iStock.
By Nancy Pollard
After owning one of the best cooking stores in the US for 47 years—La Cuisine: The Cook’s Resource in Alexandria, Virginia—Nancy Pollard writes Kitchen Detail, a blog about food in all its aspects—recipes, film, books, travel, superior sources, and food-related issues.
I WANT TO share our Christmas Eve menu, as it is always just a couple of dishes and a fruit compote, a dessert that represents my effort to not load up on cake or cookies, because I know what the week will bring. However, a few carbs are necessary to sustain oneself. . . .
I recently purchased a cookbook, Piatti by Stacy Adimando, an American food writer who has Italian roots. The focus of her book is to create a series of dishes that can be used with drinks, be part of a larger buffet, or, in some cases, serve as a main course. Don’t look in the back for desserts, because there aren’t any. But so far, I have tried several of her recipes, and this one borders on smashing. The Mortadella Slab Pie is so much better and more elegant than it sounds. It is a major hit with both parties here (the Resident Wine Maniac and me). You can wrap the remains, if there are any, in foil and freeze (just reheat in the same foil in a medium oven). I have also made this with thinly sliced celery and leeks instead of fennel. Also yum.
Mortadella Slab Pie
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 7 ounces (200gr) fennel, trimmed, halved and sliced in half moons
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 large egg
- 1 sheet, 17 ounces (400gr), DuFour Puff Pastry (thaw it in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 hours)
- All-purpose flour for dusting puff pastry sheet when rolling out, if necessary
- 6 to 8 ounces (170 to 230gr) mortadella with pistachios, if possible ( in any case, best quality you can get)
- 4 ounces (115gr) Fontina or Comte cheese, grated
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced fennel and season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened slightly, 5 to 6 minutes
- Stir in mustard, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C) and beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water and set aside.
- Roll out your puff pastry on a Silpat or parchment so that it is approximately 14×15 inches (355x38cm).
- Transfer the sheet on the parchment or Silpat onto a metal baking sheet.
- With the short side facing you, lay mortadella slices in an overlapping layer over half of the dough, leaving a 1- to 2-inch (2.5cm) border around the layered half (you may not want to use all of the mortadella).
- Add half the cheese, then the fennel mixture, and then the remaining cheese.
- Brush the edges of the dough surrounding the filling with the egg wash and flip the top half of the dough over to enclose the pastry case.
- With a fork, crimp the edges thoroughly and brush the egg wash over the top.
- Score lightly and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Slide the sheet onto a rack and bake for 25 to 35 minutes.
- Allow to cool a bit but serve warm.