It’s been a snowy couple of days, and while my outdoor adventures have been completely voluntary, Dr. T’s have been work-imposed. I figured that after a long, cold bus ride home, a little comfort food would hit the spot: enter the scrumptious Homespun Pot Pie from Moosewood New Classics. I have played with the original measurements, because the recipe claims to serve 6 but the original measures would easily feed ten!
I served this with a new Gazette recommendation, Mencia Pittacum Bierzo 2005, which was touted as good with herb sauces. There are other wines we’ve had with the pot pie in the past, notably those that go well with mushrooms.
The Mencia was a good choice, but quite intense – which, when you’re trying to warm up from the inside out, is probably a good thing. Underneath the intensity I tasted overripe strawberries, and Dr. T claims there was some red currant.
For those that count, this is 10 points for a generous serving, less without the topping – and you can always sub reduced fat/calorie margarine for the butter.
Recipe:
Vegetable Pot Pie
modified from the Moosewood New Classics collection
Serves 6
Vegetables
1-2 tsp vegetable oil, or a generous spray
2 med onions, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme or basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
3 cups mushrooms, in big pieces
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 med sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped
2 med parsnips, peeled & chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups vegetable stock (2 cups water + 1 bouillon cube)
2 tbsp corn starch, dissolved in ¼ cup water
1 can peas
1 can corn
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt (if you’re using regular soy sauce, I would omit this salt)
Topping
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
3 oz (6 tbsp) butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk or plain yoghurt
1 tsp dill weed
Preheat oven to 400 F and lightly oil a large casserole dish.
In a stew pot, heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic together, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add the salt, herbs, mushrooms and mustard, recover, and cook about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are releasing their juices.
Add the sweet potatoes and parsnips, stir, then add the pepper and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes (15 if your veggies are in small pieces). Stir in the dissolved cornstarch, and once the liquid has thickened, add the peas, corn, soy sauce and salt, if using. Give it one more stir, and transfer to the casserole dish. Set the casserole aside while you make the topping.
Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add the wet ingredients in as few strokes as possible to make a wet dough. Drop in 1/8 or ¼ cup dollops onto the vegetables, and sprinkle with the dried dill.
Bake 30 minutes and serve.