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup cranberries
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup maple sugar, coconut sugar, or unrefined brown sugar, divided
3 tablespoons arrowroot
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (or substitute maple syrup)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup walnuts or pecans broken into pieces
3/4 cup flour
6 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Roll out pie crust, fit into pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Combine sliced apples, lemon zest and juice, cranberries, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup sugar, arrowroot and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well. Pour into pie crust. Drizzle rice or maple syrup over the top.

Combine oats, walnuts or pecans, flour, remaining salt, remaining cinnamon, and remaining sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Transfer to mixing bowl, and drizzle in melted coconut oil. Stir with a fork to make a crumbly topping.

Spread topping evenly over apples and cranberries, cover pie tightly with foil, and bake covered for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and bake 25-30 more minutes, until topping is brown and filling bubbles.

Cool at least 2 hours before eating. Excellent with vegan coconut vanilla ice cream.

Nonny Fran's Noodle Kugel

When somebody gives you his grandmother's recipe, you need to first say thank you, vehemently, and you need to then get straight into the kitchen and start cooking. My friend Justin generously sent me this recipe after I expressed bitter envy about his reported late-night snack of noodle kugel, which really showed up my sad rice cake with peanut butter, and now I have a delicious kugel of my very own sitting in the fridge, ready for insomnia or hungry teenagers or snowstorms or whatever the night might bring.

I didn't mess with this recipe much, I just added a cinnamon/almond/butter topping (because what we really need here is more butter!). You could experiment with toppings, or just keep it simple/classic/elegant.

And in case I didn't say it vehemently enough already:  Thank you, Justin!

Nonny Fran's Noodle Kugel

8 ounces extra-wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
8 ounces whipped cream cheese
3/4 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup milk
Extra butter or cooking spray for baking dish

Optional Topping:
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter or spray 2-quart baking dish.

Using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add butter and beat to combine well.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add milk and whisk to combine.

Add milk and eggs to cream cheese mixture and whisk well to combine.

Spread cooled noodles evenly in baking dish and carefully pour contents of mixing bowl over noodles, pressing down gently if necessary to submerge noodles as much as possible.

For topping: Combine melted butter, almonds, and cinnamon and spread mixture on top.

Bake uncovered, 40-45 minutes, until solid and golden. Let cool completely at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Best served cold, in my opinion.

The Evolving Butternut Squash Pie (Dairy and Gluten-Free)

Now, it all started five Thanksgivings ago. Five years ago, on Thanksgiving.

We were living in England. Thanksgiving, like the 4th of July, is a sort of lonely holiday for Americans living in the old country. We were feeling it. The only remedy was an honest-to-God Thanksgiving feast, and so we would have one, I was determined.

But there was a problem: Thanksgiving dinner without pumpkin pie was not an option, but canned pumpkin does not exist in England. Prawn flavored potato chips, yes they have those, but cans of pumpkin, no. It was a serious problem.

That's when I started experimenting with butternut squash, and the evolving butternut squash pie was born. It was pretty good that first year, it did the trick for us homesick ex-patriots, and I've been slowly improving it ever since. We're back in the states, where every autumn towers of canned pumpkin spring up in all the grocery stores, but I can't go back - I reach for the butternut squash; we have a new Thanksgiving tradition now.

Here's the current version, with a gingersnap crust since 2012, and gluten-free for 2013. Maybe one year it will finally achieve total perfection, or maybe it will simply evolve forever, an ongoing testament to the surprise silver linings of exile and the rewards of experimentation.

Butternut Squash Pie
Makes one pie
Note: pie MUST be made one day ahead. Seriously.

1 8-ounce bag gluten-free ginger snaps
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 3-pound butternut squash
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat!!)
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.

For the crust:
Break the gingersnaps into pieces and put in a food processor or blender. Process to make crumbs. Pour crumbs into a bowl and use a fork to gently stir in coconut oil. Press mixture evenly into a lightly oiled pie plate and bake for 4 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Roast the squash:
Cut the squash in half (don't remove seeds) and place cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about an hour, until squash is soft and bubbling.

