The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tortillas are secret weapon for simple, savory pie
When I developed a recipe called Veggie Tortilla Pie a decade ago, I thought I was the smartest home cook on the block. At the time, my husband would have lunch weekly with work buddies at a Mexican restaurant. He always ordered the tortilla soup, but never ate the accompanying flour tortillas. He’d wrap them up and bring them home. Finding clever uses for leftover tortillas became my kitchen project.
One of my aha moments was when I snipped the tortillas into wedges to finagle a quick-pinch crust for a savory pie. I felt like a champion economy cook. Calorie watchers can feel like medal winners, too: This dish is a whole lot leaner than one made with a pastry crust.
The filling is its own fun game. I tend to change it up during spring, summer and fall, the times when the garden is abundant with produce. What never changes are the sturdy greens that I saute and sneak in hoping that leaf haters will have their own moment of enlightening. Mushrooms, too, are a fine addition, and can easily sub for the ham if you want to go the vegetarian route. The Swiss cheese lattice top is about as cheffy as a home cook really needs to be.
This dish is evergreen, but if you’re hosting guests this holiday season and need an easy crowd-pleaser for brunch or a light supper, Veggie Tortilla Pie makes for merry and bright eating.
Top Hat vodka from Hope Springs Distillery
Paul Allen and Betsey Dahlberg are making a wide range of spirits at Hope Springs Distillery in Lilburn (named for Hope Springs Farm, Betsey’s family farm in Stone Mountain). They make Garner Creek gin (soon to hit store shelves), Jetty absinthe (the first absinthe produced in Georgia) and Top Hat vodka, distilled from wheat. We love the label, with its photo of tophatted Lilburn Trigg Meyers (the town of Lilburn is named for him), and we really like the
Vodka from Old Fourth Distillery
I still find it hard to believe there’s delicious vodka, gin, a lemon-ginger liqueur called Lawn Dart, and now bourbon being made near downtown Atlanta. A tour of Old Fourth Distillery’s original location on Edgewood Avenue nets you a taste of their products, but also a glimpse into Atlanta’s distilling history, with artifacts from the pre-Prohibition era distillery of Rufus M. Rose and his Old Georgia Corn Whiskey. Old Fourth’s vodka
vodka itself. The whole project is a labor of love for the retired engineer and retired lawyer, who turned a passion for brewing beer, wine and mead into an exciting business venture. The distillery is in downtown Lilburn, and their tasting room is open Friday and Saturday afternoons. is distilled from sugar cane, which gives it a sweeter profile and rich aroma. We love the bottle, too, with its pale blue glass and the image of the old Fulton Cotton Mill in Cabbagetown. The tasting room and cocktail bar are open for varying hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. You even can volunteer to help out with the bottling.
$28 per 750-milliliter bottle. Available at Ansley Wine Merchants, Buckhead’s Best Wine & Spirits, Capital City Package Store, DeKalb Bottle Store, Doraville Liquor Store, East Cobb Liquor, Green’s Discount Beverages, Roswell Beverage Depot, Toco Giant Package, Total Wine & More and Tower Beer & Wine. o4d.com.