Almost like stone soup

In the fairy tale Stone Soup, a stranger (or maybe it was a group of strangers?) visits a village and tricks the residents into providing the ingredients for a soup. I guess there are some morals that one should take from this story, such as the values and merits of sharing, generosity, and cooperation, but what always fascinated me in this story was the idea that they had created a luscious soup out of the most simple of ingredients.



Recently I saw a recipe for saffron tomato soup on the food blog, Confessions of a Tart . The recipe immediately caught my eye because it seemed pretty simple in terms of implementation, plus I didn't have to leave my house to buy ingredients because I had everything that I needed on hand.


In my opinion, the product of this recipe is a stone soup. I say this not because I tricked anyone into donating ingredients to my dinner cause, but rather because the recipe is so simple, requires minimal ingredients and time, and yet the soup comes out tasting so damn good.

The recipe calls for chicken broth and drumsticks. I didn't use drumsticks and used vegetable instead of chicken broth, and the soup came out nicely. Whatever you do, though, don't skimp on the saffron. That's the special ingredient that makes this soup special and not your run of the mill tomato soup.




Tomato Saffron soup, available at Confessions of a Tart

The Dripolator - Asheville's finest

So, being a coffee connoisseur (snob?) can be a burden more than a blessing. I can no longer handle the inadequacy of a 'quick' cup of coffee from some lesser company/roastery/coffee shop. No, it has to be Counter Culture, Stumptown, Gimme!, and it has to be done right (though it's pretty hard to mess up good beans, unless you just make really weak coffee). For that reason, I was very excited to discover the Dripolator.

When you walk into a good coffee shop, you can judge the quality of the place almost immediately. The smell of a fresh pot brewing, the striped down, no frills coffee menu (if you see 'frappucino' you're in the wrong place), and the respect the establishment shows to the company who provides their beans. In this case, the Dripolator serves Counter Culture coffee (no surprise, given the existence of a training center in downtown Asheville), and their appreciation for their beans is pretty obvious throughout the storefront.

Being an appreciator of good coffee means you probably have a thing for well made espresso drinks. I like to judge the quality of a place by their Cappuccino (double, of course. I ain't no light weight). Unfortunately, I failed to capture an image of their cappuccino, but suffice to say it was smooth, rich, and did justice to the company from whom they depend on their beans. And, being a good coffee shop, the barista art was definitely present in the milky-foam that topped my cappuccino.

Now, since we were in Asheville for more than one day, we just had to go back for another round. But this time, I decided to try something different: a Chai (pictured above, set to a background of a soon-to-be completely massacred slice of pie). I asked the waitress if it was house made. Check. I asked her opinion of it. She said, without hesitation, "We are pretty damn proud of our Chai." Well, hell, what choice did I have?

Of course, being a coffee fiend, i had to get The Dirty Chai, which includes two shots of espresso. Note: there was no article in front of the name on the menu, but I feel that its inclusion here emphasizes the singularity of this particular Chai. I can easily say that this is the best enhanced/dirty/red-eye/'whatever you want to call it' Chai I have had the pleasure of consuming. A nice hint of spice and a strong hit of espresso, neither of which was overpowering.

I suggest you try it, or just about anything else they have to offer.

Challah french toast

There's no better Sunday morning than one on which you sleep late, stumble out of bed, make yourself some good strong coffee, and then follow those first sips of coffee by cooking brunch in the kitchen. That's precisely what we did this morning, and it was fantastic.





One of our favorite things to make for brunch--now-- is french toast. I must say "now" because, growing up, I wasn't a french toast fan.


But I think that I know what the problem was: the bread. The trick to making really good french toast is to find yourself some really good, fresh bread.



We've experimented with many types: multi-grain, sourdough loaf, plain ol' white bread...and today we used a nice loaf of challah. I think that this was my favorite, or at least it makes it to the top of my list. It's not so much the flavor of the bread as it is the texture.


You see, many loaf breads are just too wimpy. You dip them in that nice eggy mixture and they just dissolve. Challah on the other hand, well, there's a bread that is up to the challenge.



