I don’t remember when I started watching the Great British Baking Show, but know that it became a real inspiration in 2020. My interest has only grown with each subsequent season, to the point that when this season ended (Series 16) I started rewatching the previous seasons. US availability starts with Series 5 on Netflix which is actually Season 8 in the UK where it’s called the Great British Bake Off. Not gonna try to make sense of that. There have been four pairs of hosts (at least) and two companion judges to the majordomo, the one consistent character throughout, bread legend Paul Hollywood. Like Drag Race, the show is a phenomenon with its own internal culture and even more camaraderie and less drama. Though the tension in the tent and in living rooms across continents can be equally intense as bakers come down to the wire with some showstopping creations.
They bake a lot of savory pies, which I’ve never done, and I was inspired a couple evenings ago by a pie filled with a veggie curry. I had all the ingredients and then some, so last night I threw chopped kale, garbanzo beans, and roasted butternut squash in a skillet and cooked them down a bit, then added leftover ‘risotto with kale and peas’ and stirred it all up with a good splash of Penzeys curry powder. So simple, so delicious. Tonight I whipped up a quick shortcrust in the food processor, kneaded it just enough to roll it out thin, and used a heart-shaped empanada mold to make four little hand pies.
I really don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just not afraid to take risks in the kitchen. They turned out beautifully, not a single leak or tear. Maybe I could have left the tiny dough hearts in place but I wanted to make sure the pies didn’t blow up so I pulled them off to release steam before baking at 375℉ for about thirty minutes.
I ate one for dinner, froze two for quick meals later, and saved one for tomorrow. That single bunch of kale has gone a long way, through four nights of dinner with several more to go, plus Wren got the stems for treats. It’s good to practice frugality and creative leftover cuisine these days as the cost of everything continues to rise thanks to the commander-in-thief. All I want for Christmas is for Americans to wake up and stand up to the billionaire class that is robbing us blind. Check out this graphic from The Guardian illustrating how roughly 56,000 individuals control three times as much wealth as half of humanity.
So I’m extra grateful tonight for homegrown bounty, like this pile of Meyer lemons and bag of red limes that arrived the other day after a long journey from a friend’s backyard citrus trees. Tomorrow I’ll figure out how to make the most of the juice and the zest and the peels and every bit of these gorgeous fruits, and I’ll start by using the leftover pie crust to make lemon curd tartlets. I’ve never made them before, but how hard can it be? We’ll know more later!
