Pie for Dinner

October 30 2009
Posted in Recipes - In Season

Funny thing about fall, people retreat to the depths of their crockpots and broilers to make dinner. You’d think that as cooler weather fell, there would be more interest in open flame, but it has the opposite effect. Folks start abandoning their grills in droves—“NO! Don’t barbeque the chicken! ROAST IT!!”

An easy outdoor dinner is perfect after raking leaves all afternoon.

Well, this is silly behavior. Not only is fall an ideal time to be outside due to the lack of bone-chilling winter temps (when it’s not raining, that is), the chill makes for nicer fireside weather than the blazing heat of summer.

Furthermore, there’s a lot you can cook on a fire that isn’t a hot dog or a marshmallow. Take, for example, the concept of a humble camp pie. Made between the two plates of a camp pie iron, these extremely easy meals can be constructed from any combination of ingredients between two pieces of bread a diner finds agreeable.

Try these camp pie ideas to get started:

Pizza camp pie: two pieces of bread, pizza or tomato sauce, cheese and “toppings,” which might include pepperoni, sausage, veggies, bacon, etc.

Hot Pockets Plus: bread, ham and cheese

The Reuben: two pieces of rye, roast beef, sauerkraut, spicy mustard and Swiss cheese

The Cobb: bread, chicken, bacon, avocado, cheddar, sliced mushrooms, hardboiled eggs and blue cheese

The Greek: pita bread (!), Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, feta, and pepperoncini (if you’re adventurous)

The Caprese: tomato, basil and mozzarella with a little Balsamic vinegar on the side to dip in

Don’t forget dessert! Dip the bread in beaten eggs for a French toast taste. Use fruit pie fillings like blueberries with ricotta cheese or apples and cinnamon, bake, then dust with powdered sugar before devouring.

In the event that you aren't a proud owner of pie irons, you can purchase some here, in the TLD Cooking Favorites section (right under the featured video).

Photo: istockphoto.com/sshepard