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.