For our recipe, we generally adapt the Joy of Cooking recipe for french toast:

Whisk together in a shallow bowl:
-2/3 cup milk or half and half (Note: I actually like to use butter milk)
-4 eggs
-2 tablespoons sugar or maple syrup (go for the maple syrup if you can!)
-1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon of rum
-1/4 teaspoon salt

One at a time, soak both sides in the egg mixture:

-8 slices white sandwich bread (um...try challah instead!)
-Butter as needed

Brown the bread on each side in a hot well buttered skillet. Serve hot sprinkled with confectioners sugar (or affectionately smothered in maple syrup and topped with a dollop og whipped cream)

Asheville's best kept secret? Sunny Point Cafe

If you have been searching for comfort food that is made with a nearly perfect blend of creativity, fun, and quality, then we may have found the source. Fair warning though; what I'm about to reveal might inspire you to pretend that you are sick, play hooky from work, get in your car, and drive a few (or more) hours. But the drive just might be worth it.

Sunny Point Cafe is a diner-esque restaurant located in West Asheville that features breakfast items that you can order all day long, as well as lunch, dinner, and dessert menus. The food that they serve might be described as southern inspired mexican mixed with diner comfort and just a sprinkling of granola, organic hippy style, and all of this with a twist (they leave off the patchuli extract thank goodness). Looking at the menu and then eating the food, you truly get the sense that the cooks had fun dreaming up and then preparing the dishes. And this feeling transforms itself into an exciting and tasty food experience that comes packaged in a casual and affordable atmosphere.


Take, for example, the juevos rancheros from the breakfast menu: House prepared black bean cakes, plus chorizo, sprinkled with feta cheese and cilantro, topped with a light sour cream, and not smothered by mounds of cheddar cheese, as this dish can so often be.



Or the dish that I ordered, called the Ol' fashioned. Lightly simmered pinto beans and mixed vegetables atop rice, flavored by a nice citrus ginger dressing that comes on the side. All of this served with what might be the best cornbread I've ever eaten, with maple butter.




And finally, our personal favorite of the evening: A savory dish off of the dinner menu that consisted of a waffle (they describe it as yeast risen) and fried chicken; all of this topped with vegetable gravy. I don't even need to describe the dish any further. Don't you just want to try it for yourself?

Unfortunately we were too full to sample dessert but I have definite plans to return to Sunny Point. And you? Why are you still in front of your computer? Okay you might as well fill up your gas tank.

Mississippi 'Meh' Pie

After our recent, and positive, trip to Elmo's diner for peanut butter pie, a friend suggested we give their Mud Pie a shot. Now, judging by the title of this post, you probably have a fairly good idea about where I'm going with this... simply put, it was mediocre.

There really isn't much to a MMP. Chocolate + ice cream (or whip cream, depending on your fancy) + chocolate*more chocolate (this is a synergistic term that indicates our belief that the whole can and should be greater than the sum of its parts); and were success simply left to the first two components of this equation, this pie would have been top notch. However, the synergy hoped for in the last term of our model for successful pie just wasn't there, and the pie was lacking a... how you say... "je ne sais quoi." I think the word I'm looking for is 'flavour'

Of course, this isn't to say it wasn't good. Chocolate is rarely bad, and for going out for a quick sweet tooth fix, I suppose it did the trick. Nonetheless, I doubt ording the MMP will be a repeat event.

Move over Elmo's: My Peanut Butter Pie

This is an all time favorite and one of the first pies that I tried baking. My first attempt was inspired by a request from a picky eater who said that, of the few desserts that he liked, the Elmo's peanut butter pie was at the top of his list. I love a challenge, and so I made it my personal goal to appeal to said picky-eater's sweet tooth, and to make him rave about my peanut butter pie with even greater enthusiasm than that with which he spoke about Elmo's.

At the time, I had not tried Elmo's peanut butter pie. However, I'd eaten on many occasions the peanut butter pie at our local food coop, Weaver Street Market. The creamy chocolatey goodness of their pie appealed to my chocolate sweet tooth. This was the period in my life when I was still sadly and utterly ignorant of the wonders of heavy cream and butter. Therefore, I had no idea how I might bake the pie myself. So one day I worked up the nerve to ask the woman who was working behind the Weaver Street pastry counter if they might give me their recipe. I was expecting her to respond with a scornful nod, "sorry dear, but no..." I was wrong though; the kind woman immediately walked to the back of the kitchen and retrieved the recipe for me! The black box of the chocolate peanut butter pie had been opened, and oh what a revelation this was.

