It's the Simple Things in Life That Matter — Perfect Piecrust

Another rerun - from 2004.

Yes, you heard me ... pie crust. Its always a touchy subject among cooks and I can't blame anyone for using the pre-made ones in the red box (Pillsbury?). I have to admit they really are the best commercial alternative to homemade.

However, this recipe is the easiest and most foolproof I've ever found. Once when Rose was making it, she accidentally added an extra 1/4 cup of water and wound up with something like a thick batter. We improvised by sprinkling extra flour in until it looked right and ... voila! A delicious, flaky pie crust with no problem. Now that's hard to beat.

It is from The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffry Steingarten. Marion Cunningham, baker extraordinaire, made about a zillion pie crusts while detailing every step along the way so Steingarten could get it just right. The beauty of it is that this makes a lot more dough than you need so you don't have to worry about scrimping to get the crust just perfect when rolling it out.

It looks intimidating but that's because it details every step needed. It's always been perfect from the first time pie to the most recent.

PERFECT PIECRUST

Step 1:
3 cups flour (scoop with 1-cup measure, press it very lightly into the cup and level off excess with side of hand)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups shortening (Crisco, butter, or a combination)

In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, and salt with fingers. Drop shortening onto flour in bowl. Toss with flour, then break up into about 12 nuggets, tossing gently to coat and arrange on flour in a rough circle. Rub fat into flour in two stages.

Step 2:
First, scoop fingers of both hands down along the sides and bottom of bowl under flour and lift them several inches above rim of bowl with a pile of flour and one large chunk of fat in each. Lightly rub thumbs back and forth across fingertips, about three times, in order to break up into pieces the size of small olives while coating with flour. Do not press down hard with thumbs; do not flatten fat. Roll it between fingertips. Let flour and fat fall back into bowl. Repeat five times, until all large nuggets are broken up.

Step 3:
In second stage, continue scooping up flour and fat from bottom of bowl, sweeping thumbs only once and only in one direction, from little finger to index finger. Smallest pieces will slip between fingers and largest pieces will tumble over index finger. Repeat 20-25 times. Particles of flour-coated fat will range in size from coarse meal to peas to small olives. It is important that particles range widely in size. A little flour may remain uncoated.

Step 4:
3/4 cup very cold water
1 tablespoon cold milk for brushing the pie
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling crust

Add 1/2 cup of cold water, sprinkling evenly over the surface. Immediately stir water into flour with fork, held vertically, starting at sides of bowl, then stirring in smaller and smaller circles toward center, making sure that the points of the fork sweep the bottom of the bowl. Motions should be light. After a few stirs, all the flour should be moistened and dough gathered into small clumps. If there are too many loose, dry crumbs, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir again. Do not overmix.

Step 5:
Gather all dough by pressing it together firmly against one side of the bowl. Break off about half, shape into a bowl with cool fingertips, and flatten it on the counter into a disk about an inch high. Repeat with other half of dough.

Step 6:
Grease a 9" pie plate with a tablespoon of shortening. Both crusts may be immediately rolled out or wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. If refrigerated, dough will require 5-10 minutes at room temperature before becoming malleable; it should not break at edges when you roll it out. It must be refrigerated if dough contains butter.

Step 7:
To roll: On a well-floured surface roll the larger of the two disks into a rough 13" circle, 1/8" thick. Use a light touch, rolling from the center to the far edge, being careful to life to pin before flattening the far edge. Roll toward you in the same manner. Turn the dough an eighth or a quarter of the way round and roll again. Do not compress downward but stretch outward. Fold the circle gently into quarters in place in pan, placing the point of dough at the center. Unfold and trim. Cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with other disk. Unless kitchen is cool and dough is firm, cover with more plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

Step 8:
Prepare filling, fill, and when pie is sealed brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Set on cookie sheet and bake as per filling dictates. For a fruit pie, bake at 450° for 25-40 minutes until darkest spots on crust are very dark brown. Reduce heat to 375° and continue baking until it has been in the oven for a total of about 1 hour.

Baked Pasta with Tomato, Cream and Five Cheeses

 This is from The Wall Street Journal's regular Slow Food Fast column which features a different chef each month. I clipped the recipe way back in 2019 and it doesn't show up on the WSJ website but it's from Al Forno chef Johanne Killeen. We liked it so much that I'm picking up her On Top of Spaghetti cookbook from the library. (Also, how can you resist that book's name? You can't!)

It was so easy that I didn't change a thing. And it was delicious.

Note: every other place carrying this recipe has these changes from what the WSJ printed: 2 c. cream, 1-1/2 oz. Parmesan and fontina, and gorgonzola, 4 oz sliced fresh mozzarella. I will try these some time also.

Baked Pasta with Tomato, Cream and Five Cheeses

Step 1

1 pound penne rigate

Heat oven to 500°. Boil pasta until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes, and drain.

