All American Pot Pie

I have to admit that I just plain cut and pasted this recipe, including the pictures, from a different blog. I wanted to use this recipe for this week's post, but didn't want to type it all out. A wee google search led me to this fabulous entry. However, the other blog didn't credit the author of the recipe. I will. I will also include my notes in italics. It's a mighty tasty way to use a ton 'o veggies and have a really filling meal. There's no reason why this has to stay vegetarian, cooked chicken chunks would be a wonderful addition. I like to make the dough ahead of time so it can chill while I'm making the filling.

All American Pot Pie from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons.

Filling:
1/2 T butter
4 C total of any of the following veggies: corn, carrot, red bell pepper, zucchini, spinach leaves (firmly packed), sliced onions, potato...(left over roasted winter squash chunks, mushrooms, summer squash, parsnips from last week's share, even beets would be tasty).
1 small garlic clove, minced
3 T flour
1 C warm milk
1 pinch fresh or dried thyme
3/4 t salt
black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a skillet. Saute the vegetables for five minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, saute for five minutes more. Sprinkle three tablespoons flour over the veggies and stir over the heat for two more minutes. Add the warm milk slowly, stirring all the while to avoid lumps. Stir in the thyme. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook it until the it thickens. Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. Add one-fourth teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Put into a 9 or 10 inch casserole or deep pie dish. (At this point you can cover the dish and chill it for up to 2 days, if you'd like to bake it later).

The Dough:

(the recipe originally calls for twice as much dough as is written here. I have to agree that it was too much, so I'll leave the modified amounts here).
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) cold butter
3/4 cups flour
1/4 t salt

Cut a half-stick of cold butter into three-fourths cups of flour and one-fourth teaspoon of salt (cut the butter until the pieces are no larger than a pea). Add two tablespoons of ice water and stir to incorporate all the flour. Add more water or flour as necessary to make a soft moist dough. Work it in the palm of your hand on a hard surface. Form it into a flattened ball. Chill the dough for thirty minutes.

Roll the dough into a circle slightly larger than the diameter of the casserole dish. Place it on top and pinch the rim so it clings to the dish. Cut four one-inch long slits in the dough.

Bake at 400 degrees for about twenty minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust golden. (I like to bake it on top of a cookie sheet to catch any spills. ..and there will be spills). Serve and enjoy!

For those of you who are members of the Salt Creek Farm CSA: Don't forget to comment to this entry so I can do a drawing for an end of the season gift. Sorry to all of you who aren't here in Port Angeles, the prize is a huge book and I can't mail it. . . so just locals this time!

Sheperd's Pie is Yummy

Recipe Corner:
I love sheperd's pie because it can include any veggies you might have on hand. I use this recipe as a launching point and every time I make it, it's a little different. This page in my cookbook is riddled with notes and splatters from some good cooking. As a fairly staunch eggplant non-eater (I know, it's blasphemy. . . but I can't stand the stuff), I leave it out and add all kinds of other stuff. Included in my list of extras are: summer squash, roasted winter squash, corn, carrots, broccoli, extra celery, tofu crumbles (the frozen fake ground beef stuff), crumbled veggie burgers, bok choi, kale or other greens or anything else that's on hand. Yum! This recipe is really kid-friendly without the sauce. However, I think the Dilled Horseradish Sauce is what makes this really stand out as a favorite. Put the straight horseradish on the table for those who really want to clear their noses!

SHEPHERD'S PIE
Adapted from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen
Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes to bake.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

A deep-dish casserole with vegetable hash on the bottom and garlicky mashed potatoes on top.

Mashed Potato Topping
(Make this first):

2 large potatoes.
1 tablespoon butter.
1/2 cup milk.
3 large cloves garlic, minced.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Peel or scrub the potatoes, and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Cook in plenty of boiling water until soft. Drain and transfer to a medium-large bowl. Add the butter, garlic, and milk and mash well. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the parsley. Set aside.

