Nectarine Crostada- Lazy Girl Pie

I could have made a big deal of this Italian artisan dessert, but really, let's cut to the chase, shall we?  It's really just a gloriously lazy way to make a pie and have it look very special

This dessert took about 10 minutes to put together, and another 45 minutes to bake.  It was so easy....  You can use that pre-made pie crust, if you have to, but it is easy to make it.  Here's my recipe, that I use all the time, and even make ahead and keep pre-made pie crusts in the fridge at 'major pie making' seasons, you know, end of summer, Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I bought a huge box of nectarines in Eastern Washington last weekend for $8.50... wow, did you know that is more nectarines that you can shake a stick at.  (Shake a stick at????  I know it's something weird that people say that sometimes pops out... just seemed to work here!).  So far I have made 3 batches of jam, 2 pies (one in the freezer now... lucky me!), 1 crostada and I've still got a long ways to go before seeing the bottom of that box.
I need to get going, the fruit flies are rallying for an attack...

I'm going to make a little admission to you, I almost had a disaster with this crostada.
You know why? 
Because I very carefully  poured in all the juices into the crust after I filled it, I just kept filling it up, thinking to myself "this is gonna be so awesome" and unfortunately, it all tried to come out while baking.  We ate it anyways, and it was yummy.  My advice to YOU is, go ahead and fill up the crust with fruit, but don't worry about getting every bit in there, and do NOT pour in any extra liquid....  yowza, what a mess. 

I am thrilled that I used my Silpat (nonstick baking liner) on my pan and the whole mess just peeled off.  If I hadn't, well, I probably would have thrown the pan away. Yep, it was that bad (see photo below if you don't believe me). If you don't have a Silpat (a French brand name that has 'stuck'- hahaha) then go get one ... they are incredible for cookies, baking- - anything!  They sell for about $19.99 at most kitchen places, but I got mine for $9.99 at the Business Costco (in WA, Lynnwood & Fife) who has great deals on restaurant quality cooking supplies!
Oh yeah, I love me some Costco, especially the business one.

One pie
Ingredients
6 cups nectarines, sliced (or peaches, berries, apples or combination)
1 cup sugar (use less if your fruit is super sweet)
1/4 cup cornstarch

1 pie crust

Roll out the pie crust into a 10-12" round, don't worry about uneven edges, that's part of the charm. I rolled my pie crust out right on top of my silpat mat, so it was easy to move from the counter to the baking sheet, but parchment paper would work too.

If you are a little freaked out because of the issue I had, you really could put the whole round of pie crust and fold over the top in the same way, but that at least, would ensure that some of the juices stayed down in the pie where you expect it too.

Cut up fruit and add to a bowl. Add the sugar and the cornstarch and mix.

 

Add fruit mixture on top of crust and fold up the sides, something like I have done below. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.  It should be golden brown and juicy bubbly all over when you take it out.

WHAT NOT TO DO...
Do NOT add any accumulated juices from the fruit mixture into the crust.... it all managed to drain out and burn to a crisp. 

Can you say "Houston, we have a problem"???  This is when I was kicked down from my "happy place" into the "bad word place" as it was baking.  

Luckily the pie was fine, and I managed to push the burnt juices away from the pie before the pie was burnt just from being so close to it.

We all happily ate this with a group of relatives last night... and you know relatives, they will tell you if it's no good. All they said was "Yum".

Pasta Puttanesca Revisted for Summer

I've always loved the capers, olives, garlic, pepper flakes, anchovies and tomatoes in traditional Puttanesca sauce, but I thought why not make a Summertime version? Herbs, yummy intense flavors- - oh yeah!

You know what Puttanesca means? Right?
Cheap, hot and easy.
It's a dish that prostitutes liked to eat between "appointments"... and I am sure that the cheap, hot and easy part applies to the sauce, not the... ummm... ladies.  I'm not too sure how these ladies smelled after eating Puttanesca, but I bet their dinner tasted good!

The sauce is lightened up for Summer. .. why not lighten it up a bit more with spaghetti squash instead of noodles???
Now... before you turn up your nose, if you have even had it before, when was the last time?
See?  You need to try this again- - - it is awesome, and so good for you!

I am notorious squash hater... but spaghetti squash hardly even qualifies as a squash.  My husband couldn't remember if he ever even tried it before and when he tasted it he said "... I may never eat noodles again- why would I?" Awww... isn't that cute? I like noodles too much to say never again, but I do see why it is so much better for you to replace a majority of empty carbs with something yummy like this. 

Hey, if you still being a hater... I mean a non-believer, go ahead and put this sauce on regular noodles.  I will still love you and it will still taste awesome too.

Serves about 4-6
3/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup chives, minced
1/4 cup basil, minced
3-4 Tbsp capers
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 anchovy fillets, or 1-2 Tbsp anchovy paste (optional)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup olives, kalamata or green, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil

1 medium spaghetti squash

Microwave the spaghetti squash for about 15-20 minutes... BE SURE to stab some holes (carefully, it's really hard) with a sharp knife.  You don't want that thing exploding in your microwave, now do you?

Chop and mince the parsley, basil and chives. Add herb mixture to a medium bowl, add the lemon zest & lemon juice, red pepper flakes and the olives.  Mince the garlic and the anchovies to a smooth paste and add to the mixture. Stir in the olive oil and fresh ground pepper.  Taste to see if it needs salt, but it might not as the olives, capers and anchovies are all pretty salty already.

Removing the hot spaghetti squash from the microwave, cut it in half with a serrated knife.  Remove the seed section from the squash, if possible, before shredding the meat of the squash with a fork. (see that darker yellow section with the seeds in it? Take that out!)

You will be amazed at how the squash flesh just falls into perfect little 'noodles'! Taste the squash and see if it is tender enough for your liking, it is a bit more 'al dente' than noodles, but you can microwave it a bit more to soften, if needed.  Cover with some plastic wrap or a paper towel when microwaving it.

I got a huge plate of squash noodles from one medium squash.  It would be enough for 4 people, and it reheats beautifully too.

Here's some other ideas with Spaghetti Squash:
Spaghetti Squash Carbonara