I had forgotten about this gem of recipe that we discovered a few years ago. Now I am looking forward to making it again soon!
Sometimes things fall neatly into your lap. Like a quick browse of the Sunday Burlington Free Press turning up a recipe for a Broccoli Pie with peppers, onions and even tomatoes and no pesky crust to make. Perfect as we have an abundance of all those veggies and I was looking for something a bit different. Thanks Candace Page for the inspiration! It was delightful right out of the oven and leftover (perhaps the best part!). I forgot to put tomatoes on top, but on the first night just served it with a sliced tomato and Mark Bittman’s Skillet Pork Chops with Peppers and Onions, oh my an end of summer delight!
Recipe is our slight adaptation (why steam broccoli when you can saute it in our pasture raised roasted chicken fat?) of Candace Page’s adaptation from “White Grass Café: Cross-Country Cooking,” by Laurie Little and Mary Beth Gwyer, 1997
Ingredients
at least two cups of chopped Broccoli (stems, leaves & flowers)
1 tablespoon butter or other Fat (Roasted chicken fat or lard are perfect)
1 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper any color, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese
1½ cups milk
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 tomato, sliced or chopped (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt fat or choice in a 9- 11 (or so)-inch cast iron skillet and saute onion until nearly soft. Then add chopped Broccoli, stirring and sauteing until nicely coooked (4-5 min), then add chopped pepper last so it doesn’t get too soft. Turn off heat and let cool slightly while you mix the batter.
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a medium bowl, then beat in the eggs and milk.
Add cheese to veggies in the cast-iron skillet and toss. Ideally they will have cooled enough that the cheese doesn’t melt much.
Pour the batter over the broccoli and cheese, being sure to leave room for the pie to rise. In our 10 inch skillet we didn’t have any left-over batter. Place sliced tomatoes on top of batter
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until brown. Was 35 min on convection for us.
Eat and enjoy!
Broccoli pie served with Pork Chops with peppers and onions and a sliced yellow Brandywine!