Seriously, can description of something you made with heart and soul get any better than that? When I made this rich, sweet custard pie for the volunteers at my local food bank warehouse (Feed the Need in Durham - great people doing amazing work), I wanted only to show my appreciation for the otherwise thankless job they have. There are only a handful of them in the tiny industrial building down the street from my house, and they all work diligently without ever being seen or heard from. They are never recognized by the organization, the city or the people and charities they assist for their selfless behaviour - not that they ask for it, mind you. However, as volunteers helping people achieve security in one of the most basic of needs - good food - I felt someone should say thank you. And rather than wait idly by for "someone" to step forward with the same feelings I had, I did what I always do to express gratitude. I baked.
Of course, when I came to the warehouse with the pie, I didn't leave the hungry out to dry. We had a glut of end-season cucumbers, tomatoes, beans and pepper from the garden that they were more than happy to take off my hands (Feed the Need, being a warehouse-distributor, does take fresh goods as they have the walk-in fridges and freezers to handle them - unlike standard food banks).This pie is your standard spicy custard-style concoction, akin to a pumpkin pie. However, in place of pureed squash, I used an adapted version of a recipe I found in Crescent Dragonwagon's Bean by Bean Cookbook which used - you guessed it - pureed beans. Unlike the cookbook's version, which uses pinto beans, I cooked up some adzukis I already had on hand. We had lots of potatoes nearing "sprouting" stage, including a sweet potato beginning to soften, so I whipped up a few batches of my lower-fat Potato Pastry Crust. I used a "white potato" version for my larger "main" pie, but since I found myself with some extra filling left over I rolled out the sweet potato dough in a bed of rolled oats (instead of flour) and made some tartlets. Knowing that the tartlets would be kept aside for my pecan pie-loving Mom, I garnished those with a sprinkle of chopped toasted pecans for a bit of flair. Nobody I served it to knew what went into it before they had a bite, and after they found out, they still polished off their slices and asked for the recipe! To me, the satisfaction of a job well done, done for the sake of making someone else's life a little better, is the greatest comfort there is.
When we think of comfort food, it immediately evokes so many memories deep within us. Lee of the blog Food for Thought is our guest this week for a special "Comfort Food" special #SundaySupper!! The theme, I think, is best described on FfT:
To me comfort food is anything that reminds you of home, that feeling of belonging and unconditional love. To compare food to old shoes seems unfair. But that really is what comfort food is to be. It feels like a pair of comfortable shoes. There is nothing pretentious or fussy. It fits just right no matter what the occasion.
Besides, with the cold weather coming, who couldn't use a touch of comfort? Check out the other offerings below:
#SundaySupper Comfort Food |Soups
- Cream of Broccoli Cheese Soup by Damn Delicious
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup by Supper for a Steal
- Kalbi Tang or Korean Short Rib Soup by Kimchi MOM
- Korean mandoo (dumpling) soup by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
- Chicken Noodle Soup by My Catholic Kitchen
- Thai’d up chicken noodle soup by I Run For Wine
- Ditalini Italian Soup by Mangiamo!
- Spicy Black Bean Soup by Mama’s Blissful Bites
- Chicken Chowder by Pippis in the Kitchen Again
#SundaySupper Comfort Food | Main Dish
- Sausage Gravy and Biscuits by Big Bears Wife
- Comforting Down-Home Shrimp and Grits by The Weekend Gourmet
- Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini Bake by The Meltaways
- Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese by Flour on My Face
- Lasagna Roll Ups by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Green Plantain Hash by Basic n Delicious
- Venison Chili by The Messy Baker Blog
- Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells by That Skinny Chick can Bake
- Winter Chicken Stew by Mrs. Mama Hen
- Quinoa, Spinach, and Kale Lasagna by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Baked Oysters and Apples by Pescetarian Journal
- Individual Chicken Pot Pies by Noshing With The Nolands
- Kaesespaetzle {Baked Cheese Spaetzle} by Galactosemia in PDX
- Jalapeno and Bacon Mac N’ Cheese by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Quiche aux Champignons {Mushroom Quiche} by An Appealing Plan
- Mini Mac n Cheese Cups with Pork Shoulder Ragù by Hip Foodie Mom
- Chicken a la King by Girlichef
- Creamy Chicken & Dumplings by La Cocina de Leslie
- Spaghetti Squash Gratins by She likes ruffles, he likes truffles
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas by Home Cooking Memories
- Savory Slow-Cooked Pork Stew by Daddy Knows Less
- Chicken Roasted with White Wine and Garlic by Webicurean
- Shepherd’s Pie by Small Wallet Big Appetite
- One Skillet Pumpkin Lasagna by The Realistic Nutritionist
- Chicken “Pot Pie” by Diabetic Foodie
- Gluten Free Cornish Pasty by Maroc Mama
- Warm Oven Baked Samosas Stuffed With Sweet Potato & Peas by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Caramelized Onion-Challah Stuffing Muffins by Comfy Cuisine
- Comforting Mashed Potatoes by Momma’s Meals
- Chunky Chili Beans by Mama Mommy Mom
- Rustic Cauliflower and Tomato Gratin by The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Feijoada Portuguese Bean Stew by Family Foodie
#SundaySupper Comfort Food | Desserts
- Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy by Juanita’s Cocina
- Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream by Cravings of a Lunatic
- Sour Cream Pound Cake by Mom’s Test Kitchen
- Chocolate Layer Cake by Magnolia Days
- Cinnamon Rice Pudding by Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Smores Hot Cocoa by Chocolate Moosey
- Sweet Red Bean Pie by What Smells So Good
- Pistachio Cake Cookies by The Cookie A Day Challenge
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake by No One Likes Crumbly Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Caramel Brownies by Daily Dish Recipes
- Nutella Shortbread Bars by Baker Street
Pairing Wine with Sunday Supper Comfort Food Favorites! by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
We would be honored to have you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm(Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite comfort foods! All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
We’d also love to feature your easy go to recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too.
Sweet Red Bean Pie
1/2 recipe Potato Pastry Crust, placed into a 10" or 9" deep dish pie plate (or your favourite pastry recipe)
2 cups cooked adzuki or small red Mexican beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
3 tbsp melted salted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp allspice
pinch nutmeg
pinch cinnamon
1 tbsp tapioca starch
1/3 cup rolled oats (not instant)
chopped pecans, for topping (optional)
- Preheat oven to 425F and place the pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Puree the beans, butter, sugar, vanilla, milk and eggs in a food processor until smooth.
- Add the allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, tapioca starch and rolled oats and process until smooth and the oats are finely minced. Mixture will be fluid.
- Pour into the pie shell.
- Sprinkle with pecans, if using.
- Place the pie in the oven and bake on the middle rack for 12 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 350F and move the pie to the lowest rack of the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes, covering the pie with foil after 20 minutes if it's browning too much.
- When done, the filling will be completely set.
- Cool completely to room temperature, then chill overnight before serving.
Calories: 226.7
Total Fat: 6.5 g
Cholesterol: 40.9 mg
Sodium: 122.3 mg
Total Carbs: 42.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.8 g
Protein: 6.2 g
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