Love Pie

Tonight I had a Gallery meeting to go to, and the ladies of the house had to go to Dance. So I made a dinner and left it for them to eat - I had to leave before they got home.

Lately I've been making pies that have something odd cut as the vents in the top crust. One recent chicken pie had chicken foot prints across it. The very last chicken pie had "Apple Pie" written on it (this is from the movie Chicken Run where Mrs Tweedy says they are going to make pies and Mr Tweedy asks, "What kind of pies?" to which she replies, sarcastically, "Apple." He misses it and says, "Ooooo, me favorite.") That pie's leftover slices went into the freezer also labeled as "Apple Pie." (No one in our house, in fact, can ask any sort of "What kind..." question without someone answering, "Apple.")

Tonight's pie I left as a love note.















Love Pie (recipe made up for tonight):

Two refrigerated pie crusts (rolled up in a box - Pillsbury makes a good one)
1 lb of browned ground beef
1/2 cup of mirepoix*
a lot of ricotta cheese (between 16 and 24 ounces - use your instincts)
16 ox of grated Italian cheeses (mozz, parmesan, asiago, etc. - a pre-packaged blend)
heaping teaspoon of minced garlic (we do mean heaping)
liberal sprinkling of basil, thyme, and salt to taste (cilantro might also be interesting)

Put first pie crust in ungreased pie plate (I like glass ones).
Mix beef, mirepoix, ricotta, 2/3 of the Italian cheese, garlic, and spices in a bowl.
Pour contents into the pie crust, smooth it down.
Sprinkle remaining third of Italian cheese on top.

Put on second pie crust and seal, fuss with edges of crust if you like, get creative with vents.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until brown enough for you.
I put a cookie sheet on the other rack, below the pie, to catch any drippings and to keep the bottom from getting done too fast.

When I got home from the Gallery, I heated up a slice and ate it. It was good enough to report here.

*Mirepoix - a French foundation flavor I make ahead of time and freeze in approx. half cup packages. (We have been calling it mirefoix and even miraclefoix for a long time - probably won't change that.) I make mine in a big skillet. You chop quite fine 1 part onions to 2 parts celery to one part carrots. Then you saute the whole thing as slowly as possible in too much butter for over 2 hours, cool and freeze. It adds rich beauty to all sorts of things (including your arteries... I know.)