JUDITH'S ZUCCHINI PIE

This summer quiche seemed like the perfect opportunity to use up some of the ever-abundant zucchini AND to try out the recipe that Judith had posted on her blog. It was also the perfect opportunity to try the recipe for the pie crust made with olive oil that I wrote about HERE. I felt quite confident that both recipes would be successful, but it turns out I was only half right.

When I made the olive oil pie crust the only difference between it and the pie crust I usually make was using olive oil instead of Crisco. Once the dough was formed and I started to roll it out I noticed that it was much more elastic than 'regular' pie dough. The two secrets to a flaky pie crust are to make sure the fat is thoroughly blended into the flour before adding the ice water, and to handle the dough as little as possible once it's formed. A few quick passes with the rolling pin, fold it in half and plop it into the pie pan - all done with a light, quick touch. This dough was much firmer and required a much more forceful push of the rolling pin, but as with every new recipe, you just forge ahead and hope for the best.

While the pie dough was resting in the frig I assembled the ingredients for the quiche. Because I was running late I squeezed the zucchini after about 15 minutes to remove most of the water. Swiss cheese had been on sale at the grocery so that's what I used, although I think a nice smoky Provolone might be good too. It wasn't until the pie was in the oven and I was putting away the rest of the groceries that I thought about using some of the green onion I'd just bought. In retrospect I can say that it would have been a wonderful addition, so next time for sure.

And yes, there will be a next time for the quiche, but NOT for the olive oil pie dough! Tough, tough, tough! What a disappointment! Here I was hoping to have found a recipe for pie dough that would save my Crisco stash for other things, but no such luck. Oh well, live and learn! If you by chance have better luck with the olive oil pie crust recipe I'd love to hear about it!

For Judith's zucchini pie recipe click HERE.

IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN!

Cooking remains very seasonal in Italy, or at least here in Umbria. Despite larger and larger refrigerators in the average Italian home, despite supermercatos filled with fruits and vegetables every day of the week, many Italians still prefer to do their shopping at weekly outdoor markets or take what's fresh from their own garden. Yes, we have lettuce and tomatoes all year round, carrots, onions, zucchini, but every casalinga (housewife) knows that these things are best eaten in their proper season.

In today's modern world I wouldn't dare guess how many people still put up their own fruits and vegetables, but it's a common practice in this area. Years ago when my kids were small and I was a stay-at-home mom I used to can tomatoes in the summer, make jam from fresh strawberries, etc. Now canning tomatoes seems like way too much trouble, but I do freeze green beans since they aren't easily found (even canned) during the winter.

In the fall I look forward to the arrival of pumpkins....not to carve for Halloween decoration, but to roast and freeze for cooking with throughout the winter. Now I will confess that before I lived in Italy my use of pumpkin was limited to canned pumpkin once a year for Thanksgiving, and the only time I ever bought a whole pumpkin was to carve it into a jack o'lantern!

It wasn't that I didn't know that the pumpkin puree in the can came from the inside of a pumpkin, but I just didn't have the awareness....I just never realized how much better fresh pumpkin was...or what I could do with it besides make the traditional pie. I'm sure there are many ways to use fresh pumpkin, but now I have two dishes that are staples for my cold weather cooking: pumpkin soup and a delicious pumpkin/sausage quiche.

Last week I bought 2 nice sized pumpkins from one of the local farmers. These pumpkins are a different variety than those used for carving. The pumpkin is much thicker and meatier, and carving them can present a problem. The first cut is the most difficult, but once I have the pumpkin cut in half I can scoop out the seeds the carve each half into more manageable pieces. I then place the pumpkin pieces into an oiled pan and roast them in the oven. Not only does this make the pumpkin easier to remove from the skin, it also enhances the flavor, so it's a step well worth the time.

Because I'd roasted a chicken for lunch and was making chicken broth from the carcass, I decided to go ahead and make a double batch of pumpkin soup. Although this recipe calls for cream I've stopped using it, not only to save calories, but quite simply because the soup tastes delicious without the cream....take your choice.


PUMPKIN SOUP

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 lbs pumpkin flesh, oven roasted, cut into 1” cubes
1/2 lb russet potatoes cut into quarters
1 Tbsp salt
Black pepper
Grated nutmeg
4 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the pumpkin, potatoes, salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Puree the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Add the cream and the parsley and stir. Check seasoning and serve immediately. Serves 6

Note: This freezes well, but don’t add the cream if you’re going to freeze it, then add the cream when it’s re-heated. This soup can also be served without any cream at all.

I made a double batch of this and ended up with about 6 quarts. I used potatoes I had leftover from the market. I'd asked the woman I bought my produce from what the difference was between the two varieties of potatoes she had. She told me that the potatoes that looked like Idaho bakers were best for frying, while the other potatoes with a reddish skin were best for gnocchi since they were creamier. I was planning to make mashed potatoes to go along with the roasted chicken, so creamy potatoes sounded perfect to me. Using the leftover potatoes for this soup also seemed like a perfect fit, adding some creaminess and body to the soup.

I froze the rest of the pumpkin in chunks, in 16 ounce portions since that's what's called for in our favorite quiche recipe:

Pumpkin and Sausage Quiche

1 lb pumpkin, roughly cubed
4-6 oz sausage, chopped
1 medium yellow onion
3 eggs
Milk
Handful pine nuts
Parmigiano, grated
9” pie crust, unbaked


In a small frying pan, cook the chopped sausage. Take off heat.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the pastry dough in a 9” pie pan.

With 1 Tbsp of the oil from the sausage, chop the onion and sauté. While the onion is cooking, roughly cube the pumpkin. When the onion starts to turn translucent, add the pumpkin chunks. Cook about 10-15, until the pumpkin breaks down easily with spoon but is not mushy. Mix in the sausage until evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a splash of milk until frothy. Grate in a small amount of parmigiano and mix, adding freshly ground pepper.

Spoon half of the pumpkin mix into the baking pan. Pour egg mix over, and then spoon the rest of the pumpkin mix in. Sprinkle a handful of parmigiano and some pine nuts on top, and bake for about 40 minutes

If you've never tried using fresh pumpkin, now might be the perfect time to visit your local farmer's market and buy one to cook with along with one for carving. Remember...they ARE different!