Homespun Pot Pie

I seem to be on a pie kick right now!  I love sitting down with my cookbooks and finding new recipes to try.  This one is a winner and is from one of my numerous Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks.  If you aren't familiar with Moosewood, you should be!  It is a small vegetarian restaurant in upstate New York.  It was opened decades ago by a group of young people who knew little about running a business but had a passion for good cooking.  The rest is history.  

Vegetables:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups coarsely chopped onions 

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

4 to 5 cups sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

2 cups chopped potatoes

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups water or stock

3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Biscuit topping

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 400.  Light oil a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Warm the oil in a large pan.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the salt, thyme, marjoram, mushrooms, and mustard.  Cook about 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, white potatoes, black pepper, and the water or stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.  Stir the dissolved cornstarch mixture into the simmering vegetables, stirring constantly.  When the liquid starts to thicken, mix in the peas, corn, soy sauce, and salt.  Pour the vegetables into the prepared pan and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and buttermilk or yogurt.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible to make a soft dough.  Drop the biscuit batter over the casserole dish in six equal mounds.  Sprinkle the dill over the biscuits.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean.  Serve immediately.

Vegetable Pie

 Another recipe I ran across recently that I love.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups cauliflower, chopped

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons soy sauce

pie crust for top and bottom of 11 x 7 inch baking dish

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat oil in large skillet.  Saute onions, mushrooms and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring.

Stir in cauliflower, green beans, and broth.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.

In small bowl, combine cornstarch, soy sauce and 1/4 cup water.

Stir this mixture into vegetables and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

Place a sheet of the dough into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.  Pour filling into the dish and top with crust.  Bake 30 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.

Artichoke and Cheese Tart

One of my favorite things to do, especially in the winter, is poke through one or more of my cookbooks - my cookbook collection is massive! - and try new recipes.  Here is one I found recently in one of my vegetarian cookbooks.  It caught my eye and is now one I will cook again and again.

Artichoke and Cheese Tart

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons water

salt and pepper

To make the dough:  Combine the flour, add a pinch of salt and the garlic.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in the water and bring the mixture together to form a dough.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work space to fit into an 8 inch pie pan.  Prick the pastry with a fork.

Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, halved and sliced

10 canned or fresh artichoke hearts

1 cup grated cheddar

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

2 eggs beaten

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

2/3 cup milk

Heat the oil in a skillet.  Add the onion and saute over a medium heat for 3 minutes.  Add the artichoke hearts and cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes.

Mix the cheeses with the beaten eggs, rosemary, and milk.  Stir into the drained artichoke mixture and season to taste.

Spoon this mixture into the pastry shell and cook in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked and set.  Can be served hot or cold.

I discovered Green Pan

When it comes to my kitchen, I want only the best products.  My favorite products have been All Clad and Lodge skillets, dutch ovens, and sauce pans.  Cooking and baking are my passions so I want the best tools and appliances.

Recently I heard about Green Pan cookware.  I took a chance on buying their 11 inch skillet.  MAN!  What an amazing quality built nonstick pan.  It is constructed of two layers of stainless steel with a layer of anodized aluminum in between.  The cooking surface is ceramic.  When I say "nonstick", I mean nonstick!  When I go to push a spatula under a spinach omelet, I have to place another spatula in front to keep the food from sliding!

Before I bought it, I went on amazon.  Green Pan got mediocre ratings there.  I have learned that the products sold on amazon or at WalMart aren't always the same quality you would find at a specialty kitchen store or on the product's website.  I had suspected that in the past.

So far, I have cooked an omelet, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and scrambled eggs.

This is a tough built skillet to stand up to everyday use.

Check it out.