Monday, January 11, 2010

Cauliflower-Cheese Pie with Grated Potato Crust and Green Beans with Tomatoes


This is Dave's new "favorite" meal--his favorite changes each time he tries something he loves, but for now, this is his all time favorite best dinner.

The cauliflower casserole is from the Moosewood Cookbook and the green bean dish is from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Caludia Roden.

I loved, loved, loved the filling of the casserole, but I wasn't totally thrilled with the potato crust. It was fine, but it was more work than it was worth I think. The next time I make this I'll just use a regular pie crust. The green beans and tomatoes were crazy-good, and I'm not a huge tomato lover. They are delicious even at room temperature, so this could be a make ahead dish, or good as a work lunch.


Cauliflower-Cheese Pie

2 cups packed grated raw potatoes
1/4 cup grated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
flour for your fingers
a little oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 medium cauliflower, in small pieces
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup (packed) grated cheddar
paprika

Preheat oven to 400F. Oil a 9-inch pie pan.

Combine grated potato and onion , salt and egg whites in a small bowl and mix well. Transfer to the pie pan and pat into place with lightly floured fingers, building up the sides into a handsome edge.

Bake for 30 minutes, then brush the crust with a little oil and bake it 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and turn the temperature down to 375F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper and herbs, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, stir, and cover. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 9-10 minutes.

Spread half the cheese onto the baked crust. Spoon the vegetables on top, then sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Beat the eggs and milk together and pour over the top. Dust lightly with paprika.

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until set.


Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons of oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 lb. green snap beans, ends removed and cut into 2 or 3 pieces
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

Fry the onion in oil until soft and golden. Add the garlic, and when the aroma rises, add the tomatoes and beans. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, add water if necessary to cover the beans, and lemon juice if using, and simmer 15-20 minutes until the beans are tender and the sauce is reduced a little.

10 comments:

  1. These both look great! I like the idea of the potato crust, but it does look like a pain. I'll have to give the green beans a try - I usually just make plain veggies as a side dish, but it's nice to do something more interesting with them sometimes.

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  2. ooooooh yum! I am fanatical about green beans---this sounds right up my alley!

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  3. It sounds yum. And I know what you mean by the potatoes being work.

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  4. Oh, I don't know - potato crust sounds pretty good to me!

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  5. the green beans look good! i'm not a huge fan of green beans, but i had something like this last night with peas too and it was delicious.

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  6. I love that Cauliflower Cheese Pie recipe, Michele. My brittle and worn copy of Moosewood has splatterings all over that page.
    And those beans ... I could eat tons of them! Yum.

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  7. i am trying the cauliflour recipe as i write. The only thing that confused me was the eggs and milk at the end... I didn't see any more eggs on the list of ingredients, so I will use two eggs with the milk that you pour over top of it and see what happens.
    can't wait to seee....

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  8. i am trying this recipe as i wrote. the only thing is that i dont see any more eggs on the ingredient list to mix with the milk at the end. So I am going to use two and Ill let you know what happens...
    Can't wait!

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  9. Bonnie--

    Yikes! I totally left the extra two eggs off the recipe. I'm so sorry, and thank you for catching that mistake.

    I can't wait to see your version of the pie!!

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  10. Well, I used three eggs because by the time i poured two on, I hadn't gotten to the other side of the dish ( I used a casserole dish). It turned out great! My husband even loved it and he's wary of anything new I put together. I never thought of saute-ing cauliflour, yet with herbs, and I will definately make it again. Thanks for the recipe.

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