By LAURA GROSS-HIGGINS
We all have favorite recipes. Sometimes they are handed down from family members or friends, and sometimes we find them ourselves. This article is about the latter and how the recipe has evolved, sparking some creative juices in more than one person.
The original recipe came from “The Turkish Cookbook” by Nur Ilkin and Sheilah Kaufman, a library book that my husband borrowed. We both like to cook and are open to new ideas. We have been adding more vegetarian recipes to our weekly menus, partly because we have a garden and grow vegetables, partly because it’s healthier to not eat so much meat and poultry, and because our daughter is a vegetarian.
The recipe that caught my eye was Green Lentil Pies. I made it and loved it. The original recipe called for a whole stick of butter in the dough for what are essentially little tarts. When my sister said that the dough was too buttery for her to eat, I decided to cut the butter in half and substitute olive oil instead. The dough was so forgiving that it did not make a difference. I fiddled with the lentil mixture, too, adding some spices (cinnamon and allspice), which give the lentils a great taste. I also added ground rosemary to the dough to deepen the flavor of the crust. They turned out great.
One of the reasons I was so excited about it is that my stepmother avoided making pie crusts. At the holidays, she would make the filling while a neighbor made the crusts. So I didn’t learn to make pie crust from her. But this recipe has a very easy dough to work with. I have never used it for a pie, but it is perfect for tarts.
I shared the lentil pie recipe with my daughter. She made the adapted recipe but then went on to use the dough to make a dessert turnover with an apple filling. When I heard that, it changed my idea of what I could do with the dough. So now I sometimes make the lentil pies as turnovers.
Then one day I made up a shrimp/kale/onion filling, based on a recipe for Shrimp Scorpio, using the same dough but adding a half teaspoon of dried dill (instead of the rosemary) to it.
I have to admit that when I was younger, I never experimented as much with any recipe. But the dough inspires me. The original recipe said to form it into 10 balls and refrigerate it overnight, but I always make about 14 balls. I usually make the dough and the filling the day before I assemble and bake them. But I recently discovered that leaving the dough in the freezer for about a half-hour also works well. And maybe even better. The baked pastry seems lighter somehow.
The whole assembly—the rolling, filling, and then baking—takes about an hour and three-quarters, maximum.
Anyway, here are the guideposts on my piecrust journey. Hope they inspire you to do the same.
Dough:
1/2 stick butter melted [1/4 c. in all, melted]
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. whole milk
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 c., plus 2 1/2 TBSP flour, sifted
1 tsp dried rosemary, ground a little (or dill for shrimp/kale pies)
Filling:
2 1/2 c. water
sea salt
1/2 c. dried green lentils, soaked for 3 to 4 hours in cold water to cover, drained
3 TBSP canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
two sprinkles of ground allspice
one dash of ground cinnamon
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper (3 parts sweet paprika to 1 pt cayenne)
1 large egg yolk
1 TBSP water
Mix melted butter, milk, rosemary and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add flour to make a soft dough. Divide it into 10 (or more) equal balls and place in shallow baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Place 2 1/2 c. water in a pot and bring to boil. Add a pinch of salt and baking soda, reduce heat to simmer and add lentils. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes (or more). Drain well.
Heat oil on low in frying pan and sauté onion for 15 to 17 minutes. Stir in lentils and allspice and cinnamon, too, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, mixing well. Remove from heat. Season with Aleppo pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350. Spray or grease a jellyroll pan. Place the pieces of dough on a lightly floured surface, one at a time. Using fingertips, gently stretch (I roll them) each piece into a 5- to 6-inch circle. Place 1 1/2 TBSP of lentil filling in center of each circle, leaving a 1-inch border around the filling. Gently lift borders, pleating the edges around the filling and leaving the center open. Or make into turnovers by placing filling toward one side and bringing the edges together. Moisten the edges to be joined. Then crimp edge; use a fork to make air holes for steam to escape. Place on sheet pan.
In a small bowl, mix yolk with the water to make an egg wash. Brush the pies with wash. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Shrimp Kale Hand Pies
Make dough as above, substituting ½ tsp dried dill in dough mixture.
Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach or kale (or use fresh)
½ medium onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
Dash of nutmeg
½ tsp or more of dried dill (to your taste)
⅓ cup frozen small shrimp or regular shrimp, cut into tiny pieces
¼ cup feta, crumbled
1 tbsp Sambuca or other anise-flavored liqueur
Defrost kale or spinach if using frozen. Squeeze out excess liquid if using frozen. If fresh, remove stems and chop finely.
Heat a pan and add oil. Then add the onions and garlic; sauté a few minutes till softened. Then add the kale or spinach and the dash of nutmeg. Cook until the greens are softened and have lost most of their moisture. Add the dill and sauté about a minute or less. I might add a dash of salt—not too much.
Now add the defrosted shrimp or fresh, without shells, to the mix; add the feta at this point, too. Cook for about a minute. Now add the Sambuca. Mix altogether. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. You could add ground black pepper or red pepper flakes—again, not too much. Just taste to see if this is the right balance for you.
Roll out dough. Put in filling. Make turnovers. Do the egg wash. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
Sophie’s Apple Hand-Pie Filling
2 large green apples, peeled, cored and diced small
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
Pinch of salt
When preparing dough, add 1 tsp (or to taste) nutmeg when mixing ingredients.
1. Melt butter in large saucepan
2. Add apple, white sugar, brown sugar and salt and cook 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and dash of water (if it seems dry) and incorporate.*
4. Cook about 10 minutes or until apples soften.
*You can add coarse sugar to the top of the pie after doing the egg wash.