But what, you ask, ever happened to the picky eater? Ah, yes, I must conclude my story of the picky eater and his peanut butter pie. The story has a bit of a sad ending, because it turns out, we lost touch, the picky eater and I. Consequently, he never tried my version of chocolate peanut butter pie, although in my heart I believe that he would have preferred mine to Elmo's. The happy part of this story's end is that his request caused me to discover this recipe, which I now get to share with you.



Finally, I should say that the Weaver Street Market recipe that the woman gave me was written for bulk pie preparation (with ingredient measurements for either 2, 4, or 6 pies). It was also rather cryptic (For example, for 2 pies the recipe calls for 1 unit of cream cheese at room temperature. What does that mean?? 1 cup? 1 tablespoon?). As a result, I had to finagle the ingredient measurements but I finally have a recipe that I feel comfortable sharing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, or Peanut Butter Silk Pie,

adapted from the Weaver Street Market recipe (which, I've noticed, might be adapted from the Joy of Cooking recipe )

Ingredients:

1 single pie crust, pre-baked

For the ganache:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the filling:
1/2 cup cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (use creamy for a smooth consistency, chunky for more texture)
1 tablespoon vanilla or almond extract
1 cup heavy cream

To prepare:

1.) Allow the prebaked pie crust to cool to room temperature.

2.) Now, prepare the ganache. Place your chocolate in a sauce pan on medium-low temperature. Stir the chocolate with a wooden spoon, and slowly add the 1/2 cup of heavy cream. The mixture will become smooth and thick.

3.) Once your ganache has become a nice, thick consistency, pour it into the bottom of your pie shell and place in the fridge until it is solid.


4.) While your ganache is chillin' in the fridge (haha) prepare your filling. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter, and extract until it is well combined and creamy.


Place that mixture in a bowl and set aside for later.

5.) Now whip the 3/4 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks are formed. Then, gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter/cream cheese mixture.


6.) Place your peanut butter/whipped cream mixture in your pie dish on top of the chilled chocolate ganache. Top with chocolate shavings if you wish, and then chill in the fridge.

Enjoy and share with friends. This is a rich and filling pie but so good that people still come back for seconds!

Big Apple "Pancake" for brunch with the sisters

My sister who now lives in Asheville, NC was in town for a brief visit, but she had time for only one meal--brunch. She and my other sister contemplated eating out but I insisted that we stay in. This way, I could try out a new recipe on them!

I had recently been perusing old archived Gourmet Magazine recipes, as a tribute to the canceled magazine. One that immediately caught my eye was their Big Apple Pancake recipe, especially since apple season is now in full swing. It sounded (and looked) delicious and my sisters are generally exceedingly patient when it comes to my trying out new recipes on them.

Well this recipe did not disappoint. It was relatively simple to execute, tasty, and a little bit different from your standard brunch fare. The one comment that my sisters had was that the product does not really taste like a pancake; it's more of a cross between a sponge cake, frittata, french toast, and a pancake. Regardless, this apple whatever-you-call-it is worth making. I highly recommend it, and I'm definitely going to keep this recipe on file for future brunches.



Below is the recipe. I skimped on the butter a bit and used 2% instead of whole milk, and the pancake still turned out splendidly. I'd like to try using buttermilk instead of regular milk next time.

Big Apple Pancake, recipe from Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 large sweet apple such as Gala or Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide wedges
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

Special equipment:

• a well-seasoned 10- to 11-inch heavy cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet

To prepare:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat, then transfer 2 tablespoons to a blender. Add apple wedges to skillet and cook, turning over once, until beginning to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

• While apple is cooking, add milk, flour, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt to butter in blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour batter over apple and transfer skillet to oven.
  

• Bake until pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve immediately.

