Category: Vegetarian

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Pi(e) Day: Zucchini and Fontina Pie

Slice of Zucchini PieToday is a very special holiday for all my fellow nerds of the world. It’s Pi day! As in 3.14…But if you are a fellow nerd, you already knew that.  Of course, it is ever so appropriate that on Pi day, the tradition is to bake a pie. Let it be known that I am 100% ok with this tradition. In fact, in some parts of the country, they even have full on pie baking competitions to commemorate Pi day. As luck would have it, I happen to have an award-winning pie baker in my very own family!

At this point, I’ve lost count of how many years in a row my super-talented sister-in-law, Kathy, has won awards at the annual Pi Day competition at Qualcomm, where Brian, my brother-in-law and her husband, works. She is quite skilled at pie decorations, and a couple years ago, she won with a “Q”aramel Apple Nut Pie, that was decorated with a cinnamon-striped serpent coiled on top, complete with a pie-dough tongue slithering out. She didn’t miss a single detail, with the snakeskin design and beady eyes. It was pretty impressive, and even kept its shape after baking. But if Kathy’s decorations are good, her pie flavors are even better. Let’s put it this way… I’m not a huge fan of cherry pie, but I like the cherry pie that she makes. And don’t get me started on her apple pie, with its perfectly flakey crust bursting with rich, fall, flavors.

To make a long story short… when it comes to pie, Kathy takes the cake. That’s why, this year for Pi Day, I decided to go in a different direction. Instead of trying my hand at a more traditional pie, I thought I’d give a savory pie a whirl.

Zucchini and Fontina Pie
Zucchini and Fontina Pie in all its glory.

My zucchini and fontina pie was inspired by taking a gander at what I had in the fridge, and throwing it all into a pie crust. It turned out very similar to a quiche, but with the way the silky ricotta dances with the melted fontina cheese in the filling layer, this pie resembles more of a savory cheesecake than a baked omelette. And while I’m not skilled enough to turn my zucchini slices into a snake, I tried my best to coil them around the top in a decorative layer.

Great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with this dish, we can celebrate Pi Day all day long!

Zucchini and Fontina Pie
 
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Recipe type: Main
Serves: 6-8
Prep time:
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Celebrate Pi day (March 14th) with this savory pie.
Ingredients
  • 1 prepackaged pie crust, uncooked
  • 1 15 oz container part-skim ricotta
  • 8 oz fontina cheese, grated
  • ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 Tbs. milk
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Roll out the pie dough, and press it into a greased pie pan.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, ½ of the fontina cheese, the parmesan cheese, eggs, milk, oregano, basil, and garlic. Add a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
  4. Pour the mixture into the pie crust, and use a spatula to even out the top.
  5. Gently place the zucchini slices on top, creating whatever design you'd like.
  6. Sprinkle remaining fontina cheese on top of zucchini.
  7. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown, and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 

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Onion Noodles: One of life’s simple pleasures.

Onion NoodlesLately, I’ve noticed that during times of great pressure and stress, my natural inclination is to arm myself with some of life’s simple pleasures. I take more naps, I spend more time outside partaking in a range of activities, and I unapologetically partake in comfort foods. To me, comfort foods are those dishes that bring an element of nostalgia, and remind me of more carefree times. Maybe it is my Abuela’s creamy arroz con leche, or a piece of fresh baked toast smeared with smashed avocado. For Kenny, it’s usually meat and potatoes (surprise, surprise), or a similarly basic starch. In both cases, the best comfort foods are almost always very simple, simple, simple.

There’s no rule that says good food must be complex. Take onion noodles, for example. There are only 5 ingredients in my mother-in-law’s recipe, yet it is one of my husband’s all-time favorite dishes. In addition to the famous chocolate cake, it’s the only other dish he requests every year for his birthday celebration, without fail. What’s so good about onions and noodles? More like, what’s bad about onions and noodles?

Sliced Onions
Lots of sliced onions, ready for the saute pan.

Imagine if someone shook an onion bagel over your dish of buttered noodles, and crisped the edges like the best part of a kugel. Then you can sort of grasp the intended flavor and texture of this dish. But the brilliance is really in its simplicity. That being said, my husband never fails to inform me that my onion noodles don’t look the same as when his mom makes them.

After a little trial and error, I think I’ve figured out why my version turns out more golden brown than Kenny is used to. To put it bluntly, making this dish the best that it can be requires a certain degree of patience. And well… patience has never been a virtue of mine. While I certainly take the time to really slowly caramelize the onions until they are a soft brown, by the time I add the noodles, the inviting aroma takes over, and my patience for letting the noodles sit and crisp wanes.  There in lies the difference. Bette Jo let’s her noodles sit and crisp in the pan before she stirs them ever so gently, whereas I am less patient, stirring a bit more frequently, and the brown from the caramelized onions disperses throughout the noodles, tinting them a brownish hue. That, and like a good little Cuban-American, I add a little garlic to the recipe.

Either way, the two versions more or less taste the same, but between you and me… those crunchy bits that Bette Jo achieves by being patient? They are without a doubt worth the wait. As an extra tip, I advise that you serve these alongside something saucy, so the noodles can serve as a vehicle for heightened flavor. And make extra. Trust me on this one.

** It’s just been brought to my attention that this recipe was introduced to Bette Jo by her sister, Myndel. Looks like we’re not the only one who think this is comfort food!

Onion Noodles
 
Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Jewish
Serves: 4-6
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
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Old-world comfort food, whose crispy edges will have your guests begging for more.
Ingredients
  • ½ stick of butter or margarine
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced (*Optional)
  • Poppy seeds
  • Seasoned salt
  • 1 8oz package of wide egg noodles, cooked al dente
Instructions
  1. In a large frying pan, heat the butter (or margarine) over medium heat. Add the onions, and saute until light brown. Add the garlic, poppy seeds and season salt. Stir to combine.
  2. Once the onions are golden brown, add the noodles, stir to combine, and let sit until the bottom side of the noodles crisp. Stir, and let the other side get some color. Once desired color and crispness is reached, serve immediately.
Notes
The garlic is definitely optional, but I think it adds an extra layer of flavor.

 

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