So yesterday or the day before, I was listening to NPR and they were doing a piece on desserts. However, there was one dish they made that sounded like a lot of fun. Tomato pie. (Case if anyone's interested.... here's the link to the NPR story http://m.npr.org/news/front/1053?textSize=large&url=%2Fsections%2Ffood%2F- incidentally, the recipe for Dead Man's Arm also is intriguing.)
PIEThen I thought to myself.... hmmm... tomato pie. Wouldn't eggplant be yummy in that? I mean, seriously. Eggplant and tomato PIE? Ummm. Yes. Most certainly. I don't get a lot of opportunity to eat eggplant since I have to fairly heavily disguise it from my eggplant-hating husband. Why wouldn't anyone like eggplant? Sure it's purple. But it is so yummy!
Well, so then I thought.... am I the GENIUS who came up with eggplant and tomato pie? Or are there others out there who also thought it sounded like a good idea? Google prooves that sorry, Molly, you're not the first.
Turns out there are plenty of recipes for eggplant and tomato pie.
But in my browsing, I had my MIND COMPLETELY BLOWN by this idea- tomato, eggplant, and LAMB pie! Here is the link to the amazing sounding recipe that I didn't use.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Moroccan-Lamb-and-Eggplant-Matzo-Pie-with-Spicy-Tomato-Sauce-109312
I had been wondering what to cook with the tomato pie to make it a complete meal. And of course! LAMB added into the pie is JUST the thing. And wouldn't you know that I just HAPPENED to buy some lamb at the store Friday. Fate, that is what it was.
So that is what we are having for dinner tonight.
Here's how I did it:
I took a small (probably medium, really) eggplant and 3 large tomatoes and chopped them into 1/4 inch slices.
The slices went into a dish layered with some salt to take the water and bitterness out.
That sat in the fridge... actually overnight, but I guess 30 minutes would actually do the trick.
When I brought them out, I patted them dry with paper towels.
I made a pie crust. This crust was different than ones I had made in the past. More butter and water than the ones I'm used to.
It was 2 & 1/2 cups of flour, 1 cup of butter, a half teaspoon of salt, and a half cup of ice water. I couldn't bring myself to use all the water. I also put about a tablespoon of white vinegar in the ice water measuring cup before I filled it the rest of the way with water. My mom says this helps to keep the crust from getting tough.
Anyway, the crust chilled in the fridge for most of the afternoon until I felt like rolling it out.
I saw somewhere online in my online excursions today, the idea of rolling it out between sheets of waxed paper. With this crust, that was a good idea since it was so buttery that as soon as it touched room temperature, it stuck. The paper on the bottom made funny creases... but no mind.
Next it was on to making the actual pie.
I found this recipe for a creamy rosemary sauce for lamb. That was my inspiration.
http://www.visitgrandjunction.com/cms/d/recipe_lamb.php
I prepped the lamb. I didn't have ground lamb, so I minced the lamb and used about a tablespoon or so of flour, a pinch of salt & a dash of pepper to coat the minced bits.
Next I carmelized some butter in a pan.
That is where the lamb was browned. Can I get an amen?
I removed the lamb from the pan with a slotted spoon and deglazed the pan with some white wine (really, the best thing that white wine is good for). Can I get a hallelujah?
The next part is where it gets interesting.... Here's some rosemary, shallots and garlic. The wine, cream and lemon are in the wings awaiting their entrance.
Minced deliciousness!
That went into the deglazing reduction of white wine (A religious experience? Perhaps. It smelled like one anyway.)
And then- here's the crazy part. I added yogurt. Probably 3/4 cup. I think it will be tangy and delicious with the white wine & lemon juice. Also, yogurt would in theory cut down on the fat (instead of adding all cream) except that this is whole fat yogurt, so it doesn't count.
Then the cream. I added what was left... about a quarter of a cup.
Then the lemon juice. And I think I added some salt too. Oh, and I stirred in about a tablespoon of corn starch too, just to ensure a smooth texture when baking.
Ok. So it was time to take the pie crusts out of the fridge and get them ready to make into real pie, or at least one of them. It went into my beautiful wedding present from my beloved Uncle Scott & Aunt Beth. So useful!
I didn't get too concerned about the perfect placement of the crust.
First, I layered some eggplant.
And then some creamy stuff.
That was two layers. And then went in the lamb.
With creamy stuff.
*** (Sadly the picture of this didn't turn out. My camera hates me sometimes)
Next a layer of my pretty tomatoes.
And the last of the creamy stuff.
One more layer of tomatoes to finish it off.
And then on with the top crust.
It smells great and it isn't even cooked.
I had a bunch of pie crust leftover from the tomato eggplant lamb pie. I don't usually have that much left over. Maybe I just rolled it really thin... or maybe I saved it accidentally on purpose? We will never know. But I knew I had strawberries in my fridge, and in spite of using up all of the cream on the lamb pie recipe, I decided to make a strawberry tartlet. It has its own entry in my blog...
I cut in some vent holes- not the most symmetrical. But well. We do what we can.
The eggplant tomato lamb pie baked at 400 degrees for an hour. (With the strawberry tartlet!)
I find at the higher altitude a higher temperature is needed. Also, I think my oven, compared to my friends' ovens which are also at the same altitude, cook warmer than mine.
In the end, it could have cooked even longer still for an even crunchier crust. It was just barely browned.
I don't normally think of lamb with cream, but this was absolutely yummy! A lighter, yet creamier version of shepherd's pie.
