Will pie be the cupcake of 2011? Photo
courtesy WildBlueberries.com.
Move over cupcakes: pies are on the way.
Pies, both sweet and savory, will be the top restaurant trend in 2011, predicts restaurant consultant Andrew Freeman & Co.
“If I had one trend—one trend—of the year that I could predict, [it] would be the trend for pie,” said Freeman. “I think that we’re going to make room for pie shops in the next year. This is not just sweet pies, this is savory pies, bite-sized pies. I’ll eat pie if I don’t get this one right….” (Hey, is that a punishment?)
While some restaurants are known for their pies—for example, upscale chicken restos like Pies & Thighs and Hill Country Chicken in New York City—we haven’t seen any pie bakeries yet. But they would be a welcome alternative to the still-mushrooming number of cupcake shops.
Love it even more with a sprinkling of your favorite fresh herbs or spices. They add a rush of flavor and aroma with virtually no calories.
Herbs are also very nutritious, adding vitamins and minerals to the meal.
We love the classics: shredded basil; snipped dill, chive and rosemary; chopped parsley
To spice it up, try a combination of crushed red pepper and fresh-ground black pepper
If chives aren’t enough for the onion lovers in your household, use sliced green onion or chopped red onion
You can serve one or more herbs in ramekins and let everyone customize his/her baked potato. While the photo shows a light sprinkling, pile up as much as you like.
Fresh herbs add flavor, nutrition and
no calories! Photo courtesy Wisconsin Milk
Marketing Board.
Another nutritious, low-calorie tip:
Substitute nonfat Greek yogurt for the sour cream. It’s very creamy with no fat or cholesterol. Most Greek yogurt is very low in tanginess as well, making it even more like sour cream. Try it!
World Champion Pizza Maker Theo Kalogeracos has solved the problem: he invented the pisagne (pee-ZAH-nyeh).
The concept is really quite simple: Top a pizza crust with lasagne ingredients. Here’s The Nibble’s approach to the recipe:
Cover a pizza crust with bolognese sauce (meat sauce).
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
Sprinkle on a layer of seasoned ricotta cheese. (We like to add 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil per cup of ricotta).
Judge how many lasagne noodles you’ll need based on the size of your pie. Cook noodles to al dente. You can either trim them to fit on the crust, or cut them into 2″ pieces.
Top with more bolognese sauce.
Bake in a preheated 500°F oven until crust is browned and cheese is melted.
Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese and a chiffonade of fresh basil. Cut and serve.
Theo’s Little Caesar’s Pizzeria restaurants are only in Australia at the moment. His award-winning pizza cookbook sold out quickly, and is now only available at a huge premium.
But there’s good news:
Coming to America soon are a new edition of the cookbook, Theo + Co ~ The Search for the Perfect Pizza, and Theo’s countertop pizza oven, The Pizza Perfector (similar in size to a George Foreman Grill).
Stay tuned! And find more pizza recipes by pulling down the menu in the right column.
As you’re enjoying your winter squash—acorn, butternut, hubbard, etc.—don’t forget to enjoy the seeds, too.
They’re easy to roast, and are tasty and nutritious. They taste like the seeds from another winter squash, the pumpkin.
Here’s all you have to do to enjoy roasted squash seeds as a snack, salad or soup garnish.
RECIPE: ROASTED SQUASH SEEDS
Ingredients
1 cup squash seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Rosemary, curry, garlic powder, cayenne or other favorite seasoning
Preparation
1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. RINSE the seeds with water, remove the stringy parts. Pat dry with paper towels and place in a bowl.
3. MIX in the olive oil, salt and rosemary or other seasoning(s). Stir until seeds are evenly coated.
4. SPREAD in an even layer on the baking sheet.
5. BAKE for 15 minutes, or until crisp. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet.
6. USE or store in an airtight jar.
Use the same process with pumpkin seeds.
Squash seeds are reasonably high in fat (oil) and as a result, calories; but it is good fat, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, which actually lower disease risk (learn more). They are protein-rich with high concentrations of calcium, folate, magnesium, potassium and vitamin A.