Vegetable Hash:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced onion
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, minced
1 pound mushrooms, chopped
1-pound eggplant, diced
1 medium bell pepper, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1 cup (packed) grated sharp cheddar
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
Cayenne to taste
Paprika for the top
Dilled Horseradish Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Lightly spray a 2-quart casserole or its equivalent with nonstick spray. (You can also use a 9 x 13-inch baking pan).

2. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion andsauteté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to soften.

3. Add garlic, salt, pepper, celery, mushrooms, eggplant, and bell pepper. Stir until well combined, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the herbs, stir, and cover again. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the eggplant is perfectly tender. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the peas, 1/2 cup of the cheddar, the bread crumbs, and the vinegar. Add cayenne to taste. Spread this mixture into the prepared casserole or baking pan.

5. Spoon and/or spread the mashed potatoes over the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top, and dust with paprika.

6. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and bubbly around the edges. Make the sauce while the casserole bakes. To serve, spoon a little sauce onto each plate. Add a chunk of "pie" potato side-up, and spoon extra sauce over the top. Serve hot.

Dilled Horseradish Sauce
2 Tbs. Butter or Canola oil
1-2 Tbs. unbleached while flour (depending on desired thickness)
1 1/4 cups warmed milk
1 TBS prepared horseradish
a scant 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs minced fresh dill
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt butter or heat oil in a medium-small saucepan. Whisk in the flour, and cook over low heat, whisking often, for about a minute.

Whisk in the milk, and continue to cook over low heat, whisking frequently for another 5 minutes. Stir in horseradish and salt, and remove from heat. Stir in the dill and black pepper just before serving.

Summer Minestrone and Spinach ravings!

Recipe Maven's Musings

Okay, I’ve done a little reading on the e coli outbreak, but I’m definitely not an expert. I am, however, opinionated. Just in case you haven’t heard, here’s a little review. Some spinach distributed by Natural Selection Foods in California has been contaminated with e coli. At this point, They, can’t figure out exactly where the contaminated spinach is coming from because it’s grown in such high quantity and is also bought from lots of smaller farms in California. Once they get all of the greens, it’s mixed together, triple washed, cut up and packaged in bags or plastic boxes and sent out all over the country for consumption. They package for Trader Joe’s, Safeway organics, Costco and under other names too. They also haven’t determined if it’s the organic or conventionally grown spinach that’s the culprit. The best guess at this point is that the e coli came from cow manure used for fertilizing, but it will be very difficult to determine exactly where it came from, given that it’s such a huge industry. 100 people have contracted e coli and 1 person has died. Spinach farmers all over the country are destroying their crops. So, I guess there’s another really good reason to buy your food locally. Organic is great, but huge corporate organic? I’m not so sure. Read the article I read here.

Recipe:

I used beet greens and collards instead of chard. Yummy comfort food for the colder weather!

Summer Minestrone
Adapted from The Tomato Festival Cookbook, by Lawrence Davis-Hollander (Storey Books, 2004).

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 10-inch stalk celery, coarsely chopped
4 cups (about 12 to 15 large) chopped ripe plum tomatoes
4 to 6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 stem basil, plus extra sprigs for garnish
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) penne, elbow macaroni, small shells,

12 green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size strips
1 leek, washed, white and tender green parts cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 stems Swiss chard, stalks and leaves cut into 1-inch strips
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil and stir in the garlic. Let it soften for a couple of minutes, then stir in the carrot and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 4 cups of the broth, oregano, thyme, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Cover the pan, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a brisk boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta, followed by the green beans, bell pepper, and leek. Cook briskly, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat so the soup is simmering and add the chard, zucchini, and summer squash. If the mixture is very thick, or if you would simply like it thinner, add some or all of the remaining broth. Return to a simmer and cover the pan. Continue cooking the soup for 5 minutes, or until the pasta and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately, or cool and reheat as needed. Garnish with basil leaves