Step 2

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup chopped canned tomatoes

1 ounce Parmesan

1 ounce coarsely grated Fontina

1 ounce crumbled Gorgonzola

2 tablespoons Ricotta

4 ounces grated Mozzarella

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 large, fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the pasta and butter. Add hot pasta and toss until cheese is evenly distributed.

Step 3

4 tablespoons butter

Place in a shallow (1 inch) layer in a large baking dish. Dot with the butter, and bake until brown and bubbly on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

Baked Salmon with Horseradish Mayonnaise

I first shared this in 2005 and it is well worth sharing again. It's one of my all time favorite recipes and really the only way that I make salmon. I've tweaked it a bit. It came from a diabetic cookbook, which is hard to believe considering how delicious it is.

Step 1:
1 salmon fillet (1 pound total), room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
Brush salmon with oil and season. Bake at 475° on a lightly oiled, foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake exactly 5 minutes, then turn salmon over and bake another 5 minutes.

Step 2:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons horseradish
2 teaspoons drained capers
Whisk together. Top each serving of salmon with a heaping tablespoon of sauce.

Mom's Creamed Tuna

First published here in 2005, it's time for a reprint! Especially during Lent!

I don't know where my mother got this recipe but it is the touch of nutmeg and the walnuts that make it shine. I often leave the nuts out so don't let those stop you in making this. It was one of our favorites growing up and my kids love it too.

Step 1:
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
2 dashes Tabasco
2 cups milk
Make a white sauce. Stir over low heat until thickened. (For instructions on making a white sauce, take a look at the recipe for Pasta Baked with Bechamel and Parmigiano ... bechamel is Italian for white sauce.)

Step 2:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
12 ounces tuna
Sautéed sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/3 cup broken walnuts (optional)
Add cheese, stir until melted. Add remaining and heat to serving temperature. Serve over rice or noodles.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

From Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri; I edited these instructions for simplicity's sake.  

I first ran this recipe in 2004 and all these years later it is still my go-to pound cake. It isn't fussy but it is simply delicious.

It never fails, it lasts a long time and my husband has found that a thin slice is almost as good as a donut with his breakfast. Plus you will impress your friends who didn't know people made pound cake anymore.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Step 1:
2 cups flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour 12-cup tube or Bundt pan. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Step 2:
½ pound butter, softened
2¾ cups sugar
Beat on medium speed until very light, about 5 minutes.

Step 3:
½ t. lemon extract
½ t. orange extract
½ t. vanilla
Beat into batter (I also have used 1½ t. vanilla instead of the above combination).

Step 4:
6 large eggs
Beat into batter, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.

Step 5:
8 ounces sour cream
On low, alternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape into pan and bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours or until cake tester comes out clean. Let sit in pan 10 minutes and then turn out on rack to cool completely.

Linguine with Chickpeas and Zucchini

 This is perfect for a meatless meal anytime. It was on one of those handy, dandy recipe cards in Cook's Country way back in 2018. The photo isn't preposessing but it is simply delicious. AND inexpensive!

• Don't skip the parsley. For me, that makes the dish. 
• This is mildly flavored so it might be good for kids. Also, since the zucchini is shredded and the chickpeas are mashed up some, it might be easy to slip past kids who might otherwise balk at such ingredients. 
• This is also good without the red pepper flakes if you have people who can't eat those.
• They designed this recipe to be made sequentially in one pan. I'd rather make two and have the rest done at about the time the pasta is. If fewer pans matters more, then cook and drain the pasta. Use the Dutch oven to make the "sauce."

Linguine with Chickpeas and Zucchini
1 pound linguine
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 medium zucchini, shredded on large holes of a box grater and patted dry
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 ounces (1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve (1/2) cup cooking water, then drain pasta. (I don't add any pasta water to the final dish.)

Meanwhile, heat oil, garlic, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper over medium heat until garlic is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add zucchini and chickpeas and cook until zucchini is wilted and most of its excess moisture has cooked off, about 6 minutes. Using potato masher, lightly mash chickpeas.

Off heat, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, lemon juice, pasta, and reserved cooking water. Serve, passing lemon wedges, extra oil, and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan separately. (I often stir in a glug or two of olive oil at the end if the pasta seems dry, since I don't use the reserved pasta water.)

Bacon, Pea, and Goat Cheese Frittata

This is absolutely delicious and makes a simple but taste-filled dinner. It's also darned good when heated up in the morning for a flavorful breakfast if your taste runs to goat cheese early in the day. It's from Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking although you also can find the recipe at his website.

The recipe has you broil it until the top is cooked but we don't have an oven-proof nonstick pan. We simply cover the pan and cook it for a while on a low heat until it is set all the way through. I'm leaving the broiler instructions if you've a mind to go that route.

