Pecan Pie

Now that the second big-eating holiday is over (Halloween was the first, in case you were wondering), I find myself with a pan of pecan pie only about 1/4th eaten. The pie is too rich to eat more than a half-slice at any one sitting. Dee won't eat any--she doesn't like pie (!). So it's all up to me. One golden, sugar-saturated-gooey-pecan-filled morsel at a time, walking the tight-rope between sugar-high and sugar-crash. Yep, it's only 10 o'clock in the morning, and I'm already thinking about the tiny piece of pecan pie I'll be eating tonight. Oh yes.

Cooking Preparations

I've been hard at work the last few hours preparing the harvest pie I'll bake tomorrow. I found this recipe in a copy of Vegetarian Times several years ago (during my 2nd dalliance with eating no meat). I haven't seen it since--a cursory search online reveals several fruit type pies or shepherd pies, but not the particular harvest pie I'm making.

Anyhow, this recipe calls for several layers of vegetables. Some of the layers are separated by mini-layers of feta or mozzarella cheese. Every ingredient is sauteed to remove excess moisture and concentrate flavor. The layers include tomatoes and garlic, spinach flavored with a touch of nutmeg and pepper, minced mushrooms, and carmelized onions. The whole thing is wrapped in filo dough and baked.

The process of sauteing each layer down takes almost 3 hours. I usually put each layer in the fridge the night before, then assemble and bake the next day.

And, I'm also making a pecan pie. MMMmmm!