2 posts tagged “music”

Thank you so much for bringing so many beautiful and soul-touching songs to us!  I hope you can finally have an everlasting carefree childhood now.  May God rest your soul!  Peace and love.

Oh, this is a wonderful day!  I finally get to do my first entry for the "Eat to the Beat" event hosted by Elly, since she thoughtfully extended the deadline to Jan. 31st.  I still remember wanting to create something really special for this event since more than three months ago.  Maybe cooking is too emotionally charged for me.  I want to serve everything with love.  I want to incorporate everything nutritious into one single meal.  I want to feel the calm that comes after cooking up a storm in the kitchen.  I want to learn more about myself through cooking which represents all the love in the world for me.  So, here I am, for the finale in 2008 of "Eat to the Beat" I have mustered up enough courage to just do my thing without thinking too much.

In this time of the year, potatoes are the ultimate comfort food.  When it is wintry cold outside (even in Florida), mashed potatoes, baked potatoes smothered in melted butter or cheese, potato soups, and simply fries bring us all the consolation we need.  Nothing beats the all-giving love from potatoes.  I have never been a potato fan.  I will thoroughly enjoy the above-mentioned potato dishes without giving potatoes any merit.  For me, the spices and the specific ways of cooking prevail whereas the object itself is not really special in any way (this is only in the case of potatoes).  But one song changed my view.  Now whenever I hear or think of this song, I look fondly at my potatoes which are patiently waiting to shine and give.  This incredible song is called Potato by Cheryl Wheeler.  You have to watch the YouTube video of her performance.  The song is witty, hilarious, and full of simple but true praises that remind me of a reliable earthen ware that Greeks used to use thousands of years ago to make their elaborate dinner.  Millions of potatoes are underground now, quietly and lovingly growing and waiting for their appearances on our dinner tables.  I have to proclaim loudly and publicly now, that I love potatoes.

Now that I love potatoes, I can put them into a pie - one of my favorite food of all time.  The warm creamy texture of potatoes and their earthy flavor are finely combined with the flaky and wheaty crust.  And why not throw in some fiery grilled peppers?  So here is my wonderful Grilled Red Pepper and Potato Pie waiting to be devoured.

Grilled Red Pepper and Potato Pie
(Makes one 10-inch pie)
Inspired by and adapted from Baking History's recipe

What you need:

Filling:

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups grilled red peppers (homemade or packed in oil, or roasted peppers), roughly chopped
7-8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
3 tsp. dried coriander
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Crust:

1 1/2 plus 2 Tbsp. cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (scant) canola oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/8 cup ice water

What you do:

Put potato cubes in a pot and cover with water.  The water should come up to 1 1/2 or 2 inches above the potatoes.  Cook over medium high heat and come to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 7-8 more minutes until potatoes are getting softer.  Drain well and set aside.  (The timing depends on the size of your potato cubes.  Since the potatoes will continue to cook in the oven later, you don't want them to get mushy now.)

Make the Crust: In a food processor put flour and canola oil, and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand and gets pebbly.  Dissolve salt in the ice water.  With the machine running add water in batches for the dough to come together.  Do not overprocess.  (You can do all this in a big mixing bowl with a fork.)  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

Filling: In a large skillet, sauté onions, garlic, scallions and grilled red peppers in oilve oil for 10 minutes until the onions get translusent.  Add rosemary, coriander and chipotle chili pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Now pour in the half-boiled potato cubes and mix well.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Now, remove from heat and add enough salt and pepper according to your own preference.  Add in nutritional yeast and soy milk and thoroughly mix.  Set aside.

Roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness and line a deep pie dish, letting the extra pastry hang over the sides of the pan.  Put the filling mixture into the pie plate lined with pastry.  Fold over the pastry so that the filling is partially covered.  Bake for 50 minutes.  Serve warm.

Serving suggestions:

You can serve this with a spinach and walnut salad with a cranberry sauce on the side.