Baked Autumn Samosas

I ate Indian food at least twice a week when I was in college. I would pick it up on my way home from the bus stop at this amazing joint in the Commons (I think it's Sangam -- they have a location in Collegetown, too). I call it a "joint" because it was almost like fast food, just way better.

I always bought two samosas with my plate of to-go veggie curry and rice. I'd eat one right away and save the other for later. Potatoes, peas, fried dough, spices. So good. My favorite part of the meal.

This recipe is far from traditional and is baked, not fried. Still satisfies my nostalgic craving, though. I know I'll be making these again soon!

BAKED AUTUMN SAMOSAS

Filling

• 2 to 3 cups butternut squash 
• 1 head cauliflower 
• 1 white onion 
• 3 large cloves garlic 
• Olive oil 
• Salt 
• Pepper 
• Curry powder 
• Smoked paprika 

Crust

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached bread flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (cold)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Water (cold)

Method for veggies . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Get a rimmed baking sheet ready.
2. Chop all veggies coarsely -- into approx. 1-inch cubes. Then place them on your rimmed sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil (a few tablespoons) and then sprinkle with your salt, pepper, and spices. Use as little or as much as you like. I kept ours relatively tame since I wanted to give Ada some of the filling for dinner.
4. Roast in oven for an hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Then refrigerate until you're ready to make your samosas. If that's right away -- proceed to making the crust.

Method for crust . . . 

1. In a food processor, combine the flours and salt. Pulse.
2. Then add in the butter in chunks and the olive oil. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time -- pulsing again -- until the dough starts to form together.
4. Then roll into a ball and store in the fridge until you're ready to bake.

Putting it all together . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spritz a baking sheet with olive oil. Set aside.
2. Basically, you roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper, cut it into a circle using a pot top, cut that in half, fold, fill, and press shut. See this video tutorial for details (as well as for a gluten-free and more traditional samosas recipe). It's exactly how I did it.
3. Then arrange samosas on baking sheet and prick each with the tines of a fork.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Until the crust is golden.
5. Let cool and serve with your favorite barbeque sauce.

These photos of the finished samosas aren't really my best, but you might be interested to know I shot them in total, complete darkness. Yeah. We're at that time of year when dinner is eaten long after the sun goes down.

I used my DIY light box to photograph in the past. But now I'm using my bounce flash. Stephen bought it for me for Christmas two years ago, and I'm only now getting around to using it. Not too shabby at all.

Today on Writing Chapter Three, I wrote about the magic hour when Stephen gets home from work. I feel like Ada merely tolerates me all day until she can see daddy again.

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Chocolate Dream Pie with No Roll Crust

ATTENTION: We interrupt what we had originally scheduled for today's post to bring you this incredible vegan chocolate pie.

When I was in college, there was this insanely fantastic vegetarian restaurant called ABC Cafe near the Collegetown/Cornell area in Ithaca. On the dessert menu was a Chocolate Dream Pie and I'd always, always get it.

Sometimes I'd even go to ABC just for dessert. It was THAT good. (Random fact: We got engaged right outside the cafe in 2005 after eating dinner there!)


Sadly, the cafe closed shortly after we moved. Since, I've tried replicating the recipe. I first tried with our Nutella Pie and added strawberries. Using silken tofu didn't give me the right texture, however. The Chocolate Dream Pie was firmer, almost like cheesecake.

Good news! I have found the solution: Extra-firm tofu with some chill time in the fridge. Simple as that.


CHOCOLATE DREAM PIE WITH NO-ROLL CRUST

What you'll need for the crust . . . 

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (liquid) 
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Large pinch of salt 
• 1/4 cup cold water 

What you'll need for the filling . . . 

• 1 cake extra firm tofu, drained well 
• 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut butter (we splurged on Justin's -- but peanut or almond butter would be great, too!) 
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips, melted
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or to taste, but I found it was sweet enough this way) 
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and oil with your fingers -- until it resembles coarse meal.
3. Then stir in the water until the dough pulls together. Press the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Prick the bottom a couple times with a fork.
4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or so, until it is lightly golden. Let cool entirely before filling. 
5. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients for the pie. Adjust to your tastes before pouring into cooled pie shell. 
6. Eat right away or place in refrigerator until firmer, usually an hour or two will do the trick.

The chocolate filling would be tasty enough on its own as a sort of vegan chocolate mousse. If you're skeptical about tofu and chocolate, don't be. I promise you that you'll love it -- and if it isn't chocolatey enough for you, the answer is simple: Add another 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Or more nut butter.