(Food) print media bites the dust

If you have not already heard the sad news of the termination of Gourmet Magazine, read the New York Times article.

Guisado, Cocido, or Spanish stew

My dad is leading a study abroad program in Santander, Spain this semester. Since he's been gone, at least a few minutes of each of our phone conversations have been devoted to detailed descriptions of the terrific food that he is enjoying. It occurred to me that he might share and record some of his food experiences through this blog. The following is his response to my request. This looks to be a recipe for a delicious stew that I can't wait to try. Sounds perfect for the upcoming fall and winter days here in the States! Thanks Dad!

"Here is a Spanish dish that I have been preparing for years. It is a Guisado, or Cocido; a stew. But somehow, it always tastes better here, in Spain. I am not sure if that is because of the quality of the meat or poultry one uses in it, the quality of the potatoes they have here in Spain, or the quality of the olive oil you use to sauté the meat, or even the quality of the bread crumbs with which you “dust” the meat at the end of sautéing it. In the past month I have made this at least three times, using three different main ingredients. I have used chicken, cubes of pork, and skirt of veal. Though in most supermarkets in Spain you can now buy both “corral” (free range) and “normal” chicken, I find all chicken to be somehow less processed and better. I have no explanation for this though I do not think it is my imagination. The cubed pork and skirt of veal that you use for this are some of the least expensive meats you can buy in the supermarket. But they are really very good. There is very little fat in this meat here; If you fry it without oil when you are finished the bottom of your pan will be just about as dry as when you began. When you cook the pork you can clearly see that it is white meat. The veal skirt sometimes has layers of fat running through it, and I cut this away, leaving meat that I also find very lean. This does not mean that you must cook the stew for a long time; you can have this done in about ½ hour or less. You can also use an express pot (pressure cooker) and have it done in a few minutes, once you have assembled the ingredients.

There are no measurements for this stew; use more or less of whatever you like to eat. Aside from the basic ingredients –meat, onion, garlic, a little wine, potatoes, broth—you should throw in whatever else you would like to use.

1. Cut the meat into the size pieces that you want. If you are using chicken do not take it off the bone. Just get a good, sharp, heavy knife and cut right through it if you want small chunks (in the markets—the ones with individual venders specializing in one kind of food at each post; also in lots of supermarkets, though not in quite a professional a manner—you can still watch the butcher with huge, heavy knives working on a butcher block cut the chicken any way you like; unfortunately we have lost this in many smaller cities and towns in the USA). I take the skin off the chicken to cut down on fat.

2. In the bottom of a deep pot heat up about a tablespoon of oil; enough to coat the bottom. I get the bottom of the pot hot first and then add the oil. Put in as much cubed (the size of the cubes is up to you) onion as you want (probably at least ½ a medium onion for ½ chicken).

3. When the onion begins to get translucent throw in as much fresh chopped garlic as you wish (you can also use a garlic press if you don’t like chopping the garlic; even dried garlic, though be careful not to burn it). Then throw in the meat. Sauté until the meat starts to get brown.

4. When the meat begins to brown give it a good dusting with bread crumbs. Be careful not to burn the bread crumbs. You can use flower also, but I think the recipe is better with bread crumbs. Ultimately, this is going to thicken up the sauce. I am not sure why I add it at this point and not at the very end, to the sauce; I suppose the bread crumbs absorb the flavor of the meat and add flavor as well as thickness to the sauce. But if you forget the bread crumbs you can still add them at the end. I really don’t think flour or starches are as good as bread crumbs (but matzo meal works pretty well also).

5. Pour in some broth. I don’t think it really matters what kind; remember this is just plain old home cooking. I have never tried using fish broth with meat but I have used chicken broth with both pork and veal when that is all that I had around. It tastes good to me.

6. Now add the ingredient that makes all cooking good: wine. How much? Just tip the bottle over the pot and give it a shot. If you are serving several people I would use up to ½ cup. Probably, most recipe books will tell you to use white wine. But I have always used red wine because that is what I keep around the house. Maybe the best advice is to just add a little of whatever you are drinking at the time you are cooking. I do not suggest keeping a bottle of wine around the house just for cooking since, red or white, you are liable to drink it when you really need a glass of wine and there is nothing else around. You can probably use beer or cognac instead of wine; but why cook cognac when you will surely want to drink it and it is not as plenty as wine?