If we have basil we use it. If we don't, it is still delicious. Bacon, Pea, and Goat Cheese Frittata
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil, for frying
8 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced diagonally
1 cup frozen peas
Handful of basil, leaves roughly chopped
4 ounces goat’s cheese
8 eggs, beaten
3–4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a glug of oil in a 10-inch, non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon for 2–3 minutes. Add the red pepper and continue to cook for another few minutes until the bacon is golden brown and crisp. Add the scallions and sweat for 4-5 minutes until everything is tender. Stir in the peas and heat through. Sprinkle in the basil, roughly mixing it through the vegetables. Cut half of the goat cheese into chunks and scatter on top.

Preheat broiler to highest setting.

Put the beaten eggs in a bowl, add the Parmesan and season generously with pepper. Pour into the pan over the vegetables and gently shake over a medium heat. As the omelette begins to set at the bottom, grate the remaining goat’s cheese on top and season with pepper.

Place the pan under the broiler for 4–5 minutes until cooked through and golden on top.

Slide the frittata out of the pan and cut into wedges to serve.

Hot Pepper Popcorn

Once again we have the playoffs coming and once again I bring you this popcorn that will delight anyone who enjoys a little spice with their popcorn crunch. This came from Gourmet long, long ago.

It doesn't look any different from regular popcorn as people found out at the Christmas party that I brought it to. I tried to warn everyone but all night people kept coming up to me and saying, "What did you do to that popcorn?"

Granted. that doesn't sound like a positive reaction but almost everyone asked for the recipe. After a very long delay, here it is!

Hot Pepper Popcorn

Step 1:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon Tabasco
2-1/2 quarts unsalted popcorn

In a small saucepan melt butter with Tabasco and drizzle it over popcorn in a large baking pan, tossing well.

Step 2:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

In a small bowl combine salt and cayenne, sprinkle the mixture over popcorn, tossing it. Bake popcorn in a preheated 300-degree oven, stirring once or twice for 10-15 minutes, or until crisp.

Tuna Risotto

Believe it or not this is from an Italian cookbook. Be sure to use good canned tuna in this. That means Albacore Tuna. I also could see using chunks of sauteed fresh tuna. My family would like either. However, the canned tuna makes it a midweek meal because I don't have to get fresh fish.

TUNA RISOTTO

Step 1:
1 onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Arborio rice

 
Sauté onion until softened. Add rice and cook until well coated with oil.

Step 2:
1 teaspoon salt
1/2  cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken stock

 
Add salt and wine and cook, stirring, until wine is absorbed. Add stock and cook risotto-style (adding 1/2 cup stock at a time and stirring until absorbed). I tend to add 4 cups of stock, let it get absorbed by simmering, and then add the rest of the stock the "right" way. Its not "proper" but gets the same creamy effect and I can use that initial simmering time to make salad and dressing, etc.

Step 3:
12 ounces canned tuna, drained, broken into large pieces

 
Stir in during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Step 4:
1 ounce grated Parmesan

 
Remove from heat and stir in immediately.

(First published here in 2004.)

Meatball Subs

This was on one of those handy-dandy recipe cards in Cook's Country, long ago. It is unfailingly reliable and a real crowd pleaser. It is really, really easy. 

 I've simplified it a bit more by using a pound of Italian sausage and bread crumbs that have no Italian seasonings. 

 I also use my favorite pizza sauce instead of a jarred marinara.  I usually have a cup or so stashed in my freezer, so that makes it very simple for me. Also, you won't find an easier or more delicious sauce anywhere. Just try it once and see what you think. 

  Meatball Subs 

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/4 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
3/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs with Italian seasonings
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 (6-inch) Italian sub rolls, split lengthwise
1-1/3 cups jarred marinara sauce
4 slices deli provolone cheese (4 ounces)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Our favorite premium jarred sauce is Victoria Marinara Sauce.

INSTRUCTIONS
1
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease rimmed baking sheet with oil. Mix beef, bread crumbs, eggs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in bowl until well combined. Form mixture into twelve 2-inch meatballs, place on prepared sheet, and bake until browned and meat registers 160 degrees, about 15 minutes. Transfer meatballs to plate; discard accumulated grease on sheet.

2
Carefully line now-empty sheet with parchment paper. Place rolls on sheet and lay 3 meatballs inside each roll. Top meatballs on each sandwich with 1/3 cup marinara sauce and 1 slice provolone. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve.

The Pizza Maker's Sauce (Salsa Pizzaiola)

There isn't an easier pizza sauce around. Or one that is tastier. It also freezes well. This is from Pizza: Any Way You Slice It by Charles & Michele Scicolone. It's my favorite pizza cookbook. 

Pizza Sauce 

Makes about 3 cups 

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 

Pinch of crushed red pepper 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

Salt (though I almost never use it) 

 In a large skillet, cook the garlic and red pepper in the oil over medium heat until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, or 10-15 minutes. Let cool before spreading on pizza dough. Keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month. (I've used it after a year and it is still good.)