After squash is done, increase oven temperature to 425 for baking the pie.

Let squash cool. Scoop out and discard seeds, and then scoop out the flesh into a strainer and drain off any excess liquid for at least 10 minutes.

While squash is draining, whisk together coconut milk, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Set aside.

Measure a scant two cups of drained squash flesh into a blender or food processor. Add sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and blend well for about five minutes.

Add coconut milk mixture and blend until smooth and combined, about one minute more.

Pour into cooled crust and bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 50 more minutes. I noticed my crust started to brown a little too much around the edges - if this happens to you, just cover the pie with foil.

Let the pie cool at room temperature completely before refrigerating OVERNIGHT. I must stress this: you can't eat this pie the same day you make it. You will be robbing yourself. It totally transforms in the refrigerator, and it needs at least 8 hours. Honestly.

To have an amazing dairy-free experience, serve the pie with coconut whipped cream. Just put a couple of cans of coconut milk in the freezer until the solids and liquids are very separated, scoop out the solids, and put in a food processor with some sugar and vanilla. It will whip up beautifully and all the people with dairy allergies will worship you.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Puttanesca Sauce

I set out to make Ottolenghi's lemon and goat cheese ravioli, and veered off in a whole other direction, substituting wonton wrappers for pasta dough, and serving the ravioli with a puttanesca sauce (with a twist: fennel), instead of the tarragon/lemon/oil topping in his recipe. Maybe it's a sign that his hold on me is loosening, ever so slightly. At any rate, my straying paid off; there were honest-to-god moans of delight over this one. And it was a big, big problem that there wasn't enough for seconds.

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Puttanesca Sauce
Serves 3 (but leaves them all wanting more)

8 ounces soft goat cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
Hot red pepper flakes
Salt
Black pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
24 wonton wrappers
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced thinly
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 teaspoons capers, drained
4 anchovy fillets, chopped finely
Parsley, minced

For the ravioli:

Mash together goat cheese, lemon juice, big pinch each of hot red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Lay one wonton wrapper on a cutting board, brush around the perimeter with water, and add a heaped tablespoon of the goat cheese mixture in the center.

Top with another wonton wrapper and press firmly around the edge to seal.

Repeat until you've used up all the filling. I ended up with 12 ravioli. Put ravioli on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet while you prepare the puttanesca sauce.

For the sauce:

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, olives, capers, and anchovies. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

To finish:

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook ravioli, maybe 4 at a time, until browned and slightly puffed. It only takes about 2 minutes on each side.

Serve topped with puttanesca and parsley.

Hardly Getting Over Ottolenghi: Caramelized Garlic Tart

Chef Ottolenghi had me at Shakshuka, but this garlic tart is what finally sealed my undying devotion. I am afraid to write any description of it, lest I further condemn myself to that special level of hell reserved for adjective over-users. I'll let the man himself sum it up:

I followed his recipe closely, except I didn't have fresh herbs and substituted dried, and I used phyllo dough instead of puff pastry because they were out of puff pastry at the store. The flakey phyllo was delicious - I think any kind of crust would work well. The recipe says it serves eight. Ha ha. Four of us devoured this easily.

Caramlized Garlic Tart
adapted with minor changes from Plenty by Ottolenghi
Serves 8 (not really)

3 whole heads of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
Olive oil or cooking spray for phyllo crust
4-5 ounces soft, creamy goat's cheese
4-5 ounces hard, mature goat's cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup créme fraiche
Salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 325

To caramelize garlic:

Separate and peel all the cloves, put them in a small pan, cover with water, bring to a simmer, and blanch for three minutes. Drain.