The pie crust would work well for fruit and other sweet pies. For quiche or savory pies, you can sub out the coconut oil and sugar for olive oil and no sugar. Alternatively for this recipe, you could make a graham cracker or chocolate no-bake crust.

MORE CHOCOLATE PIE LOVE:

Chocolate-Coconut Pie
Nutella Pie with Strawberries
Chocolate-Pumpkin Pie
Vegan Coconut-Carob Pie


Don't miss our weekend recaps today on Writing Chapter Three. We went to the zoo, went swimming, and did lots of other fun stuff. Here's part I and part II.

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Our Recipes: Pies, Tarts, and Fruit

PIES, TARTS, and FRUIT:

• Chocolate-Pumpkin Pie*
• Gooey Caramel Apples
• The Perfect Apple Pie*
• Chocolate Chip Rhubarb Bread*
• No-Bake Coconut-Carob Pie*
• Purple Sticky Rice Tart*
• Strawberry-Pear Faux Pie*
• Nutella Pie
• Ginger-Basil Apple Crisp*
• Chocolate-Blueberry Tart
• No-Bake Chocolate-Coconut Pie*
• Chocolate-PB Fudge Tart (No-Bake)*
• Strawberry-Blackberry Cobbler*

* means VEGAN

BACK TO ALL RECIPES >>>

OR BROWSE BY CATEGORY:

GRANOLA & OATS	PANCAKES, ETC.	SMOOTHIES
SPREAD, SAUCES, DIPS	SALADS	SOUPS & STEWS
SNACKS & STARTERS	SANDWICHES & BURGERS	PIZZA, ETC.
STIR-FRIES, ETC.	OTHER MEALS	BREADS
CAKES & CUPCAKES	COOKIES & BROWNIES	PIES & TARTS
ICE CREAM & PUDDING	DRINKS	CONVERSIONS

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The Perfect Apple Pie

If you haven't gathered by now, I don't really consider fruit dessert. So, I haven't made many pies, tarts, and other chocolate-less sweets. Don't get me wrong. I love fruit. Apples, especially. But it wasn't until this week last year that I baked my first-ever apple pie.

We've written briefly about our adventure before in our Take a Cooking Class with Friends post. To recap: We traveled to the The New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, NY. We had one mission and one mission only: To create the most amazing apple pies possible. We learned a variety of techniques, tips, and tricks. We drank wine and beer. We had fun.

And here's how you, too, can bake a KILLER apple pie. There are a lot of steps. But -- you need not be scared. It's fun, albeit time-consuming. Once you're mastered the basics, you're on your way to a lifetime of flaky tastiness.



STEP 1: GRAB YOUR FRIENDS

Why? Because it's more fun that way! Plus, you can hang out, play games, and do other fun fall stuff while you wait for your pies to bake.


STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR APPLES WISELY

We learned that no all apples are perfect for pies. With so many varieties, it may be hard to figure out which kind you want to use. Freshly picked are great. And not only are they, well, the freshest, but going to an orchard (or stopping by your local farmers market) is also a lot of fun. As far as texture, firmer apples are desirable because they won't turn to total mush during the baking process. Having the apples keep a bit of their shape is a good thing. Taste is subjective (and so is everything else, really), a mix of tart and sweet is preferable.

Some specific kinds of apples you may want to try:

• Granny Smith
• Jonathan
• MacIntosh
• Pink Lady
• Macoun
• Braeburns
• Fuji
• (We'd love YOUR suggestions, too!)

You'll want about 6 good-sized apples in all. And don't feel limited to just one type of apple. At the workshop, we had our pick. Actually, Stephen and I opted to make our pies with three different kinds.


STEP 3: MAKE YOUR CRUST(S)

This recipe will make enough for a top and bottom crust. That's how we made our pies. You may also wish to use the top crust to make a lattice design, but I don't know how to do that. It's too fancy for me. Whatever you choose, our instructor taught us that it's good to use a mix of butter (or Earth Balance, see our conversion chart) and shortening to achieve optimum flakiness. I've gotta say, her method works!

What you'll need . . .

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (very cold)
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 to 8 tablespoons cold water (I used apple cider!)

Method . . .

