Broccoli and Potato Pie

Another Saturday.  Another get together with friends.  Another excuse to bust out with a new recipe.

I have always enjoyed my mother's scachatta recipes and were some of my favorite parts of our family picnics growing up.  If you have never experienced the greatness that is scachatta, imagine a calzone cut into strips.  It's pretty basic but makes for excellent party food.  The fillings are typically spinach or broccoli and potatoes along with a serious helping of garlic.  You could also make it sausage or pepperoni to satisfy the meat lovers.  Add a little shredded mozzarella and you have yourself your contribution to the food table.  The fact that the filling can be whatever you wish it to be makes throwing one together with just the current contents of your fridge or a quick trip to the grocers even more appealing.  Of course, it's super annoying when you call your mother for an exact recipe and her response is... "Well I usually do whatever I'm in the mood for.  A little spinach and potato or broccoli and potato.  Sometimes I use sausage.  But make sure you add a lot of garlic." Thanks mom.

My whining aside, knowing that there is no super secret family recipe for scachatta left me room to do as I pleased.  I probably would have done as I pleased anyway, but now it was a justified maneuver instead of cooking rebellion.

I decided that my personal scachatta go to should be broccoli and potatoes with diced tomatoes.  The goal for including the tomatoes was to alleviate the desire for any side marinara sauce.  I also decided to go with phyllo dough instead of pizza dough.  I wanted to have something a bit lighter since this would be just one item on a table full of party food.  You can eat one or two slices of this pie along with everything else people brought and hopefully not feel so guilty at the end of the night.

Broccoli and Potato Pie

Ingredients:

1 whole broccoli crown - chopped
2 large yellow potatoes - diced
1 large tomato - peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic - minced
2 c. mozzarella - shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box phyllo sheets - thawed
Butter or oil for phyllo sheets

Directions:

Chop the broccoli then peel and dice the potatoes.  In a large sauce pot, steam everything until tender - approximately 10 minutes.  Blanche the tomato for about 30 seconds.  Peel, remove seeds, and dice.  Mix everything in a large bowl with the garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper.

Take out the thawed phyllo sheets.  Brush a sheet with oil or butter and place a second sheet on top.  Repeat until you have 4 sheets layered together.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the sheet in half.

Place a healthy spoonful or two (use a serving spoon) of filling into the center for one of the sheets.  Fold the sheet over, covering the filling, and seal the edges with just a little butter, oil, or water.  Fold all of the edges back up to prevent any leakage during baking.  Brush with butter or oil.

Once all the pies have been put together, bake them in an oven preheated to 375F for approximately 25 minutes.  You want them to be a nice golden brown.

Cut into slices once they have cooled.

They really do make a great finger food for your next party. 

Broccoli Soup

I am writing these posts at the height of an awful New England winter so of course all I can really think about is warm comfort food.  So soup it is!  For me, soup is this amazing substance where everything you need for a meal comes together in a single pot.  On a cold Sunday, you just heat up a bowl and then sit back on the couch with that warm substance with amazing scents resting in your hand, slowly eating while you binge watch your favorite show. 

I also like taking soup to work because it is one of the few things that forces me to take my mind off whatever it is that I am doing.  It's not a sandwich that can be held in one hand while I peck away at an email or read a paper.  If I don't want a mess on my desk I have to concentrate on my food.  My job is not a stressful thing that requires my full attention 24/7, but I am just a natural workaholic.  Lunch is a completely underappreciated meal, so I am grateful for foods that take my mind elsewhere.

Broccoli Soup

1 qt stock (1 quart = 4 cups)

6 c. broccoli (approximately 2 medium sized heads) - chopped

2 potatoes - peeled and diced

6 cipollini onions (pick the 6 largest from the bag)

2 Tbsp butter

First, let's talk cipollini onions.  They come in a bag similar to pearl onions.  My preference for these onions is due to their sweetness and fragrant nature once cooked.  Their higher sugar content may change the overall flavor of your soup so bare that in mind.  If you want a taste that is more traditional, use 1 large yellow onion - chopped.

Now, on to the steps...

In a large saucepan melt butter and saute onion until tender.  Add stock and broccoli.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is tender.  I simmered it for about 20 minutes.

Using a blender or hand mixer, puree until smooth.  Put soup back on the stove and bring up to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook until tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup meets my own personal preference.  I like to be able to sink my teeth into something, which is why I do not cook the potatoes with the broccoli and puree the whole thing.  I even prefer my tomato soup chunky!  Therefore, if you are looking for a soup on the creamier end, add the potatoes sooner and go to town with a blender.

Enjoy!