Note: I prepped this post back in the end of summer when the “wild” blackberries that grow all over Western Washington were ripe…then forgot to post it!

 

I love pie, in case you haven’t noticed. I live in the Seattle, Washington area and a non-indigenousness variety of blackberry grows wild here EVERYWHERE! They grow thick on the side of every trail, the freeway, my backyard, etc. I regularly ride on a popular bike trail in the area to get to work and see the people whose job it is to cut back the aggressive blackberry bramble that tries to cover the trail each year. It really is a nuisance for most of the year…except during mid-August when the blackberries ripen. Then, for a few weeks, it is a magical gift from Nature! The air fills with the musky sweet scent of ripened blackberries and they are free for the picking. I make it a point to gather as much as I can each year to make jams, cobblers, and pie!

Blackberry Pie

1 – Moonlit Kitchen pie crust recipe (http://www.moonlitkitchen.com/?p=405)

6 cups – Fresh blackberries

1 cup – Sugar

1 Tbsp. – Lemon juice

2 tsp. – Cinnamon

1 tsp. – Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. – Corn starch

3 Tbsp. – Butter, chilled

1 – Egg

Cinnamon and Sugar for sprinkling

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Gently mix the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and starch in a large bowl. Divide the crust dough in half, roll out, and place on the bottom of a pie dish. Fill with berry mixture. Top with cubed bits of butter. Roll out the remaining crust and cut into strips. Be careful not to over work. Lay strips across the top of the pie as seen below.

Interleave strips to make a lattice work on the top.

Using your fingers, or the end of a butter knife, pinch the edges of the pie to seal the crust.

Make a simple egg wash by cracking the egg into a cup and whisking until smooth. Coat the top of the pie crust with egg wash using a pastry brush. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Place a baking sheet on a rack below the pie in the oven (fruit pies tend to drip and make a mess) and bake for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool slightly before eating.

I love some good spicy Cajun food and jambalaya is probably at the top of my list. It’s a simple dish that combines the spice and flare of New Orleans with the simple meal of the working class. It is the French Quarter’s answer to Spain’s amazing paella (oooh, I need to make that soon!). In place of saffron, jambalaya uses cayenne pepper, making for a hot, bright one plate meal that sticks to your ribs. I do one thing that is different here, which is to add potato to the mix. I haven’t seen this done anywhere else but it adds a starchiness and body that traditional jambalaya just doesn’t have.

It also makes for great leftovers. I like to scramble some eggs in the morning, and throw eggs, jambalaya, shredded cheese, and extra hot sauce, into a flour tortilla as a breakfast burrito.

Jambalaya

1 lb – Chicken thighs (on the bone, with skin)

12 oz – Andouille sausage, sliced at a bias, about 1/3 inch thick

1 large – Potato, diced course

1 – Onion, diced

1 – Green bell pepper, diced

3 stalks – Celery, diced

5 cloves – Garlic, minced

5 – Tomatoes, diced

2 Tbsp. – Tomato paste

1 Tbsp. – Oregano, minced

1 Tbsp. – Thyme, minced

1 Tbsp. – Paprika, minced

1/4 tsp. – Cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

1 Tbsp. – Vinegar

2 cup – Rice

4 cups – Chicken broth

1 lb – Shrimp, large and peeled

Salt, pepper, and oil (or rendered pork fat)

 

Begin by heating a large skillet on medium high, add oil/fat (1-2 Tbsp.). Salt the chicken thighs and add them to the skillet. Brown well on both sides. Remove and let cool. Pick the meat and skin clean from the bones and dice finely (especially the skin). Return to the skillet along with the sausage and brown thoroughly. Add to a large heavy pot. Add another 2 Tbsp of oil to the skillet. Add the potato, onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the skillet. Stir often to loosen the bits of browned chicken bits from the pan. Sauté until the veggies are clear. Add to the pot with the chicken and sausage. Add the rice to the skillet and toast lightly. Add rice to the pot.

Heat the pot on low and add the tomatoes, paste, vinegar, spices, and chicken broth. Heat to a simmer. Cover but stir often to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom. As the rice gets closer to finished, taste for salt and heat. Once the rice is cooked through add the shrimp, stir well, and cut the heat. Cover. The residual heat will finish the shrimp.

Serve!