Summer Strawberry and Granny Pie - Baked no Gelatin

Fresh berries are nothing like what you can buy in the supermarket.  My son has turned in a little economist recently, comparing prices of groceries, particularly candy, wherever we go.  He did not immediately understand why we would pay a premium for berries we had to pick ourselves.  Then he tasted one.  The blueberries and strawberries he loves, he realized travel, unready for harvest, often all the way from warmer climes when we are dealing with -25C here in Canada.  The strawberries are partcularly shockingly different when you pick them yourself.  I insist if you use Strawberries you pick yourself, always cut the sugar in half.  Yes, half.  Now Strawberries bleed, no matter what you do.  These are runny pies, almost no matter what you do, unless you are using gelatine in those no bake pies, which I do not care for.  But there are things you can do to help yourself.  If you eat warm, you will have a runny Strawberry pie and that is ok.  If you are trying to present to a dinner party, then bake the day before because really, for the pie to completely cool is about the best thing you can do to keep the pie sliceable.  Also, I sprinkle a bit of sugar before to draw out some water to drain off.  I do this because I do not want to lose all the flavour of the syrup that develops in the bowl later but I am willing to sacrifice a bit of extra sugar.  When I make apple pie, my husband insists I leave out the water at the bottom.  I refuse.  I do this too where, I let the apples stand with a bit of sugar and a pinch of salt to get some of the water out :D.

Not the prettiest pie this time but it is delicious and baking with my kids is meant to be fun and not perfect. 

Baked Strawberry and Granny Pie

2 Pie crusts home made OR, 1 frozen and one homemade.  

8 cups whole strawberries or 6 cups hulled

1 Granny Smith apple

1/4 sugar (if bought in season, if not, add 2 more Tablespoons)

1/4t salt

1/2t vanilla

1/4c + 1T Corn Starch

Blind bake your bottom shell in a 375F oven for 15-18 minutes.  I use pie weights (large dry beans on parchment or foil inside the tart shell) but you could dock the crust also but I find with berry tarts this just turns your bottom crust into mush.  I would sooner just blind bake empty and poke the puffed up bits as I go than dock a berry pie shell.  This is easier for me bc I do the blind baking in the toaster oven so no bending over and opening a hot oven.  Set aside to cool.  

Wash and hull the strawberries.  I like to hull and put them a sieve over the sink to drain off excess water.  Slice them half a cm thick or leave them whole.  I like slicing them bc it is easier to eat in a pie.  Dice the apple with the skin on, fine dice, like 1/2 cm cubes or slightly larger.  I had to use them one year I didn't have rhubarb and it worked well and now I do this pie all the time.  Place all the sliced fruit in a large mixing bowl with 2 T of sugar and let stand for 10-15 minutes.  Then drain off the excess water.  

Add the 1/4 Sugar (you can subtract 1T bc of the sugar you added earlier just to draw out the moisture or you can subtract 2T if you picked your strawberries and they are naturally sweeter than supermarket).  Add the rest of the filling ingredients and toss well. What I do is use a very large bowl, I place the fruit in the bowl and add the zest and juice first.  Toss by using the bowl, so as not to squash the berries with a spoon.  Then I add the cornstarch a Tablespoon at a time to thoroughly coat the berries and start absorbing the water.  I add the spices half way through.  When all the cornstarch as been added, I do the same with the sugar.  I do this because Sugar is a hydroscopic and will immediately draw out water and I want the berries to have a bit of a barrier and for that barrier to quickly absorb that water evenly.  I added mint leaves, cut chiffonade because we have it in the garden and I think brightens the pie.  I am not telling you to preheat the oven because I am not one of those blogs that assumes you are powering through this whole process and I hate to waste electricity or gas when I know the actual steps will take longer.  All this stuff can wait so I would preheat the oven to 405F now.

Roll out your top crust if you are doing a lattice. Keep it cold bc it will be easier to handle.  We did not in the photo above because I was coordinating a child. So the result was not pretty but DELICIOUS.   If you are using a top crust or 2nd frozen pie shell which is totally respectable, you can.  Just remember to poke a decent steam vent on top.  

Fill the pie with the fruit mixture it just be barely heaping just barely if not level to the bottom crust.  Strawberry pies will run over.  I have done a mountainous blueberry pie (from fresh blueberries, not frozen.  Frozen is fine but dont heap the berries.  They will bleed and run out).  The blueberries were forgiving on the heaping and the lava flow.  When my husband did this pie he used too many berries and the pan we put the pie on was completely covered in syrup.  Place the lattice on.  You can weave them if you want but my daughter placed the lattice in the photo and I didnt want to overcomplicate this time.

Place in the oven and reduce to 400.  Bake for 25 minutes in a baking sheet.  Place your crust shield if you have one.  I just bought a silicone one finally.  I have been using foil for years.  Reduce the oven to 355 and bake for another 30 minutes.  Take out and remove the crust shield carefully.  It will have syrup on it.  you can wait 5 or 10 if you want.  Then let stand on a rack for 3 hours or overnight.  If you cant, it will likely be oozy... well really most strawberry pies with no gelatin or pectin will but runny no matter what.    

Serve with Ice Cream and Whipped Cream.... or all by its delicious self.  