1. In a large bowl, whisk together you flour, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
2. Cut your butter and shortening into cubes (about 1/2 inch or so). You may wish to place them in the freezer for 10 minutes or so to ensure they are cold.
3. Add your butter/shortening cubes to the flour mixture. Combine with your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal.
4. Start adding your cold water (or cider), 1 tablespoon at a time and mixing with your hands. Keep adding water until you reach the "shaggy mass" consistency. Basically, a shaggy mass has been reached when you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together.
5. If the dough doesn't hold together yet, add another tablespoon of water and try again.
6. Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs-- but try your best not to over-handle. You'll want the butter pats to stay in tact (as a FAT POCKET, seriously, people!) because that's what gives you a flaky texture. YES: You should be able to see patches of butter in the dough.
7. Sprinkle each disc with some flour, as well as the work surface -- and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Quick, rapid rolls will do you, in opposing directions. Try not to roll too many times. You want to do this part relatively fast so you can keep it cold again. Repeat with the other disc.
8. Carefully place one round onto a 9-inch pie plate. Place the other one on some parchment or a flat plate.
9. Cover each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (though the dough will keep for up to 2 days).
10. Make your filling . . .

STEP 4: PREPARE YOUR FILLING

Again, you'll want about 6 good-sized apples -- of whatever you choose -- in all. Just peel, core, and slice each apple. Toss the slices into a large mixing bowl.

You'll also want to add . . .

• 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (I use less whenever possible)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Just combine all ingredients and mix until apples are well coated. Stay with me, now. You're almost there!


STEP 5: ASSEMBLE AND BAKE YOUR PIE

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Take your pie crust out of the refrigerator. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough on the pie plate so it only overlaps about 1/2 inch of the edge.
3. Pour your apples into the pie plate/pie crust. If you have too many, leave some out. But you can have a slight mound. It will cook down a bit.
4. Cover with your other pie crust. Again, trim if necessary. Then make sure you seal your top and bottom crusts by pressing them together with your fingers.
5. Make a few slices with a knife through the top crust to allow the steam to escape during baking. Just two or three will do.
6. Allow to bake for 45 minutes. We checked ours frequently -- you want the crust to be golden brown.
7. Note: If you used apple cider, your crust will brown faster/deeper than if you had used water. This is simply because there is sugar in cider and sugar caramelizes. Just pay attention and watch for burning.

Of course, there are many methods for baking pies. What's your trick? We're definitely not experts, so advice and/or helpful hints are appreciated! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Veggie Stromboli

When the kind folks at Pomi offered to send me some of their awesome tomato products to try out, I had to think of something awesome to make. I'm not huge on pasta and some of the other tomato dishes I thought of weren't exactly summer-friendly. But if there's one kind of combo Stephen and I can't get enough of no matter the season, it's bread and cheese. If there's sauce, too, well -- we're in heaven.

Note: At first, this recipe doesn't seem like a typical (never home)maker thing. Instead, it seems rather involved. I assure you, it's not as difficult and time consuming as it looks. It's also well worth the effort! The instructions you see below will yield for you two healthy stromboli (the "i" at the end of a word in Italian already means plural, right?).

Just keep your eye on the prize . . .



To make the pizza dough, follow the directions below. They're from a cookbook Xagave sent over with some agave syrup . . . and after making the stuff, I declare it a tie for my favorite pizza dough (the other is the pumpkin garlic knot dough that can be used for many purposes). The agave and olive oil make it incredibly light and tasty.



Then the Pomi tomatoes come into play. What I love about Pomi (which is an organic tomato brand straight from Italy) is that the tomatoes are just that: tomatoes. No added salt. No added ANYTHING. They taste fresh, too. And I'm a little weird about this, but I like best that you don’t need to worry about BPA contamination from containers or rust (from the cans of other tomato brands).


5 MINUTE TOMATO SAUCE

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method . . .

1. Heat the olive oil and cook the garlic until you can smell it (maybe 1 minute or so).
2. Add in the tomatoes, red pepper, and Italian seasoning and cook over high heat for two minutes, until bubbly.
3. Stir in the tahini and maple syrup. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes, then lower heat (or turn off if you're ready to use it).
4. Seriously, even though the combo of tahini and maple syrup sounds kind of weird -- it is delicious! And the Pomi tomatoes are amazing.

If you want to find Pomi, too, you can snag some at Vitacost and other online grocery stores. Oh, yeah. Pomi is also sold nationally in most natural/organic food stores, especially in many Whole Foods locations across the US.


Then you can make your kale/spinach/mushroom filling. There's really no exact measurements for this part. You can include any other veggies you like. We just LOVE kale. It's a power food. And cooking it BEFORE you put everything together is key to getting the moisture out (that would devastate the stromboli in the oven) and making it less difficult to chew.

