Let This Recipe Be Your Saving Grace : Vegetable pot pie

Marie is the mastermind behind Kitchen Revolution, an Alabang-based gourmet company that specializes in holistic, plant-based cooking classes, workshops, and lectures. She is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City and has completed Cornell University’s Plant-based Nutrition program. Marie is passionate about god food that tastes amazing, nourishes the body, and is gentle on the earth.

The problem with most pies is that their crusts can be time consuming to make. When I crave pie, sometimes I want it within the hour. I don’t have all day to slave away in the kitchen, and if I have guests coming over for dinner, I definitely want the pie to be easy to assemble.

Let this recipe be your saving grace. This pie uses ingredients you probably already have on hand. The beauty of pot pies is that you can throw any vegetable into the mix. If you don’t have celery, leave it out and add more onions or carrots. No fresh mushrooms? Rehydrate dry ones or go ahead and use the can of mushrooms sitting in your pantry. Frozen peas can be subbed with chopped zucchini or string beans (throw them in with the potatoes). This pot pie gets its low-fat protein fix from canned chickpeas; by now, you should be stocking your pantry with these legume gems. The pie crust takes all of two minutes to make and should be a no-Braner for those with rolling pin-phobia.

Vegetable pot pie

Makes: 6 individual pies or 1 (8-inch) pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 18 minutes, plus 15 minutes for baking

Vegetable pot pie

For the filling

·         4 large dried mushrooms

·         1 cup boiling water

·         1 tablespoon vegetables oil

·         2 yellow onions, diced

·         2 stalks celery, diced

·         1 carrot, diced

·         1 bay leaf

·         1 teaspoon dried thyme

·         Salt and pepper, to taste

·         2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced (oyster, button, or shiitake)

·         1 potato, peeled and diced

·         1 (450-gram) can chickpeas, drained

·         ¼ cup ground oats, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour

·         1 cup soy milk or coconut milk

·         1 cup frozen green peas

·         ¼ cup minced spring onion

·         ¼ cup parsley, minced

·         1 tablespoon cane vinegar

For the crust

·         1²/₃ cups whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, or a combination of both

·         1 tablespoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ¼ teaspoon pepper

·         ²/₃ cup soy milk or coconut milk

·         1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil, plus more for brushing top

1.    Preheat oven to 425^oF. Prepare 1-cup ramekins or an 8x8-inch ovenproof dish.

2.    Make the filling: Place dried mushrooms and boiling water in a bowl and cover. Let steep for 15 minutes to make instant mushroom broth while you prep the rest of the filling. Once mushrooms have softened, remove from water, remove stems, and slice thinly. Reserve mushroom broth.

3.    3 Warm vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrot, bay leaf, thyme, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cook until onions turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.

4.    Mix in fresh mushrooms, potato, and another pinch of salt. Cook until mushrooms and potatoes slightly soften, about 6 minutes.

5.    Stir in chickpeas and ground oats. Mix in soy milk, rehydrated mushrooms, and mushroom broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

6.    Meanwhile, make the pie crust: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. With a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in soy milk and oil.

7.    Remove pie filling from heat and stir in frozen peas, spring onion, parsley, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper accordingly. Transfer filling mixture into the ramekins or ovenproof dish. Drop pie crust dough by spoonfuls over the filling and spread with the back of a spoon or your fingers. Brush tops with more oil.

8.    Bake pot pie until crust turns golden and filling is cooked through, about 15 minutes.