Corn Pudding Dusted with Paprika
Pie pans are great for making pies. (They also make beautiful tortilla presses — the bottoms are nice and wide and the curved sides become handy handles.) But you can make more than pies in pie pans: the roundness of them makes them ideal for laying out scalloped potatoes, for example, or making quiches or custards or anything else you’d like to bake in rounds and serve in wedges.
This time, though, I decided to use my pie pan to make pudding — corn pudding. The resulting pebbly roundness and creamy, rich flavor made me realize that savory vegetable puddings are sadly underrated. The good news is, though, that this basic pudding recipe would work for any veggie that’s small enough to cook in the allotted time, whether that vegetable is naturally small or is cut down to be small enough: peas, diced carrots, diced red peppers, diced zucchini, etc. All you have to do is toss the veggies with milk, an egg, a bit of cheese, and some salt and herbs. Pop your loaded pie pan in the oven, and 45 minutes later, you’ll be rewarded with the best savory “pie” pudding you’ve ever tasted!
Vegetable “Pie” Pudding
About 2 cups vegetable(s): just about anything works, but if the veggie in question isn’t already small and uniformly-shaped (like peas or corn), dice whatever it is into pea-sized bits; for this recipe, I cut corn kernels directly off the cob and into a bowl
1 small onion, minced
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk (preferably from grass-fed cows)
1/4 to 1/2 cup diced/crumbled cheese (if you use a particularly strong cheese like sheep-milk Feta, you may want to stick with 1/4 cup; if you’re using a milder, creamier cheese, go with 1/2 cup); for this recipe, I used raclette
1-2 tsp. of dried herbs (Italian ones work best: rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, basil); for this recipe, I used 1 tsp. of thyme and 1 tsp. of sage
A dash of sea salt & a grind or two of fresh pepper
Paprika (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease pie pan with butter and set aside.
Prepare veggies and place in medium-sized bowl. Mince onion and then sautée briefly in butter or coconut oil for about 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Remove from heat and add to vegetables. Stir in egg, milk, cheese, herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour into greased pan and bake for 45 minutes. Pudding will be bubbly and golden brown when ready; the edges will be dark brown but not burnt.
If you’d like to add a splash of color, shake on some paprika immediately after removing from oven. (You could add it before baking, but paprika scorches easily and loses flavor with heat — I think it tastes much better when added right before serving.)
Enjoy your “pie”!
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Tags: baking, corn, pie pan, pudding, savory vegetables