What you'll need . . .

• 3 to 4 handfuls of kale
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 1/3 cup sliced onions (we used leeks)
• 3 to 4 white mushrooms, sliced
• Olive oil

Method . . .

1. Throw everything into a large pot. Cook until kale is soft, but not completely wilted.

Now for the fun part! Putting it all together and baking. Don't worry, you're almost done! You'll need some shredded mozzarella cheese, by the way. So, don't forget that. You may also wish to top the stromboli with sliced cheese (and sesame, poppy, or other seeds) when you're done. We used a couple slices of pepper jack.


THE ASSEMBLY:

1. First you'll want to preheat your oven to 415 degrees F. It's helpful if you use a pizza stone -- so preheat that, too, if you have one.
2. Then, divide your dough into two balls. Take 1 of your dough balls and roll it out into a large oval/rectangular shape on a work surface dusted with flour.
3. It's critically important to start with a layer of mozzarella on the bottom of what you're doing. You will layer half of the sauce mixture (about one cup) on top of the cheese -- laying down the mozzarella first will ensure no leaky, soggy stromboli.
4. Once you've laid the cheese and sauce, use half the kale mixture. Layer it on.
5. Then stretch the dough to get maximum folding power. Fold over one side all the way to the edge of the other side -- seal. Then fold over the top.
6. NOTE: There will be a lot of dough on the top, but for us -- that worked out wonderfully.
7. Then repeat this process with the other dough ball/ingredients. Or you may wish to save them for another night.
8. Make sure you either gently cut or tear a few holes in the top for the steam to escape. Otherwise, your stromboli may explode :)

TO BAKE:

1. Very carefully transfer your stromboli to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. You may notice the top starting to burn, cover with tin foil. Then rotate 90 degrees and bake for about another 10 minutes. Until the stromboli is golden brown (you can also test the done-ness of the dough).
2. If you'd like to cover yours with cheese -- take your stromboli out of the oven. Lay a couple slices of cheese on top. Then switch your oven to the broil setting. Broil until cheese is lightly browned.
3. Slice and enjoy!

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Nutella Pie with Strawberries

By now, much of what you see above (well, if not ALL of what you see above) is gone. Every creamy bite devoured. It's not the healthiest pie I've ever made, but it's certainly not the most sinful either. It all started during our long (to us) bike ride this weekend -- 42 miles in all -- in the blistering heat (more about that later).

I was craving strawberries like a crazy person.

We bought two hefty packages of the sweet, juicy fruits at Wegmans. One big issue with me and strawberries is freshness. They seem to go bad the minute you bring them home. So, I knew I needed to use them FAST.


Solution: Eat as many as I could Saturday. Throw some in a smoothie Sunday morning. And use the rest to top (as well as garnish) this Nutella pie.

Now we need to get to the tofu issue. I'm sure many of you have arrived at this post expecting some kind of "normal" recipe. One that doesn't involve a silky block of tofu. And I'm sure some people reading that last sentence have already X-ed out our little site in confusion. In fear. In disgust. Whatever. If you're still not thrilled but have stayed on this page, we thank you.

Read on! Feast your eyes!


The fact is: though the base of the Nutella part of this pie is tofu, you can't taste it for a minute. In fact, if I hadn't told you. If I wasn't generously sharing the recipe -- instead, just serving you dessert at a dinner party or something -- you wouldn't even know. No lies.

In all honesty, you can go from THIS . . .



To THIS . . .


So, if you're ever-so skeptical about the flavor, please try it before you shy away. And let me know if you do, because I'd love to hear the good, bad, and ugly of your experience!

NUTELLA PIE

What you'll need for the crust . . .

• 1 cup white-whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup water (plus a few tablespoons to reach the right consistency)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar.
3. Add the oil and water and mix until the dough is wet, but also crumbly.
4. Lightly oil a 9-inch pie plate and then press the dough into it to create your crust.
5. Bake for between 13 and 15 minutes until firm, but not over-done.
6. Let cool completely before adding filling.

What you'll need for the filling, etc. . . .

• 1 block of silken tofu (use a paper towel to absorb excess moisture)
• 6 ounces Nutella
• 3 ounces milk chocolate
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 5 large strawberries (or more), sliced

Method . . .

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well incorporated.
2. Feel free to add more Nutella, if you like. To taste.
3. Then when your pie crust has cooled, spread filling inside with a spatula.
4. Then top with the sliced strawberries. Put in your refrigerator to cool/set for 1 hour. Serve with extra strawberries.

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