Warm olive oil over high heat, add garlic, and fry for 2 minutes. Add vinegar and water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar, herbs, a pinch of salt, and continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the cloves are coated in a dark syrup. This is the hardest moment of making this recipe. You will want to eat all of these incredibly tasty garlic cloves. Show some restraint. But no need to be a saint - eat ONE, go ahead. Set the rest aside.

Prepare the phyllo crust:

Lightly oil a tart pan or pie plate and layer the phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with olive oil (or spray with cooking spray - easier but not quite as yummy). There will be substantial overhang, which you should trim with scissors down to about an inch. Roll this overhang in to form a rim. It doesn't need to be perfect.

Break the cheeses into big bite-sized pieces and scatter into the phyllo crust. Add the garlic and every bit of its syrupy coating.

Whisk together the eggs, creams, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and generous pinch of pepper.  Pour over everything.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until the filling has set and the top is nice and brown.

Let the tart cool a little before serving. But rest assured your adoration of Ottolenghi will not be cooling. Not at all. I'll be making his lemon and goat cheese ravioli next, so please stay tuned.

Ratatouille (Vegan)

The honeymoon's not over for me and Ottolenghi. I am cooking my way through select recipes from his cookbook Plenty, and every, every single thing I make turns out to make people sigh and swoon. Seriously. He is a genius.

Last week I insisted that my oldest son Jonah come home for dinner, the first time since he moved into his dorm in Chicago's South Loop. I thought for days about what to cook. I wanted it to be something with an absurd amount of vegetables - surely he wasn't eating enough fresh veggies on his meal plan. To be honest, I kind of haven't been eating enough veggies on my meal plan. Part of our living in-residence deal is that my family and I can eat in the dining hall, and on many weeknights we take advantage of this perk. The food is reasonably good, and we're eating vegetables, of course, but it's not like the homemade/made with love/ usually-organic fare that I put on the table on my best nights. 

So I wanted dinner with Jonah to be this - the best of the best. We have always loved ratatouille, and when I read Ottolenghi's take on the classic- with parsnips! hot pepper! butternut squash! green beans! - I knew it would be something special and exactly what I was looking for.

The amount of chopping was daunting. I put Henry to work on garlic and onions, Jake peeling potatoes and prepping beans. I think prep work should be a family affair; sharing the chopping makes cooking more fun and less laborious. Give your children knives, people! With the three of us on task we had a massive pile of vegetables ready to cook in minimal time, and then I started the process of frying, simmering, and finally roasting this thing into deliciousness. 

It was great to see Jonah. He devoured two enormous servings of ratatouille, and thus satisfied that I'd given him about a week's worth of vegetables and a month's worth of motherly love, I hugged my son and off he went, well nourished.

Ratatouille

adapted from a recipe in Ottolengi's Plenty

Serves 6-8

*note: dice all vegetables into similarly-sized (approximately 1-inch) pieces

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

4 red and/or yellow peppers, diced

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

1 lb. green beans, trimmed

2 zucchini, diced

1 large eggplant, peeled and diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 28-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes

Big pinch sugar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Salt and pepper

Chopped parsley or cilantro to garnish

Warm 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and a tiny pinch of salt and cook 5-10 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeño, and peppers, and cook 5 more minutes. Add squash and parsnip and cook 5 more minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to scoop vegetables out and into a bowl (leave as much oil in the pot as possible). Add remaining 4 tablespoons of oil and cook green beans, zucchini, and eggplant for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Return the other vegetables to the pot, add potatoes, tomatoes and their juices, sugar, tomato paste, and lots of salt and pepper to taste. Add water to half-cover everything, stir well, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Heat oven to 400. Scoop vegetables out of pot and into a roasting pan. Pour in the cooking liquid, and bake 30 minutes, until liquid cooks off. Vegetables should be very, very soft. As Ottolenghi writes, "overcooking the vegetables is the whole point here."

Serve with plain white rice. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. 

May cause swooning in you and others.

Feeding Freshman

warm cookies on move-in night

candy apples for the first day of classes

hot mulled cider, every sunday night

donuts - to go with the cider