Tomato pie

My 13 year old takes her school work very seriously.  Before winter break she embarked on a creative writing assignment about Edisto - of course she was thrilled when we actually went there.  It was as if she had embarked on a research project as she made note of how long it takes to get to Edisto island (Atlantic Intercoastal Highway) from the main road and then the distance to Edisto Beach and finally to our lodging.   She also took pains to identify the various sea birds.

To invoke a sense of place, she wanted to describe the food; not the seafood, but something she considers unique to the place - tomato pie.  Her assumption is that in the north most people think of an Italian pizza style dish when you say tomato pie, however she recalls our first introduction to tomato pie almost two years ago and the Gullah woman that told me how to make it.

Needless to say, she's been nagging me for days because she wanted to experience the pie so that she could write an accurate description that would conjure up the taste.  I complained that tomatoes weren't in season but she was confident that WF would have something and they did - tomatoes from New England that weren't bad...unlike the pink Mexican tomatoes that are all over supermarkets this time of year.

She sat in the kitchen with her legal pad, taking notes as I prepared the pie.  I made one adjustment - I diced the tomatoes and mixed in the peppers, onions, basil, and seasoning rather than layering with slices - this produced a more robust flavor.  I also added a dash of tabasco to the cheese and mayo topping mix and I couldn't remember if the crackers (I use cheez-its instead of oyster or saltine crackers) went on or under the cheese.  She got a little nervous because I was deviating from what she considered authenticity but the results were superb - she actually enjoyed the pie...my little cousin on the other hand acted as if he was being poisoned with every bite.

Finally

I'm sitting here eating a coconut Liberte yogurt for dessert after what now seems like a surreal day.  I got off to a productive start and was pleasantly surprised when the PGW guy arrived at the beginning of the 12-4 service window and found nothing wrong with our hot water heater.

I planned to make curried chicken but hadn't decided if I was going to do it Caribbean, Indian, or Thai style.  It turned out that it didn't matter because the water wasn't working and of course PWD had no idea when it would be restored.  Fortunately the water was back on by 5 (although they are still doing who knows what and water has been gushing out of the street since they started "correcting" the problem at 3pm).

While my son was at ice hockey I cut up the onions & garlic; skinned & seasoned the chicken; and had my daughter peel the potatoes.  That's when I thought about salona, which I haven't made in ages - I was going to have to adjust the method a bit by using the pressure cooker and substituting okra for peas.  When we returned from hockey I seared the thighs, sauteed the onions, added tomato paste, tomatoes, and a little liquid, bizaara, then cooked the chicken under pressure for a few minutes.  I added the potatoes and okra and brought to pressure again.

I was smiling as I thought of my Emirati friend who introduced me to salona when the phone rang.  It was her!  I haven't spoken with her in at least a year so it was such a pleasant surprise that I chatted while the kids helped themselves to seconds and possibly thirds.

Slow cooked sausage

I had a surprisingly simple dinner tonight and now I'm trying to figure other recipes that are just as easy.  Last night I flipped through GRIND while my son was at yoga; the issue was about using the pig from snout to tail so it featured a recipe for sausage & cabbage.  It just so happened that my friend gave me a pack of nitrate free chicken sausages so I thought I'd give it a try.

The recipe simply calls for layering the ingredients in the crockpot and cooking on high for 3-4 hours...

1 1/2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces

3 cooking apples, thickly sliced

1/2 head cabbage, shredded

1 medium onion, sliced

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup apple juice

Because I was a little concerned about flavor intensity, I used cider instead of juice (and a splash or so more), a large onion, and I seasoned the cabbage well.  I also substituted turbinado for the brown sugar.  It was delicious - not too sweet, with a little kick.  Next time I would probably use the entire head of cabbage.

Due to ice hockey, Tuesday has become crockpot night so I'm on the hunt for yummy recipes.

Last hurrah

I've been looking for an excuse to make macaroni and cheese all week.  I took the turkey thigh out of the freezer and planned to make for dinner Friday along with a dozen deviled eggs per my son's request.   Friday night I was invited to try "pizza" at Earth with a couple of friends so I postponed my "turkey dinner" until tonight.

It almost didn't happen because I didn't leave my 9am meeting until 3pm and I hadn't seasoned the meat and needed to stop at WF.  Fortunately I was able to adjust my plan to make the turkey in the pressure cooker instead of the oven.

I enlisted my daughter's help with cutting up the cheese and filling the eggs...I seared the turkey on both sides then added some french onion soup broth (this is going to be my new short cut) and cooked under pressure for 35 minutes while the macaroni baked.

As I was calling everyone down for dinner I realized I never made a vegetable, I grabbed a bag of frozen green beans and cooked them in a quarter cup of the french onion broth.

Egg nog was the perfect after dinner beverage.

Indescribable

I have no idea what we had for dinner. My intention was to braise the ranch steak because that's what was recommended online.  When I realized the portion size wasn't nearly enough for a 4 person meal I added red lentils.

Then I went down a totally manic path, literally adding a little of this and that. The kids couldn't decide if it was Eritrean or Indian but they both had seconds.  My husband wasn't sure what flavor I was going for and thought it was an attempt at a mild Indian dish.  I had no answer to his question because of the array of spices I used.

Another point of confusion for him was the potatoes, he didn't understand why they were mashed.  In my mind they were an absorber for the "gravy."  Once the pot was simmering I had to figure out a starch - potatoes, rice, or couscous. I ended up with what my daughter called mashed potato dumplings. That's because the potatoes were gummy due to overcooking & over mixing.  Though I would never recommend them served alongside turkey or roast beef, the texture worked as an excellent base for that lentil concoction.

Terrain

While I enjoy the fruits of the marsh, the one thing I miss in the Low Country is meat because it seems like there's only pork and seafood.  I thought about beef the entire ride home and finally made a flat iron steak Monday.

I marinated it with a simple garlic rub, put sweet potatoes in the oven, and made deviled eggs on the side.  4 minutes on each side in an extremely hot grill pan produced meat that was unbelievably tender and succulent.

Sensational simplicity

I'm not sure why but we always have quiche when we visit SC.  Last night I did a spinach quiche (mostly cheese & spinach, heavy cream, and only 3 eggs); sauteed shrimp with garlic; and steamed oysters.  The oysters were so good my daughter questioned why we bother with mussels.  Because we don't live in the Low Country.

Because I have nothing but leisure time, I've been reading The Post & Courier all week.  There were several Charleston restaurant reviews and one mentioned purloo, which I had to Google to figure out that it was basically a jambalaya.  An excellent option for our last vacation dinner.

We went to Whaley's for lunch, the scallops were as succulent as I remembered; then a walk along the beach.  I was stuffed so I didn't get started on dinner until 7.  Sauteed onions, garlic, green pepper, tossed in the last beef sausage, a diced tomato, then simmered in broth while I peeled and deveined the shrimp.  I added the shrimp then served over grits (rice is the appropriate starch) with the leftover okra on the side.

Not only was I able to use up the remaining groceries but it was simple to make yet bursting with flavor. There's nothing like Low Country cookin',