heading back to the land of the pines

I'm leaving for Arizona this morning, which means that a) I'll be hanging out in the mountains and eating my favorite veggie biscuits and gravy while I beam at all the hippie biker folk very very soon, and b) I won't be writing on here for a few days. I've already decided to be less goal oriented (giving up on the "200 posts this year" goal because it started seeming a tad ridiculous; I'd rather just write as much as I can without pushing it), and that's cool. I'll see you when I get back.

But I'll leave you with my current favorite summer recipe. Rose-Anne called these really fancy pizza rolls, and that's as good a description as any. But I prefer calling them soy chorizo-potato-feta pastries. They're great for summer because the oven only has to be on for ten minutes, and they're yummy as all get out. I've served them about six times in the last two weeks. I am, indeed, a pie crust ninja.

Soy Chorizo-Potato-Feta Pastries

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup butter
1/4 or less cup water

Mix the dry stuff, cut the butter in with knives or a pastry cutter, add cold water and knead until solid. Add more flour if too sticky, more water if too dry, but give it a minute for the butter to melt in before you give up on it.

Filling:
1-2 medium to large potatoes, peeled, chopped, and cooked until soft
1/2 pack soy chorizo (I like Upton's Naturals, a seitan chorizo, but Soyrizo or Trader Joe's brand work as well, although you might want to drain some of the oil out of looser chorizos)
feta to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
olive oil (I just glug some in)
oregano to taste
salt and pepper to taste
dash cayenne (optional)

Mix the filling together, adjusting flavors as you desire. I often make a double batch and have these consecutive nights. Pat out circles of pie dough, spoon filling into the centers, and seal them shut. Place on a greased/parchment papered/silpatted cookie sheet. Pre-heat oven to 425 and cook for about ten minutes.

With that, bon voyage to myself!