Riviera Egg Pie Recipes

CUBAN STEAK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cut the steak into 2 even pieces and place in a sealable plastic bag or container. Place the olive oil, cilantro, basil, parsley, lime juice, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt in a blender and mix until smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup of the herb-oil mixture and refrigerate. Add the remaining mixture to the meat, distribute evenly, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Slice ciabatta loaf lengthwise and remove excess bread from inside, if desired.
• Remove the meat from the marinade; discard marinade. Place on a paper towel, wiping off any excess marinade. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon canola oil. Once the pan is hot, add meat and cook until medium-rare, about 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Place meat on a cutting board and cover with foil. Repeat with other piece of meat, only adding more oil if necessary.
• Place bread directly on oven rack and toast, about 5 minutes.
• Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the grill pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until just beginning to brown but still crisp, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and season with salt, to taste.
• Take the reserved herb-oil mixture and brush the inside of both halves of bread. Slice steak thinly on the bias and place on the bottom half of the bread. Top with onions and then remaining bread. Slice into quarters and serve.

RICOTTA-STUFFED RIGATONI PIE WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the meat sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into smaller pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red, about 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a high simmer, then adjust to a low simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes. (You can make and cool the sauce the day before. Reheat before using the next day.)
• For the pasta: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook the pasta until slightly less than al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and toss with the remaining tablespoon oil, then spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Spread 1/4 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the prepared pan. Stand the rigatoni on their ends in the pan until it is completely filled.
• For the ricotta filling: Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag, snip off just enough of the tip to make a small opening and pipe into each rigatoni tube. Pipe small mounds of any leftover ricotta mixture on top of the pasta and spread out into a thin layer. (You can cook and fill the pasta the day before.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the filled springform pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips. Pour 2 cups of the meat sauce over the pasta, spreading it with the back of a spoon so that it drips in between the noodles. Top with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the pan with foil, doming it slightly to avoid touching the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue cooking until the top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes more. Let the pasta cool for 45 minutes (do not skip this part or your noodles will fall apart when serving!). Sprinkle with parsley, if using, then carefully remove the sides of the pan. Cut the pie into wedges and serve with the reserved meat sauce on the side.

EASTER PIE

Steps:

• Blend 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the rice and pine nuts. Set the ricotta mixture aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie dish. Lay 1 phyllo sheet over the bottom and up the sides of the dish, allowing the phyllo to hang over the sides. Brush the phyllo with the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough, laying it in the opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue layering the remaining sheets of phyllo sheets, alternating after each layer and buttering each sheet. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely. Brush completely with melted butter.
• Bake the pie until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over the pie and serve.

THE RIVIERA

Steps:

• Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and mix vigorously. Stop when the shaker is too cold to hold. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

EASTER RIVIERA PIE

Steps:

• Up to a day ahead, make the pastry by rubbing the flour and butter together with your fingers until you have achieved a crumbly texture. Mix the eggs, olive oil and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt with the flour - if the pastry is too crumbly, add 1 tablespoon warm water. Wrap the pastry in cling film and put in the fridge to chill for at least an hour and up to a day ahead.
• On the day, prepare the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok, tip in the onion and fry over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until lightly coloured and softened. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes. Tip this mixture into a large bowl.
• In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of the oil and cook the spinach in batches for 3-4 minutes until wilted, tipping each batch into a colander to drain (you may need to add a little more oil to the pan after the second batch).
• When all the spinach is cooked, heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan and fry the artichokes for 3-4 minutes until they begin to brown. Tip the artichokes and drained spinach into the bowl of onion and garlic, mix thoroughly and season generously. Cover and leave to cool.
• Boil and peel the eggs, then immerse in a bowl of cold water and keep in the fridge.
• In the afternoon, preheat your oven to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170C. Divide the pastry in two, one piece a little larger than the other. Roll out a 35cm/14in disc and a 30cm/12in disc and trim the edges. If you are feeling creative, use the trimmings to make decorative pastry leaves.
• Lightly oil a shallow, loose-bottomed 25cm/10in flan tin and line it with the larger pastry disc, making sure that you have an even rim protruding slightly above the side of the tin. If your pastry begins to crack, patch it up with some of the trimmings. Spoon the filling into the case. Remove the eggs from the water and dry gently. Cut in half and push them, cut side up, into the filling. Brush the protruding pastry rim with a little oil and use the remaining disc as a lid, crimping the edges together neatly. Decorate with pastry leaves if you've made them and brush with more olive oil.
• Bake the pie for about 30-35 minutes - the filling is fully cooked before baking, so it's only necessary to bake long enough for the pastry to be fully cooked. Allow the pie to cool and serve at room temperature.