Christmas Foods - Seasons Greetings!

The colourful layers of vegetables look very pretty when this pie is cut in wedges. Serve it for a first course and follow with an elegant tureen of bouillabaisse along with a crusty French bread.

Pastry for a double crust pie

Filling:

• 3 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1½ cups diced turnip
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 leeks [white and light green part], chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Pinch dried basil
• ¾ cup cottage cheese, well drained
• 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1 egg, well beaten
• Salt and pepper
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped and drained

Glaze:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp. water

Garnish:

Thinly sliced cucumber

Preheat oven to 435ºF.

Grease a 10 inch springform pan Roll out 2/3 of the pastry in a circle large enough to line pan with 1 inch overhang. Roll out remaining pastry into a 10 inch circle and cover with waxed paper while preparing filling.

Filling:

Separately cook carrots, broccoli and turnip in boiling salted water, just until tendercrisp. Refresh under cold-running water; drain well and set aside.

In heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat; cook mushrooms, leeks, onions,

Garlic and basil until fragrant and tender. Set aside.

Combine Cottage cheese, Swiss cheese and egg; mix well.

To assemble, layer vegetables in pastry shell in the following order. Sprinkle each layer with cheese mixture and salt and pepper. Turnip, mushroom-leek mixture, broccoli and carrots. Top with chopped tomato.

Cover with reserved pastry, bringing overhang up over top crust. Cut a few openings to let steam escape.

Glaze:

With fork, mix together yolk and water. Brush over pastry.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes, and then remove sides from the springform pan. Loosen bottom with a knife and place delicately on a serving plate.

Garnish with cucumbers.

• 4 carrots
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 2 parsnips
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup salted blanched peanuts

Preheat oven to 400ºF

Peel carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes. Cut into 1/2 “chunks. Place on rimmed baking sheet. Add thyme, garlic, red onion, lemon to vegetables. Toss in oil to coat.

Roast in center of oven for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove and discard thyme. Add peanuts, toss to mix. Roast 5 minutes or until peanuts are golden. Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

• 1½ cups water
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 package (6 oz.) corn bread stuffing mix
• 1 cup chopped apple
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 egg, beaten
  1 can (2.8 oz.) French fried onions
• 3 cups hot mashed potatoes
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare oven 350ºF. In a large saucepan, heat the water and butter until the butter melts; remove from heat. Stir in both pouches of stuffing mix, apple, celery, egg and ½ can French fried onions; mix well. Set aside. To hot mashed potatoes, add ½ cup cheddar cheese; stir. In a greased 8 x 12 inch baking dish, make 4 alternating rows of potatoes and stuffing. Bake, uncovered, at 350ºF oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle remaining cheese and onions between each row of stuffing and potatoes; bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

• 2 ½ cups cubed cooked potatoes, mashed
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• ½ lb. Pasteurized process Cheese spread, cubed
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Combine the potatoes, milk, butter, and chives; beat until fluffy. Stir in half of the process cheese spread. Spoon into a 1 quart casserole; sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with remaining process cheese spread; continue baking until process cheese spread begins to melt.

• 8 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1” pieces
• 2 tsp. salt, divided
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ½ to1 cup milk or cream

1 large saucepan, combine 5 cups water, potatoes, and 1 ½ tsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Drain potatoes thoroughly in colander. Return to saucepan; heat over med.-low heat for two to three minutes for potatoes to dry, stirring occasionally.

In saucepan, mash potatoes with potato masher or beat with an electric hand mixer. Stir in butter, remaining ½ tsp. salt and ½ cup of hot milk. Add additional milk a little at a time if needed, beat until light and fluffy.

• 1 can Campbell’s Condensed cheddar Cheese soup
• 1 ¼ cup cold milk
• 2 tsp. hot prepared mustard
• 4 large potatoes thinly sliced [6 cups]
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Combine mixture of soup, milk, and mustard with potatoes, onion and butter in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil.

Place in shallow pan. Sprinkle with mixture of cheeses.

Bake covered for30 minutes. Remove cover, bake for 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

• 2 cups chopped, fresh broccoli florets
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp. Crisco Oil
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup sliced sweet red pepper
• 1 med. Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup Robin Hood Best for blending flour
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
• 4 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8″ square baking pan.

Sauté broccoli, onion, and red pepper in oil in large pan until tender.

Layer Monterey Jack, cheese, red pepper-broccoli mixture, tomatoes and Cheddar cheese in prepared pan.

Combine remaining ingredients with a whisk until smooth, pour into pan.

Bake in center of preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until set.

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting

• 1½ lbs. fresh asparagus
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 6 medium yellow onions
• 2 qt. chicken stock
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. salt

• 3 lbs. red cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1½ cups Beef stock
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp. butter
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients, except the salt, in a 10 to 12 quart stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, 1 hour and 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.

• 3 lbs. small yellow onions, (larger than pearl onions)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half and half
• ¼ cup dry sherry
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Trim the ends of the onions and peel. Place the onions in a saucepan and add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until just tender. Strain, reserving the stock, and set the onions aside. Return the stock to the pan and bring to a simmer.

In a small frying pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook together to make a roux. Do not brown. Add the roux to the hot stock and whisk until smooth and thickened. Stir in the half and half and sherry and simmer 2 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste, the nutmeg, and parsley. Combine the cream sauce with the onions and place in a small round ovenproof casserole. Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 35 to 45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Brown the top under the broiler, if you wish.

• 4 medium red bell peppers
• 4 medium green bell peppers
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano, whole
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary, whole
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Core both the red and green peppers and cut into large strips; set aside. Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Sauté a few minutes until the onion begins to collapse. Add the bell peppers, oregano, and rosemary, and sauté 5 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste and the parsley and toss together.

• 1¾ lbs. rutabaga, peeled and quartered
• 1½ lbs. turnips, peeled and quartered
• 1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup whipping cream
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

The vegetables can be peeled ahead of time if you hold them in separate containers covered with water and Fruit Fresh to prevent browning. Drain before cooking. Place the drained rutabaga in a 6 quart pot with ample fresh water and a pinch of salt. Boil 15 minutes. Add the turnips and potatoes and boil 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are tender. Drain well. Mash the vegetables with the remaining ingredients. You can also puree them in several batches in a food processor.

• 1½ lbs. fresh Brussels sprouts
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. butter
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Trim off the stems and remove any limp leaves from the Brussels sprouts. Blanch the sprouts in boiling water to cover for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.

Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Sauté a few minutes until the onion just becomes tender. Add the blanched drained Brussels sprouts. Sauté a few minutes until Brussels sprouts are cooked to your liking. Add the vinegar and toss so that all the Brussels sprouts are coated with vinegar. Add the butter and salt and pepper to taste and toss together again.

• 4 lbs. baking potatoes
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. sweet paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• ½ cup chicken stock
• Flour for dusting, if desired

Peel the potatoes and quarter them lengthwise. Place the potatoes in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish or sheet pan. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chicken stock. Turn the potatoes to coat them evenly. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 1 hour. Add the chicken stock and bake 1 hour longer, turning the potatoes a few times during cooking. You may also dust the potatoes with a little flour toward the end of the cooking time and place under the broiler for a nice browned effect.