DINNER REMNANTS

As you know from yesterday's blog, I have been away doing important work, herding little bluebell mouse into her temporary home, taking rainy walks and generally having fun with Mom and Dan. It's the best break from my frantic "must do" world!
After a rainy ride home,.....back to parched Louisville, I was faced with, what to do about dinner? My friend, Cis, offered to take us out for a quick bite and then watch the Democratic convention....I mused on this for a bit, but quickly decided to do what I love best, cook! Plus, Mom, Dan and I had been basking in a no cook zone for two days....I love to open the cupboards, refrigerator or go to my tiny garden and start the process. Living in the center of so many great little food shops, it is very easy for me to get wonderful ingredients. This can be a spoiler. It makes eating on a whim easy....I, as Dan has blogged, started my love for cooking when I had no money, no groceries nearby and only a strong creative desire to make something wonderful happen in the kitchen. Sort of a stone soup theory. Last night I decided I would make only what could be created out of larder. I had: onions, two zucchini, Boursin cheese, a purple pepper, AND Tari and Alan's oven dried tomatoes...plus the green striped and red tomatoes they brought over Monday evening.....I also found, five strips of bacon, half of a jicama and a jalapeno pepper. So, here's what happened. My dear friend Cathy( generous beyond belief) sent me Dorie Greeenspan's Baking Cookbook...I've made pie crusts since I was too young to remember. Same way, every time. Until Dorie. I decided to try her take on crust. It is one of the most fabulous and accurate recipes for pie crust ever invented. Not so different from the usual flour, salt, shortening ,ice water crust...but something makes this one unbelievably tender and perfect. I made her crust first in my cooking frenzy. Stored the crust in the frig and started part two. I sauteed the onions, added the pepper and zucchini..went out and gathered a bunch of herbs...tossed them in. Got out those divinely inspired oven roasted tomatoes....Then, I thought, I need to make this more like a pot pie,,,,some sauce, gravy, something! I made a roux, added some cream and then I found that little chunk of Boursin...into the sauce....At the last minute I added the sauteed veggies and roasted tomatoes..The double crust, almost devoured pie at the top of the page, is the result. While the pie baked, I tackled the salad part of dinner. I thinly slivered the jicama, diced the jalapeno into tiny little pieces and rendered bacon bits....I tossed the salad with champagne vinegar, olive oil and lots of salt and pepper...it was, a marvel! I wax on about this dinner because in the world of food adventure, the gifts given: Cookbooks, oven dried tomatoes, herbs from the garden will make you happy over and over again. The lovely feeling of connecting with the gift givers( even if they are in NYC) or across town while cooking and cleaning is, well, priceless.