7. Add any spices you wish. Recently I have used just salt and pepper to taste (a few good, fresh, whole white peppers, only because that is what I have had around the kitchen). I add the salt at the end because I am never sure how salty the broth already is.

8. Add potatoes cut in chunks, as for all stews. Of course the time to add the potatoes and other ingredients depends on how long you think it will take the meat to get cooked and soft. If you sauté the meat for a while you can add the potatoes almost immediately. If you make this recipe in a pressure cooker (express pot) remember that the potatoes will cook in just a few minutes. I often throw all of the ingredients in together almost immediately after the meat, as soon as I have each ingredient cut up. Sometimes the potatoes will come out a little soft but I have never had them turn into puree and they are always good.

9. Add any and as many vegetables as you wish to add (do add some; but probably not enough to overpower the meat). Carrots are great. In Spain, big, sweet, red bell peppers are just wonderful! I always add them. The Spaniards also sell long thin green peppers for frying (some supermarkets call them “Italian peppers”); I do not fry them but just add them raw. Recently I have had good buys on zucchini and keep it around; I add a little of that. I recently have been keeping raw soy beans that I have soaked and will throw some of them in. Some tomato works well or some tomato puree –around a tablespoon or as much as you want, but not too much to turn it into a tomato sauce—is very good in it. I keep cooked garbanzos around and sometimes throw in a few of them. Whatever you have around and want to get rid of. For the principal ingredients –meat and potatoes and the major vegetable(s)-- I suggest good fresh vegetables; but if you have a little of something that is on its way out, throw it in.

Now cook on a low heat.

This recipe must be eaten with decent bread. You can use a normal baguette made of white flower and even that will be pretty good. But a more artisan bread will be much better. I expect that what makes the artisan baguette or “bar” better is the less refined flower and hand kneading; it does not come out as fluffy and is more chewy; the quality of a good rye bread in the USA though I do not think rye is the right flavor; not for my taste. Perhaps a good pumpernickel bread, even if it does not have a hard crust. They call such a baguette a peasant or farmer’s bread, or a Roman bread. You can also get a Galician bread, which can be round. There are also breads of various numbers of cereals that are very good. You should preferably have a bread with a good hard crust and that is not too light.

You must also have a good wine with this (though not necessarily an expensive wine) and I don’t think a white will work (though I am always partial to reds, anyway). I naturally prefer Spanish wines because they are the ones I know. The wines from Rioja are famous, but recently I have been enjoying very good wines from Navarre, Rioja’s neighboring region. In the USA you can try Red Guitar, for example. I have also been enjoying some wines from Valdepeñas (the central region; Castilla-La Mancha) made with Tempranillo grapes, though I cannot recall any labels for these wines in the USA. But you can find them. Solaz is good brand name; I do not think it is considered a Valdepeñas but is still from the region of Castilla –La Mancha.. Aldi sells a good wine from Cariñena also. Cariñnena wines are a little less full bodied for my taste, but still good. I have not had Sangre de Toro from Cataluña in many years but it would probably be great with this. Another good one that is very inexpensive, made of a blend of grapes, if I recall correctly, is called Catalunya, produced by Barbieri. Don Hugo, which is around the same price las Catalunya, is sold as a very inexpensive wine in Spain also (though here you can still get cheaper wines that are also pretty good). Of course, there is also Aldi’s Winking Owl, which for the money probably cannot be beat. If you do not want to buy a Spanish wine a Malbec will no doubt work.

Vegetarians can probably try this recipe by substituting a good, meaty vegetable for the chicken, pork, or veal and using vegetable broth and adding more garbanzos. But please, do not try tofu. There is a limit to just how forgiving this recipe will be.

Peanut butter pie at Elmo's Diner

For several years now, people have been telling me about the peanut butter pie at Elmo's Diner (downtown Carrboro, NC), saying things like, "You have to try it!," or "It's the best pie ever," or "It's the only pie that I like."