VEGAN SPANAKOPITA with TOFU FETA

I have a Korean friend who has been with a greek partner for over 30 years.  She is as passionate about Greek food as she is maple syrup nowadays.  I consulted with her who consulted with her mother in law.  Now for those purists, as most greek are about their cuisine, yes, there is no butter, there is no real feta, but I used Leeks as I was told, I used dill as I was told, and yes I experimented with mint because I had it and it was yummo.  

I got the kids involved because it was a pretty big batch so I gave them the freedom to roll they way they wanted to keep it fun.

Directions

1 package frozen Phyllo (16 sheets)

 2.5 - 3 blocks of Frozen Spinach (I used 1 300 g block and 500g bag)

5 'half balls' of Tofu Feta (roughly half a batch)

5-6 cloves of Garlic

1 T fresh Greek Oregano (or 2 t dry Oregano)

1 bunch fresh Dill (just the tender Frons, chopped)

2 Leeks chopped and washed

2 Green Onions, chopped

1 small Onion diced

Optional if you have it:

Fresh Mint, chopped

Fresh Parsley chopped

for Brushing

1/4 c Melted Butter

1/4 c Olive Oil

Defrost and drain the spinach, squeeze as much out as you can because you dont want soggy pastries.  You dont have to complicate things with cheesecloth.  Just use a clean cloth napkin or hold against a bowl side or even a sieve.  I sautéed the leeks in olive oil until softened because they're so hearty but you dont have to.  Let cool and add to the spinach.  Add the herbs fresh though.  You want that brightness.  Massage the ingredients until combined but dont stress about getting it perfect.   

When wrapping, brush the phyllo with olive oil the same way you would with butter.  Use butter or vegan butter if you are not vegan.  The classic triangle is similar to folding a flag.  Cut a strip about 3" wide and fold repeatedly along the length in a triangle form.  Or as my daughter did, just have fun but use several lengths.  It will not hold if you just use one layer of phyllo around the filling.  It will basically look like wrapping it in wet loo roll.  You want all those layers.  

350 Convect or 375 Bake

15-20 minutes

EASY VEGAN TOFU FETA

 I love Spanakopita but I find it varies from place to place.  What I don't like about some places is the overwhelming eggie taste in some.  I'm mostly vegetarian and aspiring Vegan but I go by 'aesthetics, nothing preachy.  So it's not that I hate eggs.  It's that I hate that eggie taste.  You get it in over cooked fried eggs, over-bound fillings, or undiluted egg wash... blech.  Listen, if I wanted a quiche, I'll make a quiche.  But when I want Spanakopita, I don't want a quiche.  Then there's the dairy.  I'm trying to avoid dairy this year.  I've done alot of reading on, not only, the harmful effects with inflammation with dairy and l-casein but, I saw a clip where they perfectly described why cheese is so addictive.  Between, the salt, protein, joyfulness of the 'pull' and the fat.  It's made to be more-ish.  So I'm avoiding it because I can't do cheese half way.  *sigh* Cheese.  So to make the Spanakopita of my dreams, or more specifically, the recipe of an old Greek grannie of a friend of mine (living in Athens!) which had no measurements or cooking instructions, I start with the Feta. Hers wasn't a vegan recipe but she did insist there was NO EGG.

Easy Tofu Feta Balls

EASY VEGAN TOFU FETA

1 block Extra Firm Tofu (or Firm, but you'll need to press overnight)

1/2 large Lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 T Malt or Cider Vinegar

1/3 c Coconut Oil or Vegan Margaring IF it's a pudding texture at room temperature.... that only happens for me in summer. (if your Coconut Oil is too firm at room temperature, you can measure in a steel measuring cup and heat on super super duper low on the 'keep warm' element on the stove.  Yes, you can nuke, if you must, not in a metal measuring cup. 😀)

1 T Olive Oil

1/4 c Nutritional Yeast

2 t dried Dill

2 t dried Onion powder (not the flakes)

2 t dried Oregano (Greek, if you have it)

2 t granulated/powdered Garlic (not Garlic Salt)

2 t Chili Flakes (optional, I have to leave them out or the kids won't eat it.  So I sprinkle some on the blocks I will eat myself before storing.)

1 1/2 t Himalayan or Kosher Salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F Convect.  I find it helps with the 'drying'.  Hubbo thinks it is a useless function.

Mash the tofu with a big fork (serving) or a potato masher.  I like to leave it chunky like cottage cheese but you can really do it finer if you want.  Just before you think it's where you want it, add the Oils and mash through so it binds evenly throughout the tofu.  

Sprinkle over all the Spices and Nuch.  And Fold in with a big spoon or rubber spatula so you do don't lose any tasty goodness.  

Sprinkle over the Vinegar, Juice, Zest and fold evenly.  

Press firmly in silicon baking molds.  I used the ones I got to make Chocolate Bombs.  The mix made 15.  If the uneveness of that bugs you, then spread out differently to get a full 16.  I wanted to make balls that I could later portion easily or crumble into salad.

Bake on a baking sheet for 40 minutes middle rack.  Then let it sit in the oven after you turn the heat off to settle.  It should be slightly toasted but if your oven is different at they get a bit too dark, turn down the oven, by 25 degs.

After they're cook, pop out and keep in a glass container or lined plastic container.  You can freeze, and I find that Tofu gets a 'chewier' 'meatier' texture after a freeze thaw.  I kept mine in the fridge for a week before I tossed the very few leftovers into the freezer.