Despite these rave reviews, I had yet to try a slice until last night. After a long walk through town we were itching for something sweet. We were about to step into the grocery store to buy a pint of ice cream when the Elmo's Diner sign caught my eye: "Let's get some peanut butter pie instead!" I said... and that we did.

To be perfectly honest, most slices of pie that I try in restaurants are true disappointments. The crust is rarely worth eating and the filling generally tastes as if it has been sitting, neglected, for several too many hours (or days in some cases). Considering those two factors alone, the Elmo's peanut butter pie was a treat. The crust was made of graham crackers, and while nothing too unusual, it was actually tasty and managed to avoid the usual fateful problem of a flaky-crust-gone-wrong. The graham cracker crust also served to offer a nice textural contrast to the smooth peanut butter filling. The Elmo's diner folk are smart, too: they avoided the problem of having their pie waste away to a mediocre near-expiration quality by sticking the whole thing in the freezer. Our slice was served frozen, dominated by a creamy cold peanut butter filling, drizzled with also frozen chocolate, and topped with a dollop of light whip cream that serves as a lovely counterbalance to the cold and sweet peanut butter filling.

My review is not without criticism, however, First and foremost, the filling was entirely too sweet. Such sweetness nearly overwhelmed the peanut butter flavor on which we should have been focused. Secondly, the quality of the chocolate drizzles could have been superior, perhaps more rich and, again, less sweet.

All in all though, this is a pie that is worth trying. Not as good as homemade pie but in a pinch and when faced with a sugar craving, a slice is well worth the relatively low $3.50 price-tag and the trip out to Elmo's.

Corn, tomato, and cheese pie

A friend recently sent me a link to a terrific blog, titled "nothing-in-the-house," which is fully devoted to (and dare I say 'inspired by??') the art of pie baking. Well, reading the blog has completely reignited my somewhat expired love/passion/obsession with pie baking. It's been really fun, actually, rediscovering my interest and getting excited about making pies again!

So I've been dreaming all week of making a pie...meanwhile the weather has begun to feel like fall, making it an even more perfect time for baking (and eating) pie. I'd seen the recipe for a tomato corn pie on the smitten kitchen blog earlier in the year and been intrigued. And so with my new found inspiration I looked up that recipe, adapted it a bit, and made my own version.




Well, the pie turned out so well! We shared it with our 2 sisters and there is not a crumb left of the pie.

The original recipe that peaked my interest can be found here. However, I altered the recipe quite a bit and so I've written my version of the pie recipe below. I hope that you will be inspired and try baking this, or perhaps another type of pie.




Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used bread flour b/c that's what I had but I'll bet pastry would be better)
1 cup white pastry flour
sea salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
A little over 1/4 cup olive oil
Water as needed

For the filling:
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
Corn from 2 cobs, coursely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup mild cheddar cheese, grated
salt to taste
paper to taste

For the crust:

Prebake oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the olive oil, followed by the buttermilk, and mix into flour. Slowly add water while stirring, until the mixture forms a nice ball that is not too sticky. If you add too much water, just add a little extra flour to the mix. Divide the dough into 2 equally sized balls. Wrap one ball of dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for later. Roll out the other ball on a lightly floured surface until it measures a 12 inch circle. Carefully drape the rolled out dough over your rolling pin and transfer it to a 12 inch pie dish. Place lightly oiled aluminum foil over the crust, and pie weights or dried beans on top of the foil. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the weights and foil, lower the heat to 350 degrees, and then bake the dough for another 10 minutes. Remove the dish with the bottom crust from the oven and allow to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Layer the filling ingredients in the your bottom crust:

First, empty the contents of the can of tomatoes in the dish. Next, sprinkle the chives and basil on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle salt and pepper on top of the herbs. Follow this with the coarsely chopped corn, and then spread the ricotta and goat cheeses on top of the corn. Finally, sprinkle on the grated cheddar cheese. Roll your second ball of dough into a 12 inch circle and pinch into place as the top crust. Cut 3 or 4 slits in the top dough layer for ventilation. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dough is brown, the filling is bubbling, and the smells emanating from your kitchen are causing your tummy to growl and